TODAY IN THE ORCHARD
Today I slipped out of the house early to continue scything before it got too hot. I was able to finish scything around all—or nearly all—the apple trees. Yesterday in the heat there were no audible birds songs. Today was a different story; I was serenaded by the chirps of dozens of birds. Perhaps they were happy to have the temperature at least a few degrees below 70F. I was reminded of the old English folk tune, Country Boy: “I like to rise when the sun she rises early in the morning. I like to hear those small birds singing merrily along the laylum…” (What is laylum? ) The chorus ends, “and hurrah for the life of a country boy for to ramble in the new mown hay!”
Elisha Hutchinson was an orchardist (and mower) who died in the 1940’s. You can read about him in Bunk’s book in the chapter, “The Boy With No Name.”