life — Page 224

Sadness and Anger

May 10, 2017 at 8:42 am by Claudia

I’m just throwing this in the post to have a photo and not just text.

I’m sad today. And frightened. And angry. These emotions are a response to two entirely different occurrences.

First, I was outside yesterday, mowing and doing yard work (too much of course) and I decided to check on the nest. What I saw was heartbreaking. One unhatched egg remained. Along with what were clearly some baby birds, but to be frank, all I could make out was a mass of fluff and part of a beak. It was as if they had been smashed.

Hoping against hope, I watched to see if they were breathing. But they weren’t. And I waited on the porch to see if mama or papa would visit the nest. No visit. The last time I saw the five eggs was last Wednesday or Thursday when I was mowing before it rained. Mama flew out of the nest when I passed by and I saw the eggs.

I have no idea what happened in the meantime. Was it a predator? Another bird? Was it the deluge that fell over the weekend – was it too much for them? Was it the cold? Was there something wrong with them causing the parents to abandon them?

So sad and so heartbreaking. I’ve left the nest alone. But it drew me back at least three times yesterday as I tried to figure it out and as I said a prayer for the babies.

Second – the firing of the Director of the FBI, James Comey. Despite the spin put on it, it’s abundantly clear that he was fired because he is investigating Trump/Russia. Trump is obstructing a Federal Investigation, enabled by Jeff Sessions who is recused from anything to do with Russia and Rod Rosenstein, whose claim of impartiality in his hearing is now laughable.

Our democracy, our republic, is in danger. Grave danger. This was the act of a dictator, a Fascist, a banana republic. In less than four months, he has taken everything we hold dear and desecrated it.

I woke up before 5 am this morning and couldn’t get back to sleep. I’m feeling about as frightened as I can be about the state of our country.

I’ll be back with something cheerier tomorrow. I debated whether I should tell you about the baby birds, but you were a part of the discovery of the nest and the eggs and I thought you’d want to know.

Say some prayers for our country. Take action.

Happy Wednesday.

A Big Old Sigh

April 4, 2017 at 9:46 am by Claudia

As I said in one of my comment replies this morning, when we have a sunny day, we are sure see a rainy day follow. Today is that rainy day. Heavy rain fell during the night. Now, it’s just damp, soggy and gray.

I was at the book store the other day. I found the one remaining copy of the new quarterly; Quiltfolk.

The first issue was focused on quilter and quilt shops in Oregon. This one is about Iowa. I’ve peeked at it, but am saving it to read this afternoon, preferably with some hot chocolate. It’s really beautifully photographed and written. No ads. That makes it pricey, but it’s such a treat. If I can swing it, I think I’ll subscribe.

I ran errands yesterday and then went to a meeting last night. The residents in this area have recently found out about the sale of some land to a developer who wants to erect cabins (both summer cabins and year-round cabins) with a swimming pool, restaurant, tennis courts – you name it – all on the creek that runs through this area and is right across the street from our house. We are banding together to fight it. It’s essentially a trendy ‘glamping’ resort and will bring way too many people into our area, displace wildlife including a prime bird of prey habitat, put a strain on our water supply (we all have wells), cause a loss of privacy for many of us, impact the views that many people moved here for, add light pollution, and the noise will be an issue.

Since the old mill across the road became a distillery and restaurant, we are already dealing with noise issues during the summer that we are going to attempt to measure in decibels. You wouldn’t believe how loud it can get with an outdoor reception and a DJ. And this new development also wants to have weddings. Even if they say there will only be a few, we know that once they get permission, it will be out of our control.

We also already have a camping resort just down the road that has been there for years.

Do we need more? No.

All this is impacting the quality of life for residents of our town. Between this and the horrific changes happening in Washington, DC, I’m feeling threatened on all sides.

So, we’re organizing, the core group that alerted the rest of us to this has hired a lawyer and we’re going to do our best to fight this. And no, we can’t afford to move right now, so we’re going to fight.

We’ve lived here almost 12 years and it’s only been in the last few years that we’ve had issues.

Sigh. And many curse words.

More egg cups. The one on the left is my ‘Scoutie’ egg cup because it has always reminded me of her.

Happy Tuesday.

Some Thoughts

March 30, 2017 at 10:02 am by Claudia

My friends. I know I haven’t been writing very much about what is happening to our country. The reality for me right now is despair and worry and anger – about the state of our country and the clearly treasonous actions behind #TrumpRussia. And as I see more and more actions taken by that man that destroy all of the protections for our environment, our plant life, animal life, and human life, I feel sick at heart in a way that I just can’t put into words, don’t want to even try to put into words. More innocent civilian lives lost by indiscriminate bombings. It’s now perfectly okay to shoot a hibernating bear cub. The systematic dismantling of anything to do with Climate Change. And on and on and on and on until I sometimes can’t even move, I feel so angry and disillusioned.

As our civil rights and the rights of all beings are under attack, as the petty members of this administration try to undo everything that Obama has done, just for the sake of doing it, as the clumsy and inept administration tries to cover up its crimes, and as a certain segment of our population seems to have no trouble with any of this, I trust and know that a much larger segment of patriotic Americans DOES have trouble with it. And I know the truth will come out. It’s already coming out. Drip, drip, drip. More lies unmasked.

Or tick-tock, as I’ve seen on Twitter.

Treason. Treason, plain and simple.

I look forward to the day when indictments come down – and they will – and I’m still dreaming of that perp walk. They are grifters. Con Men/Women. Classless. Without compassion. Money and power are the only things that matter to them. Oh, I forgot – Putin clearly matters to them, as well.

They have staged a coup, but it’s temporary. I just pray that we don’t lose too much in the time being.

That’s all I’m going to say for now. I could write reams, but it’s too hard for me right now. Just know that I am not trying to be Pollyanna here on this blog or in life. Far from it. I am fighting. I am making calls. I am doing everything I can to stop this man and his cabinet. Keep fighting. #Resist.

In the midst of all of this, I am sometimes blessed with a lovely gift. This morning, it was this Pileated Woodpecker, swooping down on the dead shag hickory down by the road. I took these photos through the kitchen window with my new lens.