And imperfect is exactly right. Yesterday was one of those delicious days when nothing much happened. I went about my work. Not too energetically. Alone on the farm again. The quiet is getting quieter. The road is still blocked by construction from both directions, it has been like this all summer but they seem to have come to a pause too. All the animals are doing a lot of sleeping. I collected images as the day progressed and then after our evening skunk free dog walk, I brought in the camera and had a look to see what we had for today.
Nothing seemed quite right. Again and again the image I decided to go with, the one that appealed the most, was not the picture I have been taught was right. It did not fit my equation of correctness. 
To show The Duke of Kupa’s disappearing tail as he goes through the moult, I had to choose between one that had his feathers in focus but no head and one that had the whole of his body but out of focus. The image needed to tell a story. The story of his feathers being abandoned without care all over the property. Me finding jewels scattered in the dirt. I had to have his head, even if it was out of focus. Otherwise it made no sense. So I chose imperfect and it was right.
I took a shot of Queenie Wineti, trying once again to get her incredibly long eyelashes. 
But the best one was the one that held a slightly soft tear in her gentle cows eye. The one in focus was clinical in comparison. It did not show the supreme gentleness of this stocky little cow. Her unassuming lack of acuteness.
I shot honey pictures one after the other but the one that stood out.. 
.. was the one of the clean up guys, missed a spot, they are saying. The image is imperfect, the harvest table is worn and wonky, the focus is not on the rising bee, and I have not cleaned up well so the bees have taken over. Their diligence is demanding that we see that the honey is all about them. Not glass jars and shiny lids. 
The haymakers field is growing back. And this time it will be allowed to grow. No more mowing and baling. Peace reigns once more. I am a gardener of grass. Pasture is my most important crop. We nurture the fields. Though once again this is a bracketed shot, a back up image that should not have been my first choice, but it says something. It is right.
I was talking to Senior Son last night about the book he was reading. I like it, he said, because every character is flawed. That makes sense I thought because we are all flawed. This is what makes us thoughtful. This is what makes us strive. As long as we embrace our flaws. Allow them. Work with them. People who cannot love their flaws are sad.
But then perfection appears, my pompous theories are thrust aside as nature gives us such balanced complete beauty that we have to stop. Forget the stories. Forget the work. Forget focus. Give our tired feet a moments respite and just watch. The silence was uncanny last night. The stillness as soft as the air. I wondered if I was going very deaf yesterday evening. The farmy was all for the eyes. The sunset majestic.
Yes, sometimes perfect is absolutely right to the wonderfully flawed beings that we are. Because we deserve these simple complete moments. Every single one of us deserves them. They are here for those who see. And if we do not get it wrong, how will we know when we get it right?
Though sometimes, a little bit wrong is perfect too.
Good morning. I hope you all have a lovely day. I will be on the farmy plodding along all day today, as usual. I have a list that I will forget to look at!
celi
On this day a year ago. I showed you the most common spider in the garden. This year I have not seen a single one. They are nowhere to be found. Now Mandy and John. Do not open this link. You know how you hate spiders. You just pop over and talk to each other about peaches and marmalade.
c
The Kitchen's Garden 
97 responses to “When flawed is just perfect..”
Hi Celi! I’m back and catching up on your farmy and mine! So good to be home! I’ve got lots of questions for you, especially about your bees, but will email you soon! Just love your post this morning, especially the farmy at sunset! xo
i was just thinking this morning that you were about due to come home and get on with your own chores!! c
Oh I love every single shot C! Hee hee, I had to laugh as I was reading about your post form a year ago – I was thinking to myself, “Sorry C, not going there again – last year was enough for me!”
Have a lovely day too.
🙂 Mandy xo
I still feel terrible, both you and ChgJohn about leapt out of your chairs! c
I bet Kupa feels off balance, poor thing. His loss is your treasure. Love dancing bees.
Morning Alice, every day now i find at least 4 or 5 long perfect feathers. They are not as beautiful when dropped in the muck! c
Do you honestly think I was going to click a link to see the “most common spider in the garden”? I’m glad they’ve seemingly left your farm. I just hope they went south rather than north — which reminds me. I need more bug spray. If they did head north, they’ll probably be arriving shortly. How long does it take a spider to walk 80 miles, anyway? Doesn’t matter. I’ll be ready!
Have a great day, Celi!
I made sure i gave you two full warning this time! I believe that spiders take trains, walking hurts their little feetses! c
Peacocks and spiders, bees and bovine eyelashes – stir carefully and enjoy. A recipe for a grand day Celi. For years we had a pair of peacocks who lived next door. I collected every discarded feather I could find. I now have two enormous exotic bouquets of peacock feathers. I don’t collect spider webs and we have a surfeit of them. They spin their magic and I take a broom every couple of days and sweep them off the walls and windows of our home. They are invading the house – some of the wolf spiders can be 2 or 3 inches big. The Good Husband carefully catches them (he used an old Chanel powder box top and a paper coaster) and deposits them outside. This is the man who got up at 4 am and drove down to the river to release a mouse caught in the live mouse trap. He felt it was too stressful to leave mousey in the trap until morning. I adore your imperfect. Perfect makes me nervous. Virginia
Only you would have a spare chanel powder puff box top to lend to your husband as a spider catcher!! morning virginia.. c.
Only the best for our spiders!! V.
Above all, your images have heart. And I love that shot of the bees! 🙂
Morning ted, hope all is well .. i must pop over.. c
Drop by anytime, the door is open and the coffee (or tea) is on. Spend as much or as little time as you want. (it’s difficult to find some, time that is, now days) 🙂
You are flawlessly perfect, Cinders!! Way off subject here…well maybe not too far off…have you read “The Secret Life of Bees”?? I’m sure you have…I loved that book!! Your images and words couldn’t be more perfect to me!! 🙂
Be Sweet Honey!!
I did read that.. what a great book! c
You’ve given us gorgeous illustrations to hold onto if we think we’re in peril of slipping into the perfectionist quicksand! I feel such a sense of gratitude for even the small missteps in life, which have probably served to keep me from calamity. I’d have a hard time identifying perfection! Looking at the beauty in that sky and a great place to focus and just appreciate, however! Debra
Perfect is just so hard to maintain.. too tiring.. c
Beauty and something being perfect is in the eye of the beholder.
Yes it is Karen.. I am sure not everyone is into the eyelashes of a cow! c
I remember them on being especially long and beautiful on the little calves…oh so cute.
Flaws are what make us all different and interesting 😉
Thank goodness.. c
So far my garden spiders are really not present…I don’t know why. I don’t know where they went. I even don’t know if they will be coming back. A fall garden with out webs and spiders is sort of sad, don’t you think?
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com
I have noticed a lack this year as well, in the garden that is.. it is sad to have the mists and not webs to collect the dew drops.. c
Oh Blimey! I missed last year’s post somehow…. shudder… I’ll be in the corner with Mandy and John!!
I love your imperfect photos.
Well, rest assured, I never did it again, I hate scaring my friends.. so no more spider shots! c
Perfectly stated.
Your shots are absolutely fantastic. I look forward to looking at your photos and reading about the farmy every day. Too many rules are imposed on our every day life, including our photography. “Rule of thirds, don’t crop that out, that isn’t a straight line!, wrong thing in focus, too soft, too sharp, too dark, wayyy blown”, and the list goes on. I find that the photos of mine I like most are the ‘flawed ones’, the ones that are way less than perfect. Yours, to me, are not flawed, but are a perfect example of beautiful artwork. The world how you see it.
I absolutely love the photo of Queenie’s beautiful eye, and the bees. Well, they are ALL beautiful.
One day we hope to have a little farmy of our own. : )
I hope you get your little farmy, it is such a joy and such a wonderful way to BE! welcome to the comments lounge!! c
Thank you! I’ve been following your blog for awhile but this is the first time I’ve ventured to comment. My grandparents live on a farm but they are in their 90s now so the critters have slimmed down to dogs and cats. They used to have cows, goats, and chickens in my youth, but when my mom was little they had rabbits and pigs too. It is still my favorite place to go, and I agree, it is a wonderful way to be! : ) They are still gardening and splitting and hauling wood, canning their own food and bush hogging the pasture field. One day I’ll get there perhaps. ; )
Good morning and welcome! Your grandparents must know so much. The information they carry about in their heads is so valuable.. I bet you have the best time when you visit.. c
That is way too much detail in that spider shot…GROSS. Put me on the list of haters too, please.
What lovely photos, particularly the bee shot.
Ok Eva honey, i shall warn you as well if there is a spider shot coming, but there are not many spiders this year so you are safe! c