Thanks so much, Eleanor. It means a great deal to me that you both read it and reacted. It was a story that arose from the photograph and my brief conversation with the subject of the photo. I was taking photos at an agricultural fair in Vermont. I took photos of feed, of hands and then of faces. His was striking. He was standing by the cow barn. Many were coming up to him, shaking hands, clearly consoling him, clearly they had not seen him in a while. When there was a break in people approaching him, I went up and asked if he minded if I took some photographs. Fine, he said. While I was shooting, I asked him if he had any cows in the barn. He said no, that when his son passed in the summer he sold them all, sold everything. When I got home late that night, I sat down and laid out the story.
Oh and now I'm wondering, what was the continuation of the farmer at the fairs story.
My most often read author is Wendell Berry . Place and farms and families. Yes farms yes food small holdings that make sense for communities.
Thank you for sharing your stories ,definitely I will buy the book when it's out.
I signed up for a substack for poetry, and I'm glad that you are on here as a respite for all the political that seems to take up my mind stream lately.
Eleanor, thanks for reaching out again. There is irony in what I'm about to tell you. The Willie story became the third sketch that I wrote for Vermont Stage Company for their annual Winter Tales production. While the program is intended to be all cocoa and cinnamon cookies, the director really liked this story. I think it was my favorite of all that I wrote, even the one upcoming in December.
But that story ended up going in a much different direction than the book. I ended up cutting it mostly out -- 187 words of it exist as one of the micro stories that begin each chapter.
I intend to go back to this. I am presently thinking out the sequel to the book (I have cut out almost a book's worth!). The current book stretches from 1918 to 1974, and I am thinking about exploring more current themes of the loss of farms, the sprawl of development and the loss of the fabric of community.
Since I am so fond of Willie, I am plotting how he gets back into farming with the assistance of his daughter-in-law who can't stand NOT farming.
I am so glad you found my writing. I am not a poet but I do so love good poetry as well. And I, too, am so tired of the incivility in public and political life.
Be well.
By the way, do you write? Do you intend to share anything on this site? (He said, hoping.)
Ahhh. This was so complete, heartwarming and as filling as pie.
Thanks so much, Eleanor. It means a great deal to me that you both read it and reacted. It was a story that arose from the photograph and my brief conversation with the subject of the photo. I was taking photos at an agricultural fair in Vermont. I took photos of feed, of hands and then of faces. His was striking. He was standing by the cow barn. Many were coming up to him, shaking hands, clearly consoling him, clearly they had not seen him in a while. When there was a break in people approaching him, I went up and asked if he minded if I took some photographs. Fine, he said. While I was shooting, I asked him if he had any cows in the barn. He said no, that when his son passed in the summer he sold them all, sold everything. When I got home late that night, I sat down and laid out the story.
Thanks again for reading and commenting.
Oh and now I'm wondering, what was the continuation of the farmer at the fairs story.
My most often read author is Wendell Berry . Place and farms and families. Yes farms yes food small holdings that make sense for communities.
Thank you for sharing your stories ,definitely I will buy the book when it's out.
I signed up for a substack for poetry, and I'm glad that you are on here as a respite for all the political that seems to take up my mind stream lately.
Eleanor, thanks for reaching out again. There is irony in what I'm about to tell you. The Willie story became the third sketch that I wrote for Vermont Stage Company for their annual Winter Tales production. While the program is intended to be all cocoa and cinnamon cookies, the director really liked this story. I think it was my favorite of all that I wrote, even the one upcoming in December.
But that story ended up going in a much different direction than the book. I ended up cutting it mostly out -- 187 words of it exist as one of the micro stories that begin each chapter.
I intend to go back to this. I am presently thinking out the sequel to the book (I have cut out almost a book's worth!). The current book stretches from 1918 to 1974, and I am thinking about exploring more current themes of the loss of farms, the sprawl of development and the loss of the fabric of community.
Since I am so fond of Willie, I am plotting how he gets back into farming with the assistance of his daughter-in-law who can't stand NOT farming.
I am so glad you found my writing. I am not a poet but I do so love good poetry as well. And I, too, am so tired of the incivility in public and political life.
Be well.
By the way, do you write? Do you intend to share anything on this site? (He said, hoping.)