Sunday, October 30, 2016

exploring the cliffs and creeks nearby in eastern Kentucky

post #309
       I'm back! I'm moved! I'm far from settled in! But with the fall leaves becoming sparser and sparser we all decided to go for a bit of a drive this morning to see how things were doing on Carter Ford, just a few miles away and down a long narrow dirt road. ("Down" and "narrow" are the operative words....) There we found actual water in the creek, some leaves still on most trees, and the rhododendron bushes looking beautiful even without their July blooms. So now, to continue the "not yet unpacking" motive of the day, here is my post with some of the informal photos I took this very morning!
The straight up to the sky tree growth is very typical in our Appalachian forests.

We thought this was a playful Hallowe'en mask in the making!

This is the "we."
Here is enough water to make a refection. 

This other reflection intrigued me -- it looks so seamless.

mossy rocks all along the banks

and fish swimming in circles, perhaps because there is nowhere to go? We think these are trout.

With more time I might have made a better photo from this, but I love this image even so.
                                                            *******************                                                                  
      This year, of course, is also the shock of a disheartening presidential election -- an unnecessarily rough and alienating undertaking this time around. I feel I must comment on how I admire Hillary Clinton for the grace under pressure she has demonstrated when faced with an opponent who only knows name calling and rudeness and who contradicts himself to the point of telling constant lies. His narcissism is more than a personality trait. It seems like a fullblown narcissistic personality disorder, and I feel this is very dangerous and destabilizing for someone who is supposed to be a leader -- which requires being a responsible and visionary human being, NOT a vindictive and fearmongering one.

       I know we are spoiled after eight years of a White House without scandal, and we forget how most families treated like the Obamas have been would have caved by now. They have not. They deserve our sincere appreciation, at the very least, for their hard work and steadiness. I think history will treat them very well.

      None of these candidates is perfect, and I am not trying to say my way is the right way or the only way. But I would feel less than an active citizen of this remarkable ongoing experiement that is the United States if I did not speak my mind. What happens on election day is always important, even if we mistakenly take voting for granted. This year it feels like that in addition to choosing a candidate we are being required to show our support for our very own democracy!! (Voting for someone who does not have a chance of winning is the same, to me, as throwing your vote away. It is like being a sore loser. Why not instead decide to begin to take part in local politics and make needed changes from the ground up?)  It takes work by all of us to make our democracy work. Please do vote. Do your part.

       note: I wrote all this for two people I care about. One is my young friend J. who is convinced that Hillary sent people to die in a war that she initiated. He read this somewhere on the internet. Of course this is not true, since she was only a Senator when the war in Iraq was declared.  She did not have powers that are the president's. You don't want to believe me on this, J., but you are smart and one day you will figure out there actually are no simple answers or solutions, and there are people willing to exploit us citizens on their way to power. What is important is for each of us to practice, practice, practice using our brain to think for ourselves. Why else do we have brains?? Go for it!!
        The other person this is for is my mother, who died in 2008 the day Obama was elected. She was 92 and always voted, but that year, for health reasons, she had had to vote absentee, in New Hampshire. However, she could never fully believe that her vote would count if she died before the election.  My sister Robin was there the night before and that election day morning, and she decided to tell my mother, at 8 a.m., "Ma, isn't it great that Obama got elected!"  Our mother died an hour later; we feel she felt permission to do so.

Sunday, October 16, 2016

in honor of this home I'm leaving next week, part 2 of 2

post #308
       Today is my last full day on my own in this house, after 42 years of lots of our comings and goings and our company coming and coming back and goats and chickens and seasons and changes in the house and hard work by both my ex-husband and myself.  There are stories galore. And this tradition will continue now that my daughter and her husband and their kids will begin living here. These 90 acres of land are healthier for our having lived so fully until now, and it makes a difference to me that this stewardship is being passed on and that I will be able to live nearby. 
        I continue to be in awe that I or any human being can own trees -- we are so dependent on them for the very air we breathe and for their beauty and strength. They should not to be taken for granted in any way.  This hilly farm is not "worth" a lot, but in my mind and heart it has been a treasure to know and always will be.

       Anyway, enough sentiment for now, here are the other dozen photos I'm sharing at this point in time, for fun, and in honor of these many years together:

two upstairs file cabinets and a mirror, and books (dear friends). The grey one is staying, the brown file drawer is going with me.

photo by John Flavell, French translation of a picture book by George Ella Lyon. A former window behind the book now connects the kitchen and the living room.



the shelf of books ABOUT - trees, flowers, the stars, etc., They not being moved at this time.

I have no idea if this cactus is going to be moved!  I hear it's worth about $100 by now, but it seems so happy there, surrounded by toys from cousin camp. Plus it's very hard to move.  Stay tuned.  Anyone nearby want a healthy cactus, to pick up yourself?

Granddaughter artwork graces world issues of personal concern.

Other honored work. The law reviews are from the year when E was the editor.


a door frame from the kitchen to the living room addition, with a warning: low door frame, tall (!) family members

the downstairs file cabinet, to be moved out of T's room on the day a week from now when 9 pieces of furniture, etc., will all be moved from this house to my new dwelling (which is currently my Gallery.)

friends of T's, waiting eagerly for her return from their extended road trip

another view from My Chair in the corner of the kitchen - (see earlier post) - way across to the front door, opened "reflectively" on this warm day

grand-dog wanting to come in, and I can't hide because I am sitting close to this other door next to My Chair.


Actually, I am strongly of the opinion that blue is hot, and red totally out to lunch.... but these markers have been adhered to this bathtub since the Nixon presidency went down the drain....

Just in case we'd forget the truth of Mother Jones from over 100 years ago!... The wall this hangs on shows the original inside wall of this house, built during WWII.  There are no interior spaces behind the wall, so the pipes we added when we hooked up to indoor plumbing became part of what is seen. I guess it could be called pioneer design. However, we wanted to show a bit of how the house had originally been built.

waiting for the laundry mavens to return

Believe it or not, this bookshelf shows progress! Mostly cookbooks are left, and the bird books, and the growing a garden ones.  Honest!  We have still to decide which ones stay with the house.

One last bit -- the desk I used as a child, currently in the room T. is using until I actually move out, which is going with me.  I guess I wanted to be sure my younger sisters didn't mess with my desk, so I decided to add my name?  I don't remember doing it, BUT I remember why I might have wanted to do it.  Ironically, due to timing, I ended up in Kentucky with two similar desks! The other one will be staying here in the house for T. to use in whatever room she ends up in once I have moved out.  (I have been house sitting my own house and dog sitting while my daughter and family have been on a long drive around the USA before starting their new life here.) The drawers on both desks work well for being so old..... just like me!  Go figure!


        In honor of my move, I am going to take next week off from this weekly blog, to concentrate instead on keeping my sense of humor in good working order, which between the move and the election will need all the TLC it can get.  This is the least I can do to show my deep appreciation for the help of friends and family at this time.  
       So I'll be back on Hallowe'en, MOVED. 

Sunday, October 9, 2016

grateful for how art makes a transition feel more real

post #307
        My reality this month is that I am moving out of a house where I have lived for 42 years.  My daughter and her family will be taking over the place, so I am not having to leave it entirely! I am moving to my Gallery, nearby. But I do have to downsize, always good but also always tricky.
       Since this task does include some life review, in addition to my journal I am trying to make time to take some photos as I tackle various tasks. Though I don't have time to do my best work, I thought I would just share some of what I am seeing while I make this effort.
 
This is where I am sitting while putting this blog post together.  The next photo shows what this corner will look like once my daughter and her family make this place their home the end of the month. The couch is theirs; it moved here in July. They have been busy exploring the USA before taking up new jobs and such. I do get to have their dog during their trip (photo to come.)

chuckle! chuckle!

Here's another chuckle! This New Yorker cartoon has always been a favorite of mine. 
upstairs window, looking south

same room, looking west through the black walnut tree -- this week
current display on the bulletin board halfway down the stairs

view looking southeast from my desk, through a window downstairs

looking east from the desk

a favorite view out the north door, of our hay field (which long ago was a tobacco field)


things found while sorting drawers and boxes.... from kindergarten (E)
      I am having all together too much fun doing this post, when I might be better served doing some actual moving preparation, so I am going to stop here for today.  I will try to wait until next Sunday to add some more. I sure hope I will also be able to report progress.
      

Sunday, October 2, 2016

summer sweep up -- some photos which were missing in action

post #306
       In addition to posting here only once a week, I don't always include every photo I could - trying to spare my loyal readers from too much too often. Today's post consists of some photos I like but haven't shown yet.  Well, a couple of these photos included did need a second look. I'm going to try again using a phrase or word for each photo. Enjoy!
 
just do it


guess....

coy cardinal flowers

sunshine x 2

still running
    This next photo does have a story with it: a cousin camp game in progress, run around the house, pick up an apple en route, drop it in the hoop at the end, before running around the house again. And again.  For some reason, all three kids went along with this game!





evening displays--


sit-calm: On the Dam

Another story: these three members of the Rowan County chapter of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth were the noon crew at the renowned Cave Run Story Telling Festival, selling homemade soups, cornbread and pies. This is the third year KFTC benefits from the hard work of local chapter members - the debate continues whether very hot (this year) or wet (the last two years) helps or hurts business. Thank you everyone who made food or was able to work the booth this year!!!

back at 4H....

Morehead moment (August)

a Seine moment -- I hope everyone has some of these this week....