Thursday, July 28, 2011

TIME WARP


TIME WARP

If one is to believe in a bit of science fiction and dwell on the dark secrets of the universe, it is easy to comprehend what happened in the last eight months. The loss of two younger siblings to Cancer, and grueling long winter, the very late spring, plus many other factors put this gal in another time and place. Some how things were getting done as usual, but it was like a robot had taken over my senses, and proceeded to do as programed without thought as to what, why and how come. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and then suddenly one day I went out in the garden and said……..how and when did this all get done. The sweet corn is tasseling, the tomatoes are ripening, the herbs are ready to pick and dry, and I stood there in a moment of amazement, realizing that somewhere, in another time zone quite similar to this one, my outer self-took over the chores, and the inner self sought sanctum…in a place most people care not to go. The two worlds were battling each other, one not giving a damn and the other pushing to reach the place above the clouds to breathe. Everything was the same, yet profoundly different…..struggling to gain control……while I just sat on the outside looking in. Two worlds had separated, two time zones, with no direction in sight……...until now. The mind indeed is a strange animal, taking its own sweet time to awake and smell the roses…….!

Speaking of roses, a bush that was given to me by my son-in-laws mother, has finally bloomed this year….it was planted about eight years ago, and grew up the trellis, with nary a bloom. Then a few weeks ago, a bit of pink caught my attention and there in the middle of the vines, was a bouquet of small, tiny pink roses….catching the rays of the sun, and the drops of the dew. ….. The other roses that were planted last year, like the “Knock out” specimens are blooming,… but sadly I lost my yellow rose bush to the cold fingers of ole man winter. The colors of the leaves on the oaks and poplars this year are filled with a strong sense of being… as they are robust hues of greens, alternating with the darks and lites, like no other. Mother Nature grew tired of her blanket of snow, and brought on the seasons with a clear cut idea of summer and what it was meant to be. There are also black eyed Susan’s bobbing and talking with the clouds on the hillside coming up the drive. A willow sways and dances with the wind near the culvert, while the young fawns are playing tag in some of the fallen trees downed by the winter’s snows.

We have a new resident this year, for the first time in a few years….he walks with dignity and a supreme sense of confidence across the hayfield, toward the woodline, with no fear of the dogs barking, or a human watching. The beautiful black fur catches the last rays of the setting sun, as he slowly makes his way thru the tall grasses in the woodline, silently fading into the dark woods, leaving only his scent behind for the dogs to play with. I have seen this black bear many times so far this summer, crossing the driveway about 50 yards from the house, crossing the road down a ways, plus his relatives sitting in empty fields or crossing the road on the way to Medford, to pick up Tim from work. I think I shall name this year…..The Year of the Bear…….I can always tell when he is around , as the alpacas will not go into the pasture and stay close to the sheds, waiting for the moment he travels to another destination, in search of his destiny.

The usual residents are back, the coyotes still singing their mournful chorus at nite, and a family of beautiful skunks….if you keep your distance..reside at the bottom of the hill. We have seen black mink, raccoons, fox and more deer than in the last few years. All foraging at the homestead this year…however…. they have been taking advantage of the domestic dwellers here and wiped out Lynn’s chicks and chickens one sultry, very hot Sunday afternoon and evening. Apparently they became bored with the prospects of the woods, and decided to stir up some excitement, since the chickens were not taken for food, but left lifeless in the pen.

The rains, high humidity and heat have kept the lawn tall, and the weeds in the garden on a rampage. We broke records this winter with our snowfalls, and now are doing the same with the rain and high temps. However the rock garden is splendid, with all the colors abound and the lilies are tall reaching for the hummers who are patiently waiting for them to open and look toward the sky. A wren couple settled in the gourd hanging under the eve…and has rewarded us with hours of singing from the time the sun kisses the treetops, till it settles down in the west and snuggles in for the night. Barn swallows moved in next door, in another gourd, making Tim happy that they didn’t take up space in the garage again, and litter ….however as time went on, and the garage door stayed open, another party moved in…so there is still…..”Litter” in the garage to match the disarray of materials stored there.

 
Well, the rhubarb is in the freezer, waiting to be made in to jam…the cherries have been picked …for the first time this year…..awaiting to be made in to Tim’s favorite, cherry pies….6 ice cream pails full….next year I am getting a cherry stoner…….my food drier is humming with basil leaves drying, the alpacas have been sheared and frolic in the rain, life and time synchronized like a fine orchestra in concert goes on, leaving no one behind. The long nights have concluded, and happiness of the sunshine smiling between the raindrops has returned. The fragile time warps have become one for now and the clouds are erasing the moments of abandonment leaving a wild field of contentment for all to embrace.