Many have been asking me why all of a sudden I have started eating plant based meat substitutes. For quite a few years now I have been disturbed by the many reports of ranchers teaming up with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in our western states to kill off all kinds of wildlife, including our beloved wolves, bears and wild horses so that their precious cattle won’t have any competition on public lands. I of course am an avid user of our national forest land with all it’s beautiful mountains and trails. I think it is appalling that the ranchers get to graze their cattle on public lands, their cattle make a mess out of the land and the trails for everyone else and on top of all that the welfare ranchers as I call them get all upset when a wild animal takes one of their stock.
“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.”
During this of the coronavirus as neighbors, we see one another more often,
all be it at a distance as we shelter at home, providing more time for things to drift
through my open mind. This posting first appeared in April 2014.
— kenne
“Waves of Joy” — Image by kenne
Palo Verde trees, common to the Sonoran Desert, brighten the Tucson area in the springtime with millions of five-petaled yellow blossoms.
OUR NEIGHBORHOOD — TRYING TO REASON
We traverse these streets, sometimes early in the morning, sometimes late in the day, sometimes walking, sometimes running — always for a reason.
We wave at passersby, sometimes we greet them, sometimes it’s just a smile sometimes we stop and talk, sometimes walking together, always for a reason.
We have neighborly expectations, sometimes it’s watering plants, sometimes it’s calling the ill, sometimes it’s being complimentary, sometimes it’s being watchful, always for a reason.
We can be a convivial people, sometimes we go out together, occasionally we party together, sometimes we join clubs together, sometimes we share community work, always for a reason.
We can be adversaries, sometimes our expectations are not real, sometimes we overreact, sometimes we take reactions personally, sometimes power is polarized, frustration generalized, always for a reason.
We can be Pleasantville, sometimes we are without color, sometimes we are in pools of sorrow, sometimes we are in waves of joy,
sometimes drifting through my open mind,
always for a reason.
Robinia neomexicana, New Mexico Locust Blossom — Image by kenne
The New Mexico Locust are in full bloom on Mt. Lemmon, which is a prominent understory tree in spruce-fir, fir, and mixed conifer forests. New Mexico locust has beautiful flowers that can brighten whole hillsides in the spring so it is sometimes planted as an ornamental. This use, however, is limited because of its small size, tendency to root sprout, and thorny stems. (U.S. Forest Service)
Painted Desert– B&W Image by kenne
Katelyn at Sunset (March 2017) — Photo-Artistry by kenne
“Waves of Joy” — Image by kenne
“Pools of Sorrow” — Image by kenne
Robinia neomexicana, New Mexico Locust Blossom — Image by kenne
Isla del Sol Boat — Photo-Artistry by kenne
Foggy Morning On The Square (Jackson Square) — Photo-Artistry by kenne
