One hot summer evening, while we were eating supper, Daddy said to Momma, "Would you like to sleep outside tonight?"

Momma wiped the sweat off her forehead and said, "Well, yes I would love that."

I had to do my chores first and Momma had to wash up the supper dishes and put them away and Daddy had to milk the cows.

When we were all ready to go, Momma got the picnic blanket out of the cupboard.   Daddy got a lantern from the back room and lit it.   It sputtered and hissed a couple of times and then started burning brightly.

Daddy led the way and Momma held my hand as we walked down the lane toward the woods.   We could see the outline of the cows and sheep in the pastures that we walked through.   As we neared the woods, Momma spread the blanket out near the edge of the pasture and we lay down.

Daddy said, "Look at those stars.   They look close enough to reach out and grab one."

Momma brushed bugs away from her face and laughed, "I think I hear the bugs singing."

"What are they singing?" asked Daddy.

"I think I hear them singing, there's food around the corner, food around the corner," Momma said.

I snuggled in between them and breathed in the smell of the pasture and listened to the crickets and looked at the stars.

One of them fell from the sky.

Daddy said, "Quick, make a wish on that falling star!"

Momma said, "I wish for many more nights just like this one."

"More days just like today too," I replied.

And as we slept, our green pastures kept us safe in the summer night.