by Diane Widler Wenzel; Review of Agnes Varda's film, "The Gleaners and I"

Gleaners are everywhere sifting through harvested fields and looking through dumpsters to name two gleaning sites. But I had not thought about them until I watched a Netflix video. Agnes Varda's "The Gleaners and I".   It was filmed in 2000 when she was 72 years old.  She is well known in France as a pioneer in the New Wave films. She is a feminist and activist. The theme of the "The Gleaners and I" was our society is wasteful of food, manufactured products and without words she communicated that she felt she was a discarded senior.
In Oregon the art of gleaning is an art in the best of health.

Don gleaning firewood from dying trees  about 8 years ago

About 19 years ago Don chopping wood  gleaned 
from neighbor's diseased trees.
 

Varda believes all roles in making a film should work together. Cinematographer, screenwriter, director, etc. working simultaneously to create a more cohesive film, and all elements of the film should contribute to its message. at first I was puzzled by what appeared to me as disconnected.She combined pictures of her old hands and gray hair with interviews of people from all backgrounds eating and collecting agricultural waste and urban garbage. It was a real stretch for me to associate Verda with societies discards. She intended to say society makes older people discards and that she proves how wrong society is?

 But what was most interesting to me was the creative process of some of the gleaners who were performing or visual artists or lived creatively.

It is fun picking up glass and other micro-trash on our neighborhood roadways and then make an assemblage.

Relationships

by Rain Trueax

While I might enjoy seeing new types of birds, have a bird book often nearby, my biggest fascination with birdwatching is seeing the interactions between them. I remember years back renting a home in Montana where the owner had bluebird houses right outside the backdoor. I would sit on the porch stoop and literally spend hours watching them coming with food for their babies.

Here at the farm, I like to watch the song birds as they come to the feeders, but don't see much interaction with the families. I do recognize when the fledglings appear based on size. In Arizona, with the trees closer, I would see fledglings being fed by their parents, watched the squabbles over territory, but most of all saw how the Gambel's quails interacted within families and without. I spent hours and not know more than minutes had gone by. 

the environment impacts it all

   “Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread. A civilization which destroys what little remains of the wild, the spare, the original, is cutting itself off from its origins and betraying the principle of civilization itself.”  Edward Abbey

In terms of voting, for me, there are a couple of big issues and among them are those that impact our environment. Climate change is one. Protecting wilderness is another, and of course, nurturing and wise use of land, water, and air.

While the earth is very durable, man's ability to live on it and sustain a good life is more limited. Those who live in cities often forget that their life there is not self-sustaining. In countries like the United States, many things impact our ability to live with a life similar to what we have known-- ability to produce food is only one-- transporting it to the consumer is another. They all involve environment.

Not to make any one key issue more important, I'll start with water because it's so often under assault both for pollution but also how some want to own it. Recently in the Columbia River Gorge, a small town voted to not allow a big corporation to own a spring. Jobs that it would have brought were outweighed by concern to protect the water. Is the question decided? Those things rarely are. 

"Water is blue gold; it's terribly precious," Maude Barlow, chair of the Council of Canadians, told the Monitor. “Not too far in the future, we're going to see a move to surround and commodify the world's fresh water. Just as they've divvied up the world's oil, in the coming century, there's going to be a grab." 

Invest in the coming water shortage

Years ago California looked toward Oregon's rivers to solve a potential shortage looming for their lawns, agriculture, golf courses, and even drinking. It was put down by Oregon, but California's thirst for water has dried up some of its own agricultural areas-- while other such regions consider water cheap compared to improving their usage of it. Canals stretch down the state to bring water to more populated areas as well as agriculture-- but those canals are dependent on rain or snowfall enough to fill the reservoirs from where they flow.

Nebraska's legislature had to make a law not allowing any water to be taken out of its state, including by truck, to protect the Ogallala Aquifer because they feared Denver would take so much that it would drain the aquifer. Relatively arid states like Colorado are always looking for more sources of water, and it often comes at the expense of agriculture. How people plan to eat in the future is of little concern for those who think their food comes from a grocery store.
 

Washington Supreme Court rules on water issue 

Because it's mostly in the states and counties where these issues are settled, this is where voters need to pay attention and vote their interests-- whatever those might be. 

The federal government is theoretically more invested in air and water quality for safety, and yet as Flint, Michigan found out the hard way, you can't count on them for checking what the states are doing. They should be able to but too often have not.

Another big (potentially the biggest) environmental issue is, of course, climate change, which some deny is happening while others think the sky is going to fall tomorrow. The statistics are hard to come by because some are projections. Mankind has a pretty short recorded history; so scientist rely on geologic and biologic evidence of the past, which they must interpret. 

To me, if the federal government has any responsibility to its citizens, it ought to be their safety. If the seas rise, if storms increase in ferocity, if droughts become more widespread, if migration of peoples becomes a reality in more than a few places, if cities are destroyed because of their proximity to the seas, you'd think there'd be plans in place or even steps being taken to deal with what could become a huge humanitarian crisis and not just in places like Bangladesh.

Climate change and actually the whole issue of the environment shows up in  Presidential platforms but hasn't been in the debates, which is too bad. While one candidate, the Democrat, does believe in climate change, would be putting measures in place regarding cleaner forms of energy. The other candidate wants more coal production and would back the XL Pipeline because he doesn't worry about oil spills into our rivers and lakes. He should. The federal government has done nothing to deal with the concerns of Native American neighbors of a pipeline that they fear will damage their water source not only in the construction but the leaks later. 

Is it possible to vote for someone who will care, or in the end, are our current leaders not that much different in what they do regarding the environment? 

The earth impacts every part of human society, and of course, some of that is out of our control. For me, environment is a big issue in terms of for whom I vote-- state and federal. Loving wilderness, open spaces, wildlife, and personally living an agricultural lifestyle, I am very invested in Gaia. 

Gaia involves a concept that says organisms interact with their surroundings, including inorganic and in a sort of a synergistic complex system that helps perpetuate conditions for life on this planet. When the earth gets out of balance, it will work to correct that-- often not in ways humans will like. We should be helping it stay in balance just out of self-interest.

"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached 

to the rest of the world." John Muir

changes

When we got to Arizona, the first project had to be in the kitchen. We have a couple who look after the home when we are not here. They had told us about the leak from the hose that feeds the ice-maker. Because it had been discovered early, we didn't expect catastrophic damage as we'd had two years before. 

Once Ranch Boss pushed out the stove and refrigerator, it turned out to be worse. Mold went part way up the wall. Some of the cabinetry wood had been ruined by the water and mold. So began a week and a half of tearing apart and then rebuilding. The stove and refrigerator had to be moved, cabinets emptied of pans and food, then taken outside, wallboard cut away, a working mask to be purchased, and plastic sheeting used to wall off the working area. 

Although this mold did not look like the toxic black mold, it was black, and the only way to discern the difference is with microscope; so better to be extra careful than to take the risk when scraping away mold with spores in the air. 

Next step was a paint that destroys and blocks mold returning. Every step took time between for drying. With the stove and refrigerator out of there, it was discovered the previous owners hadn't tiled the floor all the way to the wall. So that was done. 

Finally wallboard was replaced, plastered, painted and destruction could turn into construction. Between tearing down and then replacing, this was a week and a half of unexpected work. 

It won't happen again as we removed the ice maker. First leak we could say just one of those things. Second leak-- not worth having a third. The humorous part is when I thought-- how will we get ice for our vacation renters... before I remembered ice trays. Duh! I bought some of those and began making ice the way we always did before the modern advantages that aren't always advantages.

This amounted to a week and a half of work for Ranch Boss, but when finished, it looks as good as ever and is actually better because when he tore out the walls, he discovered there had been old mold there from the previous owners before we bought the house in 1999. Ice makers might be convenient, but they do have a risk attached especially for people like us who aren't always there. 

Regarding Toyota and our Highlander (read previous blog if you are not sure what I am referring to-- and be sure to read comments where two engineers discuss what might have led to the malfunction), it's a long drawn out process to find out if they will accept any responsibility for the near disaster. We are going through their formal process of filing a complaint, but doubt it will end up with much satisfaction-- beyond ours in never buying another Toyota of any model. 

What I want to emphasize here is if you have a vehicle with the modern computerized systems, and that turns on the cruise control-- on its own-- quickly push it into neutral. Do not turn off the key unless you are stopped as that turns off power brakes, steering and if you can believe it, even airbags. Just push it into neutral. It will slow it, and you can then get safely off the road. When in neutral, rev the engine and that can get the computerized system to reset. Then get it to a repairman as this is not a safe thing to happen even if you know what to do-- and how many of us would! 

Because Casa Espiritu is both a second home for us and a vacation rental for snow-birds, we routinely do some improvements-- ones we plan. This year it is a fence that will enable cats and small dogs to safely be outdoors. Our piece of desert is home to predators like coyotes, javelina, and bobcats. We love that it is natural desert and that so many animals live here, but it doesn't make it safe for small pets.

For now, our two cats are inside and not pleased as in Oregon they have two fenced yards to be outside a lot. Here the fenced yard is with the pool, not connected directly to the house, and that isn't the safest thing for small animals who might fall (or jump) in and not be able to get out. 

The new enclosed patio, with an attractive metal fence, will allow us to be outside with them but not require it. We didn't want a wooden one because we like being able to see the desert beyond. No fence is ideal in my mind, but sometimes they are the best option.

We've been increasing the amount of walking we are doing to try to get back in shape. It's amazing how long that can take when you are old. But by adding a few minutes each day, I believe it will happen :)
Below are photos from one of our favorite spots to do this hiking because it's nearby and easy walking-- Catalina State Park with a variety of trails.

what we can do

 wildflowers-- blue flags

Lately my weeks do not have a pattern to them. There are, of course, those things I must plan-- like getting my teeth cleaned. That requires scheduling. Same with doctor appointments, but generally I can pretty much do what I please. That doesn't mean lie around and eat bonbons, but I guess I could if it was what I wanted.

I remember years, when I had very planned weeks with kids in school and work schedules I had to weave my life around. Today I have freedom to make of my day what I choose. I am captain of my fate-- most of the time. 

As a creative person, I love the freedom to let a day take me wherever it will. My one constant is to write regularly-- but about what can vary quite a lot. Having been a stay-at-home mom, I learned long ago to be disciplined in work. There are always the unexpected additions that can turn a week from what I might have expected to something totally different.

A few weeks back on our little ranch, we began photographing bees. There is something wonderful about watching bees go for pollen. While they make our apple trees more prolific, they also are making honey. I shared those photos here (go back a week or so if you didn't see them). Bees are something I'd have once taken for granted but no longer.

Wild bee and butterfly decline

The article is pretty good about describing what is happening and some possible choices we can make-- for instance not removing all the weeds we could nor using insecticides without realizing that they kill more than nuisance insects... and incidentally what did we think the birds were eating if it's not insects?

I've seen farms on my way to town where they are pulling out what used to be hedgerows, brushy zones between their fields where the wild roses and wildflowers put on a show. Wildflowers are regarded as weeds by those who only value dollar signs. I am sure those farmers are good people but have to be thinking-- wow, another acre if we get rid of all of this unprofitable brush. They probably also figure someone else will save ground for the bunnies, birds, lizards, snakes, and insects. It's always someone else who needs to do it, isn't it?

For all our talk about climate change, the risks we face if the oceans rise and become less saline, we are doing a lot of the damage to our immediate environment with our demand for dandelion free yards, with the love of these big landscapes of mowed grass, and spraying detrimental insecticides all around our homes. I recognize some areas need lawns. It's culturally expected. Those people can compensate for the lawns not being particularly helpful to birds and insects by adding those plants that are.

Years ago we went to a seminar in Corvallis where the speaker was talking about Jesus from the perspective of historic or mythic. He spoke one evening about his interest in the environment by ending lawns on his property. It made total sense to me. The next summer, we restored our front yard to natural environment by plowing it up, putting in a natural waterway (helps a lot when we have too much rain coming off the fields), and planting four trees (actually five but a buck broke one off by rubbing his horns on it). 

The past of that yard carries with it many memories. I remember well how for figteen years I mowed it, finding different patterns to make the job more interesting. Today it's a natural looking landscape as if it had always been this way.

Then a few years later I got the idea of fencing in a veggie and flower garden area next to the house and then giving the sheep the rest. That took a lot of work from Farm Boss but eventually we had it as we do today. Fenced personal space and sheep just beyond. I love it, like hearing them so close, but also they do a neat job on making the lawns look mowed. 

 looking toward our home from the gravel road

If we don't let the sheep be anywhere too long, the weeds, the grass, the shrubs, all benefit from their presence. (the bird feeder had to be moved up for reasons obvious in the photo below).

 below the house and above the creek

Managing range land is part of a rancher's job-- and in this case turning our lawns into pasture benefited them and us. We haven't mowed a yard in years which means no fuel used and a natural environment around the home-- mostly free of poisons... (I swear men do like their sprayers).

 large swarm- more photos earlier this week

So after the individual photos of the bees, we then had the joy of seeing a large swarm that landed in our pear tree for a few hours as their scouts went beyond to find a new home. Generally this happens when hives divide. The old queen takes off when the new queen is ready to take over responsibility for the old hive.  Where we live, what they are looking for are hollow trees. 

The first big swarm took off after a few hours in the pear tree. The next day a smaller swarm landed there. We are not sure if the pear tree is big enough for them but we'd be delighted if it was. Evidently when hives divide, it can involve several stages.

 small swarm

We would love it if the smaller swarm can find our pear tree to be a proper home. Either way we hope they find healthy ground on which to live. 

We don't believe in monoculture. We plant many varieties of shrubs and plants to provide feed for the bees and butterflies. It's the least we can do for insects that keep us in food. It's a good thing for us all to remember next time we reach for an insecticide. Sometimes there is nothing we can do. In many situations, there is. 

Will our small changes be enough? Well like so many choices being made in our culture today, it might not; but at least we will know we did what we could for the small things. In nature's big picture, we're not as important as some of us like to think.

bees and blueberries

It was interesting for me to do a whole series, a week long, of bees and blossoms. It's been beautiful to see them hovering over the apple and blueberry blossoms--  but for awhile we had some concern. At first, we did not see honeybees. They had been seen earlier this spring but then we had a hard freeze rather late. We worried that they had lost their home. Bees out here are mostly wild and live in hollow trees along the creek or in the forest. 

Then I saw a bee in the house trying to get out through the glass. It had flown in the cat door. I thought about swatting it-- then thought better of it. I got a plastic glass with a wide mouth, nailed it over the bee and slid a postcard between it and the glass. The bee was safely inside. I was not stung. A win/win when I released it outside. 

When Farm Boss went out with the camera, he got photos of the honeybees to prove they are here. I don't think in the numbers previously, but they can build their population back up.

Perhaps bumblebees could do the jobs of the honeybee in pollinating our fruit, but it should be of concern for us when something we take for granted is not there. I think we need to, as individuals, seriously think about avoiding insecticides. 

If we let the wasps and yellow jackets hang around, they will eat a lot of the insects we'd rather not be here. There are, of course, places we cannot permit a yellow jacket hive, but we need to be sure that is the case before we poison. If we sicken these insects with our overuse of pesticides and removing their natural habitat, where will that leave us???

If you are one who thinks the smallest things don't matter, I don't envy your life in any arena... And no, I do not believe that God will step in and save those who abused this creation-- believer or not believer. Take care of the small things. You're not as important as you think. 

I used the following quote as one my heroine loved from my second Oregon historical. It pretty much says what I think--  

To see a World in a Grain of Sand

And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,

Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand

and Eternity in an hour."

William Blake

The photos above are of honeybee and bumblebee. Next week-- look for more photos of bees and blossoms :)

personality and a home.

More than a few times I have probably mentioned how much I enjoy vacations where we rent a home especially through VRBO. It's good because you connect directly to the owners, although sometimes it's a manager of properties. What it feels like, when you get to such a house, is you are living where you are visiting. With my dislike of hotels, stores, businesses, etc., this is a big plus. 

So because it was being remodeled, we lost out on the home we regularly rent at the Oregon Coast. The manager of several properties suggested an alternative. The four of us took one look at the photos and agreed. So last week we were there for three nights and had one of our best rentals ever.

Now the house was not fancy in terms of modern granite drainboards, furniture from Sears, etc. Well it might have had some of that. It was from the outside a rather plain home built many years ago and not much remodeled (other than required by storm damage). It had big windows, large living room, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, family room, fully equipped kitchen, and best of all, for one of our group, a cozy art studio (photo below with the guitar). It was well-maintained and depicted the owner of the home so much that even though she had been dead 11 years, the home still had all of her energy, helped along by the family desiring it to be so. It's still called by her name and inside were things she had collected that gave meaning to clearly an eclectic, fun, thoughtful, artistic lady. You cannot buy that kind of a home. You have to create it.

So for all our days there, we were looking at the various corners and niches with this or that and putting together more pieces of her personality. There were two photos that likely were her but no labeling; so cannot be sure. She had though books, and her art as well as what she collected. It was interesting enough that we did some research online to find that in 1978, after being widowed, she had moved to Yachats and the home that looked directly onto the beach. She lived there until her death. She was very involved in her community and left behind a home which shares a legacy that goes beyond money. It depicts a life.

What I loved especially was how so many of the things she had chosen told stories. They went beyond what they were to stoke imaginations. A good example of that is in the first two photos. Was it really from a sea going vessel? Looking at it closely and some research (the house had internet), it was a replica of Britania, which is in England. You can buy one to paint yourself. Perhaps that's what she did. The job, whoever did, made it look very old. It led to imagining a ship going down on the rocks off the surf, perhaps wreckers tricked it or maybe a storm. Did the villagers rush out to retrieve what they could? It's a story in an object. It was how the home felt.
 

Okay, I am running out of space. Next week the gardens which were every bit as fascinating.

Gasland 2

Recently we saw Gasland 2, and I recommend everyone see it whether they currently feel threatened by fracking or global climate change. The above map shows you how much of the nation is. For those who don't like to think politically, this political issue (and yes, it is one) is about the future of the physical world as we know it and even more, an abuse of power where corporations have bought out both parties in our country. It's where money talks and your personal health or well being--- pffffft!

Gasland 2

We value our personal space, our lives but we just don't realize that our media and current government aren't on our side. From what he has said so far, Obama is not on our side. Neither party is. A lot of the information on hearings and data collected that the film discusses didn't make it onto any news programs-- including the so-called left wing programing.

Here's the thing. Government, media, they are not more powerful than us-- not if we get informed and act. It's a choice. We have options but not if we put our heads in the sand for what's happening, not if we are easily distracted by things that actually have less importance to our future lives.

Currently the film is on HBO, but I expect will eventually be on Netflix. Watch it. If you think you don't care, at least be informed. Don't just read the Koch brothers massive PR campaign on the benefits of natural gas. Watch this film-- then check out the facts it presents. It could make the difference for your children and grandchildren's lives. There are other alternatives for power but they don't make the money this one does. Really-- money is that important? It is to some.

After I saw this documentary, I had an urge to see Absolute Power, the 1997 film starring Clint Eastwood. It's a violent story, the kind I usually avoid, and like clockwork, it did lead to violent dreams that night. In the dream I saw that the bad guys could be recognized by a big bright red mark on their throats. Only some could see it though. In one case a man was assigned to be a protector, but the woman had the sixth sight that let her see the telltale markings. She then knew to run. It's a shame that real bad men don't have that kind of marking.

What makes Absolute Power so powerful is how well it illustrates what power tends to do as it makes someone feel immune to the rules. This doesn't just happen in politics, although it certainly showed up in Gasland 2 with our supposed elected representatives blocking the press from their public hearings. People worry about what Snowden has revealed so far about the government looking into who we call and our internet usage, but to me, it is far more serious when elected officials, put there by the people, can know that if what they are doing came out, they would have massive protests. They get away with it because not enough people care.

There is a particularly good quote in Absolute Power where one of the Secret Service agents explained why he could kill without conscience-- if it's the president it's all right. Anything is all right for the president. That kind of thinking ruins presidents and nations when its citizens lose track of real values...



To go along with this, we got a call last week from Rasmussen polling. Farm Boss was the one answering the questions. He said anytime it was where he might've answered favorable to Democrats or Obama, it flashed past so fast that his answer could not be recorded. If you've wondered why Rasmussen always ends up farther right than the rest, wonder no longer.

Politics and climate change

Last week, when I began trying to put together political topics as video discussions, I did this one first. It's a learning process to do these videos. I thought about redoing this one with the better webcam but figured the very nature of it being first deserved to be kept. Perfect? No but then no discussion video, that I have done, ever has been. Always there is something that I could tweak but then if I redo it, it ends up something else. But in this case, it's what was said that matters most to me.

There are other issues today that are important-- like voting rights which just amazes  me what the Supreme Court did and how they tried to justify it. It's disgusting; but in terms of what matters the most to me and I think should to all of us-- it's something else, something bigger. What is coming?

Unfortunately, climate change has become a partisan issue when it should never be, not to anybody who has looked at earth history as well as science. The choices we make now will impact ourselves and future generations more than anything else we do.

As Obama said-- We don't have time for a meeting of the Flat Earth Society.

Visitors from the wilds

For the first time last spring we saw a gray fox in one of the gardens around our house. It came into the small rock garden and acted as though it was taking a sun break as it moved around, sat, posing perfectly and not quickly leaving.

Then one night this spring we saw two foxes in the vegetable garden when Pepper erupted with a loud cry of fear off the bed. They again sat with little fear when we flicked on the light. Since then we've seen either one or two foxes several times as they race past from somewhere.

The most upsetting was when Pepper came racing into the house banging the cat door in her hurry and I yelled for Farm Boss and ran out to see what it was. The fox was in the rock garden and our guard-dog cat, Blackie, turned to chase it off since I was there as backup.

I stood quietly to avoid Blackie getting himself in trouble as the fox panicked trying to get away. The fox banged off the other end of the fenced yard as it had only one place it could get in-- or obviously out. By this time we knew foxes can climb like a cat.

Until we began to research them (after their latest entry into the supposedly safe-cat yard), we did not know that they have semi-retractable claws. They can pull them up some when they run and use them to climb. They actually prefer to nest in trees or hollow logs but will den up in the ground.

They are the oldest of the dog family and almost prehistoric with their mix of skills. I got curious regarding the sounds they might make and realized we have been hearing them around here for awhile thinking they were birds or raccoons.

Be sure and listen to the YouTube. If you hadn't already been aware, they have 40 different sounds they can use to communicate.

Someone told us many of the raccoons in our area died off during a recent parvovirus outbreak which might explain the increase in the fox population. They are gorgeous little animals and have a very catlike look to them. I don't want them in the yard with the cats. They are pretty much the same size animal. While Blackie would try to fight one, he's not a trained killer as a fox must be to survive in the wilds. Research says they would not attack a grown cat but I don't know. They are certainly fascinated by the cats.

The dog world is not overly friendly to other species within it as the fox will be killed by coyotes-- which might explain why they like hanging around humans. The coyote will be killed by wolves-- and wolves kill other pack members and sometimes even within their own.

We also learned foxes are somewhat omnivorous and eat fruits and vegetables, when available, so in that they are raccoon like-- and might explain holes through the years that I have seen in tomatoes thinking they were from slugs.

Foxes are beautiful but they are way too close to the house and have gone back into the supposedly safe-yard now several times. The most recent two of them, who appear younger, possibly twins, and they had a hard time getting out but it hadn't stopped them coming in. I am not sure what we will do about this fox family to discourage their entry into our fenced yard where especially two hunting together might be a danger to our cats.

First photos from April 2012:

 May 12, 2013:

As best I can tell, there is no reason for them to want into the small, fenced yard. Although we do have a small birdseed feeder there, they've shown no interest in it or in hunting when in that yard. Maybe they just want in because it's there, and they can. FarmBoss/Engineer has a job ahead to prevent them from entering because I really do fear they could get into a fight, at the least, with Blackie and he'd come out the loser. :(

May 15, 2013 and the twins were back-- in the fenced yard which had recently been re-secured to the point it looks like a big bird cage. Not a cage to prevent foxes from entering obviously.

One wanted out sooner than the other but it had the most trouble going back the way it had come. When the one sitting by the pool finally decided to go out, he/she did it with ease. The other one became more desperate and was beginning to worry me that he/she would end up trapped and we'd have to figure out how to get it out of the wire. The one thing I can say for them-- they are not easily discouraged.

 

To have the wild visit you is cool... but it has a downside.