October: Half Over

It was a  busy week.  Monday morning started with some amazing sky - at least for a few minutes.  On Wednesday, I had to travel to Bowling Green and back for work - 247 miles each way.  I snapped exactly one picture during my 9 hours on the road.  On Friday, it was off to Grundy, Va.  No time for any pictures that day.  So I went over to Dewey Lake this morning for some great fog and foliage.

Meanwhile my giveaway of 10 signed paperbacks of The Road of Regret ended at midnight.  892 people registered for the giveaway and 317 folks added to their "to read" shelves, so I'm very happy with the results.  Now to get the 10 copies shipped!

Monday Morning

Wednesday near Somerset (KY)

Green Apples

Fallen

Honeysuckle

Early Birds

 

Dewey Lake 1

Dewey Lake 2

Only 1 Week Left

The signup for the giveaway of 10 free, autographed paperback copies of The Road of Regret at Goodreads ends in a week.  Sign up for your chance to win!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Road of Regret

by Jeff Damron

Giveaway ends October 20, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Square Sunday at Home

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

I posted my review of this Pulitzer Prize winning book on Goodreads today.  Here is what I said:



This book was not what I thought it would be. I was expecting observations and ruminations on rural life from some time alone in the country. It is that. But that is just the launching pad for a view of the natural and supernatural worlds that is unlike anything I've ever read before. The book combines observations of the natural world in a Virginia valley with information learned from a host of other sources about science, nature and spirituality. It is a fairly short book but it took me several weeks to read - in part due to limited time, in part due to a few challenging sections, and in part due to the beauty and elegance of the writing. In places deeply spiritual, in places horrifying in its descriptions of nature (particularly the insect world), in places surreal - this small volume serves up a wide variety of "moments."

Here is the first thing I underlined in my copy of the book:


Peeping through my keyhole I see within the range of only about thirty percent of the light that comes from the sun; the rest is infrared and some little ultraviolet, perfectly apparent to many animals, but invisible to me. A nightmare network of ganglia, charged and firing without my knowledge, cuts and splices what I do see, editing it for my brain. Donald E. Carr points out that the sense impressions of one celled animals are not edited for the brain: "This is philosophically interesting in a rather mournful way, since it means that only the simplest animals perceive the universe as it is."



This is followed by many, many more intriguing combinations of information and observations. In the end, it is an incredible meditation on the world and universe in which we live, filled with horror and grace, each making the other more powerful. Annie Dillard was not yet thirty when she wrote this masterpiece, and so it is not perfect, though perfect enough to win a Pulitzer Prize. A more mature writer may have toned down some of the more self-indulgent forays that read more like writing exercises, but a more mature writer would probably also shy away from the fearless ambition of this book. Still, this is one of my favorite books I've ever read. Ms. Dillard's worldview and writing style is not for everyone - some people apparently loathe this book. I would suggest you read a snippet at Amazon, or buy a used copy like I did. I know I will read this one again so I plan to buy a hardback next.

Close Shave

My wife's friend, Liz, threw a "head shaving party" for Ann on Wednesday night.  Ann's hair was falling out in clumps as we neared round 2 of chemotherapy on Thursday, so Liz had her hairdresser come to house.  There was food and drinks and family and an electric hair trimmer and a razor.  Followed by a wig.

Even Before Hippies, There was Love

I never met my grandfather, Frank Hall.  He died in 1955, before I was born.  But I do have a few pictures of him and a few of his writings.  Like me, he was a lawyer.  And like me, he practiced workers (or, as it was known then, "workmens') compensation law.  He was even an Administrative Law Judge for a time, having been appointed by Governor Happy Chandler.  And he was a farmer, with an orchard,  And he was a beekeeper.  These last few impress me more these days than when I was younger. 

For a time, Frank (full name: Franklin Pierce Hall) was also Clerk for the New Salem Association of Old Regular Baptists.  He was asked to write the Circular Letter for the 1952 session - their annual meeting.  The following is excerpted from that letter.

...I could mention many subjects in the Bible that would be interesting and beneficial, but the night following your selection of me to write this letter, I was impressed and inspired, as I feel, to write on the subject of "Love."...There is no greater subject to be found in the Bible.
The Apostle John...writes much about this subject.  John tells us love is of God and God is love.  We all understand that love has more than one form, and we all know, or should know, it's the greatest thing in the world, in the home, in the church and in our associations.  It is that perfect expression of unselfishness which prompts us to do good, to return good for evil, and to make the Golden Rule our rule of dealing with our Brethren and Sisters, and not only them, but all with whom we deal and come in contact with.  It puts into our lives something nothing else can put there, a feeling for which a price cannot be fixed, a feeling all the gold on earth cannot buy.  Naturally, everybody has love for natural things, love for their family, love for their country, and in a degree, love for all humanity.  This natural love prompts the parent to work for and support its offspring; it prompts us to love our homes and the natural surroundings, and to protect our countries against invaders. 

I could write at length about natural love, but my desire is to write about the love the Apostle John wrote about.  God's love, which we are born of, and lets us...love in deed and in truth and not in words nor expressions by tongue.... Love is the the dominant factor throughout both the old and new scriptures and a requirement of our Lord.
...
Beloved, our whole spiritual life is the product of love, and not only our whole spirit lives, but love is the foundation of all our true churches and associations. ...
...
...I must conclude this letter, but my subject will go on, for it's from the beginning to the end.  It's the first and the last.  God is love.  In the day and age, tribulation is mounting, and we are praying for peace, peace, where there is no peace except that found in Jesus....  Spiritual peace is a product of love.  It is born in us, and prompts us to strive for unity; prompts us to work for harmony and refrain from saying or doing anything that will bring discord.... 

May God's perfect love and peace be with you and bless you all.  Your humble Brother in hope for a more abundant life.

                                                                                                               Frank P. Hall

Too bad I never met my mother's father.  I think I would have liked him.  Or, maybe closer to the truth, I would like him if I met him now.

A Fun Afternoon

Just for fun, Ann and I set out for a small applery (my made-up word) in Harlan County for some honeycrisps.  We ate lunch at the Texas Roadhouse in Pikeville on the way.  And then went across Pine Mountain to the little place I know to get some apples.  We talked to the nice people there for quite a while.  Turns out they grow their honeycrisp apples on 3000+ trees on nearby Lynch Mountain at a height of more than 5000 feet.  All I can tell you is that they are delicious.  But the day was so beautiful that the drive was most of the point and even if they had been sold out of apples, the day would still have been a good one.  On the way back we stopped at one of my favorite overlooks on Pine Mountain, where I took this picture.