These are not artistic photos, simply the view to the west of my house, looking toward the creek. The change in the environment from winter to summer is always astounding. How can human beings take such an amazing transformation for granted?
I actually prefer the winter, because I can see further from each window in my home. There are no ticks, chiggers, mosquitoes, tornadoes, snakes or suffocating humidity. Fall, spring and winter afford the days I can be outside without suffering! But, summer is beautiful in the Flint Hills. The mercurial nature of the gold sunlight shining through the green textures in the summer abundance is beautiful. The constantly changing quality of sunlight throughout any given summer day evokes a range of emotion I find difficult to express.
The jarring pole in this view is topped by a brilliant light equipped with a motion detector. I could never determine what tiny, invisible creature caused that light to blast on throughout the night. It must have been insects that caused the light to suddenly turn on many times a night, flooding several rooms with its intrusive glare. Several months after I first moved to Spirit Creek farm, I turned all the outside lights off for good. Duke can see and hear anything important moving around out there, and barks in warning. The peace of the naturally lit night hours is too valuable to disturb with artificial light.
With each new summer I am lucky enough to live here, I regret that it has taken more than half a lifetime to just begin to deeply and consciously consider the change of the seasons, to be properly in awe of the swift transformation. Yes, there are far grander vistas on this earth than the humble view from my poor little house, but no view that I know as intimately or as dearly as the views out my own windows.
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