Seasons

Last week a friend commented on a photo I posted on Facebook, "You make winter look fun!"  What?  Really?  Winter is my least favorite season, actually.

The next day, Don and I were taking a snowy stroll through the woods when the topic of our future came up.  Looking over at me, he commented, "You realize that this is just another season of our lives...it won't last forever."  These comments got me to thinking about.....SEASONS.









Farmers are acutely aware of seasons.  They must be!  Growing crops or produce, raising livestock.....the timing of it all will make....or break you... in agriculture.  For example, if you breed your beef cows at the wrong time, they could be calving in a blizzard and much of your new stock would freeze to death.  Or, if you plant your tomato crop too late in the summer, your tomatoes will probably be lost to an early frost.

In the world of sugarmakers, you never know quite how long your season of productivity will be or exactly when it will be.  It could be as short as 3 weeks, or as long as 6 weeks.  It could begin in late-February or early-April.   Just like other agricultural commodities, you better be on your toes when the season arrives or you'll miss your payday!

We've been well-trained by our years of planting and harvesting corn, wheat, soybeans and hay.... so we've been ready for the sap to flow for a few weeks now, anxiously awaiting "the big run", while collecting all we can from these little 2- and 3- day runs.

All this talk about seasons got me to thinking about the seasons of our lives.  Sometimes, the beginning and ending of one can be fairly well-defined, and you see it coming well in advance, but often times, it is just not that way.  If you had asked me just 3 months before we moved up here, "Will you be moving anytime soon?"  I probably would've said, "I doubt it."  Especially not 4+ hours....NORTH!  (I'm partial to the Chesapeake Bay area, actually.)  I have some days, still, when I wonder if we made the right decision.  But, other days, I think, "Boy, this was a great decision!"  It certainly began a new season in my life....in our family's life.  But, like Don pointed out, it is just another season.

Making "winter look fun" is a choice I must make each day to have a positive attitude about this particular season in my life.  (Some days are tougher than others!)  Will we still be doing the same things in this same place 10 or 12 years from now?  I highly doubt it!  Don never allows grass to grow under his feet!  By then, my children will be all grown up, maybe even with children of their own.  Hopefully.......we'll be moving hours SOUTH of this place, where the temperatures rarely go below 35 degrees...even in February.  Heck - we haven't tried growing peaches or pecans, yet! 

 Buttonwood Beach - June 2008

 
Until then, I will choose to live my life right here, in Central New York, and just visit places south whenever the opportunity presents itself...