Autumn has always been a time for harvest in my life-
an apparent change in seasons.
There is not another time of year that holds as many memories within.
Squirrels storing walnuts for the winter, constantly communicating with the obnoxious black crows about the big, green John Deer tractor trudging through the orchard
Walnuts gathered and taken to the barn- marking the beginning of the harvesting process, and knowing the time to be sent to Red Diamond was near because you woke to the repetitive sound of the dried walnuts being tossed in huge metal containers
Classic Country tunes (Alan Jackson, Paul Overstreet, Randy Travis, Dixie Chicks, Allison Krauss, Blake Shelton, Travis Tritt...) playing through the static of our new black cassett player/radio while we watched the peacock fan his feathers.
Chickens strutting around the yard, clucking as they search for their newest hidden laying spot.
Pansies colored in every possible shade, laying about the morning shadow of the 400 year old Oak.
Young giddy Girl Scouts competing on who will make the most vote worthy scarecrow.
New shipments of fresh apples arriving constantly, never ceasing to announce their arrival with their distinct aroma.
The all too familiar sound of the wiry metal rake, attempting to grab a hold of the endless supply of tannin filled Oak leaves.
Towering stacks of freshly bundled hay bales, reserving one of the best views of the setting sun over the Walnut trees, quietly disappearing behind the hills not too far off.
"Morning B" chart on the fridge, waiting to be completed before school was to start at the kitchen table.
Grandparents down for the month, taking their responsibilities to an unreachable level of passion as they led Fall Tours through the Walnut Farm and Nursery.
Weekends full of festivities, caramel apples, puppet shows, macaroni necklace making, hay rides through the orchard, apple tasting, pumpkin gathering, hay maze fun, game playing, petting zoo, pony rides- all the fun a family could have on a brisk day in October.
Great Grandma's famous apple pie recipe in the oven- metal apple peeler still clamped to the cutting board- one of my favorite pieces in a kitchen!
And the tradition that still to this day remains only in our family- putting up the Christmas tree on Halloween. (Living on the property of a retail nursery results in the Christmas spirit coming quite early!)
Oh how hard it was to not have any of those memories to live out this year. I guess for me it was always a huge part of my Birthday, since it was smack dab in the middle of all the fun. And when you grow up with all of that around you, it becomes a lifestyle...one that will NEVER be forgotten.
So now I lay in my bunk, on a tour bus, in the middle of Arkansas... Soon to be reuniting with those familiar memories at the end of this tour, not for long, but for just enough time to say a quick hello- a perfect visit.
Ecclesiastes 3:1
"For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven."
