Tag: October
Beautiful Colors of Autumn (9)
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Autumn Fox Squirrel
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Happy Halloween & Blessed Samhain 2022!
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Happy Halloween!
Now in the darkening of the year
the veil between the world wears thin
and those gone on ahead draw near.
In the hours of quiet remembrance
that the waning season brings,
we may feel their whispered presence
like the brush of a gentle wind.
Blessed Samhain!
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SAMHAIN (The Summer’s End)
Samhain marks one of the two great doorways of the Celtic year, for the Celts divided the year into two seasons: the light and the dark, at Beltane on May 1st and Samhain on October 31st. Some believe that Samhain was the more important festival, marking the beginning of a whole new cycle, just as the Celtic day began at night.
The most magically potent time of this festival is the night of October 31st, known today of course, as Halloween. The date marked both an ending and a beginning in an eternal cycle.
In the country year, Samhain marked the first day of winter, when the herders led the cattle and sheep down from their summer hillside pastures to the shelter of stable and byre. The hay that would feed them during the winter must be stored in sturdy thatched ricks, tied down securely against storms. Those destined for the table were slaughtered, after being ritually devoted to the gods.
All the harvest must be gathered in, barley, oats, wheat, turnips, and apples for come November, the faeries would blast every growing plant with their breath, blighting any nuts and berries remaining on the hedgerows. Peat and wood for winter fires were stacked high by the hearth. It was a joyous time of family reunion, when all members of the household worked together baking, salting meat, and making preserves for the winter feasts to come.
The Celts believed that at the time of Samhain, more so than any other time of the year, the dead were able to mingle with the living, because at Samhain the souls of those who had died during the year traveled into the otherworld. As a feast of the dead, it was believed the dead could, if they wished, return to the land of the living for this one night, to celebrate with their family, tribe, or clan.
https://www.deviantart.com/brightstone/art/Book-of-Shadows-Samhain
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Pumpkin Patch Trains ππ Railroad Museum of New England, Thomaston, Connecticut 2022
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Today we drove to the Railroad Museum of New England in Thomaston. From there Kevin, Sara, and I took the train to the Campville Summit, about four miles north of Thomaston along the Naugatuck River. Meanwhile, we had cold apple cider on this beautiful Autumn afternoon. Once we reached the summit, we rode back through Thomaston and made our way down to Watertown, just past Echo Lake Road. Kevin jokingly said: “If we jump off the train, we have to walk only a mile to be home.” Back towards Thomaston, we made a stop at a small pumpkin patch. Kids and adults could take pictures and bring a small pumpkin on the train. After 15 minutes the train loaded up again. And we rode back to the train station. The excursion took about 1 hour and 20 minutes. It was a nice little ride through the Litchfield Hills. We also had the chance to see the Thomaston Dam and look down into the Naugatuck River Valley. Sadly, the peak season of leaf peeping is over. Most trees are almost bare.
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Pumpkin Sunday 2022 ~ Rock Gods (5)
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Rob Zombie
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Fayerweather Island Lighthouse, Bridgeport, Connecticut 2022
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This afternoon we went to Fayerweather Island in Bridgeport to see another lighthouse. Once at the park, we had to climb across the barrier stones between Long Island Sound and Black Rock Harbor to get to the island. This was quite a puzzle. But I also watched other people on which stones they stepped to make the walk easier on the way back. It was a beautiful, sunny day. And a lot of anglers were out to catch fish. One guy caught a bluefish that was over a foot and a half long.
Arriving at the Fayerweather Island Lighthouse, Kevin, Sara, and I took a short break and looked up its history. We found out, that this lighthouse is not the original building. The original wooden lighthouse was built in 1808 and was destroyed in the Norfolk and Long Island Hurricane on September 3, 1821. In 1823 it was replaced with an octagonal stone tower, which we visited today. Same as the original lighthouse, this building is 40 feet (12.1 meters) tall.
As mentioned before, the walk back was much easier and faster since we knew on which stones to step. Sara was so far ahead, I told Kevin to catch up with her and pick me up in the car. Meanwhile, I sat on a bench and watched the gull on Seaside Beach.
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My Jack-o-Lanterns ~ 2014
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Today, I will show you the pumpkins I carved for the βThe Colony Family Fright Nightβ event in 2014. These pumpkins gained me 1st Prize. And the award was a $50 Movie Theater gift card. The white skull pumpkin is from Courtney. She asked me if I could capture a photo of it. It looks so cool, I had to add it to my Jack-o-Lantern photo collection.
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… to be continued in October 2023
World Lemur Day 2022

World Lemur Day is celebrated on the last Friday of October and this year, the holiday is scheduled to fall on October 28. The objective of this holiday is to raise awareness about the need to preserve this endangered species, and to celebrate its unique attributes. The holiday was first observed in 2014, when it was founded by Jonah Ratsimmbazafy in Antananarivo, Madagascar. Since then zoos and animal rights organizations across the globe have been celebrating this particular event. World Lemur Day is celebrated in tandem with the World Lemur Festival.
Happy World Lemur Day!
Lilliput Zinnia

Zinnia βLilliput Mixβ (Zinnia elegans)
Our Yard & Forest In Late October 2022 (2)
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Autumn In Our Backyard
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National Black Cat Day 2022
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Happy National Black Cat Day!


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Halloween Season (Part IV) ~ 2010
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2010









Katelynn loves going to the pumpkin patch because she can jump in the bounce house, go on hay rides and pick a pumpkin. Sara just enjoyed crawling around between the pumpkins. Every pumpkin had to be tested by giving it a good slap on top. We also went to the Pirate Days. Unfortunately βBoo at the Zooβ got rained out the day, we went to the Fort Worth Zoo. But it wasnβt the end of the world, either. The girls got out and had fun, anyway.
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… to be continued in October 2023 …
National Pumpkin Day 2022
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Happy National Pumpkin Day!
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National Tennessee Day 2022




Happy National Tennessee Day!
June Beetle (PhyllophagaΒ spp.)

June beetle, (genus Phyllophaga), also called May beetle or June bug, genus of nearly 300 species of beetles belonging to the widely distributed plant-eating subfamily Melolonthinae (family Scarabaeidae, order Coleoptera). These red-brown beetles commonly appear in the Northern Hemisphere during warm spring evenings and are attracted to lights.
The heavy-bodied June beetles vary from 12 to 25 mm (0.5 to 1 inch) and have shiny wing covers (elytra). They feed on foliage and flowers at night, sometimes causing considerable damage. June beetle larvae, called white grubs, are about 25 mm (1 inch) long and live in the soil. They can destroy crops (e.g., corn [maize], small grains, potatoes, and strawberries), and they can kill lawns and pastures by severing grasses from their roots.
Each female buries between 50 and 200 small pearl-like eggs in the soil. After three years of feeding on plant roots, the larvae pupate, emerge as adults in late summer, and then bury themselves again for the winter. In the spring the adults emerge once more and feed on available foliage. Adults live less than one year.
A natural enemy of the June beetle is the waved light fly (Pyrgota undata). The female fly lays an egg under the beetleβs elytra, where it hatches and feeds on the beetle, eventually killing it. Some small mammals, such as moles, are known to feed on the grubs, and June beetle larvae are considered excellent fish bait.
A Morning Walk At Veteranβs Memorial Park In Watertown, Connecticut (2)
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Happy New England Autumn!
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Kevin’s DIY Witches’ Cauldron 2009
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Kevin worked on the cauldron in previous years. But it came out the best on Halloween 2009. He had to cut a hole in the bottom to fit a pipe for the fog maker. A purple light bulb was installed before he aligned the inner cauldron with some dark fabric. Kevin glued some eyeballs and bones on top of the fabric to make them look like the witch just tossed them for her brew in the cauldron. Of course, needed a stand and a “fire”. Kevin got some golfball-sized styrofoam balls, cut a small hole, and spray painted them, so they would look like charcoal. Then he pushed red string lights in the precut holes to make the “charcoal look like it is glowing in the fire. Once the stand and the “charcoal” were in place, he set the cauldron on top of it and let the fog machine do its job. Ta-da! The witch had some brew cooking.
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Peter Pan’s Neverland Scavenger Hunt, Walt Disney World, Florida 2011












On the morning of St. Patrick’s Day, we went on a scavenger hunt to find Peter Pan and the hook he stole from Captain Hook. While we were waiting for our tour guide, Daisy crossed our way and waved Hello. After some time, the “Accountant” came out and excused the tour guide that he had an emergency. Then the accountant ran back into the office. Two minutes later he came back out with the Scavenger Clues, wiped the sweat off his forehead, and said, that he will guide the scavenger hunt, and we all have to help him. π
Off we went on our journey through Disney’s Magic Kingdom. On Main Street, we posed as Disney characters, in Tomorrowland we had to find hitten Mickey’s and say Hello to a piano-playing alien. The accountant dragged us to the wishing well by the castle, where we had to wish for something before we rode on Peter Pan’s Flight in Fantasyland. Somewhere between all this spectacle, I ended up dancing and clucking like a chicken and couldn’t stop until we made our way to Adventureland, where we danced the Hula in front of the Tikis across from The Magic Carpets of Aladdin. In the court of Pirates of the Caribbean, we finally found Peter Pan. He had one more task for us: looking for the hook he took from Captain Hook. And sure enough, Rylee found it. Out of two dozen scavenger hunters, she was the one who held the hook up in the air. As a prize, we got to shoot photos with Peter Pan and the “Accountant”, who was happy we made it safely through the scavenger hunt. Captain Hook and his crew could have sneaked up on us any moment.
… to be continued …
Beautiful Colors of Autumn (8)
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Autumn at The Colony Nature Trail, Texas
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Our Yard & Forest In Late October 2022 (1)
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Autumn
When the trees their summer splendor
Change to raiment red and gold,
When the summer moon turns mellow
And the nights are getting cold;
When the squirrels hide their acorns,
And woodchucks disappear;
Then we know it is Autumn.
Loveliest season of the year.
~ Charlotte L. Riser ~
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Pumpkin Sunday 2022 ~ Rock Gods (4)
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Gene Simmons – Kiss
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My Jack-o-Lanterns ~ 2013
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Another Saturday has arrived to show off some of my Jack-o-Lanterns from the year 2013. Some I carved for our local βFamily Fright Night Campoutβ. And a couple of pumpkins, I carved for Halloween night.
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… to be continued …
π The Little Jack-o-Lantern π
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I’m a little pumpkin
Round and stout,
Packed with full of seeds
That you can scoop out!
When I get all carved up,
Then I will be
The cutest Jack-o-Lantern
You ever will see!
Author Unknown
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Lantana ‘Dallas Red’



Lantana ‘Dallas Red” (Lantana camera x ‘Dallas Red’)
Our Yard & Forest In Mid-October 2022 (2)
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Happy Autumn 2022!
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Halloween Season (Part III) ~ 2008 β 2009
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2008




Katelynn wanted to help me with the pumpkin carving. So, Iβve got her a little pumpkin she could play with and get the pumpkin guts out. She always loved to say: βWe need to get all the pumpkin yikes out!β And then she played with the gooey inside of the pumpkin.
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2009






Sara was only twelve days old when we celebrated Halloween in 2009. She was such a cute little Pumpkin. Katelynn wanted to help with the pumpkins again, while her little sister took a nap. Katelynn was very proud of being a big sister. She really enjoyed taking Sara out for her first Trick-or-Treat. All bundled up we walked through the neighborhood and collected candy on this cool October night. The fresh air was good for the little munchkin.
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… to be continued …
National Kentucky Day 2022






Happy National Kentucky Day!
UGH! Another Teenager! ππ
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Congratulations on finally finishing your pre-teen years
and becoming a teenager.
Happy Birthday to our 13-year-old daughter, Sara!
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Kevin’s DIY Cat Eyes ~ 2008
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Kevin had a couple of motors, he wanted to use for something neat on Halloween. He decided to make moving cat eyes. A couple of tiki candle holders, styrofoam balls, and spray paint needed to be purchased. The strings, wooden picks, black foam sheets, and velvet fabric we had laying around the house. Kevin also installed some mini light bulbs inside the eyeballs. So, they were glowing, while they moved and stare at everyone.
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Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney World, Florida 2011 (2)

















After dinner at a Mayan restaurant, where Ryan ate summer squash for the first time (yes, he liked it), we went to Disney’s Hollywood Studios for another night. We all just chilled and walked around enjoying the evening after sunset. No rides; just walking around the park. Two hours later, we all went back to the Pop Century Resort and were ready to rest for the night. Sara was out of it in seconds, while Katelynn still played with her cousins for a little bit.
… to be continued …
Beautiful Colors of Autumn (7)
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Autumn Bradford Pear ~ 2012
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At Black Rock State Park In October 2022
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The same morning, but in a different part of Watertown: Kevin and I took a short trip to Black Rock State Park. While we were driving further down into the valley, the fog became denser. Actually, I wanted to capture some Autumn photos across the lake. Instead, I’ve got some fantastic fog photos of some golden maple trees. When we drove home, we got back out of the fog. On top of the hill, we had a nice view of the Naugatuck River Valley. The mist lay there like a blanket. The scenic view was stunning.

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Pumpkin Sunday 2022 ~ Rock Gods (3)
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Alice Cooper
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A Morning Walk At Veteran’s Memorial Park In Watertown, Connecticut (1)
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Kevin and I waited until sunrise before we drove to Veteran’s Memorial Park for a nice walk on this crisp morning. We both warmed up quickly once we walked our first round. Since it was so nice, we decided to go for another round. While Kevin and I were at the park, we saw all these beautiful October Autumn colors. An Eastern Gray Squirrel munched on an acorn and built a bed after breakfast. Our critters prepare for the cold weather.
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My Jack-o-Lanterns ~ 2011 – 2012
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Happy Halloween Season!
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… to be continued …
Our Yard & Forest In Mid-October 2022
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Every day, the colors change in our yard and in our forest. I love how everything turns to gold, orange, and maroon. Colorful vines creep along the tree trunks, mushrooms grow on the fallen trees, berries become ripe and their skins split open. The colors of Autumn are so beautiful. ππ
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Echo Lake Park In Mid-October 2022
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Autumn in Echo Lake Park
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Mealycup Sage
Mealycup Sage (Salvia farinacea)
My Scandinavian Halloween Gnomes/Tomte Nisse (1)
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Sven, Christopher, and Gunnar are back and dressed for the festivities in October. They are so ready for “Trick-or-Treat” by the end of this month. Since the gnomes had so much fun with the last photo shoot, they agreed to do another one. π





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Our Yard In Mid October 2022 (1)
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Happy Autumn!
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Halloween Season (Part II) ~ 2006 β 2007
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2006


β¦ This Halloween season was completely different from last yearβs. Katelynn was excited to go to βTrick-or-Treatβ. She knocked on the doors with a happy βTβick-or-Tβeeeeatβ. Since she couldnβt pronounce the βrβ, the neighbors thought she was adorable and gave her a lot of candy. After three houses we had to walk home to empty the bag before we could go out there and get more candy. Oh my, so much candy and no meltdowns anymore.
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The Munster Mansion in Waxahachie, Texas



In 2004 I heard about the Munster Mansion Replica when I watched VH1 while I was preparing dinner. I talked to Kevin about it. And one weekend, we drove from Dallas to Waxahachie. When we found it, we looked at it. The owner, Charles McKee waved at us, and we waved back.
A couple of years later, I read in the Dallas Morning News that the McKees have these weekend tours right before Halloween. Kevin and I got a babysitter for Katelynn, and down we went to Waxahachie again. They used the big parking lot in front of a local school. A school bus and a limousine were busy around the clock, picking guests up and dropping them off. It was a long wait. But once we were on the property, we had a lot of entertainment. One of the firebreathers asked me to pull a nail out of her nose. I replied, “… before this happens I will pass out.” Everybody in line was laughing. π
Once we made it inside the mansion, we were not allowed to capture photos or record any film. It made us pay more attention to the tour as well. If you like to see photos and documents, you can go to the official website and check it out for more information. Here is the link:
https://www.munstermansion.com/
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2007




In 2007, Kevin had to go with Katelynn to Trick-or-Treat. I was still recovering from a knee injury and rather stayed at home. It was fun. Katelynn was dressed in her βSnow Whiteβ costume and received plenty of candy, while the neighbors and I were busy giving out candy. But I have to admit, I missed the door-to-door walk that year.



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… to be continued …
Song of The Witches
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Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the caldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting,
Lizard’s leg and howlet’s wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
Cool it with a baboon’s blood,
Then the charm is firm and good.
(Macbeth)
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Our Greenhouse & Harvest In Mid-October 2022
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The temperatures seem to be perfect for the greenhouse garden, this October. We still have quite a few snacker tomatoes. The beef-steak tomatoes are still green. And the flowers seem to do well. I also could harvest a banana pepper, a bell pepper, two eggplants, and half a bowl of cherry tomatoes and golden sun tomatoes. This Summer I started late because I waited for the greenhouse to be built. Therefore I will have a late harvest in Autumn.
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National Vermont Day 2022



Happy National Vermont Day!
Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis )

TheΒ Brown Pelican is aΒ birdΒ of theΒ pelicanΒ family,Β Pelecanidae, one of threeΒ speciesΒ found in the Americas and one of two that feed by diving into the water. It is located on the Atlantic Coast fromΒ New JerseyΒ to the mouth of theΒ Amazon River, and along theΒ Pacific CoastΒ fromΒ British ColumbiaΒ to northernΒ Chile, including theΒ Galapagos Islands. TheΒ nominate subspeciesΒ in itsΒ breeding plumageΒ has a white head with a yellowish wash on the crown. TheΒ napeΒ and neck are dark maroonsβbrown. The upper sides of the neck have white lines along the base of theΒ gular pouch, and the lower fore neck has a pale yellowish patch. The male and female are similar, but the female is slightly smaller. The nonbreeding adult has a white head and neck. The pink skin around the eyes becomes dull and gray in the nonbreeding season. It lacks any red hue; the pouch is firmly olivaceous ochre-tinged, and the legs are olivaceous gray to blackish-gray.
Autumn In New England (1)
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π Autumn at the Watertown Historical District π
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DIY – Diddlina “Trick-or-Treat” Bag 2005
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Diddlina is Diddl’s girlfriend. When I was younger, I was collecting everything about Diddl and his friends. I even made my own journals by drawing pictures of them. In October 2005, I decided I create Katelynn’s “Trick-or-Treat” bag myself. The bag I had from a previous occasion. The picture, I printed out, traced, and clued the tracing to construction papers. The broom got some tinsel I found in an art supply store. I used a black pen for coloring the face, hands, feet, hat, and costume, to give it character. And voilΓ , Katelynn had a “Trick-or-Treat” bag like no other.
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Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Florida 2011 (2)




















The following morning, we went to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. There we rode on the Kilimanjaro Safaris. Sara was very tired and possibly teething. Our sister-in-law kept Sara comfortable, while we looked at some animals. Kevin and I decided to take it easy for the rest of the morning. We went back to the resort for Sara to rest a little bit. The older kids went to the pool with their mother/aunt.
… to be continued …
Echo Lake Park In Early October 2022
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Autumn At Echo Lake Park, Watertown, Connecticut






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Beautiful Colors of Autumn (6)
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Autumn Rain in Texas ~ 2011
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The Full Hunter’s Moon 2022 πΉ
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The Hunterβs Moon is also the October Full Moon. The leaves fall from the trees and the fields stand empty after harvest. The forestβs animals have fattened up for the winter ahead. The thinning leaves and empty fields made this an easier time to hunt in preparation for the winter ahead.
The October full moon is about honoring that which has passed; the plants and the animals that gave their lives to sustain ours and our ancestors who brought us into being and helped shape our world. Cook old family recipes or retell old family stories in honor of your ancestors.
http://www.naturalsuburban.com
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Our Yard In Early October 2022
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Autumn has arrived. Our yard and forest become more colorful as the season goes on. We had cooler nights, just above freezing, which help the leaves to turn into their beautiful colors. Just in time, the Autumn berries begin to ripen for the cold days ahead. Birds and small critters will need all the nutrition they can get before Winter will arrive in New England. Most birds have left for the South, where they will over-winter until Spring comes back.
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Pumpkin Sunday 2022 ~ Rock Gods (2)
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Ozzy Osbourne – The Prince of Darkness
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My Jack-o-Lanterns ~ 2008 – 2010
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… to be continued …
Kringle Candle Company’s “Black Cat”
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Good things happen when this cat crosses your path. A complex blend of wood, citrus, and musk creates a bright freshness.
Top: Spicy Cinnamon
Mid: Clove
Base: Cedar, Frankincense
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Mexican Sunflower

Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia)Β
Halloween Cat Poem
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Could Be Halloween
Yowling, prowling, growling cat
Why do you switch your tail like that?
Why do your eyes flash gold and green?
Could beβmust beβHalloween!
Slinky, inky, blinky cat,
Why do you arch your back like that?
What scary creatures have you seen?
Could beβmust be Halloween!
Author Unknown
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Halloween Season (Part I) ~ 2003 – 2005
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2003


This was Katelynnβs First Halloween. She was only 27 days old when I carved the Kitty pumpkin for her. The story behind the pumpkin itself can be found here under this link:
https://underthewhiteoakleaves.com/2022/10/01/my-jack-o-lanterns-2003-2007/
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2004







Katelynn was at the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch for the first time. Oh, she had so much fun playing with the straw. Kevin and I had to fish it out of her clothes later, She was so busy throwing the straw in the air, it went everywhere. The next day, we dressed her up as a lamb. I made the costume myself. The head was a bit big for her. She enjoyed going to Trick-or-Treat with it.
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2005



