October 31st Halloween!

This post will be short because

we are still cleaning up

after the storm.

Not that much to clean up, but we're old. 

😂

I went for the generic cutie ghost

because I just can't bring myself to

post a scary Halloween picture....

This year has been scary enough!

I think this puts the correct spin on it.

Ya think?

And the sad part is, it

ain't over yet!

The fat lady hasn't sung a note yet.

*********************

There have been 8 Gulf storms this year.

At one point or another,

all 8 hit Louisiana.

Lucky us!

(no sarcasm font)

That's a record.

Not a very good record,

but a record nonetheless.

So, when Jim Cantore said "this year

will be a very active Gulf of Mexico

storm year."

We believe it!

Our home didn't see hardly any damage,

and we thanked the good Lord for that.

As my son said "At least it wasn't another

blow to Lake Charles and Cameron Parish!"

The veggie garden was beaten down,

but we think most of the plants will rally.

Here's Pepper standing next to

the mustard greens she loves so much.

The siding on the eaves pulled back,

but it'll be an easy fix.

The rosemary in that huge urn

turned onto it's side,

but it's fine when we tilted it back.

Just a couple of broken branches.

There were a lot of leaves and twigs

that we picked/raked up and used some in the

compost heap.

The weather cooperated with low temps and humidity,

and made sleeping nice without electricity even with the

windows open.

The power was restored yesterday evening.

The chicken girls retired to their coop very early

on Wednesday before the storm actually hit.

💦💧💨

When the skies started getting dark,

before the rain started,

they all "came home to roost".

Just remember Chicken Little.

I think the hens are more sensitive to weather

changes than my allergies,

or my arthritis.

Ha!

😆

*****************************

Yesterday morning, this little guy

came looking for food.

We moved the chicken feed out of the coop

and the backyard fauna came in 

droves to eat.

There were the wrens, mourning doves, jays,

grackles, a crow and several squirrels.

*************************

While the power was out, we made use of 

flashlights and candles.

It was a nice ambience, but it left dark

areas unless the beam of light was 

aimed directly in front as you walked.

I was hyper-aware to not stumble and fall.

But,

it reminded me of an incident I had while

walking in the dark, last week.

I couldn't sleep, so I walked into 

the den as quietly as I could.

No, I didn't put on the lights.

I've been in this house for 41+ years

and I instinctively know where everything is.

You'd think that I would be able to navigate

a few feet in the dark, right?

Well, you'd be wrong.

I was walking as slowly as I could and 

had my arms out in front of me,

like I was auditioning for 

The Walking Dead,

when I jammed my cockadoodie pinky toe

on the iron leg of the coffee table.

First reaction: What the holy Hell??

(Because the pain receptors in my brain were

apparently still asleep)

Second reaction: Try not to scream. So, the sounds that I made

came out like a bad recording of whales mating.

Third reaction: (When the pain finally flared in my brain)

I grabbed my foot while doing a 

pirouette and launched my flailing body

onto the couch, nearly falling off!

Now, 

I've done this before, so you'd think that, 

that particular pinky toe would avoid

the near occasion of trauma at all costs.

No, it didn't.

Nope,

Not at all!

So,

in the dark, I was sure of 3 things.

1) I've broken my toe.

2) I'm bleeding all over my area rug.

3) I'll need pain meds, STAT!

(After scrutinizing the affected area,

the only thing I actually did was,

get a black and blue toe with a 

small scrape)

All this makes me wonder....

Why do we have pinky toes?

What is their actual function besides

an early warning system to watch out

for close objects?

To sacrifice themselves in the line

of duty for the rest of the body?

Are ALL the damned nerves in the foot located

in the pinky toe to alert the brain?

and...

Is this God's idea of a joke?

In the course of my 68 years on earth,

I'm sure I've jammed one or both of

my pinky toes at least once a year!

No,

as I said,

I never learn.

👀

 *********************************

Not my carving.

I found it on Pinterest.

Happy Halloween

👻

October 11th

The ancient Greeks believed that opals gave their 

owners the gift of prophecy and guarded them

from diseases. The Europeans considered the stone

unlucky for anyone to wear if they weren't born

in October, and they thought the stone had the

power to preserve life and the color of blond hair.

Which brings me to the subject of today's post.

Today is my sister's birthday.

Just look at that little face!

She's such a cutie.

She is the only person who has been through

the same highs and lows as I have since

our beginning.

She has been my rock when I faltered.

She is the one who will always be there for me

even when I can't be there for myself.

She forgives my silliness and

champions my causes.

She would cheer me on to my greatest

heights and console me when I've fallen.

(But she'd laugh her butt off first!)

She bites her tongue when I've done 

something stupid when she could easily

say, "I told you so."

So, my earnest hope is that I die

before her because I never want to live 

in a world without her in it.

So, today I'm grateful because it means

another year of happiness and joy

for her.

(Yes, even in 2020!)

Happy Birthday to my sweet sister.

I love you!!! 💗

This could be us....

but no hats!

We have abnormally small heads.

Ha!

😂

**************************************

The veggie garden

is only producing bell peppers

these days.

We have a few tomato plants

but they haven't produced any fruit yet.

We are starting some celery in yogurt cups.

The older celery died off in the heat,

so hopefully these will do well

once we plant them.

(I'm trying out a new font)

This is tarragon and Thai Basil

that I cut yesterday.

*****************************

The CEO bought a bag of crickets

as a snack for the girls.

They are searching for them.

The crickets were very silent

so not to get caught and eaten,

but a couple seconds after they were

released they were chirping.

I came across this interesting snippet...

Here's a "did you know?" 

So, I looked it up...

On the NOAA weather site,

they actually have a 

Cricket Chirp Converter.

How freakin' cool is that?

Oh, and to chirp, they rub a specialized 

body part on the top of their wings

with their legs - but generally

only the males do this.

**************************

I got a new toy.

My Medicare supplement insurance

company gives us each a $50 dollar

quarterly stipend  for over the counter items.

This thermometer was calling out to me.

I think it was $9.

I had noticed it in the list of health

and wellness items and I grabbed it.

It takes a forehead, ear and ambient temperature.

It also speaks!

Oooh!

It made me as happy as a seagull

with a mouth full of french fries!!

I was taking the temperature of everything!

(The CEO wasn't too happy about

me taking his temperature several

different times 😁)

We comply with CDC guidelines

and wear masks!

******************************

This was the only casualty

from Hurricane Delta

at our house.

Thankfully.

***********************************

The other day as I was coming home from

dropping the kids off at school in the morning,

I was driving parallel with the canal on 

West Esplanade Ave, between

Transcontinental Drive and David Drive.

I was startled by a large bird swooping into the canal

and quickly coming back out with 

something in it's mouth.

When I say large, it easily had a 5 foot wing span.

Anyway, I turned the car around and got these pictures.

It was 2 bald eagles!

The one leaning down is the one with 

something in it's mouth.

I've seen them in the cypress trees

west of Kenner, in their huge nests,

but not hunting in a well traveled

area like this.

Beautiful animals!

I went home to check on the girls,

there are predators out and about.

******************************

And this from Lewis Carroll......

🐔

 

October 2nd

I love looking up meanings of words.

The Roman word "calends" is derived from the

Greek word meaning to announce or begin.

Scholars believe that it was in reference to 

the beginning of a lunar cycle or the day

of a first full moon. 

Hence the English word, calendar.

So....

the official flower for the month of October,

is the Calendula.

There's a few reasons for that.

It's also known as a pot marigold because it

is related to marigolds, has a similar smell and the

early Romans used it as seasoning in "pots" of stewed food.

This flower was originally called "Mary's Gold"

by early Christians, probably due to

it's tendency to bloom in October, a month

dedicated liturgically to the Blessed Mother.

Yes, it is totally edible.

It has been used in herbal remedies for centuries.

This is called "Creeping Oxeye"

or "Trailing Daisy".

It's an invasive weed, whose stems become woody

and difficult to eradicate completely.

We've been trying to get rid of it for

a few growing seasons, but I guess

it really needs to be sprayed with 

a chemical to completely do that.

That's something we can't do because of the hens.

(Besides, it's kinda cute)

😏

This is a Morning Glory.

Yes, it's another weed, albeit a pretty one.

There's no smell to it and it is invasive as well.

The vines are surprisingly tough.

They, like the Trailing Daisy, are really

difficult to control.

They need to be pulled out by the roots

but that can prove to be difficult. 

We've taken to using a small shovel to get to the

entire root, only to have it sprout back up

in a week.

The joys of gardening!

When I was looking up info on

calendulas,

I saw this picture of a baby duck 

sitting in a patch of mint,

wearing a calendula hat.

And he's asleep....

Awwww..

😊

***********************************

The girls are really into helping in the garden.

Every time we are weeding or planting,

they come running to "help".

(It's really only a ruse to grab

an unsuspecting earthworm or grub)

Ethel, Hazel, Lucy and Nugget

on patrol.

Pepper walking directly in front of me

to slow me down.

Hey, girl, stay in your lane!

Lucy looking  good perched on the 

wrought iron chair.

*********************************

The watermelon vine is still producing

a few "icebox watermelons.

This one is about the size of a softball.

This type of melon doesn't get very big,

so as we harvest them, they get

gobbled up pretty quickly.

Collard greens for the hens.

They love their 

green leafy veggies!

Today's harvest of bell peppers.

And these too....

I canned my last batch of peppers.

It made four 8oz jars and four 4oz jars.

I used a 4oz jar for salad dressing yesterday.

This is a sweet and sour pepper-garlic sauce.

I make it every year with the peppers,

fresh garlic and onions.

I've added cranberries at times too,

but for this batch, I didn't have any.

It's great with chicken, beef or pork

and I make the salad dressing

 by adding olive oil.

**********************

In these unusual, to say the least, times

with the world feeling like it's falling apart,

and the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel

feeling as though it has burned out,

I'd like to impart two nuggets of

indisputable wisdom.

 The first is:

I don't think that in my 68 years of living,

I would have ever dreamed of entering

a bank with the intention of making a withdrawal,

while wearing a mask and being greeted by

a friendly teller, while unloading my

large purse on the counter.

😆

and this...

So, on that note.....