excerpt
The following two days he spent fencing were wonderful. The
sky was a majestic blue and the air was scented with the pungent
aroma of wolf willow. As he worked his way along the fence line
and down into the slough areas, he was rewarded by the sweet
scent of mint. He lost himself in his work and the nature around
him. After assessing the condition of each post, he would either
reinforce it with rocks at the base of the post to enhance its stability
or rip it out and plant a new post in its place. The posts that
were in the worst shape didn’t take much effort to dislodge. After
removing the staples that held the barbwire to the decaying
wood, it would usually take a gentle tug or two to encourage the
post from its hole. The savage winds of far too many winters had
been hard on the posts set in the ground since who knows how
long ago. Rather than use the existing hole to place a new post,
which was just too easy a solution and less than ideal, Joel would
use the post-hole digger to create a new hole nearby. Sometimes
he met the resistance of hard dirt, which he used the water from
the big thermos to soften. After waiting a moment or two, time
which allowed him to silently scan the horizon, Joel would then
proceed to auger down through the softened terra. Other times he
would meet the harsh resistance of rock. Usually by using the
tamping bar, he would be able to jar the rock enough to loosen it.
Reaching into the hole and wrapping his straining fingers around
the rock, he would pry it from its berth and eventually lift it out of
the hole. Then he would proceed to plant the new post.
In a way, he knew that not only was he connecting with
Mother Nature, but also beyond that, he was reaching into the
heart of Mother Nature. And in the dirt and sweat as he toiled,
Joel came to realize that he was at one with nature. Somehow,
the pain of the past and his anxious feeling about his future and
what would become of the Circle H would vanish in the magical
power of the prairie. How could he harness this special feeling of
peace and tranquility in everyday life? He would have to think
about that.
Libros Libertad 