A Book of Seasons

Ron Balthazor

Illuminations by Diane Klement

A Book of Seasons

This book is based on my life on the farm, though it was initially inspired by a character created by Andy Offutt Irwin (yes, based on me), a nationally known storyteller, an internationally known whistler,  and life-long friend.  Inspired by the remarkable life buzzing about a fig tree one hot August afternoon, I began writing a meditation in the voice of Andy’s character Ike, which ultimately became the “Figs” chapter of A Book of Seasons.  I then began working on a year-long cycle of meditations in the spirit of Thoreau and in the tradition of Aldo Leopold’s Sand County Almanac.  The meditations focus on the confluence of a rich array of life on the farm and spiritual truths of various faith traditions.  Mostly, the book is a celebration of the glories of the natural world and my continuing attempt to have an ever greener mind.

About the Author

Ron Balthazor, Ph.D. retired from his position as a senior academic professional at the University of Georgia in 2020. He taught composition and Environmental Literature and was a developer of the Emma project, a web application for writing.  His primary area of research was Henry David Thoreau, and he presented his work at the Thoreau Annual Gathering in Concord, Massachusetts.  He has a M.Div. from Emory and continues to seek God in God’s greener forms; he leads Sunday school and is the grave digger at St. Gregory the Great Espicopal Church in Athens, Georgia.

His scholarly work has appeared in Portal, The Journal of General Education, Readerly/Writerly Texts, Kairos, Literary and Linguistic Computing, and ATQ.  He helped develop and served as the first Director of the Sustainability Certificate at UGA.

Mostly though, Ron is a gardener and a lover of all that grows on the farm, including the honey bees, chickens, worms, the barn cats, and the Great Pyrenees guardian dogs.  He is never happier than when he is with his wife Jane planting, weeding, and mulching on their 10 acres in the Georgia Piedmont.