I don’t know what prompted me to take this picture, but I’m glad I did as a drama (not really sure if that’s the correct word here, but you can be the judge) took place over time.
This is the field at the end of my walk. As I approached it this spring day, I thought how pastoral this scene was. A quick snap of the picture with my phone preserved this as a moment I might use for a slice one day.
Several weeks later I was shocked to discover my pastoral scene had been plowed under.
Questions ran through my mind as I surveyed the new landscape. What happened to the cows? What does this farmer have in mind for this field now? Will he plant something? We left for a couple of weeks, but when we returned a few of my questions were answered.
So it is to be corn in the field. We leave again for a few weeks, but when I return to check on the field, it saddens me.
It was too early to have harvested the corn. I believe the drought took this farmer’s hopes of an income from him. I did find it interesting that the geese decided this was the perfect place to spend a night. There were many asleep in the field and a few were having an early breakfast, munching on fallen corn. I had never seen geese in this area before or since.
A few days ago I rode by on my bike, of course the phone was with me once again.
The stubby stalks have been replaced by the grass. I wonder is it only a matter of time until the cows return? What changes have occurred in a few short months! (Now you can decide, was it a drama? :-] )
Noticing is key to writing. In the past the evolution of this field would have received a passing glance from me. “Oh, something’s different,” I would muse to myself. But I wouldn’t know specifically what was different. Being a writer changes how I look at the world. What will I notice next?
elsie tries writing 
Wow! This is a drama! I am shocked to see how much it changed over a short period of time…as I read your post, I think about how I should have been taking pictures out the window as the new school went up…I can relate to the focus of how writers view things through a different set of lenses now that I have been working more on my writing…
It is so true! Even those things I notice that never become words on a page (or screen for that matter) enrich my life as I ponder the possibilities for writing about them. I am amazed by the total changes happening so quickly in that field! Amazing how many stories are wrapped up in that scenery.
Being a writer does help one to look at the world differently. It is truly amazing what writers notice….Lovely post. Thanks for sharing.
I was just thinking about the whole idea of noticing….I think the doing the slice is helping me notice also. Here’s hoping the cows come back…if only they were brown swiss. They have such sweet faces, I think. xo nanc
Love the noticing, as I always love hearing about your walks, Elsie. It’s beautiful there, & I did love that first picture too. How quickly the field changed! Thanks for this.
Elsie, this post is perfect for today. We were talking in writer’s workshop today about how writers spend time noticing. I can’t wait to share your post with my students!
I love how you took the time to take photographs of the field. I did that when I lived in Rhode Island. It’s incredible to mark the passage of time and the changes (to the landscape) in this way.
Thanks for reminding us that noticing takes time!
I often wonder about the landscape when it moves through these cycles – thank you for taking the time to capture and reflect on it!
What will you notice next? I wonder, too. When you share what you discover it makes me pause and notice as well. For example, I wonder who is in charge of what happens in that field. I wonder if there was a plan or if the evolution was just happenstance. Can you let us know if the cows come back? See another thing I am wondering about.
I admire your patience! You take pictures and then you wait for the story to evolve! You are very talented!
Drama within a photo essay. So many stories in each of these versions of your field, Elsie!
Isn’t it amazing how quickly things change. I really enjoyed your story and pictures that bring it to life. I, too, have found that I notice so much more now that I have started writing.
Oh Elsie, I love the story today. The photographs are ….delightful. Love how you layered them with the words. Like a picture sandwich.
I notice more too now that I write. And when I go for a walk, I take my camera and think of “elsie’s walks”.
It would be interesting if the cows returned. A full circle of change. I like that you captured the changes on photos. Almost like a picture book.
You keep reminding me to notice.
Evolution is drama in its purest form. What a great lesson for a classroom–noticings. You’re an expert on it. Your walks make the most interesting posts.