Gathering the Harvest
posted on
September 17, 2015
Fall is the season of harvest.
As we broach this time of year, Nature's bounty presents itself. The Paw Paw tree, on the left, is renowned throughout Appalachia, giving name to countless festivals and celebrations in the region. Perhaps nowhere does the 20-ft tree grow better than in the under-story of hardwood forests in southern Ohio. The mango-like fruit ripens in early September, and was always a treasured delicacy for Native Americans and early settlers. It is now being bred for domestic production, to be delivered to urban tables more readily.
Witness as well the hickory nut above on the right, ready to drop and spread its seed. As we nurture our nascent sylvan hog operation, these nuts offer ever more value. We expect to harvest our glorious porcines in November.
The cows have begun calving, presenting to us yet again the constant wonder of birth by mighty animals.
Not only are we gathering fruit, nuts, pork, and calves during this season, but we are also gathering stones. Below is the previously mentioned memorial to parents, fuller and deeper than the initial iteration. I have been pondering the meaning of building stone walls, and marvel at the old-world craftsmen of Italy, Ireland, and Kentucky, who always found the right place for the stone in hand. Doing so takes more than a strong back and thick arms, but a capacity to visualize what the empty space is calling for and to listen to where the hard stone wants to rest. It is magical to lay a heavy stone down in the perfect place, without trying. How does that happen? It seems to come through a meditation.