Summer love (Cousin Camp, 2020)

post #499 

            By some unearned miracle, this week we are managing to have our annual cousin camp here in the homestead in Eastern Kentucky.  I am not doing much of the work -- such as a lot of food planning and prepping -- but I sure am loving this once a year together time!  (Actually, I am doing very little work AND getting dinners by J almost every night!)

          The big hits this year so far are the chickens and the four roosters.....  I'm going to share just a few photos, several taken while the wrong lens was on my camera. When candids are required, there's often no  time to be fully prepared. There are only three kids at the moment, which is plenty after so many months of my being sheltered alone most of the time.

NOTE: at first I said I'm going to try to do better than last week about adding the photos. It seems Blogger has decided to revamp itself.  While there are bound to be glitches for awhile, especially since my learning curve is never what I'd like it to be, the difficulty of the new system is unbelievable.  There seems to be no rhyme or reason for some of the changes, and there is no way to seek clarification.  I was gratified that so many others are complaining on line about the "improvements."  I will leave up what I posted Sunday night in frustration, even though it may duplicate some of what I hope appears here.  (This is being tried again Tuesday evening.) I just hope that I can figure out who can help me because I really do not want to lose access to the 500 blogs I have been posting over ten years.  


FIRST, some more hay ambiance photos: 

good friends

 

NEXT, COUSIN CAMP

        first: important to remember --

            

chasing chickens who are not ready yet to give it up

viewing social distancing, on my way home -- if cattle can do it, why can't we all!!

            Well, there are 4 vertical photos that continue to refuse to be transferred to the blog, even though I did find the link to go back temporarily to the former format .  Two of those photos are my favorites of the week.  I will keep working on all this, but not to worry since I definitely feel that the big picture is really most important these days. The election.  Our democracy. The health of every world citizen. Getting rid of chaos and cruelty that currently rule our government. Inequality. And of course racism, which, like the virus, is real and is all controlling, even if we don't want to believe it.  So, I end by a plea to support the arts and creative thinking as a way to nourish and strengthen the positives that surely lie beyond today. I hope.

could have been any given afternoon

post #439
         Such is what I see just wandering around. If the light is OK, then there are many temptations.  This first photo shows the chicken yard, seen on a recent post as well.  I've now added a photo of the two ducks in there with them.  Both look happy and healthy, so it's just weird, but not harmful.  

       However, there is this pond close by where the ducks could be swimming and showing off their beautiful selves in the beautiful reflections.... O well. (Please notice the hint of cardinal flowers on the lower left of this photo.)

cardinal flower and attendants:

(R, fun to realize that we each saw the same possibilities for this same cardinal flower!)

     
        Later, along the way during a drive to visit some neighbors, I stopped a few places to explore some shapes hidden from the road:

from the family cemetery on the top of the hill along the road

different light, though only twenty minutes earlier

Back at the chicken yard (see fence behind), there's a new chair, back and all. The rest of the tree is now firewood.

           I would hope that some of the monies designated to build a useless ego-driven wall in the wilderness can be liberated to help out instead our near neighbors in the Bahamas.  They are continuing to experience such a nightmare after being under a horrible hurricane for days.  Food and shelter seem to be a more urgent and compelling use of funds. A bit of kindness in the world would go a long way.  Just sayin'. 

August concerns and life's threads

post #436
       I try not to go on and on about American politics during these posts, but at the same time I feel I have an unusual responsibility to all the visitors to this blog who are not living in the USA. I've decided it's all right to speak up every few months, at the least, about how so many of us Americans are in severe distress at the constant attempts around us to destroy democracy. I feel truthfulness needs to be celebrated instead, and honored, even as many, many of us wish this wrenching situation would all just go away.
       From the beginning of Trump awareness, I have considered the constant lies, the constant inability to acknowledge a mistake, the constant use of chaos to divert, etc. to be signs of mental illness, not of leadership. Even a simple public statement -- like "I am the least racist person in the world"-- has to be a brazen falsehood since there's no way for any one to know who is the least -- or the most -- of anything.  Proclaiming such to the world is instead a confirmation of what has to be called a serious disorder. I certainly am not comfortable with such an unstable person being technically in charge of the nuclear button, to say nothing about separated young children at our borders, or decisions being made by others about my woman's body. 
        Dear readers from all over, I want to be clear that many, many of us are doing what we can to bring back civility and trust and caring, including the essential work needed to heal our wounded planet. How can so many deny the possibility of climate change? of science? of human kindness? Maybe some day we will even be able to figure out how any politicians could willingly ignore how consequential this ongoing national travesty is to the fabric of our nation. As an American, I long for healthy leadership. I long for calmer seas (and ones not laden with plastic.) I long for sanity.

         These three paragraphs above have been, of course, just my personal plea. It will be the voices of all of us that will make the difference. 

finally bales this year, on the way to town

deer neighbors on Sideway Road

Here's a sky view, along Sideway Road, of the pipeline "path" to the far field in the middle of the photo. I love the color of the sky captured in this photo during an evening walk.

In Lexington, on Saturday, near the large annual Woodland Arts Fair, I saw "my" book cover in the window of Black Swan Books, along with 7 other books by Wendell Berry. I was totally surprised to notice it (near where I had miraculously found a fabulous parking space.) However, the day was way too hot for me to hang around to make a better photo.

OK, those were some random photos, to top off all my banter about what needs to happen to make the world a better place. I have also found out this afternoon that my son and his family have climbed Pike's Peak these last three days! They live in Colorado, and the two kids are 8 and 10.  And my daughter and her family have put up tons of basil from their garden and made a place for their two ducks to swim.  (These ducks live with the chickens. They think they are chickens. I think it is called bonding.) Then there were three loads of laundry hung out to dry on their line in 90 degree heat and other such activities on a "non-workday". Also, this afternoon our Kentucky public television station ran a long concert version of Les Miserables, which I couldn't help tuning into at times while working on this post. I mention all this to express how grateful I am for the opportunities I have had and for the choices I have been able to make. My pleasure in doing this blog for 7 years is one way I have to share some of that feeling with friends and strangers alike.
       Please note: this Gerbera Daisy appeared on my porch early in my broken foot days this spring, but I still don't know who left it there! It's now blooming again. Hopeful events are fine with me.

Keeping it simple, for cousin camp

post #394
    Around here, in eastern Kentucky, it has been that time of year again when we gather up whatever cousins we can find for a week of hanging out together. Though there were just three this year, it took all three adults to keep up. A great week. Here are a few photos, some made by me and some by my daughter, Rebecca.  Enjoy!

             THE KITCHEN COUNTER

HOME HONEY IN A JAR, AND THREE HONEYS, BY R

             THE COUCH IN THE KITCHEN  

BY R

           


 THE DECK OUTSIDE THE KITCHEN

 

BY R

               THE POND

RAIN WITHOUT THUNDER!!  BY R

FISHING LINE REPAIR, PATIENCE ALL AROUND

            THE BUILDINGS ON THE FARM
   
 

BY R

 

PROVIDING HANGING CAT TOYS FOR THE 4 CATS IN THE BARN, BY R

CHICKEN HOUSE, THREE REALLY BIG HAPPY CHICKENS AND, CLOSE BY, 10 HENS

    

            ALWAYS A VISIT WITH JUNIE AND SANDY AND THEIR CHICKENS, GOATS, RABBITS AND PONY

            THE WEEK ENDS, AND THERE'S THE RETURN TO A BUSIER PLACE

           

A LAST SHOT WITH THE BELOVED BOW, AND THE VIEW FROM WITHIN THE TRUCK, BY R

ONE SAD COUSIN LEFT BEHIND, FOR NOW, THE GIVING OF GOODBY HUGS, BY R

A FAVORITE PHOTO OF MINE, BY R, LIFE AFTER CHAOS AND LAUGHTER

July catch up, and the annual memorial ride for Gary Purnell

post #393
      Hello from our post windstorm Kentucky. Many in the Lexington area lost power, Friday, and it won't be fully restored for another two days. Lots of trees downed. Around where I live, there wasn't damage but there could have been.
      After all these weeks, I haven't yet shared that I have two photos hanging together in the Bluegrass Biennial exhibit at the Art Gallery at Morehead State. It's a juried exhibit for Kentucky artists, every other summer, under the guidance of Jennifer Reis, the Gallery Goddess. (That means, thanks as always, Jennifer, for the excellent work you do!)

        The exhibit continues through August 29; there is a reception for the exhibit that evening 5-7pm. The Gallery is open irregularly because of summer hours (and draconian state budget cuts....) but from 9 - 3:30 weekdays it is open more often than not, in the MSU art building.  



      
        Saturday a week ago was the 4th annual memorial ride to honor Garry Purnell, who loved his horses.  It was pretty hot this year, so the ride began at 9 a.m.  The first photo shows what I saw when I arrived early, in hopes of benefiting from the great light at that time of day for photos. I didn't go on the ride itself because of the heat.  

 early arrival at Jean's house, from my car

 looking back the opposite direction....

I've known Jean since she was in the 7th grade -- she is so kind and remarkable.

Jonathon, the maitre d'

looking from the house over to the former tobacco field

Jonathan's new project -- longhorn cattle -- seen from the house, at a water hole

 Some other recent activities around here, while my daughter and family were gone a week:

with thanks to Melva for her help and friendship, including spoiling these hens

watering plants for my traveling away from here family

working on my photo note cards in the gallery part of my front room

    

surprised by the sky's artistry, once again

       And, last night, my daughter and I met the two traveling grandkids at the airport in Louisville. That flight seemed to end up closing down the airport, since their departure from Denver had been delayed 3 1/2 hours.  The kids seemed totally unfazed by their long day, and this lasted during the whole remaining 2 1/2 hour drive east to home! They are old enough, at 7 and 9, to make the journey on their own.  But it meant we could meet them at the gate. Thank goodness the Starbucks food options were still available before we left the airport. 
       This summer's week of what we call Cousin Camp has begun. Yea!