So strange on this mid-April day to see snow coming down outside my sun room window while exercising on my recumbent bike. The ski season here is wrapped up so I am transitioning to another exercise pattern. Fortunately a few days ago we were out on the tennis courts. For now it looks like we have a week or so of lower temperatures. Alas, I need to find some indoor activities. I am somewhat envious of the folks in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine who will likely get in a few more days on the slopes. Although the conditions are likely to be challenging with the high water content of the new snow fall.
Changing seasons does jolt one out their usual routine. During the ski season there is no doubt about what I will be doing at least six days of the week. However in this changing season time I am still struggling to find my rhythm. There is no doubt I will get in some exercise one way or another. With warmer weather tennis will become more of a daily routine. As other things shake out, hiking some local trails at least once a week will be on the agenda. And the e-bike is charged up and ready to hit the road.
Of course exercise is not the only thing for the day. Since this old geezer is still committed to our own lawn and landscaping care there is always a chore or two to keep me occupied. Also to adapt to the off ski season I always need a project for mental stimulus. I am looking forward to continuing my silo project to photograph all the silos in Cortland County, New York. I have covered about 75 percent of the county so far visiting over 250 sites. Many of my sites have silos that have been defunct for over 80 years. It is a fascinating study of the change of the dairy industry in rural America. I look forward to interviewing retired dairy farmers. I hope to elicit from them their experiences in transitioning from active farms of several generations to retirement or other employment. The use of their silos will be chronicled in the process. I hope to hear when the silos were added to their operation and when these structures were retired from use. The silos are truly monuments of history. Just as there are transitions in the seasons of the year, there are transitions in industries, agriculture and our lives. Hopefully I will be able to capture those transitions in word and photos.
Perhaps these musings are part of my continuing search for meaning in life beyond the simple pleasures of the day. I expect much of the time we ramble through the days without a great deal of thought of the impact we have on society and the world. There is comfort in being a bit numb about our meaning in the world. However, I think we all have a yearning to leave this world having left some sort of legacy. Hopefully a legacy that has made this world a little better because of our existence.
(If you have read this far, I hope you haven't wasted your time.)
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