A Year of Gratitude – June 21, 2024

I found my gratitude in two gifts today: cooler weather and a faithful companion.  After three days of temperatures in the mid to upper 90s and sweltering humidity, 80 degrees felt so comfortable. It was delightful to wave that heat wave goodbye.

I know that another one will come to visit. Summer just began after all. But I’m happy to have more moderate temperatures while they last. The animals are certainly happier with cooler temperatures and the old farmhouse is much more comfortable.

Penny Lane napped through most of the heat wave. She was smart about napping in rooms with window air conditioners. She’s been through these heat waves before. She knows how to pass the time: in a cool spot with one nap after another.

So, when I walked outside this morning, I was so happy to feel cooler air on my skin. It was nice to open the barn and feel that the air inside had cooled a bit.

While I was doing my chores, I walked through the kitchen garden to take a peek at the plants. I hoped that they would come through the heat unscathed. I have a few stems that took damage from our torrential rain yesterday, but nothing was completely decimated.

Then I walked up to the gardens that are in front of the house. They have shade from a grand old oak tree, so they fared quite well despite the heat.

As I turned to head back inside, I looked and saw Penny Lane watching me from inside. She was perched in her favorite window (the tall window in the bottom right of the house in this photo) to make sure that I didn’t get too close to the road or too far from her line of sight.

I rounded the corner towards the mud room. I knew that Penny would run through the farmhouse, matching me stride for stride, to meet me at the door.

When I opened the door, there she was, sitting in the doorway just like I knew she would. I can always count on her. She didn’t know it yet, but there was a long walk in her future. We haven’t taken one for a few days now and it was time to get back to our routine. Any day that begins with a long walk with her is a day off to a great beginning.

This post is part of our A Year of Gratitude Series. You can find the introduction, inspiration, and entire year’s gratitude’s posts here.