Up and Down

Pulled shades, closed curtains and drawn drapes have limited use in the country. The first light of the day comes through the window sometime after 5:00 and hits me square in the face. This is the time of year when I can lay in bed and have the sun wake me up. Although I can’t see very clearly at the hour, or really any hour without my glasses, it is a marvelous way to greet they day.

Chuck, a friend of mine, takes pictures of sunsets and posts them on-line for all to see. Every morning he gets out of bed before the chickens, and pigs too I suppose, to capture the brief moment. How he manages to find the time and motivation to do this day after day is beyond me.

As I lay in bed contemplating the day before me, the sun continues its assent. Is the day to be conquered or enjoyed? E.B. White said,  “But I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.” But you can’t lie there all day, so you get up and sally forth before its high noon.

Sunrises seem to take longer – almost all morning, whereas a sunset seems to happen very quickly – look sharp or you might miss it. Its brevity is what forces me to stop and take note. When we bought this farm twenty some years ago, Leo, the Australian caretaker, told us,  “The sunsets are fabulous here.”

Leo was correct, in as much as you have to find a spot to view the close of the day. At this time of the year the sunset is visible across the field to the northwest. Often I have paused my outside activities and walked behind the granary to witness the day’s grand finale’. The sprouting bean field stretches towards the woods on top of the river bluff offering a wide-open view. One night it occurred to me that a chair, properly positioned, could be put to good use. It is universally true that happy times are best shared, so if one chair is called for two would be better.

A couple inexpensive Adirondack chairs were purchased for what has become known as the Bluff Deck. My wife chose the name as it seemed as if we were on the deck of a cruise ship enjoying eventide.

Sunrise, sunset – no mistaking one for the other. It is one of the last remaining truths – the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. It is a standard; it is dependable and predictable.

Unlike the morning, when the day lies before us ready to planned for and acted upon, in the evening the day is a memory to be lamented and pondered over. Horace Mann wrote a fictional want ad: “Lost, yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward is offered, for they are gone forever.”

Rhonda and I lean back in our chairs and feel the breeze on our faces as it comes up from the valley, over the trees and across the field. The temperature has already begun to drop as the sun takes its final bow and the curtain drops.