Random 5 Friday

1. No questions this week so we're going full on random. I'm going to use this forum to share with you, each week, a post from one of the blogs I follow. There are always one or two posts that really stand out; that affect me emotionally; that challenge my riding; or give me a great idea. This week, I want to share a post that Carolyn, at A Glowing Ember, wrote today. She is participating in a writing workshop and has been posting her assignments. The posts are powerful -- especially this one. The post is beautifully written; it is also very courageous. There are things in our lives that we would prefer not to look at so we leave them under rocks. Carolyn is tossing boulders aside; she's an amazing woman.

2. We haven't gotten any rain yet this month. November is supposed to be when the rain starts in earnest, when the grass turns green and our creeks fill with water. We are dipping into the high 20s at night, there is frost on the grass, and I hug my arms in close to my body in the mornings when I dash from the back porch to the garage. My car is small, and it warms up fast. I am thankful.

3. I counted 20 deer on the lane coming home from work one evening. Soft eyed does, dancing youngsters, and a buck with six points. Hunting season ended last Sunday. I hope that buck makes it through the winter. Tonight, there were two does bounding next to the road, in a ditch, next to the car. From the corner of my eye, they resembled dolphins jumping through waves.

4. I haven't seen turkeys on the road this week. A large flock had been hanging out with the deer for the past few months, and I enjoyed watching them change from all legs and skinny neck to fancy tail feathers. I'm wondering if they didn't survive hunting season.

5. There is an old hen house sitting by our well, between our gate and the road. The door hangs by one hinge, the white paint is peeling and the interior is chicken poop, old straw and crusty dirt. Why there is a chicken house sitting next to road is a mystery. I asked Brett to move it up to my garden so we could use it for chickens in the spring. He said it will fall apart if he tries to move it. With a new door, new paint and a good blast from the power washer it could be perfect. Well, I think so. Brett thinks otherwise.

Read more Random 5 posts at A Rural Journal.