Happy World Photography Day!

   

I had heard it was coming around, but I had no idea it's be celebrated since 1839!!!

That's a REALLY long time!

I've been trying to motivate myself to work more with my camera.
Trying to keep up with a weekly challenge.
I suck at the daily ones.
I'm not doing so hot with the weekly one either.  Not consistent.  
Story of my life I suppose.

Just like with my art.
So much inconsistency.
One would think with my not being to go anywhere much of the time,
that I'd be flinging paint like a mad woman.
But I still feel so paralyzed by guilt and fear.

I had planed to share a few of my nature shots with you all. 
But I was blessed with new computer guts and well all those are on the old
hard drive, which even though is installed in my tower.  A) I don't know if it's
connected. and B) If it is, I can't figure out how to access it.
And the week long migraine I've had, has had me not very interested in figuring it out.

Thus the reason for the recent radio silence.
It's better, but not completely gone.
It seems to be hanging out in my neck. Which is making sitting at my PC a little uncomfortable.

When I am feeling more myself, I will definitely get a few pictures up.

Between the heat, the smoke, and the migraine I've just not felt like fiddling with things that
require me to be some what technical or to pay attention.  My focus hasn't been there much either.

If you haven't heard, the PNW and California and Nevada are on fire again this year. 
We have at least 4 that are 29-40 miles from us.  There's one that is 1.5 hours from here.  If you look
at the fire map, it's just flame dots everywhere from the coast to Colorado basically.  So the smoke the last couple to three/four days has been increasing.  Some times it literally smells like your in the middle of a camp fire.  None are a threat to us physically.  But it makes the air just plain gross.

In the mean time, I'll leave with the slightly dated photo of my baby boy who just turned 9 years old a couple of weeks ago.  He's an ass, but he's my ass.

 

A Little Lighter Faire Today

I wanted to come in today with something a little lighter.
Something less doom and gloom, and OMGTHESKYISFALLING!

We have garden this year.  Which is making me all kinds of
happy and YAY Fresh veggies that I grew!
Everything is from seed, that I started.
"Mom" helped getting some of them going a couple months ago
when we hatched this plan.  We had a seed planting day.
Well I had more than one but that only because I had to acquire more
seeds.

There doesn't seem to me a whole lot of things I've done right.
But I feel like this is something I can do.
It's becoming one of my happy places.
I don't do outside much...
Because...Well BUGS!  Ew! 
And wasps...a whole lotta NOPE right there.
I'm learning to be a peace with the honey bees that visit.

So I thought I'd share some pictures of my happy place.
In another post I will share some of my garden friends.

Tomato "cage"
 3 varieties!
Kohlrabi to the left. 
Brussels in the square.

Another view of the tomatoes.
And the Garden Bed. Which has Brussels, Zucchini
and Cucumber. Also holding a pot of peppers and rogue tomato.
In the white plant boxes: Eggplant, Spring Onion, Heirloom Lettuce.

In this box are Early Girls, but they are
having a bit of  slow start.

Top Left: PEAS!  since been harvested and eaten. and some
struggling to get going Patty Pan.
Top Right: Cherry tomatoes in the red box.  Broccoli, Brussels,
and seeds for Bush Beans and Beets (they are now growing)
Bottom Left: The bed before I planted stuff.
Bottom Center: Kohlrabi
Bottom Right: Earlier photo of the Tomatoes 

How Is August Already?

First and foremost, Lammas Blessings dear readers and friends.
Happy August!  Rabbit, Rabbit as they say.

So much on my heart and mind
And I can't seem to find the words to make sense of it all.
I keep thinking of my Babci and man I'm grateful that she isn't
alive to see what is happening in this country.
At the same time, I feel like she must be rolling over in her grave.
I feel like I can hear her saying,
"I've been through this and it doesn't turn out well"

I shared a post on my FB about a medic who was in Portland
that got hit in the chest with a "non-lethal round" and someone
asked me if I was anti-police.
I've been trying to figure out how to even respond to that.
So far I am choosing to not engage. 
But at the same time how can someone be okay with
mercenaries shooting at and harming medics.  People who are
clearly marked as such that it's undeniable what their role is.
People who these mercenaries can clearly see are trying to help
the wounded and this....THIS IS WHAT THEY DO?

I wanted to scream at this person....these are NOT police. These
are hired hands doing some POS's dirty work.  As someone who is
friends with many retired EMS workers, how can you be okay with this?
What if that medic was one of your friends on the front lines? 

And don't get me started on the way they are attacking the press who
are on the front lines trying to report on it all.  How many have lost
an eye to these "non-lethal rounds"?

UGH!! UGH!! UGH!!
So much I want to say and express.
And I just don't know how! 
It makes me angry.
It makes my heart hurt.
It makes me feel helpless.

Then there's the people that say that wearing a mask is all part of a conspiracy.
That the virus is a hoax or just not as bad as we're told.

But I have friends who have had it and they say other wise.
That is bad. It's awful.  I have a cousin who died to it.
The Beloved has a friend who's father is in the hospital with it and it's not looking good.
The Beloved's brother was exposed. Two of his sisters have been exposed.
Thank the gods they are all okay!
His Mom's NP is in the hospital fighting for his life right now with this virus..

The state should be going back a couple stages.
Our cases and deaths are rising.
Our hospitalizations are rising.
But the governor says people's common sense will prevail so we can reopen.
When I go out, I'm surrounded by stupid.
All these people and their children that go around unmasked.
All the ones that say "PUT OUR KIDS BACK TO SCHOOL! They won't get it."
Then I see the sleep over camp in Georgia with 597 in residence and what is it now
76% tested positive?  Majority for that being 6 - 10 year olds. 

I just can't. 
It's all too much.

And I just don't see things getting better any time soon with the leadership we have.

This barely touches the surface of the jumbled mess of words that is swirling inside me.

Stay safe, wear a fucking mask.