Wacky Wednesday

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Milton (on left): I’m not moving.

Otis (on right): But I want to go north, and you’re in the way.

Milton: Too bad.

Otis: C’mon, bro, humor me. I’d move for you.

Milton, snorting: Yeah, right.

Otis: Really. Don’t you remember I moved yesterday so you could tightrope south?

Milton: I don’t remember that.

Otis: Well, I did. Now, move!

Milton: Nope. Not happening.

Otis: So how can I get over you to the pole?

Milton: Hm, let’s see. Pole vault?

Otis: You’re kidding, right?

Milton: Guess you’ll have to wait til I decide to move.

Otis: Oh, bother. I’ll just drop to the ground then.

Milton: Wait, there’s a dog down there!

Note: No squirrels were harmed here. Otis dropped to the evergreen, then went on his merry way. Milton left when he felt like it.

Sunday’s Gem — Lapis Lazuli

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Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. ~Albert Einstein

Mined as early as 7000 B.C. and prized throughout history, Lapis Lazuli is the universal symbol of wisdom and truth, used in jewelry, ornamental objects, dyes, and pigments.

Lapis is a metamorphic rock. True Lapis must contain at least 25 percent lazurite (which gives it a blue color), along with calcite (the white layers or mottling) and pyrite (the gold patches.). It gets its name from the Latin lapis (“stone”) and the Persian lazhuward (“blue”).

Rough Lapis Lazuli stone. Notice the striping of pyrite (gold) and calcite (white). Thanks to www.demairo.com for the image (sorry, stone is not in stock).

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Worry is Futile

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People get so in the habit of worry that if you save them from drowning and put them on a bank to dry in the sun with hot chocolate and muffins they wonder whether they are not taking cold. ~John Jay Chapman, American author

Dallas here.

How does she manage to catch me mid-snooze??

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Fall, Before It’s Over

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Fall colors…. so bright and intense and beautiful. It’s like nature is trying to fill you up with color, to saturate you so you can stockpile it before winter turns everything muted and dreary. ~Siobhan Vivian, bestselling American novelist

The estimated peak time for Fall color in Central Illinois is mid-October, but I’ve found that estimate to be off by a bit this year.

Still, all one has to do is get outside — regardless of cold, rain, and the urge to curl up with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate! — and the trees are ready to strut their stuff. Take a look and enjoy!

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A Rainy Saturday

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The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain. ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet

Cold and rainy day

Good for cleaning out closets

Or taking a nap.

 

Note: No, I didn’t take a snooze. In fact, I was a whirling tornado, tackling some cleaning chores too long put off. I cleared away clutter; made stacks to be shredded, stacks to donate to charity, and stacks to be trashed; and I used Monday morning to parcel out my handiwork. I can see this is the tip of the iceberg, but already I feel amazingly free! Eliminating clutter is one of the principles of Feng Shui (the Chinese art of placement to harmonize individuals with their environment).

Walktober 2019

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We ought to take outdoor walks, to refresh and raise our spirits by deep breathing in the open air. ~Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Roman Stoic philosopher and statesman

As the days get shorter and the humidity finally breaks, it comes time for the annual Walktober, a virtual group walk organized by Robin of Breezes at Dawn.

The dates for this year’s walk are Oct. 6-19, and the “rules” are simple: take a walk, post about what you see, include some pretty pictures, and link to Robin, who will round up the links so we can all visit each other’s blogs and enjoy walking together.

Let’s go!

This year (because the trees aren’t cooperating with Fall color), I’m taking you to Arthur, Illinois (the Heart of Amish Country), to visit The Great Pumpkin Patch, a working farm owned by the McDonald family who immigrated from Scotland in the mid-1800s. Six generations later (150 years!), it’s evolved into a business of commercial pumpkin production and the preservation of rare gourd seeds.

If you love pumpkins as much as I do, prepare to be amazed!

Pumpkins … rows and rows of pumpkins

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Handling Change

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When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves. ~Viktor Frankl, Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist, and Holocaust survivor

We got a new symphonic band director this semester, and to say the transition has been smooth would be stretching it.

A lot.

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Signs of Fall

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Webs.

Silent

Like dew drops

Dotting my bush

And letting me know

The spiders were busy

During the night as I slept

Creating works that would rival

Some pieces that are in museums.

Silken treasures that speak softly of Fall.

Note: This poetic form is an Etheree, a 10-line poem that starts with one syllable and adds a syllable in each succeeding line until there’s a total of 55 syllables. It can go from one to ten or in reverse from ten down to one, or can even double up and down both ways. I had to challenge myself to write one since my friend Linda writes some beauties!

P.S. My son Domer will be home next week, so I’ll be playing hooky from the blog. I’ll try to catch up with all of you when I return. Don’t start October without me!

My Butterfly Magnet

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May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun
And find your shoulder to light on,
To bring you luck, happiness and riches
Today, tomorrow and beyond.
~Irish blessing

Last year, a friend gifted me a couple of stalks of something I researched and learned was Sedum.

Someone had given a bunch to her, and she had no clue what it was. Just that it was easy to grow, even for a person without a green thumb.

In case you’re unfamiliar with Sedum, here’s some in bloom this year at one of our parks:

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