HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

 

A kitty-kat Jack to ward off bad kitties from our property

Brrrrrr-it's windy and snowing🙀

OCTOBER 30-FIRST SNOW

Good grief. 

 

FIVE SECOND STORIES

 Critters

Awww, best buddies! The dog face says it all, "I have a friend". We all should be this lucky.

When I first saw this I thought-whoa, Stephen King country with a cat named Mephistopheles!

We were watching a doc about red squirrels and a point was made about the rivalry with Jays: squirrels have to keep an eye out for spying Jays who will steal a freshly buried peanut once the squirrel had left. Squirrels are known to fake out Jays and other squirrels by looking like they are burying but actually take the peanut elsewhere.

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10/27 Another Indian Summer day-breezy, sun and clouds-tomorrow, a high of only 50°.

The hydrangea blooms have gone brown

Most of these leaves are from Mr. Locust

We find it amazing how sharp-eyed Squirrels and the Jays are finding peanuts in the leaf litter

Stubbs-he may have lost his tail extension but what he has is looking fat and luxurious

A bit of a kerfuffle between Messrs. Jay and Big Woody under the honeysuckle in the Back 40. I've never seen these two species spar-could be part of a turf battle as BW has only been back for a week or so. You can see Jay has the size advantage over BW.

Mr. Birch has dropped most of his leaves

Mr. Maple looking glorious

Ms. Krabappel laden with fruit

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Old TV Ads

I was watching a compilation of TV ads from the '90s and one for Bud Dry appeared. I remember this fad from when I worked for Kroger. The modern dry beer was first produced in Japan in 1987 and soon the rest of the beer producers in the US and Europe joined in. The product's selling point it was clean, lively, refreshing, less sweet with no aftertaste as compared to most popular beers. Funny how the pendulum has swung into the opposite direction with craft/artisanal beer explosion that came shortly afterward.

Funny ad from 1994 addressing one of the major problems plaguing our culture at the time: finding the !!@??!! remote. The selling point of this Magnavox was its special button that when activated, will find your remote, potentially preventing spouse, child, pet, inanimate object abuse cuz the man of the house can't find remote and displaces his frustration.

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Sunday 10/29-first fireplace fire. C has been fighting a cold for days and the warmth felt good. I was in t-shirt and shorts, lol. Buddy cozied up to Mom and was one relaxed katter.

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You gotta wonder about folks who create flower hybrids. Is it a highly competitive field that is a cross (pun intended) between a garden version of Best in Show and The Great British Bake Off?

Echinacea Artisan Yellow Ombre-All-America Selections regional winner

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Another vid I stumbled upon on YT. "Michigan Rocks" is the site name and the host is Rob Abram, a Jr. High Math teacher in Alpena, MI. I vaguely remember when this was quite popular-maybe in the '80s although further reading revealed that its roots go back to the 50's. Beautiful stuff which I can appreciate but have no interest in the hobby. In his presentation, he mentions that he's been doing this for 12 years, solid, and has the tumblers going nearly 24/7 except when he is filming a vid or he and his wife are out of town for a few days. 

I wondered about his wife-she must love this guy dearly but I can imagine she needs a break from the noise. Bless his heart, he looks like the kinda guy who would put a lot of time and effort in soundproofing the basement where the tumblers are. However, I wonder if there is a vibration in the house, like living next to a construction site. So, from time to time, she takes a few days off and loves to take him along. A curious marriage for sure.

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I was watching the Country Life vlog from Azerbaijan and Ma and Pa were harvesting barberries. I'm unfamiliar with this fruit bearing shrub. It's better known in Europe and West Asia. The berries are an important food source for birds and humans with high levels of vitamin C. But, the barberry fruit is quite sour and the plant has sharp thorns, difficult to harvest. In Europe, it is often used to make jam with its high content of pectin. Another issue is the primary cultivar b.vulgaris hosts a wheat stem rust fungus, a serious fungal disease of wheat and related grains. For this reason, b. vulgaris is prohibited in Canada and some areas of the US-CN, MA, MI and NH.

 

IN UKRAINE'S CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS

Another rural life cooking vid following in the footsteps of the very popular Almazan Kitchen bushcraft from Serbia and Country Life vlog from Azerbaijan. It's Spring and the gentleman makes a meal. He begins with showing how bread was made 100 years ago using period equipment to first pound the wheat grains into a flour, sifting, adding salt, water and baking soda to make a rough dough. Baked on a wood fired cook top. He then goes into a woods and collects wild mushrooms which are then sauteed in a pan over the cook top. Like the other shows, there is no talking although he does have some closed caption narration. Quite bucolic. My grandmother was from the Carpathians in Slovakia.

 

LUCHA LIBRE SQUIRREL

The Mexican version of professional wrestling is known as Lucha Libre. Since its introduction to Mexico in the early 20th century, it has developed into a unique form of the genre, characterized by colorful masks, rapid sequences of holds and maneuvers, and "high-flying" maneuvers. The masks have special significance often representing a myth the wearer represents, sometimes various animals whose persona the wearer takes on. This points back to Aztec times where warriors painted their faces as an indication of martial success.

A little known subset in the profession are the Luchador Squirrels who are usually found in performing at fairs and carnivals. Their leaping and flying acrobatics are legendary. One famous Luchador is El Ardilla (the squirrel):

Mike Skrzynski

Here is El Ardilla in action against one of his standard opponents El Cacahuete (the peanut):

Mike Skrzynski

As in American wrestling, there are often particular opponents who fight frequently with one who is always the loser. Both Freddie and Stubbs are big fans and sometimes in their play, they put on some Luchador moves on each other or Buddy if DHS gets a bit stroppy towards them.

A MODERN FABLE: THE DEAL

I've noticed over the past couple of weeks that I have been losing more tithonia. It began with with losses from the August 24 storm. The latest downings seem motivated presumably for the seeds in the spent blooms and happen at night when we are asleep. Only squirrels and raccoons are big enough to topple and break the 2" thick stalks and I put my money on the coons. But if it is them, what is perplexing is why they have left the feeder alone for several weeks. Throughout the Spring and Summer, we had to bring it in nightly or the coons would manage to bring it down. One possibility:

Thanks to Bin's inter-species communication device, I sent out an inquiry and received a statement back from the raccoons:

"We have come to realize that our actions regarding the communal feeder are wrong. We regret that such actions have posed a threat to a valuable food source for so many communities especially as Winter draws near. We wish to atone for our thoughtless greediness and offer this repatriation, but know this: there is a price for everything in this world. So, we agree not to attack the communal feeder but we require compensation for our loss. In return, you sacrifice your sunflowers. We need to eat too".

Fair enough, I thought. The fact they even offered is honorable and thoughtful. It needs to be appreciated so I agreed to the terms. I gathered the downed stalks into a sunflower shock and put them out in the empty raised bed. It was toppled that evening but no matter, I laid the shock in the bed so they can reach the seeds with little effort.

 

 

INDIAN SUMMER

After the first major frost on 10/23, the following day was a beautiful, Indian Summer day with temps reaching the mid-70's. The morning was sunny and already in the 60's:

I mowed the yard and puttered around. The late afternoon was warm enough for C to do deck yoga with Buddy. Sigh, it was only for a day-the following day the clouds and rain returned.
 

AUTUMN SUNDAY IN PLEASANT VALLEY

 

Even on a cloudy day,
the birches wave their earrings
shining like doubloons.

Amazon slides by.

The jays holler for peanuts,
rascally squirrels beg for them
for we have a symbiotic relationship.

Big Brown floats by.

We play ‘find the peanut’,
the ape flings them like a 2001 jawbone
onto the grass freckled with yellow leaves.

FedEx has stopped across the street.

The cat wants in and I open the slider,
he tails me as he walks by
out of gratitude and love.

I hear the driver start his truck.

It’s getting chilly and dusk comes early,
as I hear a few bars of a Monkees’ tune
now out of season.

FedEx rolls away.

I hear the jay holler a single note-please,
and I toss more peanuts
and he replies with two notes-thank you.

                                           

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

 The afternoon of the 22nd began with overcast skies.

Back deck and Benny's Maple

Mr. Burning Bush finally turning...a bit.

Continued hooliganism targeting the tithonia in the East Garden.

Mr. Koi flying in front of golden little birch set against a dark pine.

Mr. Birch has shed quite a bit of his leaves.

Then, the sun came out.

Johnny's burning bushes looking fabulous

Things were hopping at the Diner complex-the giving stone, feeder and bath/spa! A wide spectrum of avians: M/M Blue Jay, M/M Cardinal, M/M Downy Woodpecker (Lil' Woody), Red-Bellied Woodpecker (Big Woody), Finches, Sparrows, Chickadees, Nuthatches, Juncos and Tufted Titmice. 

Big Woody

Even a Robin!

Is Mr. Robin one of those who overwinter? They do love crab apples and our tree has a bumper crop (as do those in the neighborhood).

 Mr. Big Bun sat in the shadows performing his toilette.

The light frosts have turned the hostas yellow

Buddy catching some rays

Jay and Freddie looking for peanuts

Panorama view of the front

CAT TALES: PUSHING NINE LIVES TO THE LIMIT OR EXTRA VERSES OF "THE CAT CAME BACK"

This is an incredible tale of a ship's cat during WW2 that may be either true to some extent or more of an apocryphal sea story. 

Our story begins in May of 1941 on the Battleship Bismark, the pride of the German Navy. Aboard was a crewman's black and white cat whose name, age and owner is unknown. 

Bismark

Nine days after setting sail, Bismark was sunk after a fierce fire fight with the British Navy. Only 115 out of 2100 souls survived and were picked up by destroyers after the battle including the cat who was purportedly found floating on top of a board and rescued by the Cossack.

HMS Cossack

The crewman on the Cossack named the cat Oscar (or Oskar-he was a German cat), "O" coming from naval code for Man Overboard. Oscar served on the Cossack which conducted convoy escort duty in the Mediterranean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean until October 1941 when the ship was torpedoed. Oscar managed to survive and was transferred with the surviving crew to Gibraltar. There he eventually was assigned to the carrier Ark Royal, which had played an important role in the sinking of the Bismark.

HMS Ark Royal

There, he was renamed "Unsinkable Sam". Unfortunately, in November 1941 while operating in the Mediterranean, the Ark Royal was torpedoed. The ship was slow to sink and all but one of the crew were saved-Sam and several of his crew mates were rescued clinging to a plank. 

This ended Sam's shipborne career. He was transferred first to the offices of the Governor of Gibraltar and then sent back to the United Kingdom, where he saw out the remainder of the war living in a seaman's home in Belfast called the "Home for Sailors". He died there in 1955.

 

FIVE SECOND STORIES

One aspect of aging is a concerted effort to make life simpler, easier. That such-and-such with a wobble that you have lived with for years-gone. Straining to open bottle tops-we found a great gadget to fix that problem. Those vacuum sealed items with a lousy 1/8th of an inch tab to grasp and open-a small pair of pliers does the trick. Now, something to help open those maddening clam shell food containers without having to resort to a knife...

Pure evil.

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The tradition of candles on a cake date back to the ancient Greeks. Round cakes were baked to honor the goddess of the moon, Artemis. Candles were put on the cake/offering to represent the glow of the moon, and when the candles were blown out, the smoke from them would carry wishes up to the gods. 

Later, this would be incorporated into early Germanic traditions concerning children's birthdays. It was believed that evil spirits crossed over into our dimension to attack children (an explanation for so many childhood deaths from disease). Candles were placed on the cake, one for each year of life and one extra for the coming year (one to grow on was the saying in my family) to keep the demons away. In those days, the candles were kept lit all day and replaced as they melted. Finally, during the evening celebration, the child would blow out the candles with the hope that the smoke would rise heavenward and receives god's attention.

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Geez, with all the Catholicism on both sides of my family, you'd think I would have remembered this interesting bit of Christian belief that I came across: the Archangel Michael, amongst his other duties, guards souls from Satan on the hour of death.

Painting by Guido Reni 1635-Michael opening a can of whoop-ass on Satan

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Our wild friend's influence: C's term for my mood at the end of the day when I pick her up and still have decent energy-I am "chirpy". 

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How to make busy night shepherd's pie, with Indian leftovers.

1. Make mashed potatoes

2. Place a portion of leftovers in bowl and nuke.

3. Top with spuds. Nuke if they have cooled.

Filling and warming on a cold rainy night. The spiciness of the Indian cuisine goes well with the bland yet creamy potatoes.

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I was watching a cooking vid for meat loaf. The cook was vigorously forming the loaf on a sheet pan and declared 

"This is the only acceptable time to slap your meat".🙀

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A just-learned cooking hack: when processing garlic, cut in half lengthwise and the paper should easily come off.

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A nugget from a cat doc-while dogs have undergone centuries of selective breeding, cats are genetically pretty close to their wild ancestors.

Our tiger

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Seen while out and about: vanity plate reading "XI XI". Eleven, Eleven? Perhaps something clever: the Chinese leader's first name is Xi and is pronounced "Shee". Therefore, the plate reads chi-chi-the driver indicating that they have elegance to some or fancy schmancy to others. Or, something quite the opposite: 11/11 is a magic number. A larger New Age movement helped spread 11:11 as a number of mystical significance, such as a time when consciousness is especially open to the universe. It is a particular favorite of the Israeli psychic, magician, and numerologist Uri Geller.

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I am sad to report that LT's tail extension has failed. I saw him earlier in the week as he came bounding up to the slider for peanuts. Only he and Freddie do this. So, I guess he's back to Stubbs. Sorry, man.

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Excerpt from Vivaldi's "Winter" by Ukranian-born Alexandr

Hrustevich. Wow!