Change Is Hard

June 1, 2026
by dawnkinster Leave a comment

Finding some summer music

Sunday afternoon I drove about an hour to attend another community’s band concert. They were celebrating the 250th anniversary of our country too, and I was curious what they would play.

I’ve never been to one of their concerts, but many years ago our community band and theirs planned a joint concert in their town. We anticipated having another joint concert the next year at our high school.

I can’t remember if it was a blizzard or an electrical outage, it very well could have been both, but the school was closed the day of our performance and we never did find another date to make that concert up. I’ve always felt sad about that, both bands had prepared music that we didn’t get to play.

Sunday’s program began with a subset of the band, doing jazz numbers, complete with a singer, and there was also a drum and fife band that marched in and played several pieces. The drum and fife players were aged 12-18. It felt good to see young people involved with something so historical. There is hope for our country!

The Community Band was wonderful. It is larger than our band, there were 75 people listed in the program, including twelve clarinets! They completely fill the stage and their sound fills the hall. They were awesome and I’m so glad I went.

Music in the spring and summer is so hopeful. I feel better just attending, even though I didn’t know a single soul in the audience or on the stage. I can say with certainty that everyone was smiling as they left Sunday’s concert. I plan to go to another concert this one located closer to home and outside, this week. You’ll probably hear about that one too. 🙂

You can’t beat community music. Look around, find some local music. I encourage you to take some time and attend something in your town. You’ll be supporting your neighbors and you, too, will walk away with a smile.

Guaranteed.

May 29, 2026
by dawnkinster 16 Comments

Book memory

I’ve been part of Goodreads for many years. I bet I’d be surprised at how many years it is. Maybe I should go and check just what year I posted the first review. One moment please…

It looks like I’ve been writing reviews on books I’ve read since 2008. The stats say I’ve read 740 books, though I know that’s not completely true. There are times when I’m reading that I don’t go into Goodreads when I’m finished. Sometimes I just move on to the next book.

But I’ve been realizing, lately, that I remember very few of the books I’ve read. Even books I’ve read recently. My blog has a side bar that shows parts of my reviews on recently read books. I don’t know how it got there, and I don’t think it posts every book, though I’m not sure.

What I am sure of is that I don’t remember the plots or characters of 99% of the books listed there, even though I read them last month. Sometimes even if I go back in and read my review I still don’t remember it. Usually if I keep researching the book I’ll begin to get some memories, but I don’t often go to that extent.

I wonder if this is a function of my brain, or a function of mediocre books. There are a few I remember, but very few. I just finished another one that took me longer than it should have to finish and that I know I won’t remember in a couple weeks.

How many of you have this problem? And is it really a problem? Does it matter if I don’t remember them once I finish? Have you ever read a book and realized, near the end, that you’ve read it before? Or gone to Goodreads after you completed it to write a review and find you had one there already from a couple years ago? And that your opinion of the books was unchanged?

I used to say reading was one of my favorite hobbies, now I’m lucky if I don’t fall asleep while reading. In fact this morning I dropped the book as I fell asleep, while reading the last pages of the last chapter.

Imagine that.

Pictures of Pen just because. And because she’s an anti-reading dog. She’d rather I play with her, or better yet feed her than hang out with a book.

Wordless Wednesday

May 27, 2026 by dawnkinster 18 Comments

May 23, 2026
by dawnkinster 25 Comments

Hey!

Penny here. Guess what? Guess what, guess what, guess what?!!!

Mom accidentally found out that today is LUCKY PENNY DAY!

Wow! An entire day where the whole country celebrates ME!

Personally I always knew I was special but mom tried to keep the lid on it so to speak, so I didn’t get a big head. But she can’t hide my greatness anymore…why, there’s a day just for ME!

Oh. Wait. They’re talking about real pennies? The kind you find in parking lots? The kind they don’t even make anymore?

What the heck people!

I say we start a letter writing campaign to get me nominated to be the official LUCKY PENNY.

Geeze.

Talk later,

Your Lucky Penny (officially named Simply Unstoppable Pretty Penny, but I know I’m lucky too)

May 22, 2026
by dawnkinster 23 Comments

Because you can’t have too many birds

A week ago I had the chance to go to Kensington, one of my favorite places in the world. It was a beautiful, sunny day.

The birds weren’t crazy hungry and we weren’t overrun by little ones, but we had our fair share of visitors demanding a treat.

*I’m not touching your hand, but I’ll clean up anything you drop.*

My sister and I had been there before, a few years ago and she was used to having birds fly down to her hand, but it was still magical. It always is.

Her friend had never been there before so this was a new experience. He figured out that he could toss a peanut up in the air and the red bellied woodpeckers and the blue jays would both fly out from the trees and catch that peanut in the air.

They were successful grabbing the nut about 99% of the time.

*I can get that peanut faster than you two!*

He also got an up close and personal viewing of several sandhill cranes. We didn’t feed them, but they were hopeful and followed us around on the trail.

The heron rookery was full of expectant parents. Though I’m sure there are eggs or maybe even youngsters up in those big nests we couldn’t see any yet.

Ms. Swan built her nest very near the boardwalk this year. I’m sure every photographer has a great image of mom waiting patiently on her nest. By this week there could be babies and the usual paparazzi shooting baby pictures.

I doubt I’ll get out there again soon, but I sure enjoyed my spring walk with family through such a beautiful place. I hope you enjoyed these images too.

May 19, 2026
by dawnkinster 16 Comments

Celebrating 250

As usual I have been worried about an upcoming Community Band concert. I don’t know why I’m like that, why I worry so much. But soon enough Friday afternoon arrived and I found myself dressed in black, hauling rolling buckets filled with extra music (just in case) and arriving at our venue early to help set up.

There’s always a lot to set up for a concert, especially when we have a cake and cookie reception after. This year we also had displays about our country’s history, put together by both high school students and members of the Sons of the American Revolution. And of course there’s the 50+ chairs and stands that needed to be organized up on the stage.

Soon it was time to warm up, to play a few measures of this piece and that. To work out any problematic parts, to practice, just one more time, the tempo change at measure 68. To settle into our chairs, adjust the height of the stand, push our reading glasses up our noses.

To focus.

And, of course, to look out at the accumulating audience, checking to see if our own people have arrived. This year I had eight friends, neighbors and family attend our concert. That’s a record for me. For years it’s just been my poor husband attending, on his own, innumerable concerts over the years in support me.

*Just the beginning of what turned out to be a really big crowd.*

This year my sister and her friend drove up from Alabama just for the concert (and of course to visit with us), Penny’s breeder came, one of my night photography friends arrived from across the county, and three people from my neighborhood came too.

*Dane, with one year of college under his belt, came back to play this concert with us.*

Does having people you know in the audience up the anxiety level? Not this time. I knew they’d like this kind of concert, patriotic music, marches that they’d heard before, and a salute to members of our armed forces.

*Photo credit: Dane’s grandfather*, *George Stanley White*

You could hardly not like it. We even gave everybody flags to wave during the obligatory Stars and Stripes finale.

In the end the music was good, the cake was good, Uncle Sam arrived to conduct, and everybody had a good time. Which is, after all, the goal of any celebration.

*My sister and me, after the concert, with flowers she gave me in celebration.*

Check around your town. I bet this summer there’s going to be a concert somewhere near you that celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Make a point of going. I think you’ll feel better about our country if you enjoy music in the company of other folks. There’s a kind of hope in celebratory music.

*Patriotic plant given to me by my photography friend.*

Don’t miss your opportunity to feel the love.

May 13, 2026
by dawnkinster 23 Comments

Wordless Wednesday

May 8, 2026
by dawnkinster 33 Comments

The orioles are back!

Historically the orioles (bright orange migrating birds) come back to my feeder from their winters in South America about (and almost always ON) May 5th.

*I would like to announce my arrival, lady!*

This year people were reporting them returning to their yards in lower Michigan at the end of April. So I put my oriole feeder out then. And then I waited. Every day I thought “this will be the day.”

*Have you filled my royal feeder with my royal jelly?*

And suddenly it was. My first sighting was May 1st and I was very excited. He was extra hungry and between him and the house finches I started going through a lot of jelly. Of course I didn’t mind at all.

Today I figured out there are actually two males. And possibly two females now. Though today I saw a picture online by a bird photographer who does a lot of educating with her images. She said her photograph was probably a young male, perhaps last years youngster. She said they look like females but have more black on them, like a male.

So now I’m considering that the two ‘females’ I’ve had might just be last year baby boys. That would make sense, as the males always arrive first.

*A female? Or a young male?* *I think young male.*

Either way the four of them have been at the feeder all day, every day since at least the 5th. AND I also get hummingbirds the next day (the 6th) of May, and a rose breasted gross beak!

*Ahem….what have you planned for MY dinner?*

The hummers and the gross beak arrived a day late, but I was just as happy to see them.

*I hope she has safflower seed for me. That’s my favorite.*

I don’t have an image of the male hummingbird yet, he’s very skittish. But the gross beak has always been something of a photo hog. He’s not skittish at all, as long as you move slowly. And your dog doesn’t bark.

The same day that the gross beak and the hummer arrived I saw a catbird, also a migrating bird that isn’t here in the winter.

*Hey! Don’t be so grumpy. It’s OK to share a little of your royal jelly.*

And across the street in the pond was an egret. Though my pictures of that bird are just bad. I always have trouble with the bright white of egrets. I know I’ll have more opportunities so I’ll wait until I get a better image before I share.

BUT, I have to say that the 5th and 6th were very big bird days in and around my yard!

*Red bellied woodpecker also likes grape jelly.*

All the photos here were taken through a window, working through reflections and grime. But I didn’t care, I was just thrilled to see them all.

Wordless Wednesday

May 6, 2026 by dawnkinster 25 Comments

May 3, 2026
by dawnkinster 13 Comments

One day at a time

Every day is a new day. Each morning, as the sun comes up gently warming my room I wonder what the day will bring. Our little family, Penny, husband and I, are working together to get through each day while noticing the beautiful things as well as the daily trials.

Friday I somehow strained a sciatic nerve in my right leg. I was fine most of the day, running with the dog at the park, in and out of the car while running errands. I was fine until suddenly I wasn’t.

At the drug store as I got out of the car I suddenly felt excruciating pain shoot up my leg. I stood still for a moment, hoping it would subside. It didn’t. I hobbled into the drug store, did my business and hobbled back to the car. At home I could barely get up the two front steps. Saturday I stayed in my recliner, napping and groaning.

The biggest problem we had to deal with was taking Penny out. Walking with her in the yard on uneven turf was so painful for me. And she’s been asking to go out a lot lately while not necessarily doing anything once we get outside.

I took her out four times in the morning, each an agony for me, and she didn’t do anything but wander around sniffing. My husband tried taking her out, using his walker. It was his first time to take her for a walk since he was discharged from the hospital almost two weeks ago.

She didn’t do anything, though they shuffled down to the stop sign and back. We decided if she didn’t have to go she didn’t have to go. She had two parents and neither in any shape to take care of her.

Later in the day Pen and I managed a short walk along the pond across the street. She still didn’t do anything, but I got a few pretty shots with my phone. And that made me smile.

Today I feel 80% better, and I know I’ll be able to take her out, maybe even for a real walk up the road. I hope she decides to do her jobs while we’re out there.

Getting old is not for the faint of heart. It’s hard, physically and mentally. It would be so easy to slide into the dark place we hold in the back of our minds. Focusing on getting through today and not thinking about tomorrow too much is my secret approach to today and every day going forward.

*Everywhere you look, something is beautiful.*

Getting through each day. That’s our plan. So far it’s working.