By Three years sober, by the January 1st count that I use — though the actual number is 1,162 days as of today if you count from the night I sat in the parking lot in Billings, which I do sometimes when the number matters more than the date. The dates are markers. The days are the real thing.
Went to the river Sunday morning. Cold still, the ice at the edges just starting to pull away from the banks, the middle current dark and moving. Three years of this: waking up, making the drive, standing at the water, noticing what's different and what isn't. This time I felt the therapy in it — Dr. Crain and I have had three sessions now and each one has shifted something slightly, the way a small trim can change the entire balance of a hoof. The corrections are small and cumulative. The direction is right.
What three years feels like from the inside: ordinary. Not in the sense of unremarkable — in the sense of inhabiting one's life rather than managing it. The difference between standing in a river and watching a river. The work doesn't disappear but it changes character. It becomes less about not drinking and more about what you do with the time that you kept.
Started calving season this week. The heifers begin, which are always the more intensive ones — first-time mothers, often needing assistance. I've been up at two and four in the morning every other night for the last week, checking the pasture, watching the signs. Got two calves safely on the ground this week, both heifers, both standing and nursing within the hour. Each one still catches me the same way. I don't think that changes. I don't want it to.
Three years and 1,162 mornings — a lot of them have started the same way: up before light, boots on before coffee, out into whatever the weather has decided to be. This week, with calving underway and two in the morning becoming a routine alarm, I’ve been reaching for something that actually fills me up and keeps me moving — not fast food, not cereal, but something made with hands and intention. Rabbit breakfast sausage is that thing for me right now: lean, from scratch, no shortcuts, quietly satisfying in exactly the way the work is.
Rabbit Breakfast Sausage
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 27 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground rabbit meat
- 1 tsp dried sage
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp cold water
- 1 tbsp olive oil or unsalted butter, for the pan
Instructions
- Mix the seasoning. In a small bowl, combine sage, thyme, black pepper, salt, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir until evenly blended.
- Season the meat. Place ground rabbit in a large bowl. Sprinkle the seasoning blend over the meat, add the cold water, and mix gently with your hands just until combined — do not overwork or the sausage will tighten up.
- Form the patties. Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions and press each into a patty about 1/2 inch thick. Set on a plate and refrigerate for 10 minutes if time allows; this helps them hold together in the pan.
- Cook the sausage. Heat olive oil or butter in a cast iron or heavy skillet over medium heat. Add patties in a single layer without crowding. Cook 5 to 6 minutes per side until deeply browned on the outside and cooked through to 160°F internal temperature.
- Rest and serve. Transfer to a plate and let rest 2 minutes before serving. Serve alongside eggs, toast, or whatever else the morning calls for.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 185 | Protein: 26g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 1g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 420mg