“Jon, after a ski accident, I’m unexpectedly laid up for six weeks with a knee fracture. I’m in a full leg brace, getting around clumsily on crutches. I need to thank you for the magnificent black and white photos from around your county that you’ve posted the past few days. The photos strike me right in the heart with their beauty and their simplicity. I can’t stop studying them. During my period of immobility and recovery, I’m deeply grateful to you for taking me along on your journey through your rural landscape. And by the way, as much as I’m stunned by the black and white photos, the yellow barns today were a thrill. Thank you for your beautiful work.” – Heidi
Thanks for this beautiful message, Heidi. You make me feel worthwhile.
The human mind will never completely make sense to me. For years, the only messages I really paid attention to and shared were the cruel and hateful ones. It’s human nature, I think, especially for the insecure to listen to what stings, and not what uplifts. I always believed in criticism, never praise.
I got a lot of messages of support and appreciation, always. I rarely shared them. It seemed self-serving, and I suppose it is in a way. But it feels very good and very right.
It is a great spiritual breakthrough to turn that around and listen to what affirms. I’m learning to do that, better late than never. Goodwill and love are infectious.
I’m sorry Heidi, that I couldn’t venture farther away than my farm today, it seems my temperature shot down to 95, the number my cardiologist warns is perhaps the beginning of hypothermia, a danger to those of us with circulation diseases like heart trouble and diabetes when the weather gets especially cold.
I love taking photos of shadows, especially with the Leica, shadows unit the farm and bring all of the many different parts together. I think they are the farm’s way of communicating within.
And it is especially cold right now. Fatigue is another symptom.
I slept for a few hours and Maria pumped me full of tea and tomato soup and covered me in blankets and a shawl, which has warmed me up. The cold gets to me, and I’ve been wandering around a lot taking photos. I’m feeling better, but I might just listen to the good advice I’m getting. Stay inside tomorrow, it’s going to be -4.
It’s hard for me to let go of the idea that I am vulnerable in ways I don’t like to admit.
This was informative. Recently I was abnormally fatigued and felt odd so I took my temperature. It’s always low but it was drastically low. In my family diabetes is rampant, and for decades I’ve been hypoglycemic and now I’m told I’m prediabetic. There’s also an issue with my heart. I noticed yesterday that while I was outside I started to feel ill. From reading this blog I started to connect the dots. I realized that when I feel crappy is also when I’m out in the cold. It’s suppose to be -35 tomorrow with the wind chill and all the schools are closed. I guess I’ll hibernate.
Your posts about hypothermia have been very informative. Thanks Jon.
Thank you for your interest in and photo taking of barns. May these photos live on many years after some of these barns become neglected and disappear. Many years ago my mother told me that I should paint pictures of them here in central NY state because some day they would not be here. Sometimes mothers can even be right. Your yellow barn photo was exciting!
Thanks Kathie, painting them is a good idea, they won’t be around much longer..
Jon, I almost fell off the sofa this morning when I bumped into my name on your blog headline. I got a big laugh out of feeling like a minor celebrity with my busted up knee at 65 years old. Thanks for that. I’m sorry to hear the cold got the better of you yesterday. Today isn’t looking much kinder. I will happily savor the black and whites of the farm and its shadows until it warms up enough for you to roam the countryside again. Stay warm.
Heidi, you are my celebrity, I so appreciated your note. We do have a nasty weekend coming up, Noreaster, wind, and snow…I’ll try to keep the photos coming, and you stay warm also..stay in touch and thanks.