This and That: A Blog

🎃 Happy Halloween!  🎃 Although Halloween is actually the eve of All Saint's Day, All Hallows' Eve, so saying that in the morning isn't correct.  You may have seen some of these decorations before.  Most of them came from the Goodwill Bins. These spiders are starting to look a bit ratty!  They are over 15 years old, so that isn't surprising.  Plus they usually get rained on.   This one is new.  Or not new, but new to me.  The Goodwill Bins had a lot of different occasion flags.  I got this and one for Christmas. 

It's almost Halloween, so it's fitting this week's theme for Thursday Postcard Hunt is Halloween! Or, the traditional colors of Halloween, black and orange . Why black and orange ?  Some say they symbolize the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain's harvest bonfires lit against the dark nights of winter ahead.  Others that they are the natural colors of harvest, orange pumpkins, chrysanthemums, hay bales... and the creatures associated with Halloween, witches with their black hats and cats and bats. These postcards belong to my son, who bought them on a trip to Atlanta where he visited the Netherworld Haunted House .  He's still insisting, " I don't collect postcards !"   Next month the postcard theme is Weather.  First up next week is Blue Skies.

  Hodgepodge Questions - Volume 677 1. What most recently gave you goose bumps?   Nothing comes to mind.   2. What does Halloween look like in your home and/or neighborhood these days? Do you participate?  I decorate both outside and in. Lights around the handrail on the porch, lit up string of pumpkin lights in the window, fake tombstones… that sort of thing. I have Jack-o-lanterns, electric, inside, and a very old clay Mexican Jack-o-lantern that my mother always had around. Little Halloween knick-knacks. The neighborhood has a lot of inflatables, but mine gave out last year. Yes, I participate!  I live a block from an elementary school, on the same street, so there are lots of neighborhood kids trick-or-treating.   3. Pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, poppy, chia...your favorite seed on the list? What's something you like to make/eat that calls for one of these seeds in the recipe?   I don’t like chia seeds. I don’t care for p...

For lack of any interesting thrifted items, I thought I'd share a few posts about Cinderella stamps.  I mentioned them briefly a few weeks ago.  The examples shown are mine, some were actually thrifted, the others all bought second-hand, which is sort of thrifted.  (I am not an expert, so if you notice any errors in my information, please let me know.) What are Cinderella Stamps? Cinderella stamp s are non-postal label s or sticker s that resemble postage stamps, but have not been issued or authorized by a government postal administration for postal use. They are not counterfeit stamps, which are reproductions of real postage stamps printed to pass off as actual postage. State of Oman 1972 souvenir sheet  Why are they called Cinderellas? They are named for the fairy tale character, Cinderella . Her family viewed her as inferior, beautiful, but excluded, and Cinderella stamps can be beautiful, but considered inferior to postage stamps and excluded from ...

 November is NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month).  This is my second year participating (because I only learned about it last year).  Created by a blogger who felt NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) was a bit much (an entire novel in November), but a blog post a day was doable.  30 days, 30 posts.  Join in here  by clicking on the " fill out the form " link in the orange-tan bar.  The site has links to ideas if you need them.  I blog regularly, or semi-regularly, on  Monday: I try to post a Motley Monday, random things I've been doing, or photos I've taken. Tuesday: Tuesday Treasures, which is where I share thrifted items. Wednesday: The Wednesday Hodgepodge , and some bloggers do a Wordless Wednesday. Thursday:  Thursday Postcard Hunt ) Friday: Skywatch Friday and/or Floral Friday Fotos Saturday: Shadow Shot Sunday goes up here on Saturdays at noon. Sunday: Sunday Stamps   If you like photography, there's The Weekend i...

 Lighthouses for Sunday Stamps 150th Anniversary of Japanese Lighthouses - 2018 Kannonzaki Lighthouse (Cape Kannon) - Japan's first western-style lighthouse The original Kannonzaki Lighthouse, the first built in Japan, was destroyed in an earthquake in 1923.  Construction began on Nov. 1, 1868, which is why Nov. 1 is Lighthouse Day in Japan. Hesaki Lighthouse Mikomotoshima Lighthouse is Japan's oldest active lighthouse, built in 1871. Murotosaki lighthouse is Japan's brightest. Next week, November 1st, the stamps will be all about Fashion. 

 

Floral Friday Fotos 

 Thursday Postcard Hunt this week features Maps .  Greetings From Australia  Dominica  Geologic Map of Oregon  Berlin, Germany during the  Cold War (1947-1991)   Berlin was divided into four occupied sectors after WWII.  The Western zones were American (south-west), French (north-west), and British (west).  The Soviet Union occupied the largest sector to the east.  The Berlin Wall divided the city until 1989, when due to a miscommunication and mistaken announcement at a press conference, the spokesman stated the new travel rules began immediately.  He hadn't been at the meeting where it was discussed, nor had he been briefed on the issue.  The result was quite chaotic as the border checkpoints were flooded with ecstatic Eastern Berliners! Next week brings Halloween and/or Black and Orange postcards.

 

 Well, the Tuesday is here when I have no newly purchased "treasures" to share!   St. Vincent de Paul hasn't provided anything but a handful of 5¢ postcards.  While the former manager had her good and bad days, she knew what she was doing.  The shelves are becoming bare after losing a lot of volunteers.  I've had my best luck in the Goodwill Bins, but still nothing exciting.   So, here are some of my more unusual antique postcards.  While not strictly "thrifted" items, they are all second-hand purchases, which is sort of the same.  I consider them "treasures" too.  Some of them are so like new, it was hard to believe they weren't reprints. I got them all from my favorite eBay seller, who has cut back his inventory considerably.  I still order his lots of 10 or 20 now and again. c. 1900 - 1910 Postmark 1908 Postmark 1905 Just what is this supposed to mean?   c. 1908 -1912 This has glitter details, as was popular in the...