Inside: Wake-up call, missing Dad, and when the leaves finally leave. Catch all the latest fresh from the farm.
November Wake-up Call
I’ve been sleeping later than I should lately. Blame it on night-owl tendencies and insomnia, but I’ve been struggling to get out of bed. And when you’re fortunate enough not to have anywhere you have to be most mornings, the lure of Dreamland is particularly hard to resist. But one morning I managed.
And I did something else remarkable. I quickly got dressed in layers, readied my camera, and hurried outside to beat the sunrise. Nothing like a rush of cold to wake a body up–even better than my morning cup of caffeine.
All is quiet at this hour. A hush settled over the farm, a kind of reverence.
The early morning offers a reward for those who wipe the sleep from their eyes and greet the day. If you happen to wield a camera, that reward is greater still. The golden hour, as photographers know it, bathes the world in a lovely golden light, which adds beauty to the ordinary. Nature’s highlights. And I snap away, moving from one subject to the next.
There’s just something about starting the day this way. Paying homage to creation.
And the One who created it.
Missing Dad
When I think of November, I think of Thanksgiving and Veteran’s Day and deer season. Flocks of geese and black birds seeking southern homes. But mostly I think of Dad. His birthday is actually on Veteran’s Day. For the past two years Mom and I have marked the day by celebrating him. This year we ordered pancakes in our favorite restaurant–mine pumpkin, hers buttermilk. He would have wanted corncakes, though.
He’s been on my mind a lot lately. He wouldn’t have been happy about the early snows, worried about things like frozen pipes and animals in the cold. He would have made sure to break holes in the ice for the horses and feed them enough hay. For a man born as winter approached, he never had much appreciation for the season.
Nowadays we don’t have much to look after around the farm, so it’s been easy to keep an eye on things. I’m sorely in need of new boots, though, and have been wearing his. They’re too big, and I feel a little clumsy in them. His shoes always have been too big to fill.
I also have the hooded sweatshirt he wore that last year of his life. For a long time it still held his scent, but when I went to put it on with the change in the weather, I noticed it no longer did. Still, it’s his, and wearing the boots and the sweatshirt makes me feel close to him.
I believe that when a loved one goes to heaven that God sometimes passes along messages from us to them, if we ask. And I’m asking. I’m asking that He tells Dad I love him and miss him and think about him often, particularly now. In November.
And one more thing: Yes, Dad, the heat lamp is on over the water pipes in the milk barn.
When the Leaves Finally Leave
I feel a little cheated this year, if I’m being honest. I sat down and actually figured it out–we really didn’t have much of a fall. The leaves didn’t start turning until after we got back from Maryland–around October 22. Then we got an amazing show for the next two weeks–up until the first snow on November 8, which came so much earlier than we’re used to here. It’s rare to have snow on Thanksgiving, and, in fact, I maintain that I’ve seen more snow on Easter than on turkey day, though both aren’t common. But what I noticed was that once the snow came, any color in the trees quickly faded over the course of a few days. And then the leaves fell.
But it was lovely while it lasted, however brief that was. Just that I’m not quite ready for the change. I like to gradually move toward winter while I’m in the midst of all my Christmas activities. Not Thanksgiving. Though, actually, the temps Thanksgiving Day were fairly warm.
Which makes me wonder what the weather will be like this Christmas. Somehow I wouldn’t be surprised to see people in shorts out washing their cars. I’ve seen that happen one year, too.
Are you ready for winter? Tell us about it in the comments.
Related posts:
Early Harvests, Seasonal Signs, and Other News Fresh From the Farm
My Top Ten Must-do Fall Activities
Surviving Frost, Roasted Bean Mondays, and Other News Fresh From the Farm
Swirling Patterns of Blackbirds, Posing, and Other News Fresh From the Farm
Posts from a year ago: