It’s been a crazy few days for me, so things are all out of order regarding my usual blog pattern. Slim Randles is my guest today with a thoughtful essay about September and the move from Summer to Autumn and what that means for country folks. And other folks, too.
He might be back on Wednesday, too, but we’ll have to see how the first few days of the week play out for me.
Before I turn this space over to him, however, I have a couple of pictures I’d like to share. First is this one of two of my cats. Sammy’s been working on this tight-rope walk for a couple of weeks now, whenever a chair is handy. Perhaps he thinks he’d like to try out for the circus. I’m not sure what Harry is thinking. Maybe that Sammy needs to reconsider? Or maybe Harry is wishing someone would let him out of jail? LOL
Next is this interesting sculpture. I see it every day when I walk in the morning with my dog. There are two pieces like this in front of a home and landscaping business. I suspect the man who owns that business created these when clearing trees for parking space for his large trucks and trailers. This always makes me think of some large alien bug when I walk by.
Now here’s Slim. Enjoy…
September.
Our month of change. Our month of happy change. Once more we can stand the thought of wearing a sweater as the summer sun burns itself down. Once again we can think about a new year at school, a new teacher. Once again, the house is ours … and quiet during the day.
September.
In the forest, the animals are polishing antlers, sleeking muscles for the mating ruts to come, marking their territories. The deciduous trees are showing those awesome changes of color as the mountains become a splendid quilt of temporary beauty.
September.
A resting time for the older folks. They can sit on the patio now even in the afternoons. It’s a time for barbecued ribs and football, and picking fruit. On the farms, the canning pots are boiling with treasures for the coming winter.
September.
Time for the Fall gather. Time to see what’s out in those far pastures. Time to brand and work any late calves. Time to sort those who will stay and those who will go to the sale. Time to make money for the ranch.
September.
Time to sit and sip something hot and think about things past and yearn for certain future things and to plan … plan how we can finish this year in a better fashion than last year.
September!
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Brought to you by The Long Dark, a novel about winter in a small Alaska village. Available at Amazon.com.
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Check out all of Slim’s award-winning books at www.slimrandles.com, and in better bookstores and bunkhouses throughout the free world.
All of the posts here are from his syndicated column, Home Country that is read in hundreds of newspapers across the country. I am always happy to have him share his wit and wisdom here.
Slim Randles is a veteran newspaperman, hunting guide, cowboy and dog musher. He was a feature writer and columnist for The Anchorage Daily News for 10 years and guided hunters in the Alaska Range and the Talkeetna Mountains. A resident of New Mexico now for more than 30 years, Randles is the prize-winning author of a dozen books, and is host of two podcasts and a television program.