Refuge Farms (www.refugefarms.org)

I love it! This past week has been a simple week. A week without trauma or emergency or extreme stress or anything to create a feeling of gloom or sadness. The only tears this week have been tears from laughter and joy! I love it! This past week has been a simple week.

The weather has been a little spooky. Our fall has not been typical in any sense. The summer drought is certainly behind us! The skies have opened up on us and we have had monsoons! Rainstorms that drop 2” to 3”’ inches in just the time it takes the storm’s worst to pass over us! The yard has standing water. The pastures are slippery from the excessive rain! The dry run has overflowed and small trees have drifted across the pasture! It’s wet everywhere! And the forecast is for more rain!

I temper all of this remembering what my Dad would tell me about the fall rains; “It’s good for the trees to have a moist root system going in to winter.” Hey Dad, the trees are happy! Very happy!

And then the temperature has given us another twist. Yesterday at 2pm, I glanced at the thermometer in the barn and it read 87 degrees. In October! And with the humidity way up there because of the excessive rain! The Herd has already started to hair up for winter and most of them have sweatbands on their chests – wet rings where you can see they are sweating, too, with the uncharacteristically warm temperatures. In fact, I actually turned the barn fans on this week. In October!!!

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Early in the week, our monthly article appeared in the Dunn County News. Deb A., the editor of the Variety Section where our article appears, attended the Open Barn with her Mom. And Deb took some marvelous pictures. And, I think, she enjoyed the Open Barn as well.

Looking at the front page of the Sunday Edition, you saw a picture of Unit with some guests as a teaser for the article that was held within. Then when you turned to the Variety Section, there we were! In full color! The entire page!

When Deb and I first talked about this article almost two years ago, we discussed an article that was 500 to 800 words or so. One or two pictures. Well, don’t count the pictures and don’t count the words! Our article and pictures consumed the cover page in full color and then continued on to another page – for another half a page! – in black and white! I had written my “diary” of the day, and Deb, bless her heart, had seen a way to print it as she received it. All of the words. And notice, in particular, one picture if you would. It’s a picture of Kathy M. and Miss Bette. We have two famous ones amongst us now. Great picture of the two of them. And the love that exists there is so evident that it is almost a third dimension to the picture.

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The little filly continues to grow and change almost daily. Her ribs are not so prominent. She is learning to use that front leg even without a Human in front of her reminding her to “Walk!” And her personality continues to come through. My conclusion? This little girl has spunk and spirit, that’s for sure!

One evening this week, I was later than I usually am in getting her out of the corral and in to her stall for the evening. She has quickly learned that awaiting her at the sunset is a bucket with feed, a half-barrel with hay, a bucket of water, and a bed of sawdust to rest on. She would purr, I think, if she could…

Well, on this particular evening, I was sure of myself and so I opened the double gates to the corral and stood in the twelve-foot opening with her halter in my hand awaiting her arrival up to me.

Arrive she did! She put her head up, ran – yes, ran! – up to me and right past me! She flew in to the barn and right in to her stall! Right by me without a second thought! No need stopping for her! She’ll just slow me down!!!

Mud was flying in the air! Little Man ran in to the cedar trees to get out of her way! And all four of her legs and feet were working very well, indeed, as she overcame obstacles, slippery earth, and me to get to her feed!

As she reached her stall, I muttered something like “Might as well close the gates behind her,” and obediently, I followed her in to the barn – still with her halter in my hand. Not once did she look at me. Why should she? I had only been one of those obstacles that she had needed to overcome in order to get to her feed!

Her spunk and spirit continue to show me a little girl determined to live as best as she can for as long as she can. She seems very content here and enjoys the companionship of the other horses – especially Miss April. When I arrive in the barn in the mornings, more often than not, I find Miss April with her head over the gate nosing with the filly. Interesting that these two – both with front feet and leg disabilities – would find each other so soon.

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Throughout the week, many of you have called or emailed me with your expressions of support and confidence that this recent change in my life will work out for the better. Some of you have purchased grocery cards to make sure I eat. Some of you have put me on your personal and church prayer lists. Some of you have written letters of recommendation. Some of you have reached out to contacts that I have needed and opened doors for telephone conversations. Some of you have stopped by just to hug me and offer whatever is needed when the need arises.

But mostly, you are there. You listen. You worry with me. And you express the belief that all will be well. That the sudden and unexplained loss of employment is part of The Master Plan. Thank you to all of you. There is much yet to uncover and much yet to settle, but I am armed with confidence and energy largely because of all of you and your arms right behind me. I am safe and feel it because of all of you. Thank you.

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Lastly, this week has been a week of building excitement and anticipation. Tony is coming! Tony Stromberg is at Refuge Farms next week! Our horses will offer their hearts and heads and energies to a man with a talented eye and camera lenses. And our horses will show their capacity to heal and to play and to be free! To be confident that playing and running and sniffing and snorting and being a horse is now something that they can do freely!

I was nervous this morning about Tony’s arrival. With this constant rain, my plans to have the pastures “swept” of the old hay piles have not been completed. It’s just too wet and muddy. And so the pictures will be around those piles! And I was so worried that the weeds were all not trimmed from the fence lines and some of the posts are crooked and as I walked to the barn, I saw so many things I wanted fixed!

But then I walked in the barn. And looked at massive Babee Joy standing there. With shiny Beauty next to her. And little Unit hidden between Beauty and sleepy Jeri-Ann. And strong Miss Bette standing safely off to the side. And alert Josephina in the doorway acting as the bouncer.

Then on the other side I saw Cole soaking up the sun with Miss April right beside him. Addie-Girl was quietly dozing in the corner. The filly was sound asleep on her side. PONY! and Gracie were buried in a round bale just outside the door.

And I stopped worrying. This is what the man will see. If his heart is open at all, he won’t care about the weeds or the fence posts or the hay piles. He will see the eyes. And the histories and the wisdoms. And the spirits and the capacities to love and forgive in these horses. He will see the caution and the ease, all at the same time. And he, too, will see beyond the things around them and see them.

On mornings like this, I am content just to stand and watch them. To try to soak them up. And to take those mental snapshots that you never forget. It is on this morning that I am grateful for a simple week. A week filled with compassion and support and healing. On this morning, I am grateful to be in this place at this time. I am grateful to be me.

Pray for peace in this world and for another simple week to come.

Enjoy the journey of each and every day,
Sandy and The Herd