The Patina of Life

We walked the young cows home from cropland grazing in a neighborhood about 9 miles from here. I was happy to see that lots of homes, the older ones anyway, still have fences protecting their yards. One couple came out to watch the herd go by and I thanked them for their fences. It’s a happy thing when people enjoy watching the cattle instead of being annoyed with us.

I brought the pickup and trailer along and let Dot bring the back end. Such a cushy job.

This is a sumptuous time of year. The dead of winter has a different feel and a different beauty. For now the damp grass lays over in swells and the cattle pull up big mouthfuls. Before the lovely snowscapes of winter are upon us, we enjoy this - a subtle grown-up beauty, laden with leaves and summer’s refuse.

I had a fun week hosting my sisters who visited from Montana and Maryland. We, along with my 3 local sisters, spent a week reconnecting and sistering (a word my computer redlines). We attended a Christmas symphony, but otherwise entertained ourselves by visiting and reminiscing with each other and some close cousins. We visited our ancestral home and discussed the attributes of replacing vs restoring the 132-year-old windows. Donna, experienced in old houses from her time living in the Eastern U.S., discussed the value of patina when assessing old things.

Patina is an Italian word that originally referred to the greenish film that grows on aging metal items, but it’s been expanded to include the warm, worn look of leather, etc. acquired through regular use and the passage of time. It’s a respectful word, honoring the change a surface acquires through weathering and experience. Donna said we ladies showed patina as well. The beauty and wisdom of worry lines and laugh lines, of gray hair and weathered skin. We spread our hands in front of us and remembered our parents’ hands, bulbous with lifetimes of hard work.

My photos for the last couple of weeks show the patina of a year at its end. Crop aftermath, bare trees, yellow grasses, even the winter coats on the horses and cows mimicking the browns and buckskins of our natural world.

Sis, Pard, Jane, Alice

Such a beautiful day from inside the pickup!

Dot keeps them coming

Kit, Becky, Rich, Merle, me, Donna, Janene