Happy Halloween

Look at the size of this pumpkin. It touches the back tailgate...and goes all the way to the silver toolbox. Side to side it didn't quite touch, but it did fill the length of this truck bed. The truck was from Indiana. I cropped so his license plate wouldn't be visible. Look how much above the truck bed the pumpkin shows. Daddy and I were driving north on US Rt 23 on our way back from Chillicothe the other day when we saw this ahead of us. He was driving so I was able to pull out my new camera and get this photo, even though both the truck and our car was moving. Thrilled it turned out so I could share this HUGE pumpkin with you. This just outside Circleville, where the annual pumpkin show was taking place. It's been years since I've attended the festival, though when our daughter was young we went several times. Lots of pumpkins on display, lots to buy. And everything you can think of made from pumpkins, and then some to eat.

Happy Halloween one and all. Hope the kid's have fun as they go trick or treating, and have their parties at school. What fun memories this time of year brings.

Beauty and Work

Beauty is all around us this time of year. These little trees are called service berries. I've never heard of them until my neighbor planted 2. Now I see them everywhere. Aren't they pretty? I can see these looking out my side kitchen window.
Not sure you see really how many leaves are piled up here; but took hubby and I blowing and raking several hours on Sunday. We have leaves at the curb ready for pick up the full length of the house, on both sides of the drive. As do the 2 neighbors between us and the end of the street. Our neighborhood has a large truck vacuum that picks up the leaves about 5 times during the season. The leaves are then composted at a facility where we buy our mulch in the spring. It's my understanding our community was one of the first in the nation to develop this system. It's really a good system. They don't fill the landfills with them this way, and it's far easier than cutting up leaves yourself, and or bagging them which is what many neighboring communities do.
This is hubby's new leaf blower. He had just finished blowing all the leaves off the roof and out of the gutters when the one we've had for years broke. So, he ventured out to the hardware to make a new purchase.

Do you rake or blow your leaves?
What's your communities method of collecting the leaves?

As it's continuing to get colder and colder with each passing day, I'm reminded what a hard time of year it is for those who are homeless and less fortunate. And with that, please read about my homeless project here. I'm betting, there's something you can do to help.

New Camera, at last!

That's the front view of my new camera. It's very small and light weight and can easily be slipped right into my purse. I do have a camera bag that will work for it as well; but love being able to put it in my purse. Funny how these things progress. My first digital camera (which is the one I used to take this picture), was an Olympus. It still works, sorta...just very very slow you fall asleep holding down the shutter. It was a 2 megapixels. My 2nd camera which I loved (used for 3 years), was a Canon that was an 8 megapixels. I really liked my 2nd camera. I thought it took great pictures, was easy to use and batteries lasted forever. It took 4 batteries and was therefore a little larger, and heavier; but I liked the way it fit in your hand. Sadly, that's the camera that broke while we on vacation the last time. Lousy timing. So many of the new camera's don't have a view finder and I use it more often than the viewer. I find it faster, easier on the eyes---particularly in bright sunlight. Somewhere I read you use less batteries that way too? Anyway, since so many now don't have view finders I looked a bit. Ended up with another Canon. It's a 12 megapixels. I do like it being little enough to put in my purse, but find holding onto it a little harder because it's smaller. No doubt I just need to get used to it It has a nice size view screen on the back which gives you the ability to show someone a picture you just took. This is the number 1 selling camera right now according to the guy at Staples they can't keep it stocked. I also tried to order on line and it was out of stock. So, he ordered it from another store for me and called when it came in.

Suz ie Q, baby I love; oh Suz ie Q. I've never been good at remembering who did what song, so perhaps one of you know which song it is that's in my head as I type this post. This is Susie, you've seen her before. She's quite a ham, loves to have her picture taken and is often a model for me for finished scraves, hats and the like. She said, and I quote; "the blankets no good until it's been test". Now if I had a little smiling face thingy here it would be rollin it's eyes. LOL

Anyway, this is a super soft blanket I finished a few weeks ago. It was requested by my boss. Not like one can really say no to one's boss. This isn't the prettiest baby blanket I've made, the colors? I don't know, what do you think? The yellow just isn't soft pretty baby yellow to my way of thinking; but then she picked out the yarn ...........sooooooooooo there you go.

It's one huge granny square, but the yarn was quite thin, like fingering weight so it took forever to make. I used a small hook (can't now remember what size), and did 3 or 4 rows for the ruffle edge. I ended up with 9 scallops per stitch so you know how long that took.

She gave it as a shower gift for her niece who loved it.

Feeling under the weather the last 3-4 days, better today; but still taking it easy. Didn't go to work, no need to spread the bugs.

Gonna spend some time sorting hats, mittens, and scarves today for the homeless folks and the free clinic folks. Have you visited The Bridge and Beyond? If not, please do; some very big hearted and talented people have donated fabulous items.

Flat Stanley Project

click on picture to enlarge and see detail

Do you know Flat Stanley?  Has your child or grandchild done a Flat Stanley project at school?  It's fun, it's educational.  A co-worker's nephew is doing a Flat Stanley project and so we're doing what we can to add to his project.  I took my Flat Stanley tailgating last wkend; but due to the old camera only working some of the time.  The pictures I thought I had....weren't there.  Errrrrrrrrr, I so need a new camera.  My regular camera broke while on vacation a couple of weeks ago, thus I've been trying to use the old one.  Very frustrating.  So, while Flat Stanley was appropriately colored to be Buckeye for tailgating, those pictures are non existent.

He also traveled with hubby and I last wkend to St. Louis with a car load of stuff for our daughter.  On the way back we made a couple of stops and Flat Stanley got his picture taken in Indiana, and in Illinois.  These 2 pictures with The Bison and TeePee were taken in Illinois on US Route 70 exit 76.  This is a fun stop for all.  The kids will love the TeePee and The Bison, parents will love the very unique gift shop; and furry friends have some room to roam and stretch their legs.  It's not the first time we've stopped here; nor will it be the last.

Here's Stanley in Indiana, again on US Route 70.  He got his picture taken by a nice memorial to our men and women in service.  The Blue Star Highways were started as a way to honor our military after the close of World War II, by ladies garden clubs all across the country.

If you'd like to join in on the project it would be great.  You can color your own Flat Stanley and take him places, photograph it and email it to me.  Or...you could take my Flat Stanley, print it and go visiting.  It's a geography lesson primarily for this particular group of kids; but the kids learn so many other things as well.  I like to add some history info, they can find locations on the map etc.  It started out as a way to get kids to write letters, to journal; but there are many possibilities.  Let me know if you're interested.  Here's a link if you'd like to color your own Flat Stanley

oophs forgot to add Stanley's picture in case you want to print it and take with you to various locations and email photo's back to continue the project.  Remember, my camera (super old one), isn't taking great photo's).  He looks very faded here...errrr

**for the first time in awhile, I was able to visit, read, and comment on each and every blog on my blog roll (all 28 of them).