My Window to the Mountains

By Gary Sutton

If you’re reading this, you’re probably asking yourself, “What is this book all about?”

Well, it’s about stories of nature, man in nature and the effects of that, changing of the seasons, and some interesting phonomimes that surround us in our daily lives. With some lovely illustrations that compliment some of the stories, I only hope it’s something you will enjoy reading every now and again throughout the seasons. The first section of the book is more of the sunny side of the street, you might say, while the second section is more of the darker side of the street, you probably will say. Be aware of the change in tone as the stories will take a more serious look at life. I called this section “Let the Chips Fall Where They May.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: May 31, 2022
• ISBN: 9781662471278

Gary Sutton

Gary Sutton is a vice president for a leading financial services company. He has built and led high-performing business intelligence and analytics organizations across multiple verticals, where R was the preferred programming language for predictive modeling, statistical analyses, and other quantitative insights. Gary earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Southern California, a Masters from George Washington University, and a second Masters in Data Science, from Northwestern University.

Book preview

Barn Swallows

Fall wants to come!

It’s not showing its colors now,

But you can sense it somehow.

As the days get older,

the air becomes colder.

Soon the swallows will be gone,

But for now,

No more than a few feet away,

They dart past me,

Skimming just above the hay,

Coming ever so close,

Saying hello in their own way.

You see, they know me.

They know who I am.

Years ago, I let a family of swallows

Live in the barn.

They heard the tractor in the egg and nest

Growing up on the farm.

At night, when I close the barn door,

And in the morning

when I let them out,

Our eyes would meet, if only for a wingbeat.

As the sun starts to set,

They gather at the pond, swooping over it,

Bringing it to life: some taking food, some sipping water,

All in flight

As gracefully and carefully

As you please.

How wonderful it must be

To glide through the air with the greatest of ease.

They return each year now

And set their nest.

Have to park the tractor outside.

They can make quite a mess.

We have a symbiotic relationship

That goes something like this:

For the rent of a space in the barn,

They eliminate the flying insects

Before they can do any harm.

And this, I believe, is something most cannot conceive,

But it’s why my blueberries, garlic, and I

Pay our deepest respects

Toward the eliminators of those flying insects.