It was the first weekend of October when we visited the State Fair of Texas in 2012. And it was chilly. Most of the time, we avoided the wind and walked into buildings. Since the Automobile Building protected us from the chill, I captured photos of the Mural on the walls along the Esplanade Fountain in Fair Park, Dallas, Texas.
Eastern Poison Ivy or poison ivy, is an allergenic flowering plant that grows in Asia and eastern North America. The species is well known for causing urushiol-induced contact dermatitis, an itchy, irritating, and sometimes painful rash, in most people who touch it. The rash is caused by urushiol, a clear liquid compound in the plant’s sap. The species is variable in its appearance and habit, and despite its common name, it is not a true ivy (Hedera), but rather a member of the cashew and pistachio family (Anacardiaceae). Eastern Poison Ivy is commonly eaten by many animals and the seeds are consumed by birds, but poison ivy is most often thought of as an unwelcome weed. It is a different species from Western Poison Ivy, which has similar effects.
Chewbacca’s outlook over his territory is our porch. He loves to rest on the railing, and either watch the wildlife or take a nap. When he rests there, I say: “Chewie’s probably meditating, again.” He’s my fur Zen Buddha; very peaceful and knows the art of cat martial arts.
Novembrrr brings a colorful leafy medley and on those cool mornings evokes the senses with comforting earthy aromatic notes, frozen and frosty blue lavender, and white amber dusted with cool mint and chilled, sparkling citrus.
Top: Chilled Citrus Mid: Blue Lavender, Spearmint, Peppermint Base: White Amber, White Birch
The McIntosh (Malus domestica) is an apple cultivar, the national apple of Canada. The fruit has red and green skin, a tart flavor, and tender white flesh, which ripens in late September. In the 20th century, it was the most popular cultivar in Eastern Canada and New England and is considered an all-purpose apple, suitable both for cooking and eating raw.
John McIntosh discovered the original McIntosh sapling on his Dundela farm in Upper Canada 1811. He and his wife cultivated it, and the family started grafting the tree and selling the fruit in 1835. In 1870 it entered commercial production and became common in northeastern North America after 1900. While still important in production, the fruit’s popularity fell in the early 21st century due to competition from varieties such as the Gala. According to the US Apple Association website, it is one of the fifteen most popular apple cultivars in the United States.
May your stuffing be tasty, May your Turkey be plump. May your potatoes and gravy have nary a lump. May your yams be delicious, and your pies take the prize, and may your Thanksgiving dinner stay of your thighs.
Katelynn, Sara, and I went to the DFW Founder’s Plaza in Grapevine. The girls are out of school for this week. And the day is too beautiful to sit in the house all day. We watched several airplanes launch and land at the DFW International Airport. When Sara got “ants in her pants”, we had to walk around for a little bit before we drove back home for lunch.
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, and confusion into clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” ~ Melody Beattle
Aloe Vera, Jade, Lety’s Sedeveria, Portylacaria Afra, and Wax Agave
I remember when I was little, my paternal grandmother used to love cacti. And she also had them for years. Every year, she re-potted some of them. And therefore, she had her fingers bricked by a gazillion of the stingers. But she didn’t care, because she loved these plants so much. I like them too, but not that much. I love the beauty and sight of cacti. And I love that these plants can live without water for months. Their blossoms look so beautiful.
So, to make this story short: I went to the local nursery to get a small Juniper and a Pine tree for the Christmas season. While I made my choices on these trees, I stumbled across a shelf with succulents. The ones with the ceramic pile of books caught my interest. And I decided to take one home. It contains an Aloe Vera, a Jade, a Lety’s Sedeveria, a Portylacaria Afra, and a Wax Agave. The girls are fascinated, and keep asking: “Are these real plants?” After I explained a few facts about succulents to the girls, they just kept looking at these small plants. Let’s see, how we will do in a few months. 😉
“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” ~ Oprah Winfrey
In November 2015, Kevin, Katelynn, Sara, and I visited my in-laws in North Carolina before we traveled to Washington, D.C. While in Valdese, we visited McGalliard Falls.
Hiking wasn’t always the fashionable pastime it is today. Before the Subarus and the Jeeps and the Patagonias built an industry around the activity, walking – of any kind – was considered an activity for the impoverished or the vagrant. The Romantic era of the Victorian years inspired the likes of Walden and Thoreau to reconnect with nature and that, in turn, inspired the landscape architects to design parks with excellent walking trails (looking at you Frederick Law Olmsted of Central Park fame). Walking then became something of the educated, the unhurried, the luxurious.
Until John Muir came along and walked his way through the Sierra Nevadas in California and demanded that not only hiking, walking, meandering, sojourning, whatever you want to call it to be accessible to every American citizen, but that the country should actively preserve natural areas of pristine ecology and beauty. So in 1890 he petitioned to create the National Park System and we were endowed with “America’s best idea” – Yosemite and Sequoia National Park. But even before Muir, on the east coast, a small group of people had banded together in 1876 to form the Appalachian Mountain Club, which aimed to protect and preserve all hiking trails along the historic mountain range and develop new ones.
This morning, we experienced our first frost in Connecticut. But this didn’t stop Kevin and me from driving to the Kent Falls State Park and doing a little mid-morning hike along the falls. We made sure, we had an extra layer of clothes on. And up the trail, we went. The part of the Kent Falls, seen at the bottom of the trail, is only a small portion. The falls have a drop of 250 feet in total. Since they wind around the corner, they can’t be seen simultaneously. Kevin and I had to hike up a steep trail to get an idea, of how big and how long the falls were running through the hill. Unfortunately, we still didn’t make it to the top. However, the part of the trail we’ve hiked was so worth it.
Today I cleaned out our greenhouse. It was time to get rid of the wilted tomato plants. The basil and peas were ready to get pulled up as well. When the cool wind blows outside, I’m still protected from it inside the greenhouse. It’s not too warm or too cold. Therefore, it is fun to work in there. The sun was ready to set when I was done for the day. I captured several photos before I went back into our warm house.
American Heroes is a FREE weekend celebration honoring America’s heroes with live music, remembrance ceremonies, carnival, fair food, car/truck/bike show, and the best patriotic fireworks display in North Texas!
We salute you and thank you for your service to our country!
The photos are from the festival in 2015. In Connecticut, I miss having a Veteran’s Festival close by. Watertown still celebrates our Veterans in the Veteran’s Memorial Park. Oakville has a ceremony at the Oakville Town Green. However, we don’t have 5K Runs, carnival, live music from famous artists, and fireworks.
I decided to make a Woodland sign since I still had another unused pumpkin wood sign. Recently, I ordered some rub-on transfers from Amazon. And they are perfect for making signs and ornaments with them, after coloring the pumpkin wood sign completely in white chalk paint. Once, the paint was dried I rubbed on the transfer sticker. As a finish, I used antique wax to stain the sign. Now, the wax is dry. And the sign hangs on our living room wall.
Kevin told me two deer were in the forest when I returned home from picking up Sara at school. So, we went down to the upper tree line to check if they were still there. And sure enough, the two young ladies hung out on our property. Deer #1 kept her distance at the other end of the tree line while Deer #2 hid behind a tree. It took us a moment to see her. She was well camouflaged in the forest. Smart girl! After we watched them for a while, we guessed Deer# 2 got spooked and made a leap onto the neighbor’s property, where she was waiting for her sister to come along with her. Soon, they were gone in the underbrushes of the forest. Kevin mentioned getting a deer blind. We can watch all kinds of wildlife visiting our property. We still haven’t seen Bruno the Bear yet.
This afternoon, I watched Momma Squirrel having an adventure with her two pups. The weather was sunny and warm enough to hop around in the trees. Since most of the leaves dropped to the ground, Momma Squirrel had a better eye on her offspring. She made sure, they were all safe on their playground.
Later on, I went over to my neighbors’ for a little chat, while my dinner was simmering on the stove. Now, that it gets colder, he provides the birds and critters some sunflower seeds. I haven’t put mine out, yet. It is still too warm. And Bruno, the Bear, might roam around in our neighborhood. Probably in another week or two, I’ll be more comfortable to add a bird feeder to my yard. For right now, I do some birdwatching in my neighbor’s yard.
Joshua is not happy that Daylight Saving ends tonight.
Joshua was not happy when I told the pack that they had breakfast and dinner one hour later, from now on until March: “WHAAAT? Do we have to wait until dawn? What is this sorcery? I don’t understand it. But if you say so, I guess it is what it is. Only humans get this crazy idea, of changing their clocks back and forth. And they are supposed to be the most intelligent species on this planet. … ” … As we can tell, Joshua is on a rant about the end of daylight saving. In the USA, Canada, Greenland, Mexico, and some Caribbean Islands, we will change our clocks one hour BACK.
Arbor Day celebrates planting and nurturing trees, and all the ways trees enrich our lives and stabilize the environment. Historians trace Arbor Day’s origins back to the fifth century when Swiss villagers gathered to plant groves of oak trees. Adults turned the event into a festival and children were given treats as a reward for their help planting trees.
Arbor Day first appeared in the United States in 1872. J. Sterling Morton is credited with guiding this country’s first Arbor Day resolution through the Nebraska Legislature that year. Residents of the Great Plains recognized how much trees could do for them, and they enthusiastically embraced Morton’s vision.
President Theodore Roosevelt was a strong supporter of Arbor Day. Early in the 20th century, it was becoming clear that the nation’s forests were being exhausted by cut-out-and-get-out timber harvesting. The science of forest management was emerging, and the government was moving to suppress wildfires and plant trees. Roosevelt sent a letter to the children of the United States in which he wrote, “A people without children would face a hopeless future; a country without trees is almost as hopeless.”
In Texas, Arbor Day first appeared in Temple on Feb. 22, 1889. W. Goodrich Jones led the citizens of Temple in a mass meeting to call for a tree-planting campaign along the streets of the city. One year later, the first statewide observance of Arbor Day was held in Austin. Through the efforts of Sen. George Tyler of Belton, Feb. 22 was set aside by law as Arbor Day to encourage planting trees in the state.
After the original Texas Arbor Day law expired, the state continued to observe Arbor Day by proclamation of the governor, usually on George Washington’s birthday. In 1949, the Texas Legislature adopted a resolution designating the third Friday in January as Texas Arbor Day.
In 1989 the Legislature passed a resolution moving Texas Arbor Day to the last Friday in April to align with the traditionally observed national Arbor Day. Today, the official Texas Arbor Day is held on the first Friday in November. Still, thanks to the diversity of this state, Arbor Day can be celebrated in Texas communities anytime throughout the fall and winter planting season.
Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, is a traditional Mexican holiday celebrated on November 2. On this day, it is believed that the souls of the dead return to visit their living family members. Many people celebrate this day by visiting the graves of deceased loved ones and setting up altars with their favorite foods, drinks, and photos.
This afternoon, I took another peek at the leaves in Echo Lake Park. And with sadness I have to say, the “Leaf Peeping Peak Season” is over. Here and there are trees still dressed in Autumn leaves. A lot of them are bare, now. I can tell, that November has arrived in New England. Well, I will enjoy what is left for the rest of the season, before I experience my first real Winter in almost two decades.
The European mantis is a large insect in the family of the Mantidae (‘mantids’), which is the largest family of the order Mantodea (mantises). Their common name praying mantis is derived from the distinctive posture of the first pair of legs that can be observed in animals in repose. It resembles a praying attitude. Both males and females have elongated bodies with two pairs of wings. The most striking features that all Mantodea share are a very mobile, triangular head with large compound eyes and their first pair of legs (the ‘raptorial legs’), which are highly modified for the efficient capture and restraint of fast-moving or flying prey. In Germany, the European Mantis is listed as Gefährdet [endangered] on the German Red List based on an assessment from 1998. It is not supposed to be caught or held as a pet. At a global level, it is assessed by the IUCN as least concern.
For the last five Sundays, I posted photos of the pumpkins I have been carving for Halloween nights. People were admiring my Jack-o-Lanterns and asked, how I carve them. In this blog, I will explain it.
Before I even think about this carving process, I have to look for the right pumpkin in the store or pumpkin patch. The key points, I’m looking for are:
Does the pumpkin have any nicks or bruises?
Does the stem look healthy and is not cut too short?
Is the pumpkin big enough for what I would like to do with it?
Does the pumpkin have a smooth surface?
Do I really like the pumpkin or should I keep looking for a better one?
A pumpkin should look healthy. Because it will rot if it has nicks, bruises, or the stem is cut too short. It also should be the right size for the pattern, I have in mind. The pumpkin should be smooth and without warts. Having a bumpy surface makes it harder to apply the stencil and carve the pumpkin. Sometimes, I look at a pumpkin and think: This is not the right one, I just keep looking. Since I started looking for pumpkins at the beginning of October, there is plenty of time to find the perfect one for my project.
Usually on October 30th, I begin to carve pumpkins. This gives me an extra day, in case I’m getting too busy on Halloween. I’ll let you know, how I keep the pumpkins nice and fresh for a day or two before they have their big day on our front porch.
First I gather all my tools, bowls, stencils, and of course, pumpkins together, before I begin with the carving. A couple of days ago, the girls and I decided on what pattern they like to get carved into their pumpkins.
After I opened the pumpkin with a kitchen knife, I got those gooey pumpkin guts out. (Usually, I cut it at an angle. The warmth of the candles shrinks it a little bit. That way it stays on the pumpkin and won’t fall inside of it.) When Katelynn was little, she always helped me and said: “We have to get the pumpkin-yikes out of it, before we can carve the pumpkin!” So cute! She still calls it “pumpkin-yikes”.
I always use the scraper to clean the pumpkin from the rest of the stuff, which keeps the seeds in place. With this tool, I can thin out the walls a little bit more. If the walls are too thick, the pumpkin is harder to carve. But if they are too thin, they can break easier, while I’m carving. Over the last few years, I’ve got a better feeling about it, how thick the walls are supposed to be. 😉
The pumpkin is clean inside and wiped down on the outside. Now I can apply the stencil with some Scotch tape before I use the poker around the lines. Personally, I do not recommend getting the stencil wet for a better fitting on the pumpkin surface. It takes forever until the paper is try. I never have the patience to wait for that. And poking the holes into wet paper makes a mess because it will rip faster.
As soon as the pattern is poked into the pumpkin, I remove the stencil. I always keep the stencil sitting next to the pumpkin as a reference. Sometimes a hole is not poked perfectly or the holes are too close together. Some people use a crayon or another marker to connect the lines. Once the stencil is removed, the carving can begin. A few years ago, I spent a little extra cash to get better carving tools. The tools, they provide with the stencil booklets are good for some carving. But I’ve noticed, I had to re-buy them, because they bent and/or become dull. I love this saw, as you can see in the picture. It has a bigger handle as well.
My little secret to keep the pumpkins in shape for a couple of days: I soak them with a splash of bleach in ice water. Some people wipe them with vinegar and use some vaseline, to prevent them from molding and drying out. But I’m not a fan of the vinegar smell; and the vaseline just looks messy, if it is not applied correctly.
When the “Jack-o-Lanterns” were still damp from soaking them in water, I lit them with a few tea candles to see, how they look in the dark. Katelynn and Sara can’t wait for Halloween night to get the pumpkins on the porch and show them to the kids from the neighborhood.
Are you ready for the results? Here are the “Jack-o-Lanterns” of 2017:
𝑾𝒐𝒍𝒇’𝒔 𝑩𝒂𝒏𝒆 While folklore suggests this unassuming yellow woodland flower might repel werewolves, we’re sure its delightful floral fragrance will have you happily howling at the moon!
Top: Floral Mid: Amber Base: Powder
𝑭𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝑵𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 Fiendishly delightful citrus notes swirl intriguingly with rare wood accords to create a fragrance that will drive you batty with pleasure!
Now in the darkening of the year the veil between the world wears thin and those gone on ahead draw near. In the hours of quiet remembrance that the waning season brings, we may feel their whispered presence like the brush of a gentle wind.
Blessed Samhain!
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Samhain ~ The Summer’s End
Samhain marks one of the two great doorways of the Celtic year, for the Celts divided the year into two seasons: the light and the dark, at Beltane on May 1st and Samhain on October 31st. Some believe that Samhain was the more important festival, marking the beginning of a whole new cycle, just as the Celtic day began at night. The most magically potent time of this festival is the night of October 31st, known today of course, as Halloween. The date marked both an ending and a beginning in an eternal cycle. In the country year, Samhain marked the first day of winter, when the herders led the cattle and sheep down from their summer hillside pastures to the shelter of stable and byre. The hay that would feed them during the winter must be stored in sturdy thatched ricks, tied down securely against storms. Those destined for the table were slaughtered, after being ritually devoted to the gods. All the harvest must be gathered in, barley, oats, wheat, turnips, and apples for come November, the faeries would blast every growing plant with their breath, blighting any nuts and berries remaining on the hedgerows. Peat and wood for winter fires were stacked high by the hearth. It was a joyous time of family reunion, when all members of the household worked together baking, salting meat, and making preserves for the winter feasts to come. The Celts believed that at the time of Samhain, more so than any other time of the year, the dead were able to mingle with the living, because at Samhain the souls of those who had died during the year traveled into the otherworld. As a feast of the dead, it was believed the dead could, if they wished, return to the land of the living for this one night, to celebrate with their family, tribe, or clan.
Kevin installed a motor and attached the brew stick in the cauldron. The motor was on a timer, so it seemed like the witch was literally stirring her brew. The funny part about it was, the motor started speeding up and the whole witch tried to keep the brew in control. When that happened, Kevin had to secure the cauldron and make sure, the witch wasn’t flying off. 😄😄😂
We have arrived at the last part of this year’s “My Jack-o-Lanterns” season. I can’t believe October went by so fast. Here are the pictures of the pumpkins from 2014, 2015, and 2016.
The White Oak (Quercus alba) is one of the preeminent hardwoods of eastern and central North America. It is a long-lived oak, native to eastern and central North America and found from Minnesota, Ontario, Quebec, and southern Maine south as far as northern Florida and eastern Texas. Specimens have been documented to be over 450 years old. Although called a white oak, it is very unusual to find an individual specimen with white bark; the usual color is light grey. The name comes from the color of the finished wood. In the forest, it can reach a magnificent height and in the open, it develops into a massive broad-topped tree with large branches striking out at wide angles.
Quercus alba is fairly tolerant of a variety of habitats and may be found on ridges, in valleys, and in between, in dry and moist habitats, and in moderately acid and alkaline soils. It is mainly a lowland tree but reaches altitudes of 1,600 m (5,249 ft) in the Appalachian Mountains. It is often a component of the forest canopy in an oak-heath forest. Frequent fires in the Central Plains region of the United States prevented oak forests, includingWhite Oak, from expanding into the Midwest. However, a decrease in the frequency of these natural fires after European settlement caused rapid expansion of oak forests into the Great Plains, negatively affecting the natural prairie vegetation.
National Pumpkin Day falls on October 26. Pumpkins are so much more than just a fun holiday accessory. Not only are they one of the best-known sources of beta-carotene (an antioxidant converted to vitamin A in the body), but pumpkins are loaded with fiber, potassium, and vitamin C. Try some on National Pumpkin Day (and of course have a little fun carving them).
Before I drove Sara to school, I warmed up the car and captured some photos with my Nikon. The sun just rose above the horizon, when I could see the fog past the trees in the valley. While we had no fog up on the hill in Watertown, Oakville was covered in a blanket. Sara’s school is about 300 ft lower in altitude than our home. The Autumn fog looked so pretty this morning.
𝕮𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖞 𝕮𝖔𝖗𝖓 Here’s the Kringle Candle Company’s take on the classic creamy vanilla, honey, and light spice that bedevils every autumnal sweet tooth. So far this candle formula is my Halloween favorite.
Kevin worked on the cauldron in previous years. But it came out the best on Halloween 2009. He had to cut a hole in the bottom to fit a pipe for the fog maker. A purple light bulb was installed before he aligned the inner cauldron with some dark fabric. Kevin glued some eyeballs and bones on top of the fabric to make them look like the witch just tossed them for her brew in the cauldron. Of course, needed a stand and a “fire”. Kevin got some golfball-sized styrofoam balls, cut a small hole, and spray painted them, so they would look like charcoal. Then he pushed red string lights in the precut holes to make the “charcoal look like it was glowing in the fire. Once the stand and the “charcoal” were in place, he set the cauldron on top of it and let the fog machine do its job. Ta-da! The witch had some brew cooking.
Another Sunday has arrived to show off some of my Jack-o-Lanterns of the years 2013 and 2014. Some I carved for our local “Family Fright Night Campout”. And a couple of pumpkins I carved for Halloween night. The white skull pumpkin is from Courtney. She asked me if I could capture a photo of it. It looked so cool I had to add it to my Jack-o-Lantern photo collection.
As the fall chill fills the air, on the darkest of nights, mournful cries of the abandoned dead are heard on the tracks at the Connecticut Trolley Museum. Listen to the tale of yesteryear, as you learn of a hastily moved cemetery whose bodies were left behind, their angry souls seeking their revenge. Come for a scare if you dare… the next trolley ride is an express to the Darkside!
During this haunted experience, ride vintage trolleys into the dark woods for a fear that you will never forget, visit the vortex tunnel if you dare, and end your experience in the Visitor Center if you can handle the unforeseen horror of death.
Yesterday, I went to the Veteran’s Memorial Park in town after I was at Echo Lake Park. I had a nice Autumn photo walk around the place before I went back home.
It has been two weeks since I visited the Echo Lake Park. And there is a difference almost like day and night. More trees have changed into their Autumn dresses. And the ones, that had changed already show their bright colors of crimson and gold. The sun peeked from behind the clouds. And it was quite windy, today. But this didn’t stop me from shooting some photos.
Katelynn wanted to help me with the pumpkin carving. So, I’ve got her a little pumpkin she could play with and get the pumpkin guts out. She always loved to say: “We need to get all the pumpkin yikes out!” And then she played with the gooey inside of the pumpkin.
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2009
Sara was only twelve days old when we celebrated Halloween in 2009. She was such a cute little Pumpkin. Katelynn wanted to help with the pumpkins again, while her little sister took a nap. Katelynn was very proud of being a big sister. She really enjoyed taking Sara out for her first Trick-or-Treat. All bundled up we walked through the neighborhood and collected candy on this cool October night. The fresh air was good for the little munchkin.
There still are a lot of emerald-colored trees in the forest. However, the golden colors become more and more present as the month of October goes on. I just hope we will get some crimson mixed in as well. Nothing in sight, yet. But, I don’t give up hope. It’s still too early to say, how the leaves will be at their peak in another week or so.
Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble. Fillet of a fenny snake, In the caldron boil and bake; Eye of newt and toe of frog, Wool of bat and tongue of dog, Adder’s fork and blind worm’s sting, Lizard’s leg and Howlet’s wing, For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble. Cool it with a baboon’s blood, Then the charm is firm and good.
𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝑪𝒂𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒓𝒐𝒏 Primary notes of clove and cedar dance mysteriously with hints of incense, citrus, and other exotics to create this utterly bewitching fragrance.
Kevin had a couple of motors, he wanted to use for something neat on Halloween. He decided to make moving cat eyes. A couple of tiki candle holders, styrofoam balls, and spray paint needed to be purchased. The strings, wooden picks, black foam sheets, and velvet fabric we had lying around the house. Kevin also installed some mini light bulbs inside the eyeballs. So, they were glowing, while they moved and stared at everyone.
… This Halloween season was completely different from last year’s. Katelynn was excited to go to “Trick-or-Treat”. She knocked on the doors with a happy “T’ick-or-T’eeeeat”. Since she couldn’t pronounce the “r”, the neighbors thought she was adorable and gave her a lot of candy. After three houses we had to walk home to empty the bag before we could go out there and get more candy. Oh my, so much candy and no meltdowns anymore.
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The Munster Mansion in Waxahachie, Texas
In 2004 I heard about the Munster Mansion Replica when I watched VH1 while I was preparing dinner. I talked to Kevin about it. And one weekend, we drove from Dallas to Waxahachie. When we found it, we looked at it. The owner, Charles McKee waved at us, and we waved back.
A couple of years later, I read in the Dallas Morning News that the McKees have these weekend tours right before Halloween. Kevin and I got a babysitter for Katelynn, and down we went to Waxahachie again. They used the big parking lot in front of a local school. A school bus and a limousine were busy around the clock, picking guests up and dropping them off. It was a long wait. But once we were on the property, we had a lot of entertainment. One of the firebreathers asked me to pull a nail out of her nose. I replied, “… before this happens I will pass out.” Everybody in line was laughing. 😊
Once we made it inside the mansion, we were not allowed to capture photos or record any film. It made us pay more attention to the tour as well. If you like to see photos and documents, you can go to the official website and check it out for more information. Here is the link:
In 2007, Kevin had to go with Katelynn to Trick-or-Treat. I was still recovering from a knee injury and rather stay at home. It was fun. Katelynn was dressed in her “Snow White” costume and received plenty of candy, while the neighbors and I were busy giving out candy. But I have to admit, I missed the door-to-door walk that year.
Kevin had the graveyard decoration up for over a week. But it still looked kinda empty between the gravestones. One of the light chains worked only partially around the half circle. So, I went into the shed and got more decorations out this evening. I laid more skeletons on the ground, wrapped another light chain around the fence, and decorated the big skeleton with more light and a spider on its head. EEK!
When Kevin came home, he installed the owl on the Norwegian Spruce branch, that hangs partially over our driveway, and lit it up with a couple of spotlights. I like the display much better now. Last year we had orange and green lights. This year, we went with orange, pink, and blue.
Diddlina is Diddl’s girlfriend. When I was younger, I collected everything about Diddl and his friends. I even made my own journals by drawing pictures of them. In October 2005, I created Katelynn’s Trick-or-Treat- bag myself. The bag I had from a previous occasion. I imaged the concept, traced, and clued the tracing to construction papers. The broom got some tinsel I found in an art supply store. I used a black pen for coloring the face, hands, feet, hat, and costume to give it character. And voilà, Katelynn had a Trick-or-Treat bag like no other.
The remnants of the post-tropical cyclone “Philippe” moves through New England and Canada’s southeast Atlantic coast, this weekend. And we have a cold front approaching from the west, which brings heavy rains and gusty winds. So, we are getting drenched in Connecticut. With all the rain we had this past Summer and in September, there seems to be no break from the rivers rising over their banks and therefore flooding the region.
Our pets seem to enjoy resting in the cooler sunroom, listening to the rain, and taking a snooze on their beds. Except Zoey: She wants to get out so bad. But she doesn’t like to be wet while doing her business. She looks outside and hopes for the rain to end soon.
Kevin suggested, when I’m working on DIY projects I could make one for Katelynn and send it with the other Birthday gift to Dallas. Since I still had the metal pumpkin from the “Happy Halloween” sign left over. I used a wooden stand-up pumpkin from Goodwill, which I got in a two-pack for $2. Target has the same sets for $5. With black and white chalk paint, pumpkin orange acrylic paint, Halloween scrapbook paper, Dollar TreeJenga blocks, a “messy” bow, and a rope around the stem I added some character to the pumpkin. On the backside, I worked on some Thanksgiving decorations. So, when Halloween is over, Katelynn can turn it around for the November holiday.
The pecan, Carya illinoinensis, is a member of the Juglandaceae family. Juglandaceae are represented worldwide by seven and ten extant genera and more than 60 species. Most of these species are concentrated in the Northern Hemisphere of the New World, but some can be found on every continent except Antarctica. The first fossil examples of the family appear during the Cretaceous. Differentiation between the subfamilies of Engelhardioideae and Juglandioideae occurred during the early Paleogene, about 64 million years ago. Extant examples of Engelhardioideae are generally tropical and evergreen, while those of Juglandioideae are deciduous and found in more temperate zones.
The second major step in the development of pecan was a change from wind-dispersed fruits to animal dispersion. This dispersal strategy coincides with developing a husk around the fruit and a drastic change in the relative concentrations of fatty acids. The ratio of oleic to linoleic acids is inverted between wind- and animal-dispersed seeds. Further differentiation from other species of Juglandaceae occurred about 44 million years ago during the Eocene. The fruits of the pecan genus Carya differ from those of the walnut genus Juglans only in the formation of the husk of the fruit. The husks of walnuts develop from the bracts, bracteoles, and sepals, or sepals only. The husks of pecans develop from the bracts and the bracteoles only.
The fog was so dense this morning. Kevin told me, his co-worker ran almost a deer over because it was standing in the middle of the road. He saw it just shortly before he almost hit it. The deer must have been disoriented due to the density. Who knows, what happened to the deer this morning. Let’s hope, it made it safely to its destination. Up at our house, the fog rolled in, rolled out, and rolled in to roll back out. It came in waves until the sun had enough strength to make the fog disappear. The rest was a nice Autumn day.
Katelynn was at the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch for the first time. Oh, she had so much fun playing with the straw. Kevin and I had to fish it out of her clothes later, She was so busy throwing the straw in the air, it went everywhere. The next day, we dressed her up as a lamb. I made the costume myself. The head was a bit big for her. She enjoyed going to Trick-or-Treat with it.
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2005
It was the first year, we celebrated Halloween at our new house. I made a DIY-Diddlina candy bag for all the goodies, we would receive from going to Trick-or-Treat. On the other hand, Katelynn was still little and a bit unsure, if she really liked this whole “Trick-or-Treat” thing. When we walked from door to door, she wasn’t very happy. Once she had some candy, it wasn’t nearly as bad anymore. But she did not like the door-to-door walk at all. A year later, this would be a whole other story. …
Kevin and I hiked in the park for a little bit. Unfortunately, I had the wrong shoes on. We didn’t make it far on the trail before we turned around. But we enjoyed the slow change of leaves. When we walked past a fish pond, Kevin saw a chipmunk and wanted to see where it hid after he went up a small hill. He found an entrance to a den. When he walked down, something jumped against his leg. Kevin looked closer and saw it was a frog. The little Pickerel Frog was patient enough for me to take some photos before it leaped across the trail to get back to the pond. Beautiful critters, we see when we go outdoors.
Since the weather was sunny and warm, I drove down to Echo Lake Park. The Autumn leaves are coming along well. The gold and crimson are showing through. But there is still a lot of green at the lake. Maybe another week or two, when Autumn will be at its peak for this year.
This morning, I went to the Historical District of Watertown. We have a 200-year-old White Oak tree standing close to our old town hall. There is also a plague on the tree. Unfortunately, I could not read it, because I was on the wrong side of the fence. But after some research, I found out what it reads and therefore posted it below the photos. This tree also survived a tornado that ripped through Watertown in 1989.
The old oak tree near the Town Hall is said to be where the first American flag in Watertown flew after the War of 1812. The tree still stands today, making it well over 200 years old. There is a wooden plaque on it that was created by the Daughters of the American Revolution that reads:
“PLACED BY THE SARAH WHITMAN TRUMBULL CHAPTER D.A.R. TO COMMEMORATE THE FIRST UNFURLING OF THE STARS AND STRIPES IN WATERTOWN AT THE CLOSE OF THE WAR 1812”
“Witch Sign”
Inspired by Brandy’s “Making It My Own DIYs” on You Tube
Do you remember me posting the Halloween Vintage Black Cat Sign, two days ago? There was still the “Happy Halloween” panel left over. Brandy from “Making It My Own DIYs” had a very cute idea. But I did my own spin on it.
I had a black frame I got from Goodwill. The frame had some scratches, so I sanded it and repainted it with black chalk paint and dapped PLAIDs “Pumpkin Orange” with a round sponge brush. Once the frame was completely dry I glued a couple of Jenga blocks on the “Happy Halloween” panel, before I secured it to the picture frame. Next, I did the little skeleton witch. Once she was done, I made a messy bow and added everything to the frame. Now, she looks more like a Halloween Skeleton Witch/Fairy. The project turned out great. It doesn’t have to be exactly the same, as what we see in videos. It’s always good to bring our own creativity to the plate.
I’m so excited, my Halloween Kringle Candles have arrived today. In mid-July the Kringle Candle Company had a special for their Halloween Kringle Tumblers. I believe they could be ordered only for several hours before the sale was over. Kringle Candle Co. had different Halloween candles later in the year, but I wanted to get my fingers on those tumbler candles. In July, I got an email from them saying when they have the sale ready for the Kringle tumblers. Me being crazy for Halloween and candles, had to go for that deal. The online store had plenty of selections to choose from. However, I went for four different scents and purchased six candles in total.
2 Witches Cauldron
2 Graveyard Night
1 Black Cat
1 Day of The Dead
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Who is this Kringle Candle Company?
The original founder of the Kringle Candle Co. was no other, than Michael Kittredge II himself. He was also the founder of the Yankee Candle Co., which has been in business since 1969. After selling candles nationally and internationally for the past 30 years, Michael Kittredge II sold the Yankee Candle Co. to Forstmann, Little & Co. in 1998. Michael Kittredge II retired from candle making.
In 2008, Michael Kittredge III, the son of the Yankee Candle Co. founder, made his own first candle. And it came naturally to him to make and sell candles himself. In 2009 the Kringle Candle Co. was born and has the flagship store with the candle factory/packing and shipping on an 18,000 sqft. property in Bernardson, Massachusetts. Over 10 years later, the company is still in business, growing its product line and sending the candles all over the United States. Many of the Kringle Candles can be also outside the USA.
Unfortunately, Michael Kittredge died due to cancer in Boston on July 24, 2019. He was 67 years old. May he rest in peace. And we are thankful for the millions of amazing-smelling candles over the past 50+ years.
When I let the dogs out, I was looking up in the sky this morning. Since the Waning Gibbous Harvest Moon is also a perigee Moon (Supermoon), it was very bright. I’ve also noticed that Jupiter was right beneath it, and Orion was in the southern sky. Right before dawn, I could see Venus rising over the trees, welcoming the October morning.
In 2004, I saw a little lamb costume for Katelynn. She was so cute. Unfortunately, I made the hat piece a little bit too big. But that was okay. She had a lot of fun getting candy on Halloween night.
Since I love Halloween and am stuck on a budget, I looked at some DIYs on YouTube. I stumbled across Brandy’s “Making It My Own DIYs”. Her videos are so inspiring and make a Dollar store item look like It’s worth a lot more Dollars. And it is so much fun to be creative. I fell in love with her Halloween Vintage Black Cat Sign in one of her videos. So, I gathered all the materials I could find in Dollar Tree, Goodwill, and Temu. And here is my own creation. I made it my own DIYs. 😉
Colonization of the area today called Watertown began around 1657. At that time, the colony was called “Mattatock”, though it had several variations in spelling through the years. The land where Watertown is now located, having originally belonged to Mattatock, officially changed its name to Watterbury (now Waterbury) by record on March 20, 1695, by consensus of a council. The original Colony of Mattatuck, which became Watterbury, then Waterbury in name, comprised a much greater land area than Waterbury does today. Thomas Judd and other families were among the first investors to buy the land as a group. The Town of Watertown was officially incorporated in 1780.
October Autumn leaves of red and gold that crunch beneath your feet, Pumpkins on front porches, candy corn, and trick-or-treat, Tart and tangy cider, apples ripened on the trees, A hint of winter coming on the chilly autumn breeze.
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My favorite month has arrived! October has all the beautiful Autumn activities I like the most. We can go pumpkin picking at the farms; wear sweaters, while shopping for Autumn goodies; and eat and drink a lot of Pumpkin Spice everything. and watch the leaves finally turning in beautiful shades of gold, orange, and red. In the meantime, decorations will go up to make our house and yard look more spooky for the Halloween season.
Tanja's Little Corner of The World 