Bitter Sweet
After the leaves have left the trees and before snow blankets the ground there’s a time the landscape goes bare naked. It’s the season when pale light’s filtered through thin clouds to softly illuminate every twig and tuft of grass. Frost puts a hard grip on the surface of everything, including stone. Stones that were loose and free a week ago are now clutched tight to the soil. Picking one off the ground tears up a piece of frozen earth along with it. An added labor is added to the work of dry stone walling. Clumps of frozen dirt must be hammered and chipped from it before the stone can be laid. December is a transitional time in the life of a seasonal worker. It can be difficult to switch gears and move on to the next pursuit. Change is hard but it exposes new aspects of life. December is bittersweet.