Growing Season

Remember those mosquitoes? In an attempt to control them, that is keep their numbers down close to home, we keep our grass cut. This is no small feat during prime growing season. We have over time expanded our yard to nearly 1/2 acre. It takes almost 2  hours on a riding mower once a week to keep it a reasonable length. 

But mosquitoes aren't the only reason for our industrious grass cutting marathon, there's other equally important things - like beauty, fire protection, keeping the dew on the long grass from soaking your pants to the knees, making it easy to see things you wouldn't want to step on ( dog poop, frogs, bees, sharp twigs), keeping weeds under control… 

Believe it or not, I really enjoy mowing grass! I used to be quite proud of myself for walking behind a gas self-propelled mower, good exercise and all that. But in those days I was a bit younger and I had my sheep to help. 

Our sheep are currently living elsewhere until body repairs allow us to work with them once again, so for now it's up to us humans to cut the grass. The sheep on the lawn served a twofold purpose, fertilization and mowing. Because of them we  took the mower out far less frequently, and a plus side to this was how much they kept the long grass in the adjacent bush cut down. So, do we miss our sheep? You bet we do…especially the lambs. It's like we missed a whole season - lambing season - that season that heralds spring, the one before garden planting season. Now we’re into growing season (weeding, mowing, tilling), soon it’ll be harvest season (picking, canning, freezing), then winter prep season (firewood, hay, straw, butchering), then wine making season (I make my wine with frozen berries, not enough time during harvest), then breeding season (that's when we hope to be bring our flock back home), and finally, winter (the time we reap what we have sown). Then the seasonal cycle begins all over again.

I enjoy the balance seasons bring to life. I welcome each season when it arrives, and yet am never sad to see one season replaced by the next. I would not enjoy living in a place where the word “seasonal” meant nothing, where the words “unseasonable weather” meant nothing, or where the winter solstice didn’t make me sigh with relief because the days are beginning to lengthen and the summer solstice didn't signal a happy celebration of long summer days. Change makes sense to me, beginnings, processes, endings, life’s rhythm. Like the song written by Pete Seeger, using words from the Bible, and later recorded by the Byrds (and many others) - 

There is a season, turn, turn, turn,

And a time, to every purpose under heaven.

The

imply "Turn! Turn! Turn!", is a song written"Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)", or simply "Turn! Turn! Turn!", is a song writ the late 1950s. The lyrics, except for the title, which is repeated throughout the song and the final two lines, are adapted word-for-word from the English version of the first eight verses of t in the late 1950s. The lyrics, except for the title, which is repeated throughout the song and the final two lines, are adapted word-for-word from the English version of the first

A time to kill, a time to heal

A time to laugh, a time to weep

To everything (turn, turn, turn)

There is a season (turn, turn, turn)

And a time to every purpose, under heaven

A time to build up, a time to break down

A time to dance, a time to mourn

A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together

To everything (turn, turn, turn)

There is a season (turn, turn, turn)

And a time to every purpose, under heaven

A time of love, a time of hate

A time of war, a time of peace

A time you may embrace, a time to refrain from embracing

To everything (turn, turn, turn)

There is a season (turn, turn, turn)

And a time to every purpose, under heaven

A time to gain, a time to lose

A time to rend, a time to sew

A time for love, a time for hate

A time for peace, I swear it's