By David Crow
Conversations
David Crow
Fall is a season of change. In New England during fall the deep greens of summer give way to a burst of crisp color, and then that color fades into the gray skies and white snows of winter. During fall the air gets cooler, the humidity wanes and the nights get longer. It is a time of work, but also, finally, of rest and peace.
My grandparents were farmers. For them fall was a time of preparation for winter. There was always a lot to do around the farm. The last of the hay was baled and stored in the barns, the last of the vegetables were picked from the gardens, livestock was fattened on silage and firewood was cut and split. There were fences to mend and farm equipment to service and repair before it was stored for winter.
The surest sign of late fall was when my grandfather honed the edges on all of his axes, saws and other cutting tools. It meant that most of the winter preparations around the farm were done and a kind of restful peace would settle on the farm just before winter’s onset.
We’re not quite as busy as my grandparents, but fall around our home is also a time of preparation. There are always leaves to rake up and fertilizer to put down on the yard. My lawn tractor and other summer tools need to be winterized and stored in the shed, while my snow blower and other winter tools need to be serviced and started. In a nod to my grandpa, my last chore before I stow away my lawnmower is to sharpen the blades. Each fall brings me a small taste of that same restful peace that would settle on the farm.
Truly, fall is a time of transition. It has always reminded me that time rolls by and that all things change. It is my yearly reminder to look up from the day-to-day grind of living and remember that there will be a future where things are different. In that future some things will come, some things will go and some things will be like they were last year.
This has been a year of changes for my family. We’ve suffered some losses. We’ve celebrated some triumphs. And some things stayed just like they were in 2021.
As I sharpen the edges of my lawnmower blades and get ready for the winter that will take us from 2022 to 2023, I will remember that in the fall of 2022 I chose to change the focus of my career, close my own practice and join Statewide Legal Services to ply my trade representing indigent clients in their family law and housing divisions.
One of the long pursuits of my life can finally be counted accomplished. Its end marks the beginning of another long pursuit that will take its place.
It gives me peace.
David Crow lives in Orange with his wife and three children. He practices law and he asks everyone to call him “Dave.” Only his mother and his wife call him “David,” and only when they’re mad at him. You can contact Dave at Sit.a.Spell.and.Visit@gmail.com. He’ll always find a half hour for a good chat.