A Piece Of Peace

This past Saturday, while out cutting firewood, I came to a point where I had to shut off the noisy chainsaw. I had to move some wood out of my way to get to another part of the tree.

I took off my hard hat and ear muffs and started to move the wood, stacking it in a nice pile for later pick up. As I did so, I took notice of the peace that surrounded me. Without the noise of the saw, it was quite a serene scene.

I was on a section of the land that was above the tree line and, with the autumn leaves gone, I could see through the trees to what lay beyond. It was a wonderful view of the Ozark mountains with a slight foggy haze.

The cow was just under the line of view and I could see her eating, contentedly, the fresh, green grass that I had allotted for her. The two calves were behind me, in their pen. They had come over to inspect the saw dust and small branches left in the wake of my saw.

There was not a sound. Just me, working. The air was so quiet, in fact, that I could hear the calves chewing their cud-crunch, crunch. There was a chicken, or two, in the area. They made just the slightest cluck as they displayed their chickeness, scratching the ground for tasty morsels and bugs.

Then, Lucy, our cow, layed down to chew her lunch. She was the picture of contentment. It is a good thing to see a cow lying down, chewing the cud. It just seems as if all is right in the world.

I spied a flock of little nuthatches, swooping overhead. They lighted in the trees in order to procure a good vantage point to begin their concert. The chickadees will be here soon, bringing with them their cute little songs-chickadee-dee-dee-dee.

The morning clouds gave way to bright sunshine, and spilled its warmth upon the earth. I was able to shed the thick sweatshirt and soak in the rays. I took a seat on Polly, the power wagon, and ingested the day.

Taking a deep breath, I felt good. For just a brief moment in time, all was good. The stresses of the work week were behind me. The noise of the farm was calming. The rest of the day was ahead.

It is nice to have these moments when I can just forget the rest of the world, even for a little while. I could never find such serenity in the city. I don't know how people can do it, live in the city, that is. I will take this small piece of land over a city lot, anytime. It gives you the chance to stop and smell the roses.