Is It Just Me?

I was in the mood for selecting an older farm picture to see what I could see.  The problem is - we don't have all that many photos of the farm prior to 2010.  That has something to do with no access to a digital camera.  When you had to develop film, you tended to be much more deliberate with your picture taking!

Apparently, at some point in 2007, we had brief access to a digital camera and I found a few pictures from that year, most of them taken during one of our "Tom Sawyer Days" where we invited volunteers to come help at the farm.  It was a good idea that worked for us for a few years until interest in them waned.

At the time this photo was taken, our biggest piece of equipment was a lawn tractor with a rototiller attachment.  We still set ourselves up for multiple farmers markets, our CSA number was 40-50 shares and I believe I was still doing a little adjunct teaching at Wartburg College that fall.  

My remembrance of how things looked at that time has been clouded somewhat by time, but I seem to recall trees, plants and wildlife being more vibrant than they are now.  I realize we all have a tendency to glorify the past.  But, I look at this picture and see enough that makes me feel that I just might be right.

Is it just me?

Please note that I am not saying I want to go back to 2007.  That is not the point.  The point is, I've been feeling as if the land is growing ill and has been losing its look of glowing health.  Is it because I am becoming jaded or am I observing something real?  

Sadly, the science says I just might be observing something real.  I'd like to work to reverse the process.  And, I'd like you to join me.