James rarely had time for idle chatter these days. Tending to animals and land took up most, if not all, of his free time. He didn't mind, it was something he enjoyed doing but it did have a rather significant impact on his social life. Work was all he ever did, after all.

By the end of the day he was usually as good as gone, too tired to do anything but sleep. Ocassionally, he'd take a seat at the porch and kick back with a beer in his hand and the last rays of sunlight on his skin. Much like today.

The sun was setting earlier than usual and the wind blew just a bit colder. Summer was officially over and it brought forth a strange sadness. A persisting nostalgia that would endure for the most part of autumn. It was a phenomenon James couldn't explain, the annual yearning for some other time that came with the shortening of days and the fall of leaves.

With a deep sigh, James leaned back in the old porch chair, the same one his gramps used to sit on religiously each evening a long time ago. It was strange how everything changed but also somehow stayed the same. No matter what happened and how much an individual changed, the sun still set in the same place.