Recently I saw an online news headline which used the phrase "shoebox size" to describe the size of a home. It was being used in a denigrating way to mock the size of a home. This got me to thinking about all the uses of shoeboxes. Then I remembered seeing students make habitat dioramas using shoeboxes. I started to research the use of cardboard boxes in different types of crafts. I was amazed at all the numerous websites that show examples of cardboard box crafts. I decided to ask the AI image generator on my WordPress resource to generate an image of a "shoebox nativity scene", next a "cardboard shoebox dollhouse", and lastly I asked for a "shoebox habitat diorama." Above you can see the images it produced based on these prompts. I especially like the use of an old worn out shoe in the outdoor habitat diorama. This made me laugh.
Many school holidays will be beginning soon, if they have not already started. I think making shoebox nativity scenes to teach about the birth of Jesus, or dollhouses to give as gifts, or habitat dioramas to teach a little science, are all great ideas of ways to spend quality time with your children, friends, nephews, nieces, or neighbors. This might make a greater childhood memory, and have a greater impact on their creativity, than simply buying something.
Anyone who uses the phrase "shoebox size" to describe a home is a snob. Maybe they need to do a little research on all the creative ways to use and enjoy a shoebox, and be grateful for what they do have. (This a just an older lady's advice. Take it or leave it, but don't knock the size of a shoebox size home, at least not in a public forum.)
Miss Piggy and her friends give thanks for all their blessings. They will pray at the dinner table. (This is an IA generated image.)
My family and I are having a non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner. I cooked a turkey breast and all the traditional fixings about two weeks ago. I did not want to repeat it so soon. Today we are having Beef Bourguignon with Sopa Paraguaya (which is a hearty cornbread), and a few other dishes. The other day when I was shopping for a red wine to use for cooking the beef I was surprised to run across a cabernet with the name “Katherine”. I stopped with a strange feeling of serendipity. I was currently reading Dan Brown’s latest book, The Secret of Secrets. One of the main characters in this book is named Katherine. Also, the picture featured on the front of the wine bottle reminded me of a black cutout profile picture of me when I was very young that had been artistically framed. My black profile picture has a ponytail much like the one on the wine bottle. The resemblance ends there, though my name is Katherine also. I bought the wine on a whim. I bought another bottle of a different wine to use in my cooking.
This is the picture from the bottle I purchased.
You might be asking why I used a picture of Miss Piggy at the top of this post. I thought it was funny since “piggy” , possibly a relative of Miss Piggy, has been in the news recently. Of course, I was instantly reminded of Miss Piggy whom my daughter grew up with and whom we all love. She had a Miss Piggy doll that was so loved and played with so frequently that eventually I had to throw it out. I was able to find one book, which we still miraculously possess, featuring Miss Piggy.
Here is the book we own. The dirt in the bottom right must be from a pulled off price sticker.
Another interesting side note about Miss Piggy is that she has been featured several times at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I read that in 2016 she saved Tony Bennett from falling off the float they were standing on.
I hope anyone that might happen to read this has a fun and happy day. I am thankful for many things. Too many things to elaborate here.
I ran across this picture the other day when I was looking at fall pictures I had taken in the past. I did not know what it was. I don’t think I had ever learned its name. The search began for its name. I remembered it was a tall plant about 6 ft. tall. It was located near several short well-known milkweed plants. I still did not make the connection because I had only ever had swamp milkweed in my own garden. I had no idea that there was a milkweed species called Hairy Balls. I learned this yesterday when I finally figured out what this plant was. I knew I recognized the thin lance-like leaves of the swamp milkweed I grew in the past, but still I did not make the connection until I saw it featured on a garden blog. When I looked it up I was surprised to find that there is a math theorem called Hairy Ball theorem. I had to laugh.
screenshot taken from wikipedia
(I was intrigued by the use of “carpus” since I related it to bones. It turns out when talking about plants it means “fruit”. )
I have no idea what this means in math. I am not schooled in algebraic topology nor am I a math genius, so it means nothing to me. However, I still find it interesting that people’s lives are devoted to studying such things. I am more interested in the beauty of plants that are tangible.
(AP photo/Markus Schreiber) “Pumpkin sculpture depicting fictional Swedish book character Pippi Longstocking is displayed at Klaistow’s farm’s annual pumpkin festival, which this year celebrates ‘powerful women’.” It is near Berlin, Germany. See the link below .
You should click on the link to see a fantastic pumpkin festival that has a 22 year history. They have several other sculptures that you should see of real-life women who were strong in a real life sense. I have never seen so many pumpkins in one place. Thank you to AP news for posting this story.
Pippi Longstocking books were enjoyed by me when I was a young girl. She was super naturally strong and this was depicted in the very first book where it shows her lifting her horse onto the porch of her home. She could overpower all men who tried to trick her or her friends. I will post a screenshot of the history of these books.
This AI summary was taken from a Bing search.
My own daughter, Laura, owns a few Pippi Longstocking movies.
I received a Pippi Longstocking book for Christmas when I was about 9 or 10. I have a picture to prove it. Unfortunately we cannot read which Pippi book it was. This picture is very old and of poor quality.
Late this morning I was making egg salad for a sandwich. I opened a new jar of Duke’s light mayonnaise. On the top of the lid are the words: “Duke’s. It’s Got a Twang!” TM
This got me to thinking about this word and its meaning. My first thought is that it is an onomatopoeia which is a word that is a vocal imitation of a sound, (Ex: bang, buzz, whop). Then I thought that mayonnaise does not make a sound, so I had to look the word up. It has a 3rd definition not used by me. (All definitions here are screenshots from Merriam-Webster online dictionary.)
I have used this word to describe a person’s voice that has a high nasal accent like in many Southern US accents. I immediately thought of Jim Nabors, aka Gomer Pyle, who was an actor (The Andy Griffith Show, and Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C.) and a singer. These shows were popular when I was growing up.
My brother, sister, and I would tease my mother, and we associated her with Gomer Pyle. She grew up in Branson, Missouri near the Ozark mountains, and when she went back there she would start talking in a high nasal voice, which I guess was a throwback to her childhood. We would say to my mother, “How come I talk like this, but I sing like this?” We would try to imitate her high nasal accent and then try to sing smoothly like Jim Nabors. It was all to tease her, and my brother, the family comedian, was the leader of this.
I wanted to give you audio examples of what I am talking about. The files were way to large for this format here. I will give you pictures to research. (The album cover is from Internet Archive.) (I quickly grabbed the Gomer Pyle collection picture, so I don’t remember the source. But it is an ad.)
His voice is incredible smooth when singing.
There are several clips of Gomer Pyle on the internet where you can hear the high nasal twang that his character had. You can also research his singing voice which was incredibly good, and nothing like his speaking voice.
He had an opportunity to sing on his Gomer Pyle show during the 4th season, in an episode titled "The Show Must Go On" which was aired November 3, 1967. Nabors sang "The Impossible Dream" from Man of La Mancha. (This information is from Microsoft Co-Pilot.)
As I was fixing breakfast for my daughter this morning, I happened to glance out the kitchen window. Everything looked dull, especially since the overcast sky was providing little light. I spotted several bright white dots in the far right corner near the fence. I wondered excitedly if they could be the anemone Honorine Jobert I planted a good 20 years ago. I had to put my boots and a warm jacket on and go investigate. I wanted to be prepared, so I got out my old Nikon and made sure it had enough battery power. I then ventured out.
Sure enough I was right. There standing among all the evidence of neglect, multiplied by the browning and dying back that fall brings, was Honorine Jobert lighting up her corner of the garden. There were four flowers and several buds waiting to open. I took a few pictures to mark the occasion.
As I was heading back inside, I looked around the gloom to see if there were any more hidden surprises. I saw a single small white feather in the pond. I was surprised because just yesterday when I was researching Native American dream-catchers, I read that white feathers can symbolize peace, hope, and angels. With a sense of whimsy I would like to think that this white feather brings a blessing!
All these pictures were taken by me years ago at a road-side market in Berryville, Virginia.
Yesterday I was visiting several places in my community taking advantage of some rare time away from home and work. Most places I went I saw pumpkins and various other members of the gourd family.
Did you know that cucumbers were in the gourd family? I did not know this until today.
As I was walking into one of the stores I was visiting, I heard a little boy behind me ask whether he could have a pumpkin. I heard his father respond that pumpkins were for October. Without thinking, I responded, “Pumpkins are already in the stores.” Then as I slowed to get a shopping cart, the father smiled at me, and I realized that it was his lame excuse for not buying his son a pumpkin. I smiled back, and went on my way knowing my words could not be taken back. I hope the little boy will get his pumpkin, and I hope that he can draw faces on it or have his dad carve a friendly face on it.
I love the beauty and versatility of gourds. They are one of the reasons I love the fall season, and of course all the pumpkin breads, muffins, pies, and cookies that are available at this time of year. I saw my husband had a carton of a pumpkin spice high protein drink, and I winced at the thought of it. Is this carrying it too far?
Anyways, I went looking for my pumpkin pictures, and I was reminded of my husband’s Uncle Buddy and his llama farm. He is no longer with us, nor is the llama farm still there. All was sold off, and I believe the land was sold to a neighboring horse training farm. Time moves on and things can change. I will post a picture in honor of Buddy and his llamas. I am not sure whether his wife Cheryl is still alive. She left to be closer to some of her children.
I still have some llama wool items I purchased to help support the cause. I will have to pull out the llama wool blanket that I have never used for fear of ruining it. I might as well use it at this point since their is no good reason to ‘save it’.
Some of Uncle Buddy’s llamas near Berryville, Virginia. His property was a stone’s throw from the West Virginia and Virginia border. He was on the West Virginia side.
This morning as I was drinking my coffee and looking out onto our deck, I saw a trail of bright yellow cucumber flowers. They looked so pretty in the sunlight shining onto the deck. Through all my neglect and amateur skills at vegetable gardening, this cucumber plant has been a star performer bordering on miracle plant.
I looked away and then my subconscious told me to take another look. I looked again and right above these flowers hung a new cucumber, which I had not noticed the day before. This has happened a few times with this plant. I notice nothing, and then the next day I see a fully developed cucumber. I have wondered is my vision so selective that I miss things. I don't know the answer here. I feel I must have a guardian angel watching over me to keep my spirits up. It also makes me think I should not give up on future plans of growing vegetables. I will show proof of produce that has been recently picked. I won't show the ugly mess of pots and yellowed leaves.
This picture was taken by me today on my deck, including my most recent ‘miracle’ cucumber.
Picture taken by me with my cell phone at Meadowlark Botanical Garden in Vienna, Virginia. These totems are in the Korean Bell Garden.
Totems can be misunderstood. They are not meant to be worshipped. They are not religious. They are a memorial of sorts, and some say they can frighten away demons. I enjoy them as an art form which I find very interesting.
Happy First Day of Fall!
Meadowlark Botanical Garden will begin to show spectacular fall color. Go there to learn more about this Bell Garden and the totems.
I was looking out my kitchen window today and saw a bird feeding on one of the cattails that have become invasive in my pond. I have been too overwhelmed to tackle my cattail problem. I got my binoculars out so that I could better identify the bird. It turned out to be a female goldfinch. I had never seen one feeding on my cattails before today. Now, I feel that the cattails were a blessing for the birds.
I looked up cattails and goldfinches, and it turns out they have a close relationship. I read that not only do the goldfinches feed on the seeds of the mature cattails, they also use the white fluffy fibers to line their nests.
Since the daily visitation of a neighborhood hawk scared all the birds away, bird sightings in my garden have been very limited. The birdfeeder has been mostly avoided even though my husband keeps it filled with fresh bagged seeds. The first to return has been a female cardinal who looks to be rejoicing with her exclusive rights to the feeder and garden. Today she shared the garden with this female goldfinch who looks healthily plump. Perhaps she has been feeding on the cattails under my radar, and was not noticed until today. Her coloration does blend well with the collection of cattails that now find their home in my garden. Now I do not feel so bad about dragging my feet in cleaning up the pond. I will wait to do this until the birds have their fill of seed and fluff.
I thought about going out to get a picture but the goldfinches are notoriously hard to capture in a picture. I simply open the door to the garden and they fly away. So, I borrowed the above image from a website that sells garden print merchandise. The address is in the caption.
movingforwardslowly 