This and That: A Blog

  Skywatch Friday   A few skies from the past few weeks. Looking south from my backyard. The view of the Siskiyou Mountains to the west, from the gas station.   Eastern sky from the park with Roxy Ann Peak. Have a nice weekend. Our heatwave has broken, so the 90s are gone... again.  Hopefully for good.   Mickey's allergies are back and he has to go in for a shot on Monday.  Wish him luck.  The vet's office sold to a vet we don't care for, but so far I haven't found a new one that seems to be a good fit for him.  The current one isn't, but he needs his allergy shot.  He turned six yesterday.  He got a roasted rib bone and a squeaky duck toy, both wrapped in pink tissue.   Yes, he is a COVID pup.  Does that matter?  Multiple studies say, "Yes."  They were often less socially exposed in their critical early months, so have an increased risk of reactivity.  And he is quite reactive.

  Thursday Postcard Hunt : Sculptures or Statues Cigar Store Indian, XIX century, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC Lindworm Fountain in Klagenfurt, Austria. A Lindwurm is a mythical dragon-like creature in Northern and Central European folklore.   Depending on tradition and the story, Lindwurms can be good or bad.  Washington Park, Portland, OR Scottish knight and national hero,  Sir William Wallace , by Alex Carrick, Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland  c. 1940s Illustrations is next week's postcard theme.

  Wednesday Hodgepodge - Volume 674 1. Let's embrace it shall we? What's something you recently forgot to do? Is your memory these days more like a sieve or an elephant?  I think my memory is pretty good, maybe not as good as the proverbial elephant, but I can't remember the last thing I forgot.  That might be a bad thing, forgetting what I forgot.  I think remembering well is to do with my answer to number 2! 2. Share a trick/strategy you have to help you remember things you need to remember.  I make lists. Not lists on my phone, actual notepaper lists.  Grocery lists.  To-do lists.  I also have a real paper calendar taped to the side of my refrigerator.  I can clearly see when someone has an appointment so I don't plan something for the same date and time. 3. What's your favorite fall vegetable to cook with? Do you prefer your fall veggies roasted, blended into a warm soup, or fresh in a crisp autumn salad?  I don't care for the stric...

 Some minor treasures from the Goodwill Bins.  A lot of Ipsy make-up bags.  These aren't the cutest ones, those were  taken away by family members for uses other than make-up!  I have extra pens in one. Tools for the Bins (screwdrivers, scissors) in another.  They are quite a popular resale item.   A tiny pin of a woman with a donkey card, © what looks like Video or Vidio. 3 pieces of turquoise.  I tested them, they are authentic stone.  Two 8 x 10 abstract paintings on canvas by Zorroz Spicer.  One is signed on the front, the other on the back with a © 7-06.   There isn't much online about the artist, although he is listed on Mutual Art, and has shown in curated shows  (I like mine better).  One Instagram user wrote about sitting next to a man on the subway (when I hear that I think N.Y.C.) who was finishing up one of two paintings.  The artist was named Zorroz Spicer and sold them to the man for $10....

Has your weather been strange lately?  September here was cooler than average, yet these first few days of October are 15° and more above average.  Today's supposed to reach 93­°! A few weeks ago I took the portable air conditioner hose out of the window, and yesterday I put it back in!  The tomatoes had stopped ripening, but now they're getting nice and red again.  Here's what's been going on around here. Morning Glories A kind of Parasol mushroom in the backyard. Probably a Conifer Parasol, as they are the PNW Parasols.  It's toxic, but not poisonous.  In other words, you may get a terrible stomach ache with vomiting, but you won't die.  Mickey doesn't nose around mushrooms, but I disposed of it just in case. Autumn Crocus is so pretty.  It's not a kind of crocus, it's a lily relative that blooms in the autumn, it's foliage is in spring.  It's also toxic, and not to be confused with saffron crocus. Planted in 2012 from a tiny pot, the prost...

 Birds is the theme this week for Sunday Stamps . Killy Hawk or American Kestral Montserrat 1970  Long-Crested Eagle Rwanda 1977  Cinderella feeding birds (they look like parakeets to me, but are more likely a type of dove). Poland 1968 Speaking of Cinderella... These birds from Batum, 1994, are Cinderella stamps. ( a shorter read ) Top row left to right: Coal Tit and Macaw Middle row left to right: Marsh Tit and African Blue Flycatcher Bottom row left to right: Red Chatterer and Victoria Crowned Pigeon Since they are Cinderellas, also called "illegals" since they were not issued by official governments, the postmarks are fake. They are Cancelled-to-Order (CTO), applied during production. Legally produced stamps from Batum didn't exist after 1920.  You may find Cinderella stamps (those resembling government issued postage stamps) sold as postage stamps.  I often see State of Oman dog stamps for sale. The State of Oman is not the country of Oman though. Many of ...

  Not my neighborhood!