Wednesday, August 10, 2022

Central Oregon’s accessible irrigation canals also are cooling spots for humans and dogs. Flowing water maintains surrounding trees, grass, and shade in otherwise hot sandy areas. While hiking with my dogs, I may tote a lightweight folding seat. If a pretty spot makes me feel like pausing, I will take the time to observe satisfying water tripping over rocks in Lilly-lined channels. My pups play, drink, and swim.

My home is near several irrigation channels that my dogs and I enjoy. I reflect that this area, becoming ever more populated, is changing. Some significant visible irrigation flows are already being piped, intended to flow underground. Long term, all significant open flowings will be piped and hidden. The little canals dotting our neighborhood that my dogs and I love will begin disappearing, too, as farmlands become transformed into housing tracts.

My neighborhood, until recently, seemed rural. These days it seems almost cosmopolitan with housing tracts and the biggest shock of all, apartment buildings.

Mental note to myself: Get out ever more often to open flows. Take that portable seat, a camera, and the dogs. Keep ahead of change by recording what’s natural and available. The images eventually will become worth thousands of words.

Dear Friends: Get outside, find the cool, and have a great day.

Tuesday, August 09, 2022

All this week, I must leave early for work. This will be short.

I want to write about accidentally discovering an early 20th Century singer Gladys Bentley, an African-American who became popular during the “Harlem Renaissance” era. She was a character, an off-beat, gutsy entertainer. She had a fabulous piano-playing style and an outstanding singing voice.

Bentley defined herself as a gay person. During her heyday in the Roaring Twenties, she emphasized her gender preferences, appearing on stage as a cross-dresser, always outfitted perfectly in a white tuxedo with tophat and tails. Her sense of self, over-the-top exhibitionism during those times, and her popularity, are fascinating from a sociological perspective.

Maybe, but what’s “the catcher” is her total musicality.

Here’s a clip of Bentley, in her fifties, appearing on Groucho Marx’s television show. They chat for a bit before he asks her to sing. She is gracious, sits at a piano, and brings it alive. The piano roars, and she sings in a voice outstanding for all time. How wonderful it would be to hear “what might have been” if her talent had been assisted by a modern skilled music producer.

Anyway, meet Bentley yourself in this two-minute clip. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-LTJNasTMc

Dear Friends: Have a wonderful day. Diana

Monday, August 08, 2022

Hot days are watermelon days! Chickens and turkeys love melons, horses, too, and of course, goats. Chickens eat watermelon clean to a skinny green strip. Horses and goats loving every morsel consume entire rhines.

It’s hard work to schlep heavy pieces down to the barn. There’s bound to be an easier way of getting watermelon to the critters. They love this treat; I will figure out a more convenient way of keeping it going for them.

I have streamed two old movies directed by Blake Edwards and starring Julie Andrews. One is “Victor-Victoria” and the other is “It’s Life.” I remembered both, sort of. “Victor-Victoria” has a particularly terrific performance by Leslie Ann Warren as a jealous girlfriend. As for the movie itself, it works and is entertaining, but takes effort to reimagine Julie Andrews as masculine in her role as a cross-dresser. She just ain’t and that’s all.

In another of their joint ventures, “It’s Life,” the Edwards-Andrews team perfectly hit the ball out of the park. Her co-star, Jack Lemon, at his top, is an attention deficit husband and father. Andrews, too, is at her top, as a wife, mother, and professional singer, keeping to herself a diagnosed threat of potential throat cancer, and having a great fear of the possibility.

This picture was filmed in the couple’s home, which is gorgeous and on the beach in Los Angeles. Their adult children, played by actors unfamiliar to me, are terrific in their roles. I am familiar with Sally Kellerman, who is superb as an emotionally unpredictable neighbor.

Above all, the film is pure Julie Andrews. She’s kind, reassuring, multi-tasking, in control, and authentically emotional. Lovely as herself, and as most of us would suspect, or imagine her to be, in real life.

Dear Friends: This is a modern “summer take” on watermelon and movies. Diana

Sunday, August 07, 2022

The header photo is of my friend, Julie, overseeing the rough playing of those two, almost obliterated in their billowing dust.

We were meeting up for a long-planned puppy playday. Julie brought her Border Collie, Nick, and her Border Terrier, Petey. I was with Chase, my six-month-old lookalike to a standard Manchester Terrier, and Little Mitzvah, my Jack Russell-Poodle mix.

We are long-time friends meeting again to catch up with one another. We strolled, dodging the ever-busy, clumsy Chase, and watching dogs interact as we chatted. Julie and I have much in common. Our world views are compatible, and while many of our life experiences differ, we similarly process information. We two experience events deeply and often reassure one another. This outing was no exception.

We are making plans to meet again soon. We are consummate readers. Pre-pandemic, we’d meet up occasionally for coffee. We’d bring books we were reading or had read that felt important. We would share and discuss what might have made specific works stand out and seem worthwhile. These days for various reasons, we neither frequent restaurants. Instead, we talked about re-starting our occasional book meet-ups at pretty parks over picnic tables.

Meanwhile, we weren’t sure from moment to moment what Chase next might do. He’s active in mid-puppyhood, feeling new strengths and testing boundaries. He insisted on playing rough with tough little Terrier, Petey, who held his own.

Border Terriers are small, unique packages. In my Kansas City days, one of my friends had a Border Terrier. She trained him for Search and Rescue, and he became an active and excellent rescue team member.

Here and again, they’re at it.

Dear Friends: Here’s to the wonder of lasting friendships, despite life’s diversions. Diana

Saturday, August 06, 2022

That’s me in the supermarket where I work; I’ve just got off work and am holding a beautiful Bearded Dragon. She was riding on the shoulder of a lady shopper and calm as a cucumber before her person passed her to me. The critter immediately knew that my shoulder was the wrong one. She became a wriggling handful to escape. The lady laughed and reassured me that a Bearded Dragon, sleepy as it might appear, is highly aware of its surroundings and what’s happening. This pet was convincing; she needed to return to her mom.

That inspired me to learn more about animals with which I’m less familiar. I’ve begun exploring introductory online courses like biology, zoology, and anthropology. The amount of learning accessible and often free is impressive. I’ll find a program offered by a capable university and sign up to expand my understanding of the larger social world.

I’ve only recently become interested in learning about reptiles. The area never drew me before talking with folks who keep as pets snakes and lizards. It appears that a reptile’s appeal as a pet isn’t as intellectual as I had imagined but also has a huge emotional component. They feel close to and enjoy them.

Dear Friends: Now, off to feed the ordinaries, my horses, chicks, and dogs. Diana

Friday, August 05, 2022

Here’s a terrific image of Louie. He’s caught while urging me to throw his ball. Every bit of his face is in action. His beautiful marble eyes are alert, his mouth opening for action, and his body is about to take off. Louie loves anticipating and chasing balls more than anything else on Earth (except for his food bowl).

Louie is thirteen years old. For nearly all those years, he ran with my horses on trails and now has arthritis as an aftereffect. He understands that trails have become too much. When he’s with the horses and me at a trailhead, he chooses not to follow but to await our return. He hangs out in the shade under my trailer.

At first, leaving him at the TH while I rode was worrisome. Louie is a beautiful merle, and he’s cute. People often reach out to him. But he doesn’t cotton to strangers. Louie has an effective stink eye that can frighten away most would-be petters. I find him fresh and happy whenever my traveling group returns.

Despite his arthritis, I wouldn’t change a moment of our time together on the trails. I’ll bet that Louie, too, wouldn’t alter a moment or reduce our miles. He was an excellent trail buddy, strong, loyal, and always nearby.

Dear Friends: After an early life as a little couch potato, he proved brave and able. Diana

Thursday, August 04, 2022

Managers at the supermarket where I work asked if I’d work late the last couple of nights. The store lacked a cashier to cover a shift ending at eleven p.m. I agreed, anticipating the late evenings to be dull dead zones, and I was wrong.

I live in a small city that overflows at the height of every summer season with visitors and tourists. At nighttime, the streets usually are quiet with very little traffic. This whole area seems to have shut down, and inhabitants are asleep.

I discovered neither quiet nor lack of action in the supermarket. Both nights throughout my shift, the place was alive. My register was busy with people lined up to buy milk, bread, booze, and candy. Some were after only a few items, others stocking up on enough food and supplies for weeks.

I have wondered why folks shop late at night for candy and sodas. That seemed silly, a waste of time. However, now I understand more and realize that some people do a little shopping after working late. I’m newly aware of sleepless and restless people seeking an energy outlet in a safe destination.

Dear Friends: An early bird discovers late nights with personality, unique and fun. Diana

Wednesday, August 03, 2022

Yesterday morning, my Lil’ Blue received a pen buddy after I happened to capture “White Cloud,” a young and gentle Delaware hen. Cloud and Blue previously were together in a transition pen. White Cloud is accustomed to Lil’ Blue’s strangely-tilted head, and their reunion was uneventful.

Lil’ Blue has one eye. She’s separated from the flock for safety. On her own, she behaves nervously and is thrilled to gain a pen mate. Immediately, she stayed beside Cloud, following Cloud’s lead, drinking well, and vigorously seeking scattered grains and veggies.

Blue’s working eye is on the right side of her head. When all alone, she tilts her head sideways for maximum vision. Alongside Cloud, her face stayed balanced and forward. That seeing buddy eases Blue’s struggle. She’s a happy bird.

Delaware is a docile breed easy to get along with. I was drawn to its beauty and sweetness. Cloud has the fluffiest and softest imaginable white feathers, trimmed with black. Her teaming with Lil’ Blue is a happy event.

Dear Friends: I didn’t plan to write today about Blue, but I share her excitement for the matchup. Diana

Tuesday, August 02, 2022

My “Lil’ Blue,” a one-eyed hen, is five months old. She has begun laying eggs, tiny and blue and cute as herself.

I’ve watched her closely for if she’d be safe while freely among the community. She was housed in an introductory pen for some weeks, among but safely separated from the main flock. She can fly amazingly well and several times has escaped the holding pen. That’s provided opportunities to observe her while out and about.

She holds her head differently from the other hens, tilting it to the left to allow her right eye optimal vision. While in every way functional for roaming freely among the flock, her unusual head gains attention. Chickens dislike anything looking unusual and try to attack her. Although she’s quick to escape, Lil’ Blue is vulnerable and could be blindsided and injured.

Every chicken needs a flock. Shortly ago, I transferred Lil’ Blue to a standalone kennel beside the flock pen. She sees her buddies, watches them constantly, and yearns to be among them. I hope this single will adjust satisfactorily. To that end, I spend time inside her kennel, holding her, stroking her, and talking.

I’ll move Lil” Blue to the garage when the weather turns cold. She’ll be a special pet, like my “Old Wellsummer,” a very old hen safely and comfortably living in my garage. She and Wellsummer, as neighbors, will be the company to each other.

Dear Friends: I anticipate learning a bunch from this special needs hen. Diana

Monday, August 01, 1022

Entering the last month of summer during an incredibly miserable heat wave. The heat makes me thread through my summers living in Central Oregon. Until recently, summers were mostly reasonably cool, aside from a mid-August hot week or two.

Perhaps such thinking guided me to think more deeply about Central Oregon’s past. This amazing and unique part of Oregon has a complex history. Its long-time citizens still hold old-country western views that collide with its newer and growing population’s tendency toward socialism.

(Excuse me now for dashing out to toss morning hay to my horses. I’ll re-explore these ideas upon returning to finish blogging.)

I’m back, fortunately, without losing track of my thoughts.

I’ve begun to re-read the memoir, FRONTIER DOCTOR, by Urling C. Coe, written in 1939. Coe arrived in Central Oregon as a 23-year-old newly graduated physician in 1904. He became Bend’s first doctor and eventually also the City Mayor.

Reading his memoir is an au natural view of the wild little town of Bend and its rugged population of settlers in the early years before the railroad’s arrival. That anticipated railroad changed everything. Rail commerce enabled profiteering from plundering Bend’s massive surrounding forest. Industrial logging in Central Oregon became a field of riches.

There are some great stories. One is building that railroad, which was a competitive effort between two massive carriers and often involved gunfighting. The other is how Bend changed, grew, and made many investors wealthy.

Another story is how that early beginning continues to influence the modern Bend. Although population growth is changing the area’s politics and preferences, there remains an “Old West” consciousness. Experience and learning from the area’s early settlement and industrial days continue to battle new ideas.

Dear Friends: History is a fascinating study of old vs. new; ahead is more. Diana