Saturday, July 11, 2009



The rising sun pushes the nightshade upward as the new day dawns.

Nothing yet was stirring on this Sunday morning. a well deserved day of rest. The wheat recently harvested leaving the fields with a short Summer haircut...now they wait for the corn. I have heard it said how great it would be to be a farmer....kind of like a teacher...you only have to work at certain times of the year and the rest is your spare time to do whatever you want.

I beg to differ. In between seasons, the farmers in Southern Indiana and all across this nation are seen repairing tractors, corn bins, mending fences and tending the herds in anticipation of hopefully the next bumper crop. A farmers time is not his own...he is at the whim of Mother Nature...she smile on him and the family thrives. She frowns on him and the family suffers. The American Farmer has weathered rough times in the past...drought (The Dust Bowl of the great depression), floods, crop diseases and harsh winters.

The few family farms remaining in the U.S. stand now as a testament to the American work ethic. One of the few pure avocations left that at the end of a day...the family can truly feel good about all they accomplished...while Wall Street, Silicon Valley and Exxon Mobile make their profits and satisfy the shareholders.

The quiet deceit of early Sunday morning will soon become alive with the sounds of church bells and family gatherings on this mid Summer day of rest.

15 comments:

septembermom said...

God bless our farm families. They have such dedication, pride and passion for what they do each and every day. Such admirable work ethic. Our young people could learn so much if they visited a farm for a day. It would be a good wake up call for city kids like mine:) The colors in this picture are amazing, Dan.

Sandy K. said...

Absolutely dramatic scene...and well described. We live in the middle of farm country and celebrate as the corn becomes "knee high by the 4th of July." Our largest crop is sugar beets. The hard work and dedication is evidenced everywhere. I personally love the nights the tractors make the fields dance with light, and the dust is kicked up as fog blsnkets scene.

Sharodindu said...

Wow! what a landscape!
I really liked the post..both the pic and narration...But if you dont mind may i ask if the image is little digitally modified or not?
Plz never mind as if the answer is yes I will ask how you did that...and then things will be repeated in my phots too... :)

Anonymous said...

Breathtaking! And I mean that literally.

Dan Felstead said...

Sharodinu...

Thanks for stopping by and visiting and thank you for your comments. To answer your question...yes I digitally enhance my images. For many of them such as this one, I use a process called High Dynamic Range photography. I am including a link which does a good job of describing the process...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_dynamic_range_imaging

Hope this helps.

Dan

Dan Felstead said...

Septembermom...
It is always a treat when the city kids visit the farm and you are right a great learning experience for them.

Dan

Dan Felstead said...

Sandy,
I agree. Whenever I travel out west by car, I am always amazed at the vastness of the prairies through Kansas and the machinery that is used...many times several machines wide moving through the fields.

Dan

Dan Felstead said...

Thanks Tricia...I appreciate the comment.

Dan

shabby girl said...

I love the thought of the nightshade being pushed up by the sun! How very creative of you.
I agree with Kelly, if our kids had to work on a farm for a season, perhaps their sense of entitlement would change. I know my kids don't have the work ethic I did, because they didn't have to. Big mistake on so many levels.

Dan Felstead said...

Shabbygirl...
I am in the same boat as you...Zach is a great kid but he doesn't have that work ethic either...I do think it is part and parcel to the millennium generation.

Dan

Cynthia L. H. said...

Dan,
This is a beautiful photo and narrative, as well.
My grandparents were farmers. Their day began before sun-up and ended after sundown...they worked hard their entire lives. I agree that seeing the results of your productivity at the end of a day is a rare reward.

Dan Felstead said...

Cynthia...
I have said this before but isn't parts of Oklahoma similar to this as well?

Dan

Heather said...

I'm swept into the warmth of colors, wanting to drift along awhile (almost like "Calgon...take me away").

Monica Manning said...

Beautiful picture and even more beautiful post. I especially liked the opening and closing lines.

Dan Felstead said...

Monica...I appreciate the comment especially from a writer!

Dan