These photos were taken in the height of this seemingly endless “Indian Summer.” I am so tired of being hot and sweaty! Soon we will be complaining of the cold. Today the high is forecast much more like autumn with a high temperature lower than most evenings have been lately. This was a walk we took with Lucky last week. If you need a touch of autumn be sure to watch the few second video at the end! Second #8 was quite a catch if I do say so myself 🙂
Walked at our favorite place above East Fork Harsha Lake on September 27. Here are a few pictures to put you in the Autumn mood! FYI Click on photos to enlarge!
See the Moon?
Soon the stream will be dotted with red and orange!
Of course, Lucky gets to go with us.
Wild rudbeckia
Asters
strolling
getting distracted
Wait! I gotta read this pee-mail!
And Lucky really knows how to dig in those front legs! Look how her collar is pulling. She does not care in this and many other instances.
Sun Spotlight
white morning glory
morning glory vine tips the branch down over Chicory
Honeysuckle
Monarch
uncertain what purply guy is called
Another lovely walk.
“As long as the earth endures, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”
Genesis 8:22
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens
When we traveled to Mount Vernon, Ohio I was noticing again the contrast between Texas size and Ohio size oil operation sizes. I grew up being fascinated by the oil pumps throughout Pennsylvania and to a lesser extent Ohio.
Ohio pump taller than the cornOhio pump shorter than the treesOhio pump much shorter than the trees
Compared to Texas:
r m dutina – compare to power pole
And speaking of collection tanks?
Large Ohio congregationLikely private Ohio tank
Then there was a rainy day in Texas.
r m dutina
So there were likely some errors in my reporting. Maybe the white tanks above were in an oil processing center? I was mostly trying to compare and contrast the size of operations.
In light of the recent oil spill in California, perhaps little pumps in Ohio and Pennsylvania are best?
Walking at the Cincinnati Nature Center we happened upon these autumn crocuses. Every year I say I will plant some. The bulbs are hard to find and I forget to shop for them. At least they are perennial at the Nature Center! The orange and yellow leaves on the left of the photo reminded me starkly of the changes soon to occur.
Also known as Meadow Saffron
If I knew my spiders better I might be able to identify by the web. Looks as if the only thing this one caught was a leaf!
From what I have read Goldenrod does not cause allergies in contrast to Ragweed which does. Regardless, my sinuses were having a fit after walking the path along the field of goldenrod and many other plants in a “Progression Field.” Likely they were growing together and I just missed seeing the ragweed.
Goldenrod by r m dutina
The place was hopping with many school groups. We had fun seeing the kids face down on the ramps over the water while trying to capture creatures for study in their nets. I was a volunteer at the Nature Center for a while until allergies got the best of me. It was still fun to learn and volunteer for a spell.
r m dutina
“All the earth worships You and sings praises to You; they sing praises to Your name.”
When we traveled the Dakotas searching for Sunflowers we found them! Someone recently asked how much they charged us to go to the sunflower fields. We simply pulled off the beaten path onto farm roads and took photos. Evidently they raise the bulk of the sunflower seed used in America for bird feed.
In the United States, North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota are the top producers of sunflower seeds.
“When the modern sunflower plant made its way back to North America it came to the United States by way of Canada, down through North Dakota and Minnesota. The central and western regions of North and South Dakota and the far western counties of Minnesota are still the biggest producers of sunflower seeds for the U.S..” says thepoolgardener.com/where-do-sunflower-seeds-come-from/
She stands all by herself, surrounded by hoards of relatives, yellow as far as the eye can see. The upper leaf over the edge of her petals reminds me of a bashful child.
Even the hill behind the treeline is yellow with sunflowers!
These are not the “Mammoth” variety grown for height. These are grown for seed production.
Guess this fellow did not get the memo about following the sun!
Often the sunflower fields are also lined with beehive boxes. Can you say sunflower honey?
photo by r m dutina
My neighbor Carol planted a few in her yard. I delighted to see them on a walk since this is the first year we have not planted any since we began owning property!
Our sunflower seed feeder hanging just off the new deck has now attracted Cardinals, Titmice (seem bravest of all), Nuthatch, Sparrows, Junco, Chickadees, Carolina Wren, and likely others when I was not watching! So delighted to be allowed to feed them again without fear of disease. They amuse us greatly.
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:28-34
And one more bit of sunflower type humor that Bob found in the New Yorker magazine, covid pandemic humor:
First Grandgirl and one of the loves of my life! Born on our wedding anniversary no less! One old photo of the first week or so after she was born looks as if we stuck peas in your mouth – which we did not!
Out of focus, but priceless to me!
Best puddle jumper I knew. I taught her in one corner of the garden and then moved throughout the Ohio clay yard after a hard rain!
Once she used her doctor set to examine her sister thoroughly. I mean, what good is a doctor set if you can’t use it on a live, stationary patient?
photo by r m dutina
Trying to piece together this blog entry I am having to remember where these photos were in the old house and try to find them now. Yikes! what a challenge this is!
Grammy (me) reflected in doorphoto by r m dutina I thinkSorting and playing with Lilac flowers one spring
Oh my dear, so many sweet memories!
High School Graduate.
High School graduation
Well, here she is last year on her first day of college!
And just this week she turned twenty. How did THAT happen?!?
Happy Birthday, Elizabeth Celesta Ra, my String Bean.
But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
The WiFi did not seem to be working. I went to the desktop computer. Clicked on connection. Heard only the cricket outside.
Oops.
Bob thought he saw a sign that said, “Jesus, Frustrated.” The billboard actually read, “Are you frustrated? Jesus can give you peace.” though viewing the 2021 organized church in America the Lord just might be frustrated!
They finally turned on the street light down at the corner. I took the dog out just after sunset. Street lamp was lit up over the workers portable toilet. If you need to go while on your evening walk, HERE IT IS!! Bob said it sort of reminded him of the Tardis from Doctor Who. The next evening while walking the dog I noticed a delivery man in the neighborhood entering the port-o-let to do his business, too.
Photo by r m dutina
WANT – NEED, two four letter words. Hmmm.
AND one day in Walgreens parking lot the car next to me had sunflower seat covers. I thought, hmm they must really like sunflowers! When I came back to my car I noticed they had an artificial sunflower in a clay pot hanging from the rear view mirror. That lead to loads of jokes. “Lady, how did you get the gash on your head?” “Well Officer, you see I have this sunflower pot and when I hit the pothole, Wham!” “Ma’am. did you lose consciousness?”
Continuing my life with and without God, two weeks after my mother’s death and after 32 hours of labor, Emily Kathryn was born by emergency C-Section. They gave me total anesthesia. I could barely open my eyes to tell her hello.
In keeping with my confirmation in the Episcopal church, the older version of The Book of Common Prayer has a wonderful little service called the Thanksgiving of Women after Child-birth (commonly called the Churching of Women). That ‘commonly’ name seems beyond weird to me. Regardless, I wanted Bob to pray this with me after our first child was born.
The newer version of the Prayer Book calls this ‘A Thanksgiving for the Birth or Adoption of a Child.’ This version asks for the presentation of the child to ‘the Church to be welcomed by the congregation and to give thanks to Almighty God.” We were not attending church regularly so we prayed the service together in the hospital room.
For A Safe Delivery
O gracious God, we give You humble and hearty thanks that You have preserved through the pain and anxiety of childbirth Your servant Molly Lin, who desires now to offer You her praises and thanksgivings. Grant, most merciful Father, that by Your help she may live faithfully according to Your will in this life, and finally partake of everlasting glory in the life to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Book of Common Prayer
Emily Kathryn Photo by r mdutina
Yes, the Father certainly had my attention. Within a few months we moved back to the Cincinnati area. I continued to grieve. Bob was working second shift at Clermont Mercy hospital. We would work all day on our house and then he would go to work. I was not coping terribly well.
One night while grieving I told God, “You promised that You would comfort those who mourn. Where is my comfort?”
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Matthew 5:4
I clearly heard Him tell me, “You have tried life your way. Are you are willing to try it My way? “
I called my Episcopal priest the next morning. He did not quite know what to do with me. He called Mary Dirkse and she came to visit. A wonderful pseudo-mother/daughter relationship was born. She listened to my heart. She shared her faith with me. She took me to Women’s Aglow meetings where I eventually received my prayer language again. She took me to Bible Study at Linda Werner’s house.
Mary and I compared the attitudes and tantrums of my two year old with her teenagers. When I became pregnant with our son she coaxed me to eat during the morning sickness. Cooked me hot hard-boiled eggs and served them on buttered toast. Sat with me while I slowly ate. She helped me pray for the courage to get up on the delivery table and be awake for my second C-Section. Though she lives in Washington State now and I remain in Ohio, we are friends to this day.
Yes, I was comforted. I was comforted in ways I could not imagine. When my mother died she was a full-blown alcoholic. Years later I read “Co-Dependent No More.” I bought my sister a copy saying, ‘They lived in our house. They got in our heads. They wrote it all down.’ I had no idea that millions of other families had experienced what we did growing up.
Likely MORE than 4 million sold by now!
I eventually attended Adult Children of Alcoholics meetings. I did writing workshop workbooks to learn more about alcoholism. I prayed it would end in mom’s generation. It did not end in her generation, but I learned so much about how to go on with my life and serve the Lord in the midst of that upbringing.
Emily brought us great joy and delight. She still does to this day. Jeff’s birth was so different than hers. We rejoiced over his good health and home coming.
The Kids photo by r m dutina
By then we were established in the Methodist church. Bob had not liked the Episcopal service with the up and the down, the flipping back and forth in the Book of Common Prayer. So we agreed to worship at the Methodist church.
Driving through Ohio we came up a hill, the billboard said “Your Turn Next” and then a cemetery came into sight. I don’t think that is what they meant, but I guffawed at the faux pas!
Having lived in turkey vulture country for sometime we often see them in early morning drying their feathers perched on lamp posts, or atop telephone poles, etc.
Driving one day we passed little white signs along the road, reminiscent of Burma Shave: “Come to the Church on the hill”, next one said, “You will feel closer to God.” Just about the time I began reading the signs we came to the top of the hill and there was indeed a church! Bob said, “Oh look at that eagle on top of the church!” as we whizzed past. I said, “That was no eagle. That was a turkey vulture.” Of course, we had to make a u-turn to be certain. Indeed there was a turkey vulture, this time drying his wings in the sun. And not just one, but two!
Photo by Robert Dutina
As we drove away I began thinking and chuckling. Birds drying out on top of the Methodist church. Hmm, wasn’t it Bill W who began AA on the tenets he learned from the Methodist church? Or maybe it was the Oxford group. Anyway, it struck me as amusing that the turkey vultures were drying out at the Methodist church. Thank goodness so many churches allow AA meetings at their facilities.
We passed many Amish people as we entered their neck of the woods. I told Bob we really were in THEIR part of the state. One development we had not encountered before was the women on motorized bicycles. I am assuming most of them were Mennonites.
At the Stop LightBonnet strings flapping in the wind. Battery Pack on right rear of bike.
Bob finally asked a waitress in Mennonite dress how they charge those bicycle batteries. She mentioned employers with electricity, some factories with propane generators. She said her parents have electricity.
Much in Amish and Mennonite life depends on whether you are old order or new order. We learned this trip that most new order Amish will affix the orange triangle to the back of their buggies but old order families refuse. I would be frightened driving a horse and buggy without that sign for slow moving vehicle!!
At the Cincinnati Art Museum I had to wonder what this artist was thinking!
Future Retrieval: Close Parallel
Future Retrieval, the studio collaboration of former University of Cincinnati faculty members Katie Parker and Guy Michael Davis, appropriates imagery and forms from historical objects to create new art that speaks to our twenty-first-century experience. Their practice is rooted in ceramic art, but also incorporates a diverse mix of media and techniques that combine age-old methods with new technologies.
For this exhibition, Future Retrieval will take over two museum galleries as project spaces where they will construct an unconventional response to objects “borrowed” from the Cincinnati Art Museum’s decorative art and design collection. In pairing their own work with objects from the museum’s collection, the artists will create an experience that encourages visitors to consider aspects of our historical collections and practices in a new light.
#CAMCloseParallel
At home when I enlarged the photo I wished I had gone around the other side of the ape. Evidently it was holding something in its hand! And chin on other hand. How like us! was it thinking “Should I eat this?”
Well, it was at the end of our museum visit and we older folks get tired. The painting of mushrooms and sculpture of mushrooms was interesting also.
Perhaps more interesting in person, but thought I’d distract you with these art items. Careful next time you look in the mirror. Make certain there is not a monkey looking back at you!
Treasures in Plain Sight, A Christian Blog 