Can't Sleep? Solve the world's problems!

 Yeah, I do that too.

But I am not very good at it at all. Last night I kept waking up for 'no' good reason. So for a long while I just mulled over everything. That means politics, house keeping, elder care, yard care, tree trimming, fences, mules, farrier scheduling, hay ordering, and then there was my list of things I'd LIKE to do.

Bike riding, hiking, hiking, hiking, bike riding, trying out camping, traveling, and of course photography.

None of that really helped me go back to sleep.

I decided to just turn the light on and read a boring book. That didn't help. I put the book down and got a pad of paper. I made out my list of to-do's for the next day and checked the weather report. I laid out my plans for the week and wrote down a plan of action.

I turned off the light and rearranged pillows and Charlie. Yep, he sleeps with me. Honestly he rarely takes up any room and never bothers me at night. I moved him over and put my chin on the window sill and started listening to the night sounds.

Something struck me and nearly took away my breath. The crickets were singing, off in the distance an owl called her/his song. 'Who Cooks For You?' Another answered. There were no other sounds. I wrapped myself in those thoughts. Peaceful, quiet. Just outside my window for me alone to enjoy.

I decided to not waste any more time and I got dressed to take a walk. Why? Why not? 

Because the view was this. A sliver of a moon and stars coming through the light layers of clouds and mist. [Cell phone shot with my Google Pixel phone---night site really came through!]

On the walk up the driveway and out to the ridge I counted 8 fireflies. I was so surprised. I never thought I'd see them in late August.

I popped up some deer who blew and snorted at me before they crashed off through the forest. Forest sounds.

Somewhere close was another creature walking through the forest. There was a faint crackle and the slight noise of leaves being crunched. After about a half hour or so, I headed back home. I felt more relaxed and my mind wasn't on all of those things that were running about in my brain.

I made some coffee [I drink decafe] and took Charlie out on the porch with me to sit some and listen while the skies started to brighten.

I tried to get a shot of the moon sliver. Here it is, but it isn't very good. [Not cell phone!]

Soon enough I heard realized which birds had already left. There were no Robins or Wrens making their morning racket at all. They'd been missing for a while, but I hadn't gone out in the predawn just to sit and listen for them.

The catbirds were still around, but less of them. Just as the sky was starting to brighten, I heard a pair of Sandhill Cranes. 

And one even perched on the old oak tree east of us.

Just as quickly as the sky started to brighten, the fog moved in and obscured the sky.

Maybe not being able to sleep wasn't a bad thing after all. I got a walk in, I enjoyed seeing things I normally wouldn't see. 
Charlie was content to sit on the porch bench with me and enjoy the night scents and sounds with me.

I did not solve the world's problems and I was disconnected from the outside world which left me free to let my mind chill out. Plans are made to be broken. Life doesn't always go the way we want.

And sometimes, you just have to adjust and deal with it.

I think of that Disney Movie song:

Let it Go.

Joe

 

Meet Joe. He is a Worm Hole traveler. He and others have found their way from other places to ... well, to somewhere.

The story will stay vague. Maybe that is because I really never follow a story line. I let the character find his/her way.

He isn't a hero. Maybe he is more  of an anti-hero. He is Homeless and Alone. But he doesn't exactly seem to be unhappy in any way. He just is Joe.

He seems to be okay with whatever is happening to him and where he ends up.

He sits in a tree and watches this new place happen while he calmly smokes his pipe.

One of the Minibots told him about the Worm Holes or Rips in the Fabric of time and space....that are in the woods. Apparently the Minibots were experts at finding them and bringing others through to this world and others.

Joe was wondering about the holes. Did the Minibot know where they were? Oh sure he knew, they were all over this land in the least likely of places.

Donder the Luggan and one of the other Minibots were watching one of the most active worm holes in the valley. It seemed to be a rubber tire from ages gone past! Maybe even pre-historic! The type of item that the fabled humans used to use.

Joe thinks that maybe he should do a bit more wandering and look for some of those 'least likely' of places. Who knows what he could find that would be useful?

He lifts a finger and points....

That way...

Joe has no idea how much his life is going to change. 

Poetry and art?

I had some sort of epiphany while studying a certain type of photography. I've done macro before. I love macro in every sense because it fits with the world around me.

But I wanted to take it to the next level. 

Maybe Macro is the wrong word because it isn't truly macro macro like itty bitty insects and microscopic items [although I really love tiny tiny things to photograph!]. 

I think 'Artistically' different may be what I want to say or

...try.

I even decided to try my hand at creatively writing a blurb -- in the poetic sense to describe what the feeling was when I took the shot.

This whole process uses more thinking skills than I've previously done.

Maybe it is just a phase or a distraction to keep my mind occupied during the 'brown' month of November. It is fun though.

I sway
whispering secrets
untold
with the 
zephyr's sighing song...

The sun golden light

illuminates 

the last fern.

Autumn whispers...

Miss Aurora introduced me to her fascination of grasses a couple of years ago. Since then, I've stopped and looked at grasses and tried to figure out the best way to make them something special when seen through my camera lens.

Catching the sunlight
the grasses sway
in the wind
waiting for
the seasons to

pass

In a sense, that is exactly what grasses do. The have beautiful seed heads that the winds spread over the ground. The seeds wait for spring to arrive and sprout up with new life.

So fall in a sense is just a way for nature and plants to take a break so they can resume their jobs come spring.

These photos were taken while Aurora and I explored the Old Settler's Trail. I enjoy walking with another visual artist that introduces me to new ways of looking at nature's beauty.

And of course, I could not resist taking along our Minifigs to represent us hiking together.

How to take a photo of Minifigures in the wild by Aurora:

...with Charlie's help of course!

Have a safe and wonderful weekend.

Sunday Distractions

 I was trying to daydream
but my mind kept wandering.

~~~~
Steven Wright

I listened to an interview of Steven Wright who apparently is a standup comedian. He wrote a book called Harold that is about a 7 year old in the 1960's. Harold has a meandering mind and wonders about things while he is in school. 

The description of Harold's mind reminds me of myself in grade school. The window of the classroom held so many secrets and it was like a continuous movie of my thoughts and imaginations. Certainly nothing in the classroom interested me.

I may just have to read Harold.

I do day dream too. I sometimes just sit quietly in the meadow or on the porch and look at nothing letting the sounds that surround me take my serious thoughts away and I am left with a brain that amuses itself. I don't have to make myself do it.

It just wanders on its own.

Maybe that's why playing has become such a relaxing thing for me to do.

After all gardening in this weather is HOT work!

The rain we got yesterday was soaked into the dry ground and still, some plants needed watering.

After all was said and done, the guys hopped into their antique cars. Farmer Bob wanted to show off his new collectable car and Grandpa wanted to take his chicken for a drive....

The girls were happy to get them out of their hair for awhile.

Self Care -- What really is it?

 Yesterday's post sounded like I was down and out. I generally get a bit of a road bump in my attitude this time of year when things are muddy and drab outside. I have to really urge myself to go out and get fresh air.

Taking a walk in the forest is a combination of slush, mud, and slippery footing. The world is mud colored, and on many days it is drab and overcast. This transfers to my brain as 'Yuck' and 'Boring'. I don't feel like doing much and the less I move the worse I feel.

I went to CrossFit yesterday. I'd been putting it off because basically I just didn't feel like doing anything and the weather hasn't been exactly great either. I enjoyed the partner workout with the other two ladies I ended teaming up with. We worked hard, we played hard, and we encouraged each other each step of the way.

Everyone in the gym is positive an encouraging. One of the other members specifically came up to me and told me he was happy to see me back in the gym. He specifically said to me: "You Need to be Here.'

I thought his comment was strange at first. It wasn't. He was right. I got in the car to run an errand and drive home.

A program came on the radio regarding: Self Care. 
Self Care has become an over used Buzz Word that so many think to mean things like: Expensive Trips, Getaways, Spa Trips, Binge Watching TV, .... and so on. 
Self Care is really about Prioritizing Mental and Physical Health. 

The VA stresses Caregiver Self Care. I've attended those programs virtually and the social workers really like to talk about taking time for yourself. [That sounds so ridiculous. But it is true.]

I don't label what I do as Self Care, but I know that the atmosphere in the CF gym gives me a sense of belonging and a sense of normalcy. [I'm not the only 'aged' person that attends the gym.]
I also know that studying photography and art keep my mind fresh. I know that studying nature is more relaxing than doing the checkbook and bills!

When I start to get overwhelmed by caring for another, I have to step back and see what I can do for myself. 

Sometimes that is so very hard to see.

One of the biggest things that gets me down is hearing others plan trips to go hiking in places I've always known that I wanted to go to. I was going to retire and go camping in my Subaru to visit state parks and natural areas. I was going to see waterfalls, overlooks, and find out what kind of backpacker I might be.

The saving grace of it all is that I live in an amazing area. It has bluffs, rivers, and such a diverse natural area that it attracts folks from all over. 

Those things ease the stress of caring and giving your all. I make my own little adventures here and there that get me out of the house and away for a small amount of time.

I think up creative ways to do photography even when stuck inside.

Self Care is hard work.

About play

This is the real secret to life--

to be engaged in what you are doing

in the here and now.

And instead of calling it work,

realize it is play.

Alan W. Watts

Some folks find it very curious or strange that I have found so much enjoyment in toy photography. I call it play and my husband thinks I am really off my 'rocker'. 

I know I've written before about toy photography. It started with an on line class in still life a few years ago. I was really intrigued by the arrangements I could make with old tea cups, flowers, and old tools. 

I had decided much earlier that when I picked up a camera again, I was going to be a 'Landscape' photographer and become someone famous. 

Still Life? It really sounded boring, but it was a challenge and I learned so much.

Anything went as long as it was odd.

I started trekking through the woods with tea cups and baubles. It was fun. It was not what was common place. 

One day my neighbor's little boy gave me a lego person and told me to put it in a picture.

And I kept experimenting.

A whole new genre of photography opened up. By golly I had sworn never to do still life. But I was playing. I was having fun.
I was challenging my brain waves. [Or lack there of..]

Hah.

Now I can be found with assorted items in my backpack while I hike the woodlands. 

Some folks think I've

lost my 

mind...

Nope, I just love being challenged by

imagination...

This is what I do for self care. I realize that now. I can immerse myself in gardening which is pleasurable for me. But sometimes I have to add something to my daily walks.

Hobby finds slime molds!

This guy fears nothing! 

And of course, there is always kindness involved. 

Experimenting with toys, Still Life, photography, and of course Infrared Photography seems dumb right? One should just concentrate on one thing and get very good at it.

One thing never holds my attention for ever. For me photography is Play.

And apparently play is great for adults.

Play helps to reduce stress.
Improve brain function.

Stimulate the mind...

Well, you know...in my case the lack of mind?

I could take up learning how to bake or be more domestic. 

But for now? 
I'm going to take those opportunities to play.

So I can still keep my sense of wonder...

Distractions

I have the mind of a wanderer. Did you ever set something down right there, and then promptly forget where right there is? 

I do. I have to chuckle at that often. During my physical, I had a 'memory' test. I was sure I'd flunk given that I set my cell phone down, or my keys, and immediately forget which flat surface I dropped those things on.

I start to fold laundry and end up vacuuming because I see Charlie hair roll across the floor. That morphs into cutting up squash to cook and freeze while I am cleaning, washing dishes...and OH...wait, I was folding laundry!

What is this mean? Is my mind filled with gobbledee gook or what?

This past week has been especially distracting. IF I do not write down my list of To Do's with a cup of coffee first thing, I will definitely get off track for the day.

My father used to say that a distracted mind was a sign of being creative. My mom would say different and I think her mind always was calculating and spot on.

So for our Sunday Stills yesterday we were to go out and take shots from a bug's eye view. That is not an issue for me at all.  I have a flip screen on my DSLR and my pointy shooty camera is tough so I will lay it on a log or in debris to get those close to the ground shots. I like those views anyway.

I live surrounded by a cluttered forest. So my attention always falls to the forest floor. 

The afternoon light filtered through the trees above ... on a hillside...

But then above me ... more light.

and Charlie who is searching all tree trunks for any squirrels he can chase...

...then the sun and leaves provide a stunning scene along the trail.

So I just start to walk through the afternoon light in an aimless sort of way back to our place. I start finding fungi, moss, and interesting little things. I realize that as soon as I stopped concentrating on the one thing I set out to do, I was having much more fun.

I must be destined to have a distracted mind.

When I got to the house I spotted a butterfly. A spotted Sulphur, I think. So I dropped my stuff on the porch and completely forgot about getting things ready for supper and doing chores.

A tiny bee landed on the butterfly and then took off. Thanks to the feature on this camera that starts photographing before you press the shutter? ... I got the bee taking off from the Sulphur's wing.

How cool is that?

I eventually decided that I had better go in the house and get some stuff ready for supper.

Otherwise, I'd get distracted by something else important. Like watching the afternoon light on the trees that still have leaves.

I'll be that old lady that wanders off in her PJ's because she saw something pretty or interesting outside and just thought she'd go take a look.

Then she'd keep on going...

Distractions

My son sent me a quote which I felt was very thoughtful and needed to be shared here.

Once I read it and after we discussed it, I decided that this indeed was very appropriate. It also explains the 'why' I have toys and why I experiment in photography and graphic art.

"The opposite of play is not work - the opposite of play is depression." ~Dr. Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute for Play.

Okay, so I knew this in the back of my mind. Play and exercise in some sort or another is what helps the mind get out of a rut. Well, it does for me.

With the Pandemic this year, the isolation, and ... well hell, the politics, 2020 through 2021 so far has been awfully trying. Endless days of fog and overcast weather can make things even more depressing.

So what does that mean? Not much. But I decided not to let all of that bother me. I took out my newly arrived Dragons and had a go with them. 

I spent most of my time while on the hike looking for spots along the creek that I could get good reflections. So I had to look for rocks to add to the creek bottom so the toys wouldn't be too submerged and they would stand up instead of falling over.

Yep. I crouched in a creek and arranged figurines. The whole time I was doing that my mind was clear of all intrusive thoughts. It was like going on a Mind Vacation.

Seeing as that I have Dragons in my creek, I wasn't surprised to see the Unicorns in the forest.

I amused myself by trying different methods of processing the photos. I use DxO's Photo Lab 4 for most of my processing. I dipped into Analog Efex Pro 2 for these shots.

It is interesting to try out different film effects.

The photo below is what I call a failed experiment. A fun one just the same. In camera double exposure. I did this indoors. The first shot is of this dragon, the double was of some 'fake' leaves. It sort of turned out with an interesting Bokeh effect but it took me down another path.

So I looked up 'how to create' a double exposure effect. And thought I'd give it a whirl.

There I am with my funky hat [bad hair day as usual]. A shot against a blank white wall. This took a long time to get the look I wanted. Don't look too close. You will see my wrinkles. I have decided that I am okay with that look too. 

I'm going to work on a few other things.
Yesterday I took Charlie for a long walk on the cropland on the ridge. I took my point and shoot Infrared Camera. Winter and IR usually don't produce great results, but I think the Creative Challenge will be a good thing.

Now to finish my errands. A trip to the butcher and we will be set again until some time late February except for milk.