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.

A Book of Seasons will be published by Mercer University Press in the spring of 2026.