Trials and Tribulations
This summer has certainly had its share of mixed blessings. Ample rain has made for ample harvest which translates into lots of work and schedules dictated by mother nature. Farm life is about 30% planning and 75%, "well lets see what the day is gonna bring today." If you have not had the experience of walking through a barn of fresh "put up" spring hay, I would highly recommend that you try to do so. It is one of those smells that lingers in your nose and your memory. Its the aroma of God's green thumb. And its wonderful.
Alabama weather can be a harsh mistress. All in all we have had a mild, quiet summer. And we are grateful for many reasons, but a big one is that we have survived this southern summer with no air conditioning. First it was the central unit then the back up window units. An already empty bucket brought out the window fans and pans of ice water and country coolers were placed strategically throughout the house.
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But I was well equipped
After a few days it was the 50's again. I grew up in a time of amazing change. I was 14 when we got power and indoor plumbing in my grandparents home. My life has gone from outhouse to smart toilets in one generation. No wonder the world is scratching its head.
I had all kinda knowledge about keeping cool stored back in what is left of my mind. I remembered how grandmother somehow kept a cool breeze blowing through the house when it was so hot outside you couldn't breathe. I remembered sitting in front of the fan singing into the whirling blades and listening to my voice vibrate. Aaahhhh, EEeeeeee, OOOOoooooooo....... For some reasons the vowels worked better. The fans I have now won't even turn hard enough to make your voice vibrate.
So the summer has been spent with windows open. And for the first time in a long, long time, I heard the summer. The luxury of a cool house comes at a cost. All the noise of life gets shut out side the windows.
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I have heard critters I thought were gone but the windows were just closed. I heard the world wake up as one by one birds and bugs who are the earliest greeters of the day awake the rest of the world with gentle tweets and chirps slowly getting louder, waking up the next set of morning voices. By the time the sun comes up the whole band is tuning up for a daily concert.
After a while I found my self just listening all day. The sounds of life taught me that the Kingfishers and cranes fish early in the day. That donkeys talk to each other like out of tune bagpipes across the pastures. I figured out that the dogs up the road have a certain bark that tells the dogs down the road that a tractor is coming their way.
I remembered that tree frogs are louder than an accidental fart on a church pew and almost as funny. We discovered that our neighbor has a rooster that sounds like Gilbert Godfried. You learn to know who is driving by just by the sound of the vehicle. "....S10, Black, wood side boards...... geo metro, no back window, BRIGHT green,...... these are the neighbors. You determine that the green herons sound like a cross between a flute and a tuba....a fluba.
Day sounds turn to evening sounds. Cicada's, and pond frogs play nightly concerts. The frogs sing about the moooooon while the cicada's provide the percussion that makes the pond sound like a Brazilian Jazz Ensemble. The heifers in the pasture call out to young ones in soft lowing tones that tell them it is time to draw in close for the night. This gentle call goes on all night. Its mama just checking on the babies. The night is always when you hear the "I don't know what that was sounds".
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Its August, fixing to be September and we have just about made it through the hot part. But it has been worth the trouble. I got to hear the summer. From the sounds of the few meadow birds we have left in the morning, to the sound of Gilbert the Rooster at night I have enjoyed every single day. Did you know you can hear a soft breeze? That flowers have their own sound as they rustle in the wind?
It has been a wonderful back ground to the sounds of Walter working at the shop. And the power bill or the lack there of has been wonderful! So I will be grateful for the blessings that came with this trial and the tribulations that came with it. Grateful for little things that bring daily joy and soften the harshness of life.
I hope we have a long Fall season. I plan to keep the windows open just as long as I can stand It.
Don't be a stranger to the Forge. Visit us often and tell others about us if you would.
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We are posting photographs of Walter's 2018 Steel Life Sculptures that are available for purchase this Fall. Please take a look at results of his work.
https://walterforge.com/collections/forged-sculptures
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Check your inventory and make sure you have the tools you need for fall fire tending and cooking. We can make anything you need. Conversation is Free. Take advantage of a couple of limited time discounts available for your fire tool needs.
https://walterforge.com/collections/fire-place-tools-and-needs
Keep on Sparking!
Rhonda, The Blacksmith's Wife.