This and That: A Blog

Cee's Fun Foto Challenge The Crayola Box of 8 - Green 

This little bronze figure had been in the locked case at St. Vincent de Paul for a few months.  Finally it moved to an end cap and I could see it was only $1.50.  It's something quite interesting and unexpected!  It's a reptile, a protective amulet from Burkina Faso made in the lost-wax casting tradition in the 1960s-1970s.  Not made specifically for the tourist market, although they do show up as souvenirs, these were sold for local use and regional markets.  They were worn as pendants sewn onto cloths, hung in doorways, or attached to ritual bundles for protection from harm and home protection.  It's quite a bit smaller than in this photo!  I went to a few garage sales a few weekends ago.  When things aren't priced I get concerned they will be over-priced, but in the case of these two prints I was wrong, they were well under-priced! Fragrance in Bloom by  Jean-Baptiste Robie (Belgium 1821-1910)   The publisher information is cut o...

  Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day  for June, 2026 Daylilies! Longfield's Pink Lullaby Baby May May  Moon Over Monterey (some places list this a Moon over Monteray , but that's a misspelling)  Ned's Choice  Ned's Choice has one of these spotted cucumber beetles on him.  These are the only pest I have in my daylilies.  Well, sometimes snails nibble newly planted ones' new growth. Stella d'Oro (I like that mine is yellower than gold) Wayside Knight Royale (supposed to be much darker) Apricot Sparkles It's going to be a good year for Lullaby Baby !  The weather is hot, yesterday was 100° and this week is forecast to be much cooler.   

  Sunday Stamps this week brings us to the letter T.  T as in  T iger and plenty of 'em! T iger Snake Kingdom of Cambodia 1999   T iger Barb (these are nice tropical freshwater community aquarium fish, get a few, they are schoolers) Hungary c.1962  T iger Swallowtail Butterfly Czechoslovakia 1966 T iger Beetle, Green Germany 1993 T iger, Bengal Hungary 1961 T iger Shark T anzania 1993 T asmanian T iger ( T hylacine) Australia 1981 If Australia can call it an " Endangered Species " rather than extinct on the stamp, I'll run with it!  I still hold out hope there are some in hidden pockets of T asmania.  Want a good book about the search for the Tasmanian tiger?  Carnivorous Nights: On the Trail of the Tasmanian Tiger , but you can get it on eBay used for a lot less.) Next week is the letter U , and I'll have fewer.  Promise. 

 

 Let's see some Curves for this week's Shapes theme with  Thursday Postcard Hunt ! The I-70 (formerly US 40) and I-77 (formerly US 21) cloverleaf near Cambridge, Ohio - at the time it was the world's largest interchange. The Pennsylvania Turnpike's Carlisle Interchange. Patterson Bridge  (or Rogue River Bridge) on the Oregon Coast Highway.  It spans the mouth of the Rogue River between Gold Beach and Wedderburn.    Another Pennsylvania Turnpike, this showing the Kittatinny and Blue Mountain Tunnels.  Yes, I have a lot of Pennsylvania Turnpike postcards!  The highway department seemed  inordinately  proud of it. Next week's Shapes: Lines.

 1/3 through with June already?  Wow!   The weather has been quite nice, cool mornings and days that aren't too hot.  That changes later this week, days will be near 100°. The tomatoes like it warm. They have grown so quickly.  Even the sickly looking Golden King of Siberia is looking good.  Smaller than the others, but it got a later start.  May 29th on the left, June 7th on the right.  It still likes to lean to the left!   Well, leaning a bit left doesn't sound like a bad thing. Did I forget to post about King of Siberia ?  My son brought it home from work for me.  A sign read " Please take " with a lot of little pots of tomatoes.  When you are successful growing from seed you do often get too many to keep!  Bonnie Best  was not the best looking on May 10th (left), leggy and yellow.  That changed by June 7th (right). Of course Sungold is ahead of the others!   Sungold on the right,...