Marshall McClung
Now comes the quiet time of year in field and forest, as the hush of winter begins to settle over the land.
The hurried pace of bird and beast – which was evident in summer, as they reared and fed their young – has ceased. They are done for the year, until spring rolls around again.
Some of the birds have flown farther south for their winter vacation, not to return for months while winter runs its course; whatever it may bring, in the way of cold and snow.
Some of the animals go into at least a partial hibernation, perhaps venturing forth from their dens on a mild sunny day only to return when the cold weather comes again.
The horde of insects of all kind that could be heard and seen – and sometimes felt from a bite or sting – are all gone for the winter, only to return with the warm days of spring and summer.
I enjoy this time of the year in the woods, when it is so quiet that you may only hear a few sounds such as the cawing of a flock of crows or the rat a tat of a distant woodpecker. The wind will produce the creaking of bare tree limbs as they rub against one another. It is so hard to imagine that these are the same limbs that just a few short weeks ago were adorned with such an abundance of beautiful autumn leaves.
In earlier times – when farming was much more of a way of life for rural families than it is now – the farmer also witnessed at least a slower time as all the crops were harvested and stored in barn, crib, cellar and pantry.
One writer in describing this time of year wrote; “In this time of year we find, rest of body, peace of mind.”
The Bible has this to say about the change of seasons in Genesis 8:22: “While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”
Marshall McClung is the historical columnist for The Graham Star. He can be reached via email, mcclungs@email.com.