Change a'Comin'

The sun sets alarmingly early now and we're resorting to an alarm clock to help us get up in the mornings.  I find myself waking in the middle of the night, usually 3 or 4 AM because my body is not getting the same clues it was getting even two weeks ago about our progress through the dark hours.  Such are some of the signs that things are changing, and changing rapidly, at the Genuine Faux Farm.

Crazy Maurice is not terribly keen on some of the upcoming changes, or so he told me recently.  And, surprisingly it has nothing to do with shorter days and longer nights.  To Maurice, that's perfectly natural, as is the hibernation process he goes through each Winter.  Believe it or not, Maurice has been around long enough to know that another change, that has less to do with the weather, comes with the turning of the seasons.

The poultry that hang out under his branches will go away.  And the farmers won't visit as often. 

For the last few months or so, one (or both) of us has taken a trek out to the northwest portion of the farm to check on our flocks two to three times a day.  While there, we always greet Crazy Maurice, one of our tree guardians on the farm.

I will admit that many of these visits are short - especially if you consider that trees see time in much bigger chunks than humans do.  But, that works out, oddly enough.  If a tree registers your presence, it tends to remember that you were there for the entirety of a given rotation of the Earth.  At least that's how I interpreted it after some conversations with our Willow.   

If your presence was noted during a day, then you were there for that moment in time that was a day. It doesn't matter so much if you were there for ten hours or ten minutes.  You were there.  You were a part of that time unit and that's a good thing - as long as the tree LIKES having you around.

Now, Crazy Maurice isn't stupid or naive, he just has a different perspective.  Maurice also has a good feel for the difference between quality time and time that isn't quite as... um... quality.  On days where I trot out, do some chores and barely nod in his direction, he might notice my presence.  And if he does, he probably won't consider it a quality interaction.  

On the other hand, on days where I stand out there and listen to his stories or when I teach him new words, Maurice holds on to those events - perhaps more than I do.

Well, Crazy Maurice has been a bit slower to speak recently.  But, when he does, it usually has a wistful tone.  He knows that even the short, low quality, interactions will become less frequent once the birds are gone.  And I did confirm for him that the date to take them to the park was set for this coming Monday.

He tried to be a bit philosophical about it all, reminding me (and probably himself) that he'll be taking his Winter nap soon and won't be able to notice whether I am there or not.  And I, recognizing it all for what it was, was tempted to tell him that I would come out and visit even if the poultry was not out there anymore.  But, I've thought that every year.  And, to be truthful, while I have taken a few trips out there, it's never consistent - because life pulls us in different directions when the seasons change.

Maybe this time, I'll follow through and take a comfortable chair out there for a while on a nice Fall day.  I hope I do.  And if I do, maybe I'll get a new story from Maurice that I can share with all of you.