Saturday, August 22, 2009

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Sky racers

Sky Racers 5/9/09 Carolyn Stearns

I went out walking tonight as one storm was chased from the sky on the steeds of another. I paused at the gate to the meadow and watched. There across the western horizon monstrous black clouds mounted and with their golden rims sparkling, went skittering northeast as if in the great derby itself. The rest of the sky presented a fanfare to the riderless clouds and mounted great banners across the deepening blue. These Cirrus clouds waved uneven yet majestic as they heralded the winning cloud home. Then great beams of late light reach straight toward heaven and I knew I was watching this painter’s sky as if I had never seen sky before.
The birds sang in triumph as the sun slipped lower and lower and the clouds became a darker curtain and I knew I must turn homeward soon. I grew sad at leaving the spectacular show. I was reminded of a night as a child when on my way to bed I paused to gaze into the night sky from the upstairs hall window. There, as if just for me was the Aurora Borealis in all its color and grandeur and I shouted for the family to come and see. Tonight’s sky reminded me of that view of the Northern Lights and how I wished they would wave their curtains here once more, it was a rare sighting in Eastern Connecticut’s sky.
I walked on toward home and looked up when I heard the screeching of a bird high above me. I stopped, looked for the owner of the voice and finally found him perched in the branches of a huge Hickory. The Hickory stood there in the dim light, a black outline. Great vines grew up and bound the tree’s arms as if the chains of slavery. There it stood confined to the stone wall, the corn field, and the edge of the road, watching the world go by. The bark of the tree bore scars of winter damage by snow and plows and vehicles who didn’t gauge the distance well and scraped by. I am sure it shook clear to the roots but managed its firm hold on the earth with the help of the vines. Why had I not noticed the tree before when walking? It has grown here along the road to home longer than I have been alive and it has been invisible to me all these years. Tonight I took the time to pause and notice it at the beckoning of one of the many birds who call the graceful arms home.
Home at last and the final rays of sun are gone the darkness gathers around the house and the lights from within glow out over the porch and spill onto the grass. Another day has passed, only the stillness of night remains. I come in and settle to write and pause to remember what a fine day it was and how glad I am to have taken a few minutes to appreciate what is given for free every day. ©

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Instant Summer

Instant Summer

There I was today freezing in the barn. It was 50 degrees but the wind was whipping itself around and in the north door and I was tired and grumpy and cold. Cold that is the word and as I watched the very bubbly and optimistic weather forecast I was amazed, it will happen again. Instant Summer! Yes it is coming our way this weekend, cautiously optimistic the weatherman said we may see 90 degrees or more. Why, it really isn’t that great to break another weather record. This one has stood since 1908, let it be, 70’s is plenty why push so hard to get all the way to 90. I know how easily we layer up and down and we New Englanders may be the best at that, but our bodies won’t be ready for this heat wave. On the other side of the spectrum I expect to see hair literally fly off the horses. They will want to launch that fur coat like projectiles into the wind. Some are still very fuzzy and they will be suffering on the weekend. There was sleet and hail here in the past week, we’re talking ice coated water buckets and now 90!
Living on a farm, weather plays a predominant part in daily life. Not just a convenience to know what is coming, it means life and death to the young animals. The very old ones feel the effects just as we humans and we have to dress for it and stay out in it hours at a time. So the first thing I do in the morning is flip on the weather report and see what we have to deal with. Now with the advent of this instant summer I will have to be on storm watch. Getting horses in before a big thunderstorm and the dog secured as she is terrified of them is the goal for each storm.
So for the next week or two we have to be ready for all seasons. Wool coat on standby, rubber boots at the door, mittens and gloves in the pockets and sunscreen and big hats for the afternoons. So… last one to the pool is a rotten egg! © 4/23/09
Keeping up with technology is like a full time job.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

March Roars In

March came roaring in like a lion last night. I lay in bed listeneing to the roar. I could hear trees crackle and barn doors creak in the fierce wind and thought about all the animals out in the barn listeneing. It must seem even louder to them. There is a certain comfort in knowing they have warm dry stalls and hay to eat, buckets of water and a roof over their head. We should all be so fortunate. The economic crisis will lead to more and more animals being left abandoned or malnourished. I dont know who will take in these refugees of hard times. The animals are innocent victims and have no voice.
Today the storytellers email list is writing about lay offs on Sesame Street and while the fact is behind the scenes workers will get the axe, it is the tongue in cheek comments about Oscar, Kermit and Elmo that are keeping us laughing, laughter hiding the fear it could be one of our jobs next. Where are people going to turn as times get harder. I fear the Yellow Brick Road has many scary detours and we all have that journey to make. Let's remember while we go down the road others are in a worse place and we have to do what we can to ease the burden. Take in the animal temporarily, give up small luxeries, grow the Victory garden, tighten the belts and all the while remember to share laughter. So if you see Kermit on the side of the road thumbing or holding the "will work for flies" sign, pick him up please. If you open the waste bin and find Oscar in residence understand he lived in the high rent district and your bin is downsizing for him. Please give Elmo a place to rest, he has worked tirelessly to make people laugh and it is a grim task ahead to be tickled a million times in order to turn the National Frown upside down!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

There Shall Be Mud

Why on earth after creating heaven and earth did mud ever get created. Is mud the after thought or uncalculated by product? I beleive that it was made to humor someone with good boots! They were certainly there watching the day the mud sucked the boot from my foot and left me windmilling my arms at the gate. Prayer was never so dedicated as that moment when I truly did not want to fall face first in the mud manure combination. Oh I know kids on the school bus and commuters got the laugh of the day when passing by.
There is a certain percentage of the population that revel in mud. We have several horses that fall into that category and love the earth to body transfer of mud and then the grooming that follows to send the mud to earth again. All this to only dash to the next mud puddle in the morning and recoat themselves in glorious oozing dripping MUD!
New England traditionaly celebrates and glories in its four seasons marketing each one to tourists from a different view point. I have never seen marketing of mud season! It is not written up in Yankee Magazine there are no glossy inserts in a Sunday paper luring you to New England in Mud Season. It is like the family secret, the never spoken of. I am here to tell you Mud season does exhist and we are in the middle of it. I used to have a pair of white sneakers they succumbed to mud season 09 today. I have lost more than one shoe to a mud season and the black bottom on some socks comes from an invasion of shoes to a degree where the Clorox companies research hasnt dared to follow. I like new socks in May!
Where do earth worms evacuate to in Mud Season. It is the equivalent to a hurricane Katrina and the devastation to the worm community is intense. Where once tunnels and mounds occupied the ground now a brown foul swill has oozed into place. I pity them their exhistance in a mud filled world. There is enough soap and dry socks for me to escape for a few hours each day to a dry clean place. Mud free living, it could be a good cover story for Country Living Magazine. That magazine has never quite understood the heartbeat of real country. Well a fair wind blows and the mud would dry, but the forcast is for rain and mud season has just begun its hijinks for 2009. I have yet to lose a shoe or boot, I havent fallen although I pulled a few muscles I forgot I had in avoiding that event today. There has not been a large mud track in the kitchen when someone fresh from mudville made an emergency trip into the house. So far the dog the mud and the couch have not been reunited, a success story in a baby gate.
Pack your bags it is not to late to miss New England in Mud Season, you too can enjoy the age old tradition of slip sliding across the barnyard on a greased track of glorious brown mud. Welcome!