Foxes, pheasants, home improvement, gratitude, and a little Jimi Hendrix

                 These are the quiet days of winter and type of Sunday that I enjoy the most. --Those days when the extraordinary is found in the ordinary. We were graced with a beautiful fox that was hunting for its breakfast this morning. As we gathered ours, I can only imagine what it was eating for Sunday brunch- a nice field mouse or three, with its news and coffee. We have seen many foxes the last  few year, pups and all.  I do not recall such an abundant fox population when I was young. But perhaps, I wasn't aware or foxy enough.
             Foxes aren't the only animal that visited the Kelly house today. Looking out by our round garden late this afternoon, I saw the largest, most brilliantly patterned pheasant I've ever seen in my life. It seemed to have touched down for a long lay over, before finding one of our box elders to perch in.   
           Mike was off and able to proceed with our perpetual state of home improvement and renovation. While I always joke and say I liked old homes until we had one, I can honestly say all the dust and plastic that has covered our house through the years has been worth it. There is a reason it is called home improvement and not house improvement, as all the changes, additions, and dry wall going up and down, bring us closer to our ideal home, and at least on most days  more appreciative of each others work, in our old home.
       The animals visited; Mike " home improved"; the wildflowers played beautifully with one another; and folding laundry and making dinner today became a meditative exercise in awareness and gratitude for all we have.
Now that's a Sunday!!