Warren's spirit

Warren lived on a friend's farm with a herd of cattle and several draft horses and a couple ponies. He was very happy to have 40 acres to romp on. I still frequent the farm to get my horse fix and visit with my friends. We took the old draft and one of the ponies for a ride in the back field the other day. I saw Warren's hoof prints in an area we had ridden the week before. Part of me wanted to preserve that place and never let those tracks be disturbed. Then I realized that I am clinging to everything physical I have of Warren, knowing that this is is all there will be. The physical does not matter. It is Warren's huge heart and spirit that I truly connected with and spirit is eternal. His body could not sustain him any longer and it was time for him to let it go. Warren's spirit lives on everywhere. I can feel him in the field, hanging out in the trees.. watching me wander all over the field. He is with me.

Warren

You know me and therefore you know the big blonde Belgian draft horse, Warren.

I have been staring at the screen trying to find the right words. Warren had a very sudden and severe colic Sunday afternoon. We took him to Oregon State University veterinary hospital and he went in for surgery. There were no twists, but a great deal of gas in his colon. We still don't know what caused it or why. His 24 hours of post op were very slow for recovery. Tuesday night was promising; he was looking and feeling better. While we were visiting, his heart rate came down and he was more like his normal curious and social self. Wednesday morning he hit a wall. On our Wednesday evening visit he let us know it was time to say good bye.

Warren, the giver, prankster and strong, gentle soul.

12 and a half years he has been a wonderful part of my life.

I am sad; I will miss his physical presence, our rides through the woods, his mighty shoulder, his big, warm eyes, his "talkative" lip. His spirit will always surround me and all the other lives that he has touched in his 14 years.

I share this with you because directly or indirectly he has touched all of your lives.

Warren, you have given so much. You are a tremendous horse with an amazing spirit and so much loved. I am thankful for every moment we shared together. Your physical presence will be missed, my dear friend, but your spirit remains with me always.

Out in the woods

Did I mention that I love my job!? Today I went out to the remote town of Packwood to review some practices done on forestland. Today's task was to verify that the 10 year old, densely planted timber stand had been pre commercially thinned down to the target density. The trees were packed in at over 1000 trees per acre and after thinning, the stand was at 375 trees per acre. That means there were lots of little trees cut down so the remaini trees could have light and space to grow healthier and taller. My co-worker and I hngiked around over slash from the thinning and counted trees in 1/50th acre plots we averaged out plot data and determined the stand density for the property. This is only a small piece of the many unique requirements of my job, but I really enjoy it.