Autumn is a very busy time for most farmers. They have crops to
harvest, hay to bale and "put up", and preparations for the coming
winter to complete before the first frost and flakes of snow arrive
on the scene. 9 to 5 workdays are just a dream for those who farm
for a living, especially in the fall of the year.
But autumn is also a very beautiful time in farm country.
You'll find fields bursting with crops that are ripe and waiting to
be "picked", golden fields of grain waving in the breeze, and trees
in the distance turning every shade of yellow, orange, red and brown
imaginable as the days get shorter and the process of photosynthesis
goes on its yearly vacation. Farms are very special places where
hard work and the grace of God combine to produce enough food to
feed a hungry world, and harvest time is when we all get to enjoy
the proceeds.
I grew up on a small family farm in southwestern Virginia near the
beautiful town of
Damascus. Well, actually it was more of a large plot of
woodlands with enough cleared land for a large garden and a "hog
lot". My dad loved to
garden, spending hours on end caring for his beloved tomatoes, corn,
beans, peas, potatoes and other vegetables, always hoping for a
bountiful harvest come fall - and he almost always got one!
Our little family farm was nothing like the ones the "big farmers"
run, but it was always beautiful when September rolled around and
everything began to burst into living color. I miss those days...and
I miss my dad. I think of him every time I see someone picking a
ripe, red tomato or slicing a cucumber. Those were good times back
on our Widener Valley farm...I just didn't realize it at the
time.
About the photo: David Tschiedel took this beautiful fall farm
picture in the Tomslake area of British Columbia, Canada, one of the
most scenic places on earth. He said the fall colors are spectacular
there right now. |
