Life on a family farm
in the wilds of
Upstate New York
Tuesday, October 06, 2015
Color me Mountain
I'm a valley person. Grew up in the foothills, but moved to this valley very young....and kept coming back here time after time. Farming is good in river valleys, warmer, moister, better dirt all around.
Mountains are cold and bony, hard and stony, and unforgiving of crop production. Hike the hidden high places and you will see skeletal remains of failed homesteads, foundations drifted over with leaves; vines and trees clawing at chimneys, and pulling them down. The mountains were hard on the folks that settled this area, while the valleys gathered them in and helped them grow..
Mountains are irresistible though. In my life, there have always been forays closer to the peaks, some lasting longer than others. I lived in a cabin once for a few years...up there....
And to folks who love them, no matter how far from the mountains we move in time or space, they always sing that seductive song every time we see them in the distance.
It grows louder and louder the higher we climb until we can hear it all around us...or see it, because mountain music can be seen, smelled, heard, and felt. We experienced it strong and fine this past Sunday. Good to know it's always there.
Blogger Cathy said... Such beautiful prose and photography. A few nights ago we were discussing 'transcendent"' moments -Sounds as though you've been there. Your decsciption of the failed homesteads brought back this poem so strongly: http://genius.com/Robert-frost-directive-annotated P.S, Had to delete the comment above. Hilarious misspelling :)
REv. Paul, that could be it. I hope I am a sheepdog...
Jan, lol, our mountains are much smaller than the ones on your coast, although some of them are pretty daunting. On that crazy little road into Cedar River we did see some guys taking off rock climbing gear before getting into their cars. Guess I'm glad we didn't go off that side of the road!
Mom, thanks, I guess it has. And Alan found photos of a moose quite near where we were....someday.....maybe....love you!
Cathy, thank you! And never worry about spelling...and thanks for the poem. Frost was a genius !
7 comments:
There's something about living on a mountain ...
Maybe it's because we're sheepdogs, and appreciate the greater vantage point as we watch over those we love & protect.
There isn't enough oxygen on a mountain and I get altitude sickness on a stepladder.
Beautiful pictures. I guess fall has arrived in the Adirondacks! Love, Mom
Beautiful pictures. I guess fall has arrived in the Adirondacks! Love, Mom
Blogger Cathy said...
Such beautiful prose and photography.
A few nights ago we were discussing 'transcendent"' moments -Sounds as though you've been there.
Your decsciption of the failed homesteads brought back this poem so strongly:
http://genius.com/Robert-frost-directive-annotated
P.S,
Had to delete the comment above. Hilarious misspelling :)
REv. Paul, that could be it. I hope I am a sheepdog...
Jan, lol, our mountains are much smaller than the ones on your coast, although some of them are pretty daunting. On that crazy little road into Cedar River we did see some guys taking off rock climbing gear before getting into their cars. Guess I'm glad we didn't go off that side of the road!
Mom, thanks, I guess it has. And Alan found photos of a moose quite near where we were....someday.....maybe....love you!
Cathy, thank you! And never worry about spelling...and thanks for the poem. Frost was a genius !
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