Fall

This fall, even more than usual, carries with it a sense of urgency.  Coming off a summer of near constant rain we now hear predictions of a hard winter including, I suppose, a lot of snow.  It leads to the suspicion that September and October are about to disappear into a routine of rain every other day making very difficult the fall's important farm work, including grain harvest, making bedding for the animals and generally getting the facilities ready.

It is tempting indeed to hope that the weather reports are wrong.  They often are.  I revert to my Dad's approach:  What is the weather now?  And is the wind southeast and the sky clouding up(meaning rain)?  Probably more accurate and certainly more personal and calming than the constant televised chatter about weather and everything else.  The geese, at any rate, are getting restless.  They know. 

Jim