color in the skys

         It's now getting lighter every morning! Seconds count! Yea!!  

        For 6 weeks I have wanted to share a series of photos my daughter made by noticing the sky was showing off its spectacular self. She made the instant decision to run outside with her iPhone to record the changes she realized were happening, quickly. All these photos were made within 5 minutes. A lot can happen in that short length of time! Hold on to your hats, here we go:

CLOUD PHOTOS by REBECCA WRIGHT

 

Whew! Wow! Wonderful!     And now for some recent photos of mine, fairly seasonal:

We'll have almost a whole week together!

a gift to the world in her Christmas jammies

another gift, via UPS

        

    wrapping it up

      My more or less monthly writers group finally was able to meet in person a few weeks ago, in Lexington, with one of us in D.C.  We had our annual Christmas meal and some words to share and some tears of happiness just from being together.

       

Then there's the sky outside my window tonight, always a gift, in my book.

       I sure hope the message about getting vaccines can be liberated from the politics it has brought on. Lies are so dangerous. Common sense is worth a lot more than it is given credit for.  I also hope you have enjoyed these few photos.  May you have something beautiful to be surprised by every day.  I look forward to posting again in two weeks.  Snow??  Ann

tornadoes, winds, and rain

        I want to be clear -- the terrible tornadoes (T.Ts) of this weekend were not in my part of Kentucky. This state lies east-west, across two time zones.  Eastern Kentucky is all in the Appalachian mountains and hills, in the Eastern Standard Time zone. This weekend's tragedy took place in western Kentucky and along the Mississippi River, in Central Time.  Until now, we in the eastern part have few tornadoes, but the changing climate might shift all that.  We don't know for sure..  We just know that our climate is changing, crying out for help, feeling the effects of generations of humans acting out of heedless greed.  It's not like I'm making a mountain out of a molehill here, because if I look around, listen to scientists, and use common sense, I want to be loud, I want us to look beyond our noses, and I want to rejoice in the gifts of the earth. (That statement is not at all extravagant. It is what it is.)

 

 

       These two friends, Julia and Dick Roberts, visited me a while ago at my home in northeastern Kentucky. They live in Bowling Green, KY, where Friday night there were winds of 150 m.p.h.  I am holding them and everyone at WKU (Western Kentucky University) in my heart.  

        Also, I am grateful Kentucky has an outstanding governor in Andy Beshear. Besides all the Republicans eager to throw him out of office, out of spite, he has had the Pandemic to deal with and now the most damage ever in Kentucky from tornadoes. He deserves our thanks, our cooperation, and our continuing admiration!

        I still am amazed by this photo from quite a few years ago. I have shared it before.  While in Denver, with family, I was trying out what would be show up sharp if I made a photo of the Christmas tree bulbs on their tree.  This has become my best wishes photo, in hopes everyone can make the things work that they are curious about or care about!

     And here is a newer Christmas photo a friend sent. I really like the simplicity in this photo and the color of the every day door. It feels very welcoming.

         I am wishing for all of us to stay well and help each other. I was so heartened to talk with MaKayla in the grocery store tonight about all the items they were gathering to send to the tornado torn counties.  She is the Ag Teacher at Elliott County's High School and the granddaughter of my friend Sandy.  She says each eastern Kentucky county is trying to supply only certain things so the needs are balanced out among them. 

     Thank you for checking on my blog as we reach out to all those impacted by the T.T.s though, in fact, we are all impacted by what happened to many of us.   Ann

from the "unrecognized photos" album

   Hello all you loyal viewers!  I figure you will understand about having disjointed days sometimes, like I am having today. All is well, but I dare not try to do what I had planned.  HOWEVER, I found an "album" of mine which bears the title "unrecognized photos."  I'm not sure exactly what I meant by that, since most of the images have been around for awhile, but now tonight I'm going to put them in this post. They make me happy, and their being totally random sort of seems to be the theme of the day.  HERE GOES!  ENJOY! 

briefly flowering moss

what we call "the big waterfalls" close to us

really called "Quaker Ladies" (or bluets)

in Massachusetts -- I love the light (and the daughter!!)

redbuds "branches" in April

catching the light on Mauk Ridge -- I almost missed coming upon it.

folllowing the annual memorial walk for Gary

It's amazing that this old barn of ours is still standing!

always look to our shared sky

I love finding treasures in the woods.

Before her school years, my granddaughter would sometimes stay at my house and bring her friends.

the wonderful swing, now retired because everyone is too heavy for the high sycamore branches that held it

the shelf where a great many of the books are by George Ella

I like to think I have gotten the "hang of things" here in Northeastern Kentucky, even though these precisely hung clothes are not my doing!

Light

Eastern Standard Time makes it feel very dark very early.  

The raw antics we hear about -- sometimes called politics-- are also dark, and have been for years.

I figure since I work with photos -- which usually require a decent amount of light -- I can record how, for me, light can do its thing when it's not ignored or taken for granted. 

I remain fascinated by what I see -- and by the way light changes, every minute. I like to work with it, like to leave it alone until another day, like being surprised by it. I even like writing about it.

Sometimes it's the light that hints or insists it is almost ready, and, other times, the show's all over in an instant, to be savored as a memory and a gift.

I've decided to find some recent photos that have been part of my dialogue with the outside.  I don't usually talk about my fascination with natural light, but it regularly willingly works with me and intrigues me. I'm so grateful for its companionship.

one day

another day

It really was this bright and beautiful in the Skaggs' back yard.

Meditation on a tree, as it dances in the changing light:

I can't resist including this photo of the grandparents of the bride, and good friends of mine, The wedding had beautiful weather even in late October, and a delicious home-cooked feast.

These last four photos are from Wednesday night, in Bath County, where there are these mounds, and lots of flat land, and a farm where my granddaughter has been going this fall, after school, to learn to ride a horse. I went with them to see the scene, but the light made it too hard to not make at least a few photos.

LEGS

into the light

        To end this week, I want to share a photo my dear daughter made on the way home from the riding lesson -- in the public library restroom where we changed into "our civies" for the drive home. A quick generational photo, for fun, AND with plenty of inside light!!  I love that it makes me laugh.

 

 

DEER

It's the season, that's the reason, a sort of invasion, an annual ritual to provide the hunter with food for the winter, something that has never interested me to do, even though it doesn't require an A47.

I do know that deer can decimate a garden, eat your sunflower patch in a single night, take over the town, like they have in nearby Morehead, and so are often not very popular.

This happens to be my first post in my blog that I have dedicated to photos of deer.  They surely mean well, but when there are a lot of them...... it's a clash.  I have had some deer visitors these past two weeks, and the big hunting season begins next weekend.  Wear bright colors while out for a walk, and be legal about how you take a deer.  Stay safe. Wonder about Balance and Justice in our world.

Ears on Deer

FIVE PHOTOS, SECONDS APART:

 

 

NOT DEER!  DO NOT SHOOT!

Two favorite deer photos are to be added once I find them.  I have a lot of photos they can hide among since I don't keep up with my info on the image as well as I could.  In the meantime, I am going to slip in another video that I want to try including, since my last try two weeks ago was a no-go.