Goodbye, Mister Purr

My beloved companion of 14 years is gone. 

Mister Purr died at dawn, the day after Christmas,

 after a long battle with liver failure and hyperthyroidism. 

He was a kind and gentle soul and I miss his purring, loving presence immensely. 

I will be forever grateful he was in my life and believe I'm a better woman as a result of sharing so much time with him.

Thank you for your many lessons in love, Mister Purr. 

Frozen plant explosion

After the first frost here in Texas, these tiny, nature-created snowmen appeared around several plants in the pasture.

   They seem to be the stems of certain plants growing under the live oaks. Anyone know what they are?  They're very delicate and beautiful, but short-lived, melting away in moments once the sun finds them.

Newborn alpaca baby

A new alpaca baby was born two days ago at Kathy and John's Melody Moon Ranch next door. They've named him Rickenbacker (after the guitar). As you can see here, he's quite adorable--especially at the end when he walks into the sun.