When Fields Lay Golden | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: Please join me in welcoming Author Michele Rhem, who presents us with her poignant mémoires of the Rabbit Patch, where her diaries weave tales of a simpler, expressive life lost to many, but gathered together in her most familiar environs - the Rabbit Patch.

    Now is the time to hear the song of the wild geese in flight. Leaves are hinting in subtle ways that their glory days are not far off and the chill in the wind causes me to consider the condition of the wood stove. It is also the time when fields lay golden until evening, when they become an expanse of warm russet. In either state, a field says it is autumn.

    There is something therapeutic about looking at large open spaces.. It rests the mind and can provoke us to have the deep thoughts we have been putting off. This may be the longing people answer when they are drawn to the ocean or the vistas of the mountains.

    Yesterday, I left for Elizabeth City, the minute school was out. At that time, it was a warm October day. It was a lovely drive past pumpkin stands and houses with chrysanthemums on porches. There is about a mile that the drive takes me past fields that are vast. The late day sunshine fell on them and lit them up . Now and then, leaves took to the air and it felt at those times like I was driving in a parade that celebrated October.

    Saturday Morning

    It was still dark, when I woke up. I went out anyway armed with coffee. There was a cold wind blowing and rain had fallen in the night. There was no evidence of the squirrel community, but a cardinal showed up and did great justice to his species, as he was a very bright red.

    I did not feel inclined to tarry, as the cold wind was steadily blowing. I went in to read. At some point, there was light and everybody was awake and hungry. After breakfast, Jenny and I took Lyla to a farm that had a pumpkin patch, a corn maze and several small animals. The wind had settled to a light breeze and the morning had warmed to a bright and beautiful day. Lyla came home with a small pumpkin and I had several ears of bright yellow corn to contribute to Will and Jennys' new porch. It was a good way to spend a morning.

    Afternoon Strolls

    We ate lunch outside in the fresh October air. Afterwards, Lyla and I took a walk, as is our habit. I have learned a fair amount of new street names, though I can't yet remember their exact location. I do know, that on Raleigh Street, there is a rose bush with a very sweet scent. A friendly little boy with a dog, named Noah, live on Woodruff, and play under a huge old magnolia tree. We walked an hour and went down many little streets, but not for love nor money, can I tell you the name of the street with the big yellow cat that lays under a dogwood.

    Jenny got a lot of things in their place, and Will worked in the yard again, while Lyla and I were sauntering through the village-like community. It is a beautiful thing to watch a young family "setting up housekeeping" and even more endearing, when they are your own. More than dishes, go into a new home. Maybe the hopes and dreams of the young couple, outnumber the furnishings.

    In the last light of the day, a flock of wild geese flew over the laughing river and filled the air up with the sound of autumn... for when fields lay golden, the first frost is no longer a fortnight away.