Monday, December 14, 2020 (Seventeen days more in 2020)

Isabel Wilkerson is a very bright, educated, excellent writer. Her readable first book, The Warmth of Other Suns, won a Pulitzer Prize. It describes in the early twenties, a migration of Black Americans from the “Jim Crow South. I’d heard that label but little understood it. Maybe I preferred to avoid understanding more, but Wilkerson gave me an education. It was appalling to comprehend the inhumanity in a Jim Crow society. That perspective’s not a bygone, and many forms remains evident.

Wilkerson’s latest work, Caste, is a brilliant explanation of the origins and rationale behind common categorizations in populated areas of human worth, based on skin colors, religious beliefs, and monetary accumulations. She compares frequent rises and falls of contagions (AIDs, Covid-19); and political situations (ascensions of Nazism and Trump); and social categories (India’s stringent ranking of “untouchables” as lowliest); and early America’s Native People (stolen from and pushed-aside).

Caste is a compelling read, not based just on history, but also on Wilkerson’s personal experiences with undeserved confrontations. Like all women socially, she’s considered a “set aside”, but regardless of smartness, education, and social standing, she’s also a “Black Woman”.

This book has forced me to rethink my Oklahoma upbringing, the attitudes taught to me that for years hindered my ability to appreciate an individual’s worth. It’s making me now in maturity to rethink my current attitudes, and wonder how often, how much, and if somehow I still try to categorize others.

Recently, I spoke of wishing for all people to understand that among forest trees’ roots and fungi, a thriving relationship exists underground, with trees and fungi actively communicating and exchanging beneficial nutrients. Wilkerson’s readable and understandable Caste focuses our attention to “above ground”, to human social impulses, how they’ve been employed to accumulate, categorize, communicate, and manipulate.

Both her books are must reads.

Dear Friends: Underground is about health; above ground is about money and power. Diana

Sunday, December 13, 2020 Eighteen more days, is all.

Taken from beside my barn on a icy frozen-out afternoon, that’s the South Sister, about twenty miles away as the crow flies. I’m practicing with my new camera, a fine one that makes me both happy and a little disappointed. My older version of this zoom Canon had an eye-view, which the new one lacks. The pressure of my forehead helped to stabilize that old camera as I tried to shoot birds.

Yesterday for sure, the new camera easily sighted a perched bird atop a 60-foot tree. My hands couldn’t stay steady enough while trying to grab a good shot. Here obviously, the bird’s a Robin, resting nicely and unmoving, but see! My unsteady hands disturbed the opportunity.

Practice helped.

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Close-up captures were a piece of cake, and the camera stopped action of some birds flying toward the water.

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I’ll learn more and be happier with this camera. Meanwhile yesterday, the most interesting visuals beside nearby visiting bluebirds were distant icy-blue mountains. I liked the composition of today’s header photo, with the nearby trees suggesting distance from the South Sister. Again, here’s that Sister in full zoom.

And another in the Range, compelling Broken Top, my favorite among the Cascades, and also, a beautiful area for horseback riding.

Dear Friends: Snow that began falling early might make today a visual delight. Diana

Saturday, December 12, 2020 (Nineteen days left in 2020)

I spent this morning’s wee hours studying how to use my new Canon SX540HS (point & shoot with a 50X zoom) that arrived last evening. This compact camera is lighter-weight, with many more features and greater power than an early predecessor that for years served me well. My wanting this powerful zoom is to shoot birds, perched high or in flight, to capture animals as they run and play, and to record impressive landscapes.

Having an earlier model, I knew how to turn this camera on and to point to shoot. Unfortunately, this early morning’s murky darkness made it impossible to find even a slightly-visible photo op. My searching for light took me to a one and only shot. Taken through a glass door, the string of lights bordering my small deck isn’t a prize photo, but I like it. Even without appropriate lighting and shot in autofocus mode, the capture is moody and suggestive.

Right now, that’s all I understand of this camera’s features. Unfortunately, my brain couldn’t process correctly the steps needed to connect the camera via wi-fi to other devices. Later, I’ll re-tackle the wi-fi challenge and hope to do better. Another possibility is to borrow a bit of another’s brain for assistance.

Dear Friends: Photography technology is exciting, so many creative possibilities. Diana

Friday, December 11, 2020 Only 20 days remain in this year.

Occasionally, I read something that’s mind-stretching and transports me from my known world. A recent NYT Magazine issue has an article entitled, “The Social Life of Forests”–a stunner that describes “the underground life of forests”. That’s a lifelong passion of Suzanne Simard (Professor of Forest Ecology, University of British Columbia). She’s proved that a forest ecosystem exists, in which trees exchange communications and nutrients through a “subterranean circuit”–the web of roots and fungi comprising an underground network. The article, written by Ferris Jabr, with Brendan George Ko’s gorgeous photographs, can expand common ideas about this planet’s environmental and evolutionary processes.

Simard’s work today is featured in textbooks, and widely taught in graduate-level classes on forestry and ecology. Also, her work was the inspiration for a central character in a 2019 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “The Overstory”, by Richard Powers, which impacted many readers.

Here’s a link to the NYT Magazine article, not a quick read, but well-worth time and thought: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/12/02/magazine/tree-communication-mycorrhiza.html

Dear Friends: In Nature, everything living and thriving relies on effective social structures. Diana

Thursday, December 10, 2020 (21 days remain in 2020)

The girls again are grazing on a wonderful pasture down the road. Early yesterday, I walked them there and left them for all day. As daylight waned, Sunni was the first to spot me returning and still at a distance. She alerted the others and initiated an elaborate group display of running, bucking, and faux-kicking.

Rosie in her early twenties still is drop-dead gorgeous, and in action moves beautifully, a dream to behold. Sunni is Rosie’s full sister, younger and built slightly differently. When, as yesterday, Sunni’s rear goes into full-drive action, she’s a mirror image to her big sister, a moving beauty.

Pimmy donkey follows her horses and imitates their action. It’s fun to see her energy up and watch her cute, stiff-legged canter. She keeps enough distance from the bigger girls to dodge the action and faux-kicks, does some faux-kicking herself.

My problem is walking all three equines to and from this pasture. Long-legged Rosie has a big walk. Pimmy is slow, a drag. I constantly try to slow Rosie while pulling Pimmy forward. The donkey naturally prefers to move cautiously. Most irritating is that Rosie knows how to walk with a handler, to keep her head at the handler’s shoulder. She takes advantage when I’m coping with several lead ropes. Thankfully Sunni is easy, but leading all three is hard work.

Heading into another winter of pasturing, I try to reassure myself. (1) Challenging physical work is good for me. (2) Our continuing group walks will have the animals becoming easier to handle. Unfortunately, in a shadowing yawn, we’ve been there, done that, it don’t get better.

Dear Friends: It’s a life process: we get up, hope for the best, and carry on. Diana

Wednesday, December 09, 2020 (22 days remain in 2020)

Yesterday, an astonishingly beautiful day, warm with clear skies, invited outdoor activities. In my world, of course, outside translates often to horseback riding. My friend Anna came over, helped to gather the horses from a pasture down the road and lead them home. We saddled, rode, and even in this familiar neighborhood, explored and discovered a new pretty path to ride.

We also “discovered” my neighbor, Frank, outside and about to drive to Worthy’s to pick up his beer order. He paused, we briefly caught up with one another. I’ve been working nearly full time and missing formerly frequent visits with Frank and/or Annette over the fence between our properties. They’re comfortable friends, and so yesterday, I self-invited myself over soon for one of Frank’s fancy beers.

Nothing compares to great neighbors. Early this year with Covid fears running very high, Annette became concerned about aging neighbors at risk for the virus. She walked the local area, knocked on doors and introduced herself, offering to shop for others. While gathering groceries for herself and Frank, she filled others’ needs-lists and delivered. She shared some hard-to-find supplies. I was in self-isolation, fearing the virus, and grateful for Annette’s kindness.

More about Frank and Annette. Years of living next door has shown me they’re special. Now, writing in a thoughtful mode, here’s an explanation. Frank and Annette are strong individuals, able to care about others and willing to assist when needs are appropriate to circumstances.

Dear Friends: They, and similarly fine others, make this neighborhood wonderful. Diana

Tuesday, December 08, 2020 (In 23 days, 2021 will arrive.)

Today begins my weekend and will be busy. A neighbor, whose pasture is a quarter mile from my house, is allowing my horses daily to graze there same as last winter. Traveling to and from his pasture will have me walking with three equines on a road with light vehicle traffic. Last year, on seeing us, vehicle drivers kindly slowed and waved.

My plan early today is to walk the horses to that pasture and leave them for several hours, until early afternoon when my friend Anna will arrive to ride horseback. We’ll stroll through the neighborhood, and afterwards, might have enough daylight remaining to practice loading the horses into my straight-in trailer. With practice, they’ll begin entering the small trailer confidently, and exiting backwards without fearing its ramp.

Yesterday, my friend and coworker, Annabelle, helped me lift a large utility sled (with runners, vehicle tow package, and rear reflectors) into a shopping cart. We somehow stuffed everything into my small car, and at my barn, dragged all from the vehicle. Thank you, Annabelle!

During past snowy years, a smaller utility sled has carried hay to my horses. Sometimes I’ve wished it capable of hauling more hay in a single trip. That’s what made a bigger sled appealing. Initially, the store had in stock eight or nine sleds. As I hesitated they disappeared, and yesterday, the remaining one fed my impulse. It must have had my name on it for Annabelle was available, and now, it’s parked in my barn, will help mucho during our next snow.

By the way, whether snow falls this winter is a gamble. The news have reported that last month was the warmest November on record–wonderful for horseback riders and confusing to ranchers. Nonetheless, experience teaches that regardless of the odds, one always must be at-the-ready. So now, awaits a hay chariot.

Dear Friends: Relationships between the natural world and climate are mind-bending. Diana

Monday, December 07, 2020 Pearl Harbor Day. Another 24 days remaining in 2020.

This must be a short hello. It’s early-early a.m. and soon I must tread toward the barn to feed horses. Only a very tight early schedule will let me clock-in at work close to an eight a.m. starting time.

I’ve written about working mostly part-time in Central Oregon’s single Costco. Only those who’ve been inside a Costco in early mornings before the store opens, know it’s totally “another world”. Pre-opening Costco is a busy, zipping go-car track. Costco’s crazy-zippers aren’t go-cars but honking herds of fork lifts, speeding and noisily rambunctious, until exactly the moment Costco’s doors open to its waiting public. Then suddenly for a couple of moments, there’s a miracle of absolute silence.

Trying to describe Costco in early mornings has consumed the available writing time. For now this morning, and until tomorrow, here’s wishing everybody a good day.

Dear Friends: Effective pre-work schedules underline good workplace performance. Diana

Sunday, December 06, 2020 (25 days left in 2020)

This day starts another round of managing a business organization and my home base. Home base includes large animals needing care, in early morning still-darkness and late afternoon early-darkness. Winter-short daylight hours increase the difficulty of handling work.

Yesterday, a casual friend shopping, where I work in Costco, paused to say hello. She looked tired, seemed sad. Said she’s unhappy that for months she’s not exercised in a gym, and fears her muscles are weakening. Worst, she’s a horsewoman, and lately, has no interest in saddling-up and riding.

Maybe she’s over-isolating and has become depressed. Many customers do seem closed away, some focused heavily on keeping at a distance from others seem particularly unhappy.

A pitifulness in this Corina-Virus era is having to self-isolate. Normally, even the most intrepid loners find ways to socialize, among a few friends or by hanging out in public places. A dramatic reduction in social opportunities creates a problem, meaning in a sense having to “go it alone”. It forces individuals to inner-focus on their most personal selves. Comprehending one’s potential for wider interests, temperament styles, physical capabilities, and economic situations, may reveal options to help individuals keep feeling okay.

It’s apparent among Costco shoppers that many do the inner work well, are getting along. But like my friend yesterday, some not so much. Talking with her helped me understand that my desire to work associates highly to wanting to be out and among others.

There also are the masks. Many who still complain about having to wear a mask are sporadic wearers. We who daily and for hours wear masks now barely notice them on ourselves, but are highly aware of masks on others. We’re cautious around those with masks beneath their noses or chins. We’ve cycled through a “masked learning curve”, calling for recognizing individuals by other than noses and mouths. There are identification clues in eye colors and shapes, eyebrow sets, hair-styles, skin colorings, and unique ways of moving and standing.

Maybe this semi-isolation period soon will end. Many express confidence it will, but who can know? For certain, nearly everybody can understand the awfulness of feeling anxious, depressed, and sadly helpless.

Dear Friends: In just 25+16 days, or 41 in total, optimism may more widely blossom. Diana

Saturday, December 05, 2020 (26 days more of this year)

Here’s the best photo I’ve taken of geese flying overhead which they do frequently and noisily. My photo is fuzzy because I lack a camera with zoom lens and stop-action capabilities. My old dependable zoom is well past its prime. I love to capture birds, haven’t for a long while, because photos turn out like this “geesey failure”.

My sad situation is being fixed thanks to a couple of regular customers at Costco. Yesterday, Steve and Bonny, customary Friday shoppers showed up, excited about their new camera. They described its assets and ease of use, causing me a jealous spastic. They will be able to capture birds!

I love photographing distant birds up close! Last night, inspired, I researched cameras and now have discovered QVC online! Oh pity me, unable to resist self-indulgence. More buys than a duplicate of their camera are on the way.

Sporadic impulsive behavior, my downfall, recurs in winters. Immune to shopping I consider myself, but I ain’t. All’s worse because I must survive Oregon’s real winters. As temperatures transition, often suddenly, from warm to cold, the marketed winter wear encourages images of warmth and sturdiness against harsh elements. We who have large animals brave heading outside early on every freezing morning. At least, after last night’s splurge I’ll feel warmer.

And again, able to take bird pictures. Thanks, Steve & Bonnie, for the camera review and recommendation!

Dear Friends: Happily, my addictions avoid alcohol, drugs, and dangerous living. Diana