Eye on the Outside

Peace & Quiet

As I look out across the pasture from my kitchen window, I can barely see the fence through the

dense fog. I walk to the barn to feed my horses and it is quiet. With no wind I think I hear the ice in the pond growing thicker in the 11 degree air catching my breath before I have enough to fill my lungs. It is peaceful here in the pre-dawn. The world seems okay in that moment. The horses greet me gratefully and we start the day. Early on another morning with the rising sun casting an orange glow to the eastern horizon and the mountains on that side of the valley, I had another quiet peaceful feeling come over me as I realized most people on this and other continents do not share these silent moments. The noise we create in our cities and factories and on our freeways can be deafening at times. And, I will admit ranches and farms have their moments when the machinery is sounding off or a crowded branding pen is full of busy people, bawling calves and cowboy shouts. But for the most part, we operate in relative quiet out here.

It is a while until dawn in the late spring. My saddled horse is tied to the trailer as I wait for the rest of the crew. It is not even chilly anymore, so I am in shirtsleeves and as I sip a last mug of coffee, I realize this is the time I treasure most.

The horse munches hay out of a hanging hay bag, and I can easily hear him chewing. I raised him, started him and now he is in a bridle and my go to horse because he does everything I ask effortlessly and well. Again and again in times such as this I am overwhelmed by the silence, by the quiet and the resting earth I am hooked into. On frequent drives across the Great Basin, especially on U S Highway 50, I marvel at the immensity of this place we call home. Very few of the millions of tourists who travel to Las Vegas and Reno/ Tahoe realize the splendor of this special place. When one drives from California to Utah on this highway, it is quickly clear the evidence of modern civilization is limited. Of course, there are places in this country that are remote and lacking in modern civilization evidence such as the Great Plains or west Texas and eastern New Mexico, but for hundreds of miles nothing beats the Great Basin for scenic beauty and feelings of isolation and remoteness. Pull over onto a perpendicular dirt road off Highway 50, turn off your motor and listen to the heartbeat of the earth. If it is windy, you will immediately feel it enter you. If it is not, again the peaceful quiet will embed itself in you as if you have always known this serenity. Although this may not seem like a description of peace and quiet, in its own way it contributes to these feelings. I am thinking of a baby’s cry or a herd of grandchildren screeching at the top of their

lungs as they race each other around the house or in the back yard at sunset on a summer evening. Somehow, as incongruous as it sounds, these noises bring me to a place of peace and contentment.

There is that time in a calving pasture when we have all seen the miracle of another birth. I like to slowly and carefully ride through a bunch of calving cows looking for signs of trouble or concern. Most of the time there is nothing to be alarmed about. Far off in a corner of the pasture a cow is lying down by herself. Patiently and at considerable distance, I watch and don’t disturb her as the birth of a new life happens once again. This brings me some peace and comfort knowing that nature again has a way to humble us. It is a special privilege when dealing with an animal such as a young horse when real communication occurs. The round pen is a favorite place for me because there if we are lucky, we can share some insight with our partner, the horse. When in that moment the colt turns toward you and as you back up it follows to where you are standing and lets you touch it on the neck as if you are standing in place of its dam, tranquility overcomes all other thought even if only briefly. From that time, you can build more communication until over the course of some years you have a true bridled up partner. The remembrance of that moment becomes for me a time of peace. We all have times such as I have described here when the noise of the world recedes, and we can reflect on our good fortune. We only have to remember the things we are thankful for and understand that each of us can be blessed in some way. May the blessings of this time of year lead you to quiet peaceful places. I’ll see you soon.

It is peaceful here in the pre-dawn. The world seems okay in that moment.