Pasture Present

There's a place I go to when peace needs to invade my soul. Its the pasture where my horses live, which means I also go there to feed and groom my mares and scoop their manure. So this place serves many purposes.


It supplies the quiet of a place filled with trees and grass, quiet that gets deeper the longer you listen.

There's plenty of wildlife - squirrels that live in the barn and chew our stuff if it's not contained; twittering birds that appreciate the buckets of water we leave in the corral; deer wandering through because the pasture is in a part of the Deschutes National Forest that's a wildlife preserve so really, its their yard; a bald eagle that soars up and down the Metolius River, but also makes me nervous because my small dog putters around with me in the pasture.

And the most special treat of all...a river otter playing in the shallow riffles near the headwaters.



My brother and his wife spoke their vows to each other in the pasture, on a warm summer day with the horses grazing nearby.



It's a place that requires some work to keep it healthy, so dirt under fingernails and smudged across my face is a given.

When we lived in Camp Sherman, managing a lodging place there, I'd stop in at the pasture after town days to de-tox after the grind of Costco. Stepping into the sunshine, smelling the aroma of those pine trees, I'd feel all that town stuff roll off, replaced with a smile that started somewhere near the bottom of my ribcage and spread all the way to my fingers. The horses never minded when I twirled around with my hands in the air, thanking God for the gift of grass, trees, water and dirt.

Goddy and I walk the perimeter of the pasture a couple times a year, checking the fence and making repairs. (I'm really glad my practical husband knows how to do that!)



Though if the horses really, really wanted to, they could push it over in a few places, it's that old. But they seem content with the 60 acres inside the fence. The rare escapes have occurred when there's been some bullying going on, behavior that gets resolved in a few days. I guess its hard for horses to remain grumpy in the midst of all that peace too.


I share the pasture with two fine women who feel just as I do about this place. It's a joy to care for it and our horses, and we know we are the most fortunate of women to keep our beloved buddies in there. This field of grass and wild flowers tucks into the quiet places of my heart and I always feel better for going there.