It’s a pleasure to take a colorful flower picture inside on a cold and gray January day. I got these flowers as a present for Maria for her birthday. They are sitting on the dining room table. Color and light from the inside make me feel good and prepared for the spring and summer.
Zip and my pictures of Fate sleeping have inspired me to explore a separate category of photography, one of pleasure and love. I’ll call it Animal Art or Dog Art. Every night, Zinnia sleeps in our bed. It’s tight, and once or twice, she has rolled right off it and onto the floor.
I kick all night when I sleep, so Zinnia always moves over to Maria’s side. She is a considerate and sensitive dog; she doesn’t move unless one of us does. She silently slithered up the side of the bed, rested her head on Maria’s chest, and waited quietly for her to wake up.
After a few minutes of cuddling, she will turn to my side of the bed and do the same thing to me. I get some licks on the chin as her tail wags back and forth. Zinnia is cautious; she has never woken either of us up; she waits carefully for us to greet her and move a bit.
This morning, I was holding my Iphone when Zinnia started her crawl. I couldn’t resist. I want to do more animal art when the situation presents itself.
This picture is a portrait of love, the love we have for our animals, the love they have for us. It says more than any words I could write.
Maria and I both played chess a lot when we were younger. We played it a bit when we married; then life distracted us. We thought about it again a few weeks ago, and Maria, who she is, decided to paint a chessboard on our dining room table, so it would be easy to play, and we sure wouldn’t forget it.
Since then, Maria and I have discovered the wonder and brain vitamins that chess can provide. We’ve played the game eight or ten times since we got the idea, and it’s taken hold.
We are evenly matched, which makes every game exciting in a different way. We have the same strengths and the same weaknesses. We are also pretty low-key. If a match drags on, we stop it. If we’re busy, we’ll play the game in chunks over time.
I’ve forgotten a lot and am re-learning it. So is Maria. She loves the game as I do, and I think it’s here to stay this time.
We are more apt to give up a game than spend hours agonizing over it. Most often, we play chess right after dinner. After all, we don’t have to move; sometimes, we leave the pieces to finish later.
We are both competitive but not really into winning and losing. We love playing and learning and using our brains for something new – a kind of exercise for both of us. Maria is not a good loser; she gets sore if beaten, as do I. But only for a minute or two. We always end up laughing and second-guessing our moves.
If I had any doubts about the truth of climate change (I don’t), this season has brought it home for us. Our roof was severely damaged, parts of the barn were rotting, our stream was flooding, and our toilet was getting blocked because of the high water table – the highest in many years, if not ever.
We bought and installed this composting toilet just before the bathroom became unusable due to the water flooding the drainage field. Surprisingly, I think it works better for Maria and me than the standard toilets we have been using.
I’m open to replacing the old toilet one day with another compact toilet. I was nervous about trying it out, but it is easier and more comfortable than any toilet I remember. It is odorless – this is true for us – and needs no water. I feel that this is the future people will turn to when their water runs out, as it is all over the country.
This isn’t feasible for us right now, but looking into the future, just a year or two, I can see that the real problem for us will be too little water, not too much. Drought is hitting farms everywhere.
We have an old-style point as well. This kind of well doesn’t go very deep. In a drought, we would be in trouble.
With another composting toilet, water won’t matter, and the tiny amount of electricity used to ventilate the toilet is being paid for by our solar panels, which have just about eliminated monthly electric fees. I’d happily put another one into the house, as would Maria. We might just remove the one in the downstairs bathroom.
We do have to remove waste once or twice every month; that’s the only drawback, but how the toilet is designed will make that simple.
I see climate change as being akin to diabetes in one way. It isn’t curable, but it is controllable. I have to work at it. I don’t want to take these things for granted anymore. Our world is changing, and I can either bitch about it or do something about it. Maria and I get a kick out of being different and trying different things.
And we are determined to get our farm as ready for climate change as possible. We need these storms to stop or take a break.
It also feels good to help the planet when we can. That’s no longer optional to us; we are moving our butts to take it seriously, for our sake, the sake of the animals, and for the sake of the planet.
I guess cats are on my mind these days, and I fell in love with Maria’s latest cat potholder series. The one above is the last; it was sold this morning. I hoped I’d be the one to take it over the top, but Maria’s skill did that. The potholder cost $25 plus $5 shipping.
Zip is interested in all of the things our previous cats never noticed. He wants to be in every picture, sticking his nose into everything.
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Maria has already moved on to her next potholder series, The Hare and The Moon, which is being finished today and tomorrow. This series (see below) will also be on sale on Maria’s Etsy Page; if you have any questions, you can e-mail her at [email protected]
The Hare and the Moon is made with vintage fabric. The potholders will cost $25 plus $5 shipping. I appreciate how Maria jumps from one theme to another; she seems to be on fire. She has turned the humble potholder into art you can afford and use.
