View from the Cab: Hitting "pause"

Some of you may not appreciate me saying this, but I wish we could hit Mother Nature’s pause button this time of year.

I realize we have had plenty of cold, blustery days and those days are now much shorter, but autumn and winter are amazing times to enjoy our part of Illinois. Unless you travel out east, there really aren’t too many other places in the country where you can see so many fall colors. The shades of red and gold will improve your mood on a gloomy day. It appears gold is a popular leaf color this year although I have seen some other colors mixed in.

Since we set the clocks back an hour the other day, the sun sets around 4:45 p.m. but what a sight it is when the sky is clear. Some of the best sunsets I have caught on camera have occurred between November and February. I recall taking one photograph during a recent winter where the sun was shining off the top of the snow as it set in the western sky. Now there’s a moment you can’t capture in the city.

Winter has really never been a time of year I have dreaded. In fact, I always looked forward to it as a kid because of Christmas and the possibility of going sledding and snowmobiling if enough snow fell the night before. Putting up outdoor holiday decorations has always seemed enjoyable – maybe because it gets me out of the house for a bit to enjoy that fresh country air.

I especially enjoy winter because I can devote more time to my family and business after a busy season of working in the fields all day every day. We always look forward to attending the Greater Peoria Farm Show and Midwest Ag Expo at Gordyville. Attending these shows also provides more story ideas and recorded interviews for this busy ag journalist.

Power outages are something I fear during the cold weather, however. Since we don’t have a generator at our house, I can’t broadcast my ag programs or do any computer work. As you do your Christmas shopping, remember I want a large generator for the back yard. Is that too much to ask?

(The View from the Cab blog is powered each week by Petersen Motors in Fairbury)