NOVEMBER 5, 2024

 

THE VICTOR VICTROLA

In the Greek short film "The Village", there is a scene featuring a Victor Victrola.

They were in production from 1901-1929 carrying the famous logo featuring Nipper:

I remember that my Dad's folks had one in an upstairs bedroom and that my cousins and I played records on it. I thought it curious that it was located in a bedroom-did my Slovak grandparents listen to music in bed? Or, was it re-located from the crowded living room downstairs? Funny, the things one remembers from childhood.

 

THE VILLAGE

From 2010, a stop action short by Greek filmmaker Stelios Polychronakis. 

If you are interested in the translation of Greek found in the beginning and the newspaper article, please give me a holler.

FIVE SECOND STORIES

11/1-Happy Samhain! This is a Gaelic festival that marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. 

 

This symbol was often painted or carved on homes and barns to protect from evil spirits and bad luck. It is also known as Bowen Knot, Gorgons Loop and St. John's Arms.

In Mexico, this is the Día de Muertos or Day of the Dead which is celebrated 11/1-11/2. Orange marigolds aka cempasúchil are a key part of the celebration and are considered the flower of the dead. 

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I finally got out and mowed up the leaves in the Back 40 and front. It's been unusually warm and very windy with a forecast of much colder temps and perhaps some rain. These past days meet the criteria of an Indian Summer: a warm and dry period after a hard frost 28° or less.

One of the young forsythia is still blooming:

Sunsets have been glowy:

The Farm Bureau complex to our North.

 The Autumn drought continues with only 2.4" of rain in the past 2 months. Normal is more than twice this amount. Historically, November and December are dry. 

Meanwhile, all our wild neighbors have been busy bulking up for the cold months. My old pals, Stubbs and Freddie have been out and about.

Freddie hiding some treasures.

DHS decided to be rude and dominant the Diner and chased Stubbs up the birch.

Duffy has been a twilight regular at the Diner nearly every evening. Blossom has reappeared and often joins him.

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Fun Stuff:

1950's photo of woman standing next to a Giant Sequoia tree in CA for scale.

 

Hidden in Brussels' historic Cimetière de Laeken is a mausoleum that reveals its secret once a year in a stunning display. Built in 1920 for Léonce Evrard and Louise Flignot, the tomb features a solemn mourner with an arm outstretched toward a blank wall. On June 21, the Summer Solstice, the mausoleum's magic unfolds. At noon, sunlight creates a heart-shaped beam that appears above the mourner’s hand, as if reaching for this glowing symbol of love. This brief yet captivating moment has drawn visitors for decades, symbolizing eternal love.

Pamukkale, located in southwestern Turkey, is one of the country’s most stunning natural attractions. It is known for its unique travertine terraces and ancient calcium-rich thermal pool. 

Marble sculpture by Greek artist Argires Rallis.

 

10th Century Viking skates made of leather and horse bones.

Sir David Attenborough next to femur from a Titanosaur who lived in the Cretaceous period (145-66 million years ago) and were around during the last extinction event.

The colors of petrified wood:

The Shell Grotto of Margate, UK

Located in a cave, it was discovered in 1835 by a farmer in the county of Kent and is believed to contain 4.6 million shells.

Who created the Grotto is unknown with theories including the Knights Templar, the Phoenicians, the Romans and sea witchcraft.

Predjama castle, Slovenia:

A Renaissance era castle built at the mouth of a cave. As seen at night:

The first human to float in space without tether to spacecraft:

NASA

February 7, 1984, Captain Bruce McCandless II USN, left the Space Shuttle Challenger for 82 minutes.

Unusual horns of Kuri cattle:

From Wiki: The Kuri is a breed of the humpless longhorn group of cattle. The humpless longhorn grouping relates them to the N'dama  cattle. They are used for meat, milk and work. They are intolerant of heat, sunlight, and can not stand long periods of drought. They are good swimmers and spend much of their time in Lake Chad located at the junction of Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon. 

 

Lesser blind mole-rat aka Spalax found in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, North Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Turkey and Ukraine:

Gouldian Finch chicks:

They have luminous nodules called papillae on the sides of their beaks and markings on the inside of their mouths. They act as a sort of “beacon” to direct the parents to the hungry mouths of their chicks in dark nest cavities. 

The Spiny Flower Mantis native to southern and eastern Africa with fabulous camo:

Orchid Forest walk in Cikole, Indonesia:

Environmental murals by Brazilian Street Artist Fábio Gomes Trindade:

 

Street architecture in Barcelona, Spain:

The purple house in Sirmione, Italy on Lake Garda with a giant bougainvillea:

Oddities

Who knew? A national study found that Idaho drinks more wine per capita than any other state. 

Hellish concept: a ball of tongues. Also, see below.

Relic of the post-Clinton presidency-from 2007. A must have in any conservative's kitchen. Bill, who can't keep his pants zipped:

 

And his ballbusting wife:

This is wayyyy out there-the Licki:

Want to relate to your kitty in a very personal way? Buy the Licki-a human tongue prosthetic to mimic your furball's licking obsession and truly make it feel loved.  $14.99 on Amazon where it is known as the Lick'em Tongue. Uhhh, I'll pass.

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One has to wonder about male actors who are part of violent franchises where they kill a lot of people-how do they deal with this in their personal lives? Are they able to just switch those memories off? They must have flashbacks throughout the day and how do they sleep? Charles Bronson, Tom Cruise, Jason Statham, Denzel Washington and Liam Neeson to name a few.