The Eye of The Beholder

 

 Where has the sun gone? The smoke from the King Fire falls into the valley of the city and lingers heavy in the mountain range causing a thick foggy caste over the farm. By the sounds of it, it's also had its effects on the birds and insects, there's not much chirping or clicking from the little critters. The trees also seem weepy, like the smokes taken their energy causing them to have troubles breathing (the sun has also been hiding behind the thick smoke all day). The smell of burning wood mixed with the slight ash from the mess teases me, giving me a runny nose and irritated droopy eyes. I'm only human, known to be one of the strongest creatures, I could only begin to imagine what effect on the animals the smoky poison can cause.

As soon as I get to the scene to observe the sunset (which is not much of a sunset because you can't have a sunset without a sun), I rush over to get a full look at the valley. The cows looked a little startled, (maybe because there's some weird person looking and snapping pictures of them) they're usually always down in the grassy valley doing what cows do. Sometimes, if they're lucky enough, they're put inside a long, not too wide, farm building (to protect them from coyotes I suppose). The air quality is horrible, I worry about the older cows, who naturally are already having a hard time breathing, what are they thinking? Maybe they think it's the end? 'cause believe me I had to trick myself into thinking it wasn't.

The road so lonely, no one wants to be out in the smoke. The abandoned, old, and worn down farm buildings start coming to life in the harsh atmosphere. Silent with a slight breeze, the grey valley instantly turns from peaceful bliss into a foggy battlefield. My mind turns this image into a long awaited zombie apocalypse, until a car zooms by snapping me back into the reality of the situation. This is life. The devastation of the fire is just part of life. The calming after the storm is also a part of life. Life is beautiful, life is ugly, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What you find a dream might be a nightmare to another, and that's the real beauty there. The cows, struggling and scared, when usually scattered and forming cliques on the field, come together in one group to keep each other company. The smoke, in all its bad is also good, gathering people home and buying everyone quality family time and giving us a well needed reality check that nothing last forever.

Field Notes 09/22