Monday, October 31, 2022

Happy Halloween! While working at a register this morning, I anticipate lots of last-minute candy passing through. And turkeys, too, as the store starts initiating a special on turkeys. The birds are in short supply this year because of the bird flu epidemic causing heavy losses.

Another “big thing” is that our weather is about to change, and dramatically. Forecasted for tonight are rain and freezing, and for the next few days temps in the low double digits. That’s what drew me to today’s header photo, of my equine family in recent perfect weather.

Weather changes are happening rapidly. Typically November has a first heavy freeze, enough to kill grass growth. This year that might occur early, in the upcoming low-temp days. If so, my horses may go over to a neighbor’s pasture and graze to their hearts’ content. My “easy-keeper” horses don’t gain weight from dormant grass.

As for tonight, I don’t anticipate trick-or-treaters here in the town’s “country part.” This area isn’t inviting to costumed roamers. It has small acreages with homes set back, dark streets, and dogs out watching. Families with children often transport them to more dense housing enclaves with lit streets and safe door-knocking.

Dear Friends: Wishing you a fun Halloween and warmth in the upcoming days. Diana

Sunday, October 30, 2022

Remember this tiny guy? I adopted him last May on the spur of the moment. His rescuer said he was 8 weeks old, from a Warm Springs litter, and she’d seen both parents. He’d be a small dog, a Chiweenie.

Here’s that cutie several weeks later.

These days he’s turning 9 months old, and yesterday had his first visit to a veterinarian. He weighed in at 50 lbs., matching the weight of Ranger, my hound dog. His veterinarian says he’s primarily a Rottweiler-Shepherd mix, maybe has a little Lab, too.

For months, I’ve realized he’s no Chiweenie. In growing, he’s become heavy-boned, muscular, and has spring-loaded hindquarters. He loves to high-jump and before long might even clear five-foot fencing that has managed to contain him.

On the “keeper side,” he has an absolutely wonderful temperament. He loves everybody, doesn’t mind being scolded and gets along with my other dogs. This true mutt is here to stay.

He’s still a cutie with puppy-perfect markings. I haven’t a current photo but now he’s inoculated and will hike with me and his buddies. Ahead, pictures galore.

Dear Friends: Drawer’s luck: I got bamboozled and this puppy got a good home. Diana

Saturday, October 29, 2022

The header photo is of John Singer Sargent’s “Driving in Spain,” 1903. Today’s Washington Post carries a story featuring Sargent’s Spanish paintings. All are superb and today’s header is because I love driving horses. In it, Sargent has captured fun and excitement behind a set of reins.

Another exquisite Singer painting is “The Spanish Dancer,” 1879-1882. It can speak for itself.

In 1879, when Singer began painting this enthralling dancing picture, he was 23 years old and had just finished his artistic training in Paris. He worked on this painting several years before completing it.

Sargent’s travels in Spain are the subject of a current exhibition at the National Gallery of Art. It’s wonderful seeing some of these again and some for the first time.

Here’s a link to today’s article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/10/27/sargent-spain-manet-impressionism-roma/

Dear Friends: His greatness in capturing action and feelings lends to our imaginings. Diana

Thursday, October 28, 2022

Some people have mind-blowing wealth. The new British Prime Minister and his wife reportedly are worth about 800M. I think in dollars but maybe that number represents pounds; it hardly matters. The national news keeps us apprised of “wins” by our planet’s richest people. American newspapers tout Elon Musk as the world’s richest man. His activities often seem impulsive, but great money power enables great dreaming power.

I try not to overthink about the overly powerful too-rich. Especially these days, as everyone tries hard to get along with what they/we have.

My personal view comes from clerking in a price-cutting supermarket. I ask shoppers if their buying habits are changing in today’s tough economy. To a person, they say yes, and explain that they’re purchasing fewer impulse items, reading labels, looking for discounts, and at home preparing more from scratch.

In my six months working in that store, average purchase amounts have changed. Early on, shopper tallies averaged $200; lately, they average close to $100. There are exceptions: people on food stamps (there seem too many, receiving too much), those buying for their food cart, coffee shop, and restaurant businesses; and those from living areas far away stocking supplies for several weeks.

In front of my nose, prices rise. A large can of pumpkin, which used to cost $1 now costs $4. Lettuce and cabbage that used to be cheap aren’t anymore. Yesterday, egg prices began edging up.

Every day offers lessons about the economy and human behavior. For example, our store allows a 6-cent discount for each bag returning for reuse. Months ago, everybody complained about forgetting to bring their bags and willingly paid 5 cents for each new bag. These days, most are remembering to bring their own bags for discounts.

I could go on, but you get it.

I’ve begun shopping differently, too. I’m focusing more on needs over wants and striving for low purchase totals.

For we who aren’t among the richest people, perhaps our worries are less about “not having” than about trying to keep what we already do have.

Dear Friends: Survival lessons in today’s unpredictable world economy. Diana

Thursday, October 27, 2022

Several evenings ago, the sun’s setting over Central Oregon was spectacular. My new camera captured its progress with some pleasing outcomes, although it doesn’t yet have a highly-capable distance-reducing lens.

The header photo is my first shot. It captures a piece of Broken Top, an ancient spent volcano (my favorite profile in the range). It offered the clearest view from where I stood.

I began moving around to capture a wider view of the sky’s stunning colors.

Here are Central Oregon’s Cascades. From left to right, showing a bit of Mt. Bachelor, then Broken Top, and the South and Middle Sisters.

This tighter capture over Broken Top and the South Sister is arguably the best showpiece for reflecting the sky’s magnificent lighting.

It’s taken days of learning to download, copy, edit, and publish these photos.

My new camera is a mirrorless Panasonic Lumix, a brand with which I was completely unfamiliar. If instead, I had opted for a Canon, a brand I’ve used previously, maybe I’d have managed those processes more quickly. Partly why I chose a different brand was to experiment and expand my knowledge and capabilities. So far, so good.

Dear Friends: I was shooting from beside my barn; I enjoy those mountains all the time. Diana

Wednesday, October 26, 2022

I’m playing at last with my new camera. The header photo is a trial shot. I like it except for the background showing the dry lot that needed cleaning (since handled).

These trial photos have crisp details with plenty of potential for creative editing. To that end, I’ll be playing with Photoshop, the most complete photo editing package.

Also, I’m wowed by the new online creative packages, like DALL-E, that utilize AI to produce art on demand. I’ve used DALL-E to create several header photos for this blog. I’m also seeing it employed to illustrate newspaper article topics and major commercial advertisements.

This morning, I took too long to download photos and think about editing. It’s a workday and I’m running out of time. I’ve other photos and more will come.

Dear Friends: Learning a modern camera can be as confusing as learning Sanskrit. Diana

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

I’ve no need for a temperature gauge telling me the morning is very cold. Here at my computer, I’m wearing two sweaters and thick socks. A peek at the weather channel confirms, it’s a freezing 32 degrees.

Our Central Oregon autumn quickly is transitioning to winter. There’s snow in the mountains. A tad already has spit its way below, with more maybe arriving in the moisture predicted for this evening.

I have today off and plan mainly to work outside. This is D-day or time to finish what’s needed to keep my animals protected against the freezing cold. It might be appropriate to start blanketing Rosie, my oldest horse. But her coat is winter-thick and she’s holding her weight; those are very good. I’ll pause on blanketing, and instead observe Rosie’s weight and stability through the cold. Anytime she seems different from normal, on goes the blanket.

If any of my animals start appearing different from normal, I’ll quit my part-time job and stay home through the winter. My priorities are home and pets; I can choose to work again or not.

The good of working is that it strengthens my sense of participating in a larger world. Interacting with co-workers and customers tunes me to national and world news. I find that what’s happening anywhere isn’t distant and unrelated to my life. As an active participant in the whole, I’m encouraged to thread through larger areas of concern. I hope to make sense of them, to comprehend without necessarily judging.

Dear Friends: Again, I digress. Essentially it’s cold and ahead is homework. Diana

Monday, October 24, 2022

In the category of good eats, I stumbled across a little (untested by me) recipe, from years ago, that accompanied my new baby parakeet. It’s called “Birdie Treat.” These days, two birds residing in my household are a Cockatoo and a rescued Racing Pigeon. A few days ago I decided to cook up the treat.

Its base is brown rice. To one cup of dry rice, add six cups of water. After bringing the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, lower the heat to medium-low for forty minutes.

In the last five minutes of cooking, and now over very low heat, add some, or all, of the following. Add pasta of any kind, mixed nuts, dried fruits and vegetables, and even wild birdseed. After turning off the heat, leave the mixture sitting covered to cool.

According to the recipe, this mix can be spooned into ice cube trays, frozen, and thus ready for birds anytime. I simply left the covered pot setting out for hours to cool the mix, and make it easy to spoon into bird dishes.

My first time preparing this, I added many of the treats called for, including bird seed. Afterward. I decided to taste it. Delicious! Even the crunchy bird seeds were fun. I decided to make the recipe again, and this time with selections from supermarket bulk foods. I chose a small pasta, roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped and slivered almonds, dried chopped dates and raisins, as well as dried veggie mix. The result became a tasty dish for the birds.

And to me delicious! A word of caution, for rice is high in carbs. As a carb watcher, I will consume carefully, and fortunately, have birds and dogs to enjoy doles from the mix. From here on, “Birdie Treat” will be on hand, fresh and/or frozen.

Dear Friends: An inexpensive, easy-to-make staple, that’s fun and tasty. Diana

Sunday, October 23, 2022

These are the times of gigantic topics, like war, supercomputers, AI, and sometimes “misbehaving stars” of the stage, screen, music, and oh yes, entrepreneurship. Okay, political leaders, too. And a Supreme Court Justice’s wife…

Are there still quiet moments of simple pleasures? What are they?

I traveled back into myself, and yes, understood that small events can delight. For example, that first cup of morning coffee, a tentative sip, and also seeing through a kitchen window a hovering hummingbird at the nectar feeder.

My routine includes caring for outside animals, horses, goats, and chickens. It’s sometimes hard to work, like yesterday. In rapid west winds, I had to fight while adding to sheltering for animals designed for a quiet summer. Afterward, exhausted and up in the house, my simple pleasure was dropping into an easy chair, a “first sit” after hours on my feet.

Other such moments, too, help me feel grounded. While reading morning newspapers and feeling confused or angry about world events, the good cup of coffee helps to settle my mind. So does a glance at my hound dog sleeping nearby on a cushy pillow.

Dear Friends: Little things, easing the pressures from big things, feel good. Diana

Saturday, October, 21, 2022

Ohmigosh, this will be very short so I can be on the job by 7:30 a.m. Going in very early means I might find an open parking spot under the lot’s single-shade tree. If I find the “right spot” and later decide to eat lunch in my car, shade makes that okay.

Rain! Lots last night. And for Sunday, a freeze warning.

That’s it for now. Gotta go!

Dear Friends: My starting schedule will ease up after today, thankfully. Diana