Change Is Hard

August 3, 2021
by dawnkinster 41 Comments

Midsummer morning

I feel as if summer is sliding away from me, days turning into minutes, weeks into moments. Yet it’s only the beginning of August, there’s plenty of summer left, especially for a retiree. Right? Being retired is enough to make me smile, but my walk on a midsummer’s morning made me absolutely grin.

*The dreaded first sighting of goldenrod.*

I was out at my favorite park this past Thursday, while it was still July, while I could still consider it mid-summer, and yet I felt fall encroaching.

*Beautiful, but I’m not ready for leaves turning yet.*

I went with my biggest lens, the better to see birds in their natural space versus standing on my outstretched palm.

*But of course I did have a few birds in my hand. Can’t not do that.*

But what I found instead was a whole forest filled with youngsters. And I don’t mean the busses of preschoolers that arrived as I was leaving. Thank goodness.

*I don’t know what this is, but it was pretty.*

I have so much to show you from my walk in the woods, I don’t know if I should break it up into two posts, or if you’ll have the patience to read one long post.

I don’t even know if I have the patience to write one long post.

You can always scroll through and just look at the pictures. I have a feeling the words will be minimal anyway.

I got to the nature center early in the morning, but on the drive through the park I noticed my favorite willow tree island had a beautiful swan. So after I parked I walked back along the bikepath to capture her as she preened.

*Was she using the water as her mirror?*

Notice the grey pile of fluff off to the right? That is her baby, or maybe more than one, I couldn’t really tell. Her partner is swimming behind the island, couldn’t see him well either.

*Her little one (or more) are well hidden in the shade.*

But she (I’ve decided it’s a she, I really don’t know) sure was taking her time getting beautiful that morning.

Then I walked back to the parking lot at the nature center to get the rest of my gear, and found this exhausted and hungry mama, right beside the bike rack.

With my long lens I was able to get quite close without interrupting her breakfast.

And beside her, on the other side of the bike rack, were the normal crane parking lot greeters, getting spruced up for their shift of collecting the lot fee from everyone arriving to enjoy the trails.

*Hurry up Henry, we’re going to be late for work!*

Lucky for me I got there before they clocked in.

So I headed into the woods…

…and met this guy right away. He already had breakfast so I didn’t offer him anything more.

*You’re not going INTO THE WOODS, are you?!*

It was right about then that I noticed a sense of fall seeping into air. I shook it off and ventured further into the dark cool green, and interrupted two moms and their little ones having some breakfast of their own.

I stood there a long time watching them watching me.

This little one was intensly curious about me.

And then I heard a titmouse, just over my right shoulder, angrly asking why I wasn’t providing a snack. So I handed off a peanut and moved on.

*Hey Lady! Fork over the peanut! I know you have one!!*

I only saw one other person my entire walk in the woods, and that was another photographer.

As soon as he got down from the bench and moved on this mama came out of the brush.

I took a different trail and moved deeper into the woods. The long lens wasn’t really the right choice with so little light. But I didn’t want to stop to change it because you just never know what you’ll see.

Or how far away it might be.

*Way over there on that ridge is another exhausted mama, chewing her cud and watching me.*

But the mosquitos were beginning to follow me. I pictured myself running out of the woods with a swarm of bugs trailing me, sort of like a Bernstein Bear cartoon. I moved faster.

After clambering over a downed tree that crossed the trail I was shooting an image of a tree damaged in the recent storms where the fresh wood had a similar color to deer, confusing me for a moment…

*Kind of the same color as the deer roaming these woods.*

…when out of the corner of my eye I saw more of that reddish brown.

*Another mama and her baby hoping to have an undisturbed meal.*

These two didn’t seem to realize I was there. Until mama did.

The baby didn’t seem too bothered by me at all, but I went on down the trail so they could enjoy mama/baby time alone. Plus I was beginning to get hungry myself, it had been a long time since my own breakfast, and I was still deep in the woods with a long walk back.

I tried not to stop anymore as I booked it out of the deep woods. Except when I saw something interesting. Or fun. Or both.

But mostly I was trying to get back into the open where the breeze would keep the bugs from swarming around my head. Yes, I had applied bug spray before I left the car, but not on my hands, because I knew I’d be feeding birds. I guess that made me fair game for the mosquitos.

*Bet you didn’t know crocodiles lived in the woods!*

Back out in the open I had a nuthatch and a chickadee makeing big noises about getting a treat, but they wouldn’t come down to my hand. I finally figured out that maybe they were this year’s young, and not quite confident about the whole process of coming in for a snack.

But eventually they both came down, after doing a fly over or two to check me out.

The sky was getting dark and I figured it would soon rain, so I headed back to the car. Climbing the stairs to the parking lot I could hear people, cars and busses.

I was glad I’d gotten my walk in the woods finished before the masses arrived. Time to head back home to the princess who would just be getting up from her morning nap.

*Earlier in the morning there were deer and cranes.* *Now bikes rest while their people explore.*

It was a good midsummer day all around.

August 1, 2021
by dawnkinster 17 Comments

National Sisters Day

Hey! Katie here!

Guess what? (You’re never going to guess.)

*Nothing better on a nice breezy afternoon than a snooze on the deck.*

Don’t I look cute? Yes? Well you know what? That’s not me!

Surprise!!! I have a half sister and she lives kinda near me too! She and I share the same dad. She’s twelve years old, and she and her mom have done obedience together, just like me and my mom. Well, not just like, Payton and her mom were much better at it than we ever were!

*Both of us hanging out while the folks talked.*

Payton’s mom found us when we were listed in the catalog for one of our obedience trials. She contacted mama right away, but for some reason we’ve just never made the time to get together.

But, as you know, time keeps marching on and the moms decided if we were going to meet we better hurry up and make a date. So on Saturday mama and daddy and I went over to Payton’s house!

The moms set us up together and than my mama motioned us to come so she could take a picture, but Payton didn’t get released by her mom so she sat still like a good girl. I am smiling because I think I won the race!

I was sort of scared, cause I thought we were going to the vet. The vet is pretty much the only place I go these days, and it’s never good news for me when mama and daddy are both up early and moving quickly through the house.

I shook and panted the whole way over there (which took about a gazillion hours in dog time) but when we got there and daddy got me out of the car I could tell right away that we weren’t at the vet! It didn’t smell like vet at all!

And then these nice people came out to pet me and I liked them both right away, and then we went around to the deck and there was this little sheltie girl. My goodness she is beautiful! (Of course she is, she looks like me!)

*Payton got to run her own race for a treat. I told her I’d sit this one out.*

She’s smaller than me, but she has a big personality. We touched noses and then sort of sniffed each other and then we pretty much ignored each other. That’s how shelties roll you know.

So the parents sat and talked for awhile and Payton and I mostly napped. Then we all decided to go for a walk on their land. Payton is so lucky! She has lots of acres to explore right there at her house! We walked on a beautiful mowed loop, most of it was in the shade so I liked it a lot!

*It’s hard to tell us apart from behind too.*

Of course mama had her camera. She kept making Payton and me sit for photos. I told Payton about my one shot one treat contract with mama. Payton doesn’t have any such contract with her folks, but I definitely think she should. She sits still way too long if you ask me. Personally I won’t stand for too much of mama’s photography foolishness, it gets in the way of me smelling all the good stuff.

*Payton’s yard is just wonderful! I’d love to walk there every day!*

Anyway, after we went for a walk we sat on the deck a bit longer, and then Payton’s mom went and got Payton’s little sister who had been waiting in the house all this time. Her name is Tally, and though she’s younger than Payton she’s a whole lot bigger!

*I thought Payton’s mom was bringing out treats, so I went to the door to wait. Boy, I was surprised!*

She’s a beautiful Gordon Setter and she’s as tall as the table! It must be fun to be her, she can help herself to her own treats! Personally I think shelties are height-challenged, but obviously we make up for it in cuteness.

Anyway, it was getting time to go, so I went over to Payton’s dad and jumped on him to say goodbye. And to check if he had any treats of course.

*Thanks for the great morning, Payton’s dad!*

Then Payton and I both checked in with my dad.

*We both need a treat before I hit the road, daddy!*

It was the best day ever! I haven’t had fun like this since the whole covid thing happened to you humans! Visiting Payton was way more fun then vet visits or the groomer, and certainly better than camp!

*Yep, we had a great time together. Especially when there were treats.*

Who knew I had a sister? And Payton’s mom says today is National Sister Day, so I knew I needed to tell you guys all about mine! She’s sweet and beautiful and smart, just like me.

*Mama sometimes got us confused when we wandered by her. Hee hee!*

I sure am glad the moms organized the playdate, it would have been very sad if I never got to meet my sister. I hope I get to go on another walk with her later in the fall.

Until then, sister, you keep your folks in line and I’ll do the same with mine. I hope I see you again soon!

I’*m telling you Payton, one picture, one treat. You gotta let your folks know who’s in charge!*

Love you lots,

your sister Katie.

Wordless Wednesday

July 28, 2021 by dawnkinster 15 Comments

July 26, 2021
by dawnkinster 34 Comments

A little water therapy

We had some bad weather Saturday night, with rain blowing sideways for a time. I was sure that my tent, up in the backyard, would be flooded but it wasn’t. There was, however, a tornado that touched down not many miles from us during the storm, and a tree across the street from us split, falling across the road and into our yard.

None of that made me smile.

What did make me smile was a couple hours of paddling on a lake with one of my college roommates. We don’t see each other very often, but it’s always a good time when we do.

We caught up with each other’s lives, her kids, my dog.

And we enjoyed a sweet after the storm breeze, bright blue skies and sunshine as we floated across the water.

You just can’t beat being on the water for giving yourself a pick-me-up.

So that’s my smile for this week. What made you smile?

July 22, 2021
by dawnkinster 49 Comments

The Princess and the pea

Katie here! HEY! Whatcha doing, whatcha doing, whatcha doing?

As you can see I am feeling a lot better. Whatcha doing? Oh…excuse me, sometimes I get distracted. I don’t suppose you happen to have a treat for me? No? Did you check your back pocket? Oh. Well anyway.

Ahem….

So mama and daddy are trying to get me to eat this KD food stuff. I’m back to eating regular dog food, kibble and wet food, and I’m pretty excited about it. Food used to be one of my mostest wonderful, bestest favorite stuff in the whole world.

And then I got sick and food wasn’t so good anymore and everybody got worried. But this past month I’ve eaten more and now, just in the past week I’m back to asking for more food, more treats, more everything!

But just to keep things interesting sometimes I don’t eat all my supper. I was never like that, I never left even one smidgen of food in my bowl in case someone else came along and stole it, you know.

Now when they give me wet food I might eat some of it, generally with not much gusto, but mama and daddy have figured something out. If they put a fresh pea, pressed into the food, I gobble it up!

Seriously, a pea.

Sometimes they add several peas to my meal, sometimes it’s just one pea. Either way, it always works and I clean my bowl right up. And then I lick the bowl to make sure it’s super clean.

If that’s not proof I’m a Princess I don’t know what is.

See you later, your Princess and her pea, Katie-girl.

Wordless Wednesday

July 21, 2021 by dawnkinster 6 Comments

July 17, 2021
by dawnkinster 40 Comments

Smiling on a hot summer evening

The county fair is back. The fairground is in my tiny town, a little over a mile from the house. When Katie and I camp in the backyard during fair week we can hear the monster trucks, the announcer, the fireworks, the roar of the crowd.

*What do you think is the best part about a fair…the food? Or the rides?*

The noise doesn’t bother me, it’s only for one week and it’s the epitome of summer in the midwest. I have so many memories of the county fair, not this one, but the one we used to go to when we were kids.

Which pretty much is exactly like the one I wandered this week. Big barns full of rabbits, goats, chickens, cows, and sheep waiting with their young person for their turn in the ring to be judged. Another barn full of sewing, knitting, canning, flower arrangements, and artwork, each a project of some young person, some with ribbons already attached.

*Maybe the best thing is the games, though nobody really wins anything. Do they?*

I was a 4-H kid in the 60s. I knit, mostly because I hated sewing which seemed to be my other option. Each year I entered a misshappen sweater at the fair. I think sometimes I won a ribbon, but I don’t remember.

*The excitment that only the young can experience on these things.*

I also don’t remember riding the midway rides, though I’m sure we did. We probably had some number of rides budgeted. We sure didn’t have free reign to ride as many and as often as we wanted.

*I bet their hearts were beating fast while they swung in the darkness.*

This year I noticed that there were bracelets available that let you into everything at the fair. All the rides, the shows, and who knows what else. They were $25.00 each.

*How many funnel cakes can you buy with $25?*

I don’t think I’d be able to ride enough to make that purchase worthwhile. Not without throwing up at least once. And there’s no way my folks would have sprung for a wrist band, even if there had been such a thing back then, for all four of us kids.

Nope, I’m sure we could pick out one ride that we wanted to do and that was probably it.

*Maybe the best part of a fair is just spending time with your friends.*

But I do remember a booth where you could drop paint onto a spinning canvas, then you got to take your creation home. I had that painting for years. That was probably 50 years ago and it’s the most vivid memory I have of the county fair growing up. It still makes me smile.

We don’t go to the county fair every year these days, even though it is right in our town. And of course last year there was no fair.

So it’s been a long time since I’ve gone. But this year it seemed like a celebration of the return of something fundamental, and I looked forward to going back for a walk around.

*There’s no calories in cotten candy. Right?*

Wednesday evening turned out to be the moment, and I arrived just as the sun was going down on a hot afternoon.

Most of the families with little kids looked exhausted. Many of them were leaving, but the young people were just arriving. I was there to mess around with the camera once it got dark and the midway lit up.

*At least you could get your vegetables.*

It’s not a big fair, it takes only minutes to see everything. But with each round I made I saw different images. I should have had a tripod, but I didn’t want to haul anything extra.

*Ride this one before you eat any of the fair food.*

All of these shots were handheld, most of the time letting the camera choose the ISO. Sometimes I delibertaly made the exposure longer to blur the lights. That was the most fun, just to see what came through.

*Add the moon and it was a pretty special night.*

Mostly I was there to have some fun, just like all the rest of the folks standing in lines for rides and food. It’s just my idea of fun involves more about the camera and less hanging upside down from a midway attraction.

But if I was 50 years younger I might just have tried those flying swings. I think even my stomach could have handled that.

July 15, 2021
by dawnkinster 23 Comments

What’s the difference?

You all know my dad was killed in a preventable truck crash December 23, 2004, and that ever since then I’ve been a volunteer for the Truck Safety Coalition. Our mission is to provide compassionate support to victims and their families, and to educate people and policymakers about changes that should be implemented to make our roads safer for everyone.

And, you all know that change is slow and hard.

Many of you have expressed frustration in support of me and our organization’s effort, and here’s an easy way that you can help.

The Senate is taking up S. 2016, the Surface Transportation Investment Act (you have heard it referred to as the Infrastructure Bill) this week. They’ll probably debate into next week. Inside that bill is a weak attempt at getting automatic emergency braking systems (AEB) on trucks.

Due to pressure from the trucking industry, the bill only calls for this lifesaving technology to be mandated on new Class 7 and 8 trucks. Those are the biggest trucks out there, and yes it will be very good to have mandated AEB on the new trucks that size. But what about all the medium and small commercial trucks running around in our neighborhoods?

Last year there was a bill that mandated AEB on all vehicles. Doesn’t that make more sense? Car manufacturers have agreed to have AEB on all their new vehicles in the next few years. Truck cab manufacturers already offer it, but it’s not mandated and companies, looking to save some money, often order new cabs without it.

In case you’re interested, the cost of adding AEB to a new truck will run about $270 to $290. For perspective, the cost of a new Class 6 truck can be $90,000 or more. Seems a small price to pay for safety, don’t you think?

Based on new truck sales data there are about 500,000 new Class 3-6 trucks sold every year. New sales of these medium and small trucks has increased by 16% in the past 5 years alone. And many thousands of these trucks are running through our neighborhoods daily, delivering all the stuff we buy online these days.

Kids playing, people walking or biking, or just driving home through their neighborhoods are exposed to all the delivery trucks, all days of the week, early in the morning and late into the evening. Why would we not want these trucks equipped with available and inexpensive safety technology?

One last statistic. Small and medium trucks are responsible for 27% of all fatalities in commercial truck crashes. In 2019 there were almost 5,000 people killed in truck related crashes. So approximately 1350 people were killed in crashes with small and medium trucks. I don’t know how many of those were crashes, like my dad’s, where the victims were waiting in traffic and were struck from behind. But even if it’s only a few, are those lives not as valuable as the lives lost to crashes with huge trucks?

It should be a simple decision to mandate Automatic Emergency Braking on all vehicles, all cars, all trucks, no matter the size. That way, no matter the reason for the inattention of a vehicle driver, be it a medical event, distraction, or sleepiness, the vehicle can sense when something is up ahead and slow or stop before the crash happens.

If you were sitting in that car, stuck in traffic with nowhere to go, while another vehicle, car or truck, was bearing down on you, wouldn’t you be hoping they had AEB? I think about it all the time, maybe you will too, now that you’re heard about an easy solution.

So here’s what you can do. Call or email your two Senators and tell them that you want Senate Bill S. 2016 to require the DOT (Department of Transportation) to mandate Automatic Emergency Braking systems on all vehicles, not just Class 7 and 8 trucks. Tell them every life that can be saved should be saved, regardless of the size of the vehicles involved.

You can find the phone number and/or the websites of your Senators by going to this link. You put in your state and it will bring up your two Senators. You can click on them and go directly to their email contact form. Their phone numbers are there too, so if you’d rather call, you can. Just tell the person that answers the phone what your concern is. Don’t be nervous. It’s their job to listen to you.

We don’t know if we will be able to get all vehicles into this bill. But for darn sure it won’t happen if we don’t try.

Your voice is important, and I’m grateful, as always, for your support. Next time you see that delivery van zipping around your neighborhood wonder, like I do, if it has Automatic Emergency Braking. And look forward to the day, sometime in the future, when you won’t have to wonder about that anymore.

Thanks, dad, for being the inspiration for my work. You never gave up. We won’t either.

Wordless Wednesday

July 14, 2021 by dawnkinster 19 Comments

July 10, 2021
by dawnkinster 36 Comments

Mom musings

I’ve been missing my mom the past week or so even more than usual. Those of us with moms who are gone miss them every day, but sometimes the ache is just more profound.

*A little poppy from our wildflower bed, in early morning light.*

I’ve found myself wanting to give her a call. To ask her how she did so much with all of us when some days I don’t seem to get anything done at all.

I wonder how she kept her gardens up. I don’t have any memories of her weeding, though she had gardens in our house in Adrian, and again in Howell, and then in Alabama. I can’t keep up with the gardens we have, and I don’t have nearly the responsibilities she did when we were growing up.

*The coreopsis lifts it’s face to the sun.*

And meals. I know I’ve talked about this before, but how in the world did she manage to get a meal (or two) on the table for six of us every single day? I know we took it for granted and often asked her what was for dinner. I don’t remember ever reacting negatively to her reply, but just the question alone placed all the responsibility on her and she must have felt that weight.

*Mama? I’ll wait right here while you take those pictures and think about your Mom.*

When we were older, did we ever make a meal for the family? Sometimes on Sunday we’d make the coffee cake for evening supper. Wow, what a relief she must have felt, ey? One meal during the week where we made something, though I imagine she was there to supervise. I don’t remember ever working in the kitchen that she wasn’t there too.

*The zinnia stands up straight and tall.*

And let’s not even start talking about laundry. Though I remember knowing how to do laundry at an early age, I also remember mom sitting on the sofa with six growing piles of folded underwear surrounding her as she tried to match all the socks. It seemed to be never ending.

I know we had Saturday chores, the vaccuuming and cleaning the bathrooms and probably a whole lot more that I can’t remember. I know the list on Saturday of things we had to get done before we could go off and do whatever kids did back then seemed long.

But I doubt it was that lengthy, and nowhere near the list she handled every day. Stuff we took for granted. Stuff we took for granted her entire life.

*Red lantana can brighten anybody’s day.*

I remember her finally coming down to the family room in the evening after she finished whatever chore she had attacked at the end of the day. We’d all be down there watching the big bulky television and she’d settle on the sofa between a couple kids, or next to dad.

And she’d instantly fall asleep, in what I realize now, was sheer exhaustion.

She’d wake up at the commercials, because, as some of you may recall, they’d be louder than the television show they sponsored. She used to say all she ever saw on television were the commercials.

Once upon a time I thought she and dad were too old to up and move across the country when they were fifty, leaving everything they knew behind. Now I’m fifteen years older than they were then and I don’t think it’s odd at all to contemplate and even accomplish such an adventure.

*So much glorious color at this time of the year makes me smile.*

Mom and dad had plenty of adventures, both when we were kids, and after we had left home. But I think of those early years with all four of us and dad to take care of and I don’t know how she did it.

I hope she knows that I recognize her work now and wish I had expressed that to her all those years ago.

I guess today is Mother’s Day in my heart.