Pole Barn, in the rain. Sheep's view.
Posted At: Thursday, July 2, 2009 9:54 PM | Posted By: Jon Katz
It was beyond mucky in the Pole Barn, where the sheep have been holed up for days of rain, coming out to graze when it lets up. It was a mess in there. I am always struck by the ability of animals to accept the reality around them, rather than complain and struggle and squawk the way humans do. Sheep are calming in this way, although I cannot say I am crazy about most of them.
In the garden, with a 100mm lens
Posted At: Thursday, July 2, 2009 9:39 PM | Posted By: Jon Katz
If you can’t beat ‘em, grab a macro lens and go sit in the garden in the rain, and perhaps you will be rewarded with the idea of entering the inner world of a flower, another thing photography has helped me appreciate. I don’t know what this flower is called, but it is in the front yard of the farm and I sat with Lenore – the border collies are way too smart to do this – and got soaked. A photo printer told me that one of the things he thought was different about the photos I take is that there is so much change in focus – digital photography can be too literal. The camera snobs hate digital photography, but I think it offers the opportunity to balance clarity with diffuse light and backgrounds. This, he said, was a trademark of my work. I was quite startled to hear it, but I think he had a point.
I suppose you can turn almost anything to advantage, if you are nimble and open to it.
Frieda, a/k/a "Helldog," and now, Writing Dog
Posted At: Thursday, July 2, 2009 4:55 PM | Posted By: Jon Katz
When she isn’t out rampaging through the farm or the woods, Frieda has become a stellar and cherished writing dog. She loves to curl up next to me while I work, something the border collies really are not good at, and is too far from food or mud for Lenore. She also does a running commentary of signs, groands and whispers. I love Frieda, something I did not ever think I would say.
Grapes left in a bowl, in the rain
Posted At: Thursday, July 2, 2009 4:51 PM | Posted By: Jon Katz
July 2, 2009 – We left a bowl of grapes out on the stone wall a couple of days ago, and the bowl, which is under a dripping tree, was full today. The ground is soaked, the farm is waterlogged, andi it’s supposed to clear on Saturday, at least a bit.
The animals are sick of it. The sheep smell like musty old wool, the dogs are sick of being inside, and and so am I. But I got a lot of work done on my novel. Two weeks more to go.
My head is tired. I walked up to the Pole Barn this afternoon, and nearly sank up to my knees.
I am hanging around on the Fourth. Going to go to a parade or two to take photos, but doing a lot of writing, thinking. I have begun meditating once a night, for the first time in my life. I am doing a lot of things, and changing a lot, and one of the prices for that is sleep. I have images of all kinds of things dancing around in my brain, new responsibilities, challenges, changes.
My mind races like an overheated car and in last few months, I’ve had real problems sleeping. I tried some medications,but I don’t like medications unless they are absolutely necessary. I’ve seen a homeopathic doctor, and tomorrow, a doctor near me out in the country says he thinks he can help me without medication. First appointment is tomorrow.
I’m ready to sleep.
Birthplace, Daily Egg (2), by Flo
Posted At: Thursday, July 2, 2009 4:23 PM | Posted By: Jon Katz
