Impending Gloom

My drive to and from work takes me past acres of farm land. I observe the seasons come and go by the changes to the landscape. In Spring I rejoice as I search for the tiny pale green shoots that appear on the Willow trees' pale golden branches. In Summer, I await the small sprouts of corn that unfold between the furrows of sun warmed earth. I measure the progress of Summer by the appearance of the corn stalk tassels. Their presence marks the half way point for me, and it is always disturbing. I make it a point to say, get going, if there are things you want to do while Summer is still here, you better hurry up. Then Autumn arrives, I Love the glorious look of the sun on the gold, orange and red hues. Still, farm by farm the corn is harvested and the fields are cleared. Then today for the first time I saw them. The piles of snow fencing. Tomorrow on my drive home, I may see the stakes spaced out or driven into the ground. The next day the rolls of fence will be laid out one by one, and by Monday the fence will be up, cutting the open fields into slices of ground waiting to be covered by snow, in a patchwork of blanket, stitched together by line after line of fence. Depressing, it will be Winter!