87 Comments
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Rebecca B's avatar

This was just wonderful and uplifting to read. And the photos are pure heaven! Much love to you and Little Fawn and Raven. <3 <3 <3

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Carol Durusau's avatar

Your posts always make me happy and often bring tears having to do with recognition of beauty in the world. Thank you for being a beautiful soul.

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Janisse Ray's avatar

Carol, you & your comment mean the world to me. I hope you're able to garden a bit this year!

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Carol Durusau's avatar

Somehow., in the midst of all the craziness of the world these days,. I feel more positive about my and my husband's persistence for a few more years and so we have embarked on a slow motion complete garden and yard renovation. We are planting lots more native perennials and asparagus and renovating the strawberry bed. We're adding blueberry bushes and our persimmon trees, native and Asian, are full of fruit. It's kinda crazy but it sure feels good.

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Janisse Ray's avatar

I am very impressed and super-proud of you. I hope I get to stop by and tour it one day. Carry on. You all really know how to grow things.

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Carol Durusau's avatar

I hope you can come this way sometime. Bring Little Fawn. I'll tell her a story.

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Katherine Crowe's avatar

Thank you for thinking of everyone as you go about your life on your beautiful farm with Raven and Little Fawn. Charlie and I passed Rising Fawn, Alabama and thought of you all.

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Janisse Ray's avatar

What a heavenly name. Rising Fawn, Alabama. Love to you & Charlie. Come visit when you can.

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Sarah Loten's avatar

What a delightful, joyful missive after witnessing all the stress of the past months! Thank you! The pictures of you and Little Fawn are gorgeous 💕.

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Wanda's avatar

I love this! I am sitting on my porch on Jekyll Island, listening to the thunder and the birds as the night comes, wishing I had been in the lobby of the Villas when you and the receptionist were singing Edelweiss.

I laughed about the elderly man who didn’t know who the president is. I wish I didn’t know who the president is!

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Ken Lamberton's avatar

Such as beautiful place you inhabit, Janisse, in so many ways. Thanks for sharing it with us.

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Janisse Ray's avatar

Come visit, Ken!

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Tania June Sammons's avatar

Beautiful baby. Beautiful pictures. Beautiful stories. Thank you.

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Janisse Ray's avatar

Thank you, Tania. I got your email. Great news!

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Penryn Craig's avatar

Your stories have brought literal tears to my eyes. Thank you for relentlessly finding and sharing the beauty during ugly times.

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Janisse Ray's avatar

The beauty just keeps presenting itself. So does the bad, honestly, but I run hard from the bad.

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Kelly's avatar

Thank you for these glimpses of life and love. The photos of you and Little Fawn are radiant!

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Janisse Ray's avatar

They turned out so nice. Except my gray hair is edited & so are a few wrinkles on my face! LOL I want them back!!!

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Dallas Anne Duncan's avatar

These are gorgeous photos of you and Little Fawn! I’ll be in Baxley next week, hopefully, for a day trip to help work cattle, so I’ll no doubt be thinking of you and your teacher with her fondness of loving on little kids.

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Janisse Ray's avatar

How cool that you're coming to work cattle! We share a bunch in common.

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Dallas Anne Duncan's avatar

Unfortunately the vet I was shadowing changed plans on me, so I didn’t end up going this time. But it’s on my list to ride with him down to Circle F!

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Janisse Ray's avatar

Circle F! Quite an operation.

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Leah Rampy's avatar

I loved this dose of country beauty punctuated with adorable Fawn photos. It made me smile.

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Janisse Ray's avatar

That verb "punctuated" is a good one. Thank you for this, Leah. And I agree that she's flipping adorable.

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Gary Spangler's avatar

A genuine delight, Janisse, from beginning to end.

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Janisse Ray's avatar

That means the world to me, Gary. Thank you!!!

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Gary Spangler's avatar

I’d wager you know me from the years I lived in Sunrise Community. You wrote with Laura Newton, perhaps others. I recall your passion for creating wildlife corridors, for safe passage and to provide ample range for local creatures like bear? “The Pinhook River” also comes to mind. Part of your writing, too? It’s been delightful finding you on SubStack, Janisse.

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Janisse Ray's avatar

Yes, yes. I know exactly who you are. Yes to Sunrise, to Laura, to the Pinhook to black bears. Yes to finding each other!

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Gary Spangler's avatar

I’m always delighted to cross paths with people from my past. Then delighted all over to learn of their present pursuits.

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Gary Spangler's avatar

Thank you for your kind response.

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Julie Starr's avatar

Love the pics of you and little Fawn! TY as always for sharing.

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Janisse Ray's avatar

Those photos could be thought of as self-serving, so I'm glad you & others like them.

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Sandi De’ak's avatar

What a beautiful description of life in all its forms! Thank you! 🙏 💕

The photos are precious!

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Janisse Ray's avatar

How do you get emojis on Substack? Are you working from a phone?

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Sandi De’ak's avatar

Yes. 😊

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Brenda Keen's avatar

(( Thank you! ))

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Janisse Ray's avatar

((Big hugs to you, BK!))

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Misti Little's avatar

Those photos are so beautiful! Y'all are such a pair together!

Mulberries are ripening on our trees, too, but we're mostly sharing with the tanagers and orioles that are moving through right now. A few go into my son's belly!

What a joyous update from your farm!

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Janisse Ray's avatar

We realized this year that mulberries need to go everywhere there's space at our place. They are incredible trees.

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