A series of essays….
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A TICK IN TIME THAT WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN |
….as seen through my eyes!
By: Jacqueline E Hughes
You know it when you first turn your head, maybe it’s to the left, and the natural light transfers a simple scene into something so warm and wonderful, it’s difficult to look away. And you find yourself looking for your camera because you would be amiss to have squandered an opportunity to savor this moment—forever!
That was how I was feeling our anniversary weekend when I captured this early morning portrait of one of the most photogenic places I know, our friend’s farmstead near Jackson, Michigan.
The sheer joy of open land (green fields, trees) makes me happy. I enter the world of childhood memories whenever I’m there. Their beautiful, white, clapboard farmhouse mimics my grandparent’s in northern Indiana, surrounded by open fields, an apple orchard, and the sun dancing along the golden tassels of corn swaying to nature’s melodies like happy soldiers protecting the house on the hill.
The word ‘softness’ comes to mind in this instance. The male part of the corn plant (tassel) contains the fine, powdery substance (pollen) that is transported by the wind, insects, or other animals. But, below, there is the iridescent corn silk, the female part of the equation, made up of 300 to 600 corn silks or glossy, thread-like strands found between the corn husk and ear. They are a key part of the vegetable’s reproductive system and essential to crop pollination.
As a little girl, one of my favorite jobs in the summer was to shuck the corn by removing their husks and stripping the corn silk from the golden ears before Mom rinsed and prepared them for the pot of boiling water. I enjoyed my job filling-up the brown paper grocery bag with husks and silk while sitting on the back porch steps. All I kept thinking about was holding a steaming ear of corn, dripping with butter, by two plastic corn holders and pretending my pattern of eating left to right was simulating the carriage of the Royal Typewriter my Mom always used. This was a truly delicious summer treat.
So, what better place to express our happiness after sharing fifty-one years of marriage together? Absolutely, with good friends on a summer’s day in September! And, it just so happens that their forty-ninth anniversary was just two days before ours on the 13th of September.
The joy of life can be a combination of places that stir the imagination: sharing intimate celebrations at a table set for four, taking crisp walks down an unpaved country road as the stars begin to cover our heads with a zillion sparkles, and leaving on a day trip after breakfast and catching the perfect morning light illuminating the outbuildings on the farm because I happened to turn left at the right moment.
All of the above paved our way into the next year of living, loving, and being together. What a special way to usher in year fifty-two and year fifty, together. We are looking forward to a large party for our friends with family and friends in 2025 for their Golden Celebration.
Dan and I thank you, dear friends, for the perfect weekend. It’s a pleasure to capture the special moments that being at the Farm have to offer a photography enthusiast like myself. Love and Cheers!
Copyright © 2024 by Jacqueline E Hughes
All rights reserved
