Blinders

There are times when blinders are necessary, to protect us from viewing things best not seen.  But there are times we put on blinders to avoid seeing that which we should see.  Knowing when and where to put on our blinders is the tough thing.  In Man of La Mancha, Aldonza tells Don Quixote "Take the clouds from your eyes and see me as I really am!" Don Quixote, from a rich upper class society, would never have noticed Aldonza, who was of much lower social ranking, if it weren't for his blinders.  Their friendship would not have happened.  (Or maybe his blinders were off, and without prejudice or preconceived ideas, he could see past Aldonza's thick skin and into her heart.)  They say love is blind... and that is not always a bad thing.

In Daily KOS, John Crapper writes about perception blinders, saying:

They are the lenses we use to see, process, make sense of, and judge the world around us.  Blinders tend to fight against open mindedness.  They tend to restrict the possible.  They fight against exposure and acceptance of the new.  They tend to diminish empathy and compassion for the “other way”.  They foster the “my way or the highway” mindset.  These blinders started forming almost immediately after our birth and they continue to define themselves as we go through life.  As we age our blinders tend to solidify and are subject to less change.  We basically become more “set in our ways”. 

There are many types (metaphorically speaking) of blinders; cultural, spiritual, moral, political, ethical etc.  The Bible (Mathew 7:3 seen right), gives Godly advice about removing blinders.  But God also tells us when to put blinders on.  Refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar.  We should not poison ourselves.  We should have nothing to do with those who deal crookedly; we should not blindly follow society's standards.





Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit. (2 Corinthians 7:1)  The bible warns us not to look at sinful things or we will desire, or dwell on them.  But, blinders can prevent us from gaining a full understanding of a situation.  If we turn a blind eye, and ignore the atrocities happening in today's world, are we accepting them?  Arundhati Roy also brings up an important point. "The trouble is that once you see it, you can't un-see it.  And once you've seen it, keeping quiet, saying nothing, becomes as political an act as speaking out.  There's no innocence.  Either way, you're accountable.”

For the last several days, knowing it was going to be cold, cloudy, and windy, I had planed to do inside jobs Saturday.  But when I woke up, I remembered that this was a planned trail work day, and several people were going to meet us out on the trail to help out.  We had gotten a down pour of rain (but only a quarter inch) during the night, which had left everything damp.  The temperature had also dropped from the 70's into the 30's.

Seen right, Zorro getting a drink.  Notice how dead and dry so much of the vegetation looks, especially on the mountain in the background.  Seen left, our back yard grass is also completely dormant and dead looking.  (These two photos taken Sunday)

There were five workers, besides Joe and I, to help better clear the trail.  We had two chainsaws going, but neither was very large or reliable.  We did walk the whole trail and clear some small trees to make it wider, worked at some of the side slant on the hill to level the footing, and removed little stumps and rocks that caused tripping or sliding.  After 2 1/2 hours of work, it was much improved.



Once home, I did some winterizing of a few plants, brought some others in, rolled up and stored my three hoses for the winter, put away all Halloween decorations and lights, and came in well before dark because it was getting cold.  The high was 45 and it was predicted to drop (which it did) to 24 overnight.  We met Brian, Andy and Rita at Red's for dinner, followed by karaoke with some singing and dancing along.



I got this Blog started Sunday morning, giving more thought to the subject of being narrow minded or having tunnel vision and the need to remove a few blinders.  After Church and lunch I went to the barn and saddled up my horse.  This video shows Zorro following Amiga and I to the barn.  I rode Amiga on the new (improved) trail and went to Terry's farm.  Because the three dogs (you can barely see them in this photo) were with me, I only went into the back pasture to see how her in-laws new house was coming.  The walls are going up but there is no roof yet.

I was cold when I got home so just played "Susie Homemaker."  I built a fire, did two loads of laundry, got dinner in the oven, made a salad to go with it, and even took a short nap on the couch in front of the fire.  After dinner, Joe and I watched the first hour show of the National Geographic series Mars.

Monday morning while at my computer, I saw a pair of Goldfinch hit the window.  I hate when I witness these crashes.  I watched, and neither moved, lying stunned a few feet from each other, on the cold decking, in the shadows of the house.  I decided to check on them, holding them together in my hands to warm them up.  As the male became revived, he eventually flew from my hands, but the female was still quite stunned.  I decided to set her down and give her more time.  But then after several minutes watching from my window, I decided to bring her inside, holding and warming her.  This photo was from the internet, but exactly what I was holding.

After quite awhile, I opened my hand to check on the finch, and she decided to give flight a try.  She hit the inside of the window right in front of me and fell to my desk.  Immediately Stevie caught her.  I had to pry the cats mouth open to release the bird.  She was badly injured, bleeding from a puncture wound to her chest.  I felt sick.  I should have been more careful.  I hate cruel nature.  I wish I had blinders on to it sometimes.  I applied pressure to her wound and watched her gasping.  I tried not to cry and just prayed.  Eventually to free up my hands so I could type, I put the finch, who was wrapped in a kleenex, under my sweat shirt in my lap to keep her warm.  After about 15 minutes, when I carefully checked on her, she showed signs of life, strength, and I could not see where she had been bleeding.  I took her outside, opened my hand, and off she flew.  I thanked God.

Jan took this photo of I on Amiga last week.

Shopping took up a good part of the day, for I had added some birthday and Christmas gifts to my list.  I also puttered around the house, inside and out, while preparing to be gone over Thanksgiving.  More laundry and the start of packing were also accomplished.


Tuesday I had a long list to get done as I cleaned, organized, and packed to be gone for nearly a week.  I finally drained, clean, and stowed away my fish tank.  It has been sitting empty for two months.  It is with mixed feelings I did this.  Throughout my life, I have been blessed to be able to keep so many different pets, including the aquatic ones that I enjoy watching.  However, like any pet, they take time and money to keep clean, feed, happy and healthy.  I put the tank in storage, rather than the Goodwill pile, because I just might want to pursue this hobby again some day.





Then I had to cat proof our heat vents.  I cleaned each vent, as far as I could reach down them, and then cut the 1/4 inch hardware cloth to fit each vent opening.  Stevie was inspecting the work as I moved around the house.  I think this will end her duct labyrinth adventures.




After lunch I went to the barn, taking my time to chat and then catch Amiga.  Seen here, Amigo was saying hi, but Amiga was giving him the evil ear.







Amiga did great going out on the new trail.  She went slowly, stopped when I asked, and didn't rush around or cut corners, which kept my legs from hitting trees and gave me time to duck when needed (there are still a few low branches and twigs).



We cantered up Stratford (video) to met up with Jan (on Zip) above, Karen (on Behiem), and Jan's Granddaughter Ava (on Cash) see left.
 







The horses were a little more wound up since we were in a larger group.  But we had a good time and a very enjoyable ride.



We rode a lot of back roads and then took this section of power line that is part of Fairfield Glade property.  Going back to the barn, Amiga really rush over the new trail, causing me to bump by head and knee a few times.

Once home, I decided I needed to water a few of the new transplants outside and do one last load of laundry.  I also packed some stuff into the SUV, in preparation for our next morning departure.  I needed blinders, like race horses and farming horses, to keep me focused on where I am going and keep me from being distracted from everything else around me while I worked.

I got up early on Wednesday to finish this post and do some last minute packing and chores.  In a little while, we are climbing into the SUV and heading to Chicago-land to be with family.  I hope and pray you all have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.
Don't forget that Thanksgiving is a time to acknowledge all our blessings and to give thanks.  The "First Thanksgiving" was celebrated by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World in 1621.  This feast lasted three days, and—as accounted by attendee Edward Winslow— it was attended by 90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims.  As President of the United States, George Washington proclaimed the first nationwide thanksgiving celebration in America, marking November 26, 1789, "as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the many and signal favors of Almighty God."