This and That: A Blog

🎃  HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 🎃  Some October skies from last week for Skywatch Friday . Mt. McLoughlin in the distance.  That snow will eventually become my drinking water, percolating through volcanic soils to springs so clear they are in the "pristine" category, so require minimal treatment.  Afternoon view to the south from my messy backyard. Autumn Tryst bearded iris reblooming in autumn for Floral Friday Fotos . We had one night below 40° recently, but not below freezing.  The forecast is for the next week's nights to be in the 40s and 50s, so no frost for a while.  It's late. Have a nice weekend. 

Thursday Postcard Hunt 's last theme for the Colors of October is Hallowe'en or Black .    The Black Caldron in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming Black Lake in the Bohemian Forest in the Czech Republic. Black Lake is the largest and deepest lake in the Czech Republic, and is of glacial origin.   1922 postcard And... for Hallowe'en, these two reproduction postcards from Etsy seller Small Kat Studios , both with black cats. What's in store for November, postcard wise?   Scenery/Landscapes.   Next week will be Scenery or Landscapes with Animals.

 We haven't had a freeze yet this year.  Night before last it was 36° but the forecast for the next ten days shows 40s and even a few 50s as lows.  Some of these flowers will be shocked when the freezing nights finally occur! Brown-Eyed Stella  daylily is not sold as a rebloomer, but here it is, although not at its best. I wonder if this bearded iris will have time to actually open? The Black-eyed Susans are flowering again.  Japanese Anemone  Creeping Winter Savory  Swan River Daisy  It's not unusual for the prostrate rosemary to be blooming, it blooms nearly 12 months of the year solid.  It's unusual for nearly November to have honey bees though.  So many you can hear the buzzing when you walk by. The lack of freezing temperatures isn't helping Mickey's allergies.  They went away after the shot he had at the vet's last month, which didn't late the estimated 6-8 weeks.  So, back he went yesterday.  At least I didn't have...

A few things from the Goodwill Bins. A Spanish Revival (also called Mission or Craftsman) lamp with pebbled amber glass.  1900s-1920s  The Spanish revival was an architectural and design movement, particularly in CA, with inspiration from Spanish colonial buildings, and the American Craftsman and Arts and Crafts movements.  Not working, and I took out the crumbling electrical parts.  It will still look pretty hanging in the yard. A cute print called " Be Careful What You Fish For " by Carrie, of Might Fly Studio .  According to the website (not updated for quite a few years) they sold at the Saturday market in Salem, OR.  5.5" x 12.5" Because it's a narrow size, here are some close-ups.  It's most likely a giclée (archival inkjet) print. G iclée will have no visible dots, rich colors, and smooth gradients.  I found this Rennoc animated witch was still in her original box a few months ago.  You can't test electronics (not since something ...

The  Sunday Stamps  theme this week is stamps of the letter M . M ask for Lunar New Year, Year of the Tiger USA 2024 M ask of  Busójárás , an annual celebration in M ohacs, Hungary.  Hungary c1973 M ushrooms Finland 2003  This was M, so next week is N . 

(You may recognize the Halloween spider shadows from 2024, but these are the 2025 spider shadows!)

  The Weekend in Black and White  

  Brown is the color for Thursday Postcards ' Colors of Autumn theme this week.   Brown Donkeys The Lavender Open Pit Copper Mine  which was near Bisbee, Arizona, wasn't lavender in color, it was  brown . It was named for Harrison M. Lavender. postcard © 1976 Bruce the Dragon is a roadside attraction in Christmas Valley, Oregon. Next week brings us to the last of the Autumn Color theme,  Hallowe'en or Black   

   "Welcome to  “ The Numbers Game #95 ”. Today’s number is 217 . To play along, go to your photos file folder and type that number into the search bar. Then post a selection of the photos you find that include that number and post a link to your blog in my  Numbers Game  blog of the day."

Ever heard or read the expression, " In my defense, the moon was full and I was left unsupervised "? Well, I may have gone wild at Goodwill recently, and I can't use a full moon as an excuse, it was only in its first quarter phase.  What happened? " In my defense, there was a lot of good art, and I was left unsupervised ." Good art like these antique steel engravings. Neither were properly matted or framed, which I have done.  $4.21 each. Dieppe 1834 Dieppe is a port town in Normandy, France. The fortress,  Château de Dieppe, was founded in 1188 by King Henry II of England, and destroyed seven years later by King Philip II of France.  It was rebuilt in the 4th century, and is now houses a museum .  Dunluce Castle c1840 Dunluce Castle was built in the 13th century on the edge of a basalt cliff, and is in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It was expanded by both the MacQuillan and MacDonnell clans, but after part of the kitchen collapsed in to the sea in the late...

 I was given a butternut squash, which I turned into a "pumpkin" pie.  Did you know canned pumpkin isn't really pumpkin?   The USDA allows canned pumpkin to include any strain of squash from the Cucurbita genus that resembles pumpkin in flavor, color, and texture.  "Pumpkin" is actually just a cultural and culinary label, not botanical.   Mickey is the only dog I've had that didn't like pumpkin, others would eat raw pieces.  He also dislikes carrots.  It's not pretty, but pies don't need to be!  Yes, it's a homemade crust.  If it's one thing I've learned over the many years of crust making it's this, always use Crisco, never a store brand. The last Salad Bush cucumber became snail or slug food. They come and eat a little more each night.  Honeybees enjoy the prostrate rosemary... while a Common Checkered skipper prefers the black-eyed Susans. Borage is having another generation before the frost, which comes in October.  No...