A Quiet Little Bedlam

A Quiet Little Bedlam
By John R. Greenwood

This past Sunday as August began to fade and September was fueling its tank, I headed off to Bedlam Farm for a meeting of our Hubbard Hall Writing Group. We were the pampered lunch guests of Jon Katz and Maria Wulf. Jon is our trail guide and mentor. Maria, along with being a gracious host is support and inspiration galore. It was a beautiful afternoon and Bedlam Farm was the center piece. The property envelopes you in a magical country trance. I arrived a tad early (on purpose) so that I might sneak a photograph or two. I backed my pickup truck off the edge of the driveway so the back was facing the empty field where the old sheep spent their last precious summer. I did this on purpose. There is one joy in a country boys life that is a bit hard to replicate. The simple joy of sitting on the tailgate of a pickup truck, feet swinging, with the sun shining, and the view of a tree-lined field in the distance. I had it all planned out and my plan came together perfectly. I had my little Canon S100 and a fully charged battery. For some reason at this moment, it seemed more important to simply sit there and close my eyes. I breathed in deep and opened my ears to the sounds surrounding me. The grasshoppers and crickets were singing away. The sound of a passing car as it grumbled up the dirt road below was a nostalgic symphony. The soft and easy rustle of the dry poplar leaves waving goodbye to summers end slowed my pulse and eased my worries. The sound of children playing on a backyard swing in the valley far below brought back wave upon wave of youthful reflection of my own. It takes just seconds on a day like this to be transported back decades. We hadn't even begun our meeting yet and my mind was a schools-out-for-summer-free-for-all of excitement. I may sound like I'm padding the bill here a little bit but for anyone who longs for the sights, sounds, and smells of a simpler time I think you will agree with me. There is something about that country magic that keeps you yearning for a repeat performance. Today deserved a standing ovation. As the others arrived Jon came to to top of the drive. He spotted my truck and suddenly realized I had been there awhile and shouted down, "Come on up, you didn't need to wait down there!" I opened my eyes slowly back to the present moment and whispered to myself, "Yes, yes I did."