Adam-chapter three

Chapter Three-Adam

 

I am a simple man consumed by the feel of and the thoughts of a simple man of the earth. I plant for the sheer joy of the feeling of my muscles moving in unison…my sinews stretching at the exertion of the bending and swinging of the pick axe or the adz…by hand is my preferred method of tilling and the sweat of my brow is as the good lord says.. how I make my keep. The joy of the laboring muscles and the tune they make my mind and body sing is my mantra. I joy in the many hours of thinking and planning the endless hours of toil required to keep this dream alive…it is the plan of a lifetime...my lifetime and the aching creaking tired bones and my joints tell the tale and sing the song of Adam and the farm in the outback country on the edge and boundary of civilization. And with the machines I use pulled by mule or ox I joy in the feel of the upturned handle reinforced by iron formed by John the blacksmith... in our shop and at our forge…as I said just jerking at the machine handle tightly gripped and feeling the transfer of the tension to the plows tines. Wheels of bound oak hardwood from our forests, bands wrought in the smithy’s fires and bellows…blasting embers of red and orange turning the melted edges a black clean hue and fitting the heat rivets in and cooling the metal until they fuse as one piece.

This is my life my joy…a man of the earth. Our mill separates the grain from the chaff and each walk of the mule around the threshing floor fills another page of our life. Hard work and easy thinking on the rewards of the earth, green and flourishing, supplying our needs as we fulfill its intended uses.

I adjust the swing of the stone and the sling that moves it and the joy of the process is still singing the song of this part of farm-work and its closeness to us. Seeing Me you would see a tall strong man of girth clothed in a simple jumper of cloth…the tried and true garb of the farmer…overhauls and a cotton shirt and a bandana…a hat of cloth or straw …simple things for a simple man…the large handkerchief in my back pocket to use as what it was needed. Boots of leather and thick soled. As I walk the forest path to our small barn and dairy I see rivulets of water running cross the path and large spots of puddle water on the path and wonder what is afoot .I stop and listen and hear the chattering talk, conversation of three young women at a stock well.

Drawing the water for the cisterns that water the stock in the field and water the crops in the field they must have spied Me or heard Me shuffling up the path because now they giggle, point and scramble to the woods edge making pretend at hiding in amongst the ferns and underbrush…Now I see your round brown eyes.. Now I don’t...kids finding a minute of charm in a common situation.

Reviews

[Tina Kline]

This has a nice rural feel to it. Living the life of a farmer doesn't disagree with him. A fun ending here too. A very readable narrative.

[Jeremy Baker]

I've just read the last chapter in thi series. There isn't a mad rush forward into resolving a conflict, which is a nice change, as it allows a thorough development of the narrator and other characters. It allows the reader to get to know them and engage emotionally with them. The descriptions are like a tableau unfolding gently, taking the time to cast an eye over every corner of the setting. There's one or two very minor typos, but I'm sure they'll be sorted out as you review further. I'm really looking forward to reading the forthcoming chapters as they become available. Your style is inimitable.

[anne p. murray- LadeeAn..]

Very well written my friend. You do capture the essence of a man who works hard and takes great pride in doing so