Seasons of Life

Five weeks of our maze and pumpkin patch season came to a close yesterday.

There have been thousands of people on the farm, and the phone was constanting ringing asking questions about the maze. We've seen hot and muddy weather, changing to cool and dry.

Two fields of green leafy vines shading pumpkins has turned into two trampled brown barren grounds. The maze field has shrink in size, from frost and the pads of feet. A farmstead filled with over a hundred huge blooming mums, to a few ready for the compost pile. The buffalo are enjoying solitude again without the tramloads of people drifting by.

Think of the change in the season, from mid September to November tomorrow, and how fast time changes.

If I sound melancolhy, its because I've spent the afternoon writing the funeral program for an uncle that died this week. He went into the hospital the Friday before our season officially started, and died the day after it ended - the whole time fighting problems from emergency surgery and the complications that finally overcome his body.

The seasons of his life finally ended after over 80 decades. And how do you fit a life into 350 words to fit a 5.5 by 8.5 page?

He was a kind soul, and a gentleman, always thoughtful of his family and friends. Leland was a farmer and a nature lover, attuned to the birds giving song, the weather in the sky, and he enjoyed the beauty of the countryside around him. Leland explored local roads and national highways, visiting family, historical sites, and collecting family genealogy. He had a pilot’s license and was a member of the Flying Farmers of America. One of Leland’s favorite pastimes was having daily coffee with friends.

Except for a brief marriage that ended in her early death, he spent his years alone until having a special friend for last eight years. But his time was always filled with family, friends, and nature.

We relied on his keen memory of details and facts. And I can just here his "Well, Let's see now...." when we'd come to him for help.

I think I'll ask him for help now to finish his story.

'Bye Leland, 'bye Fall...