Day: July 24, 2020

MY BIRD’S EYE VIEW

A Bird’s Eye View

While I was shooting a least chipmunk, I was also squaring up some birds. Because the birds aren’t afraid of this tiny furry critter. They will share a feeder with her, but not with a squirrel. I think the squirrels are too big, but the little chipmunk hardly counts. So in all the following pictures, that blurry patch is actually a leaf and my camera shoots through it. 

Square Tufted Titmouse
Titmouse
Nuthatch
Titmouse?
Still a titmouse
A red finch
Goldfinches

 

DONE. FINISHED. KAPUT. FINITO.

I know I’m voting for Biden. I’ve supported every candidate in whom I believed including many that are no longer in contention. I’ve written my heart out.

If the American people are too stupid to vote for someone who might save us from destroying our nation and our planet, there’s nothing more I can do. I sincerely hope we aren’t quite that stupid.

Photo via Newscom

I’ve reached a new stage in my political development. I know for whom I will vote. I’ve known since 2016 that whoever wasn’t Trump was getting my vote. Now I have a name to go with the intention. I don’t need any more dirt or psychological analyses. I know he may not willingly leave the White House and has, as i suggested a few weeks ago, managed to find at least one military branch to be his “secret police.”

He a dangerous, evil thing. I’m not even sure he’s human. If there really are demons, I think he’s one. Maybe he’s the antiChrist. Or possibly both. One way or the other, I have no remaining mind to make up. I’m sure whatever he’s doing is rotten because everything he has done is rotten. If I ignore videos and anti-Orangeman rants, forgive me. I’ve given all I have to give. Now I need a peace and mental quiet. I need an adult-sized time-out.

Meanwhile, with all this craziness going on, I’m heartbroken that my favorite and best clothing store is closing forever in two weeks. I’ve been buying all my favorite stuff there for more than 30 years. I don’t even know where to shop now. Life is bizarre and I am worn very thin. I need a mental break.

What will be will be. I have done my best.

FROM BEHIND IN BLACK & WHITE

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: From the Back

A lot of my best pictures have been from the back, but most of them are not (yet) in black and white. I spent most of yesterday processing photographs. Between the time I picked up the camera and a little while later, put it down, I took 120 pictures. It took me a while to sift through them. I also had t go out on the deck and move the plants so i could actually see anything. Some of the pictures I regretfully didn’t use were taken through the leaves. For some reason, my camera will do that. The areas shot through leaves look like there’s a green fog in front of them. I saved some of them. At some point, I might find something interesting to do with them.

At the tolls, it’s always from the back
Back of Titmouse
And just a few more cows
Photo: Garry Armstrong
Local cows (good milk)
Photo: Garry Armstrong
The Duke
The Terriers
Definitely from the rear
Back end of bird
The end

Given that the past few weeks have been downright frantic, I took the archival way out today and spent almost all day, other than making supper, listening to a book. And REALLY enjoying listening to the book. liking it so much, I might listen to the whole thing again tomorrow.

Cee's Black-White

FROM THE EARTH ABIDES PROJECT: YEAR 71 — BY RANGERDON

The Year 71 – EARTH ABIDES By George R. Stewart

Posted on 

This is certainly the Year of Earth Abides, Year 71 to carve on Indian Rock, and there will a new printing of Earth Abides in October to celebrate.  It will be notable for two reasons:

The new edition of “Earth Abides”

Most of the previous covers for the novel have focused on people or the ruins of a post-pandemic world. The new printing has a distinctive, beautiful cover featuring  Ish’s Hammer.(The Hammer of Ish is one of two major symbols in Stewart’s work.  The Pitcher in Sheep Rock is his female symbol. The Hammer of Ish, his male symbol.)

Its “Introduction” is by distinguished writer Kim Stanley Robinson.  Even if you already have a copy of the novel, buying this edition will bring the Hammer of Ish and Robinson’s excellent survey of the book and Stewart’s life and work to your library.  (You can preorder it from Amazon or your local independent bookseller.)

Ø Ø Ø

Robinson’s  “Introduction” joins two other essays on Earth Abides to make a trilogy of considerations of novel and author.    Kim Stanley Robinson’s “Introduction” is a wonderfully-written, well-researched essay about the book as influenced by Stewart’s life, and in comparison to his other work.  James Sallis’s fine essay is a poetic consideration of the book as great literature.  Pat Joseph’s article for California, the University of California  Alumni Magazine, is written with an eye to Berkeley and the University’s role in the novel; and  it examines the parallels with Jack London’s The Scarlet Plague …

Source: The Year 71 | the EARTH ABIDES project