This and That

Mardi Gras is going on - despite the nasty weather.

Let the good times roll!
Friday, February 2-Wednesday, February 13.
Galveston, the third-largest Mardi Gras celebration in the United States, is spread over 12 days and includes parades, music, food, family-friendly activities, 5K fun run, and galas including the Tremont House Mardi Gras Ball and the San Luis Salute.

Photo From Galveston Mardi Gras Ad

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King Cake for Mardi Gras
Strawberry filling - YUM!
Only one piece left!

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Poor robin redbreast,
Look where he comes;
Let him in to feel your fire,
And toss him of your crumbs.
–Christina G. Rossetti (1830–94)

Robin in Musashi's Garden

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I walked to the drug store to pickup Teddy's heart meds.
(He's doing fine.)
I found these Valentine socks.
They are the non-slip kind with the little plastic dots on the bottom.
Perfect for someone who doesn't like shoes!!!
Score!
And, they are cute!






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Blooming! 

Amaryllis Blooming

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Willy Nilly Friday

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I Heard A Bird Sing

I love this little poem.
The words are just as true in January as December.

I heard a bird sing

In the dark of December.

A magical thing

And sweet to remember.

"We are nearer to Spring

Than we were in September,"

I heard a bird sing

In the dark of December.

–Oliver Herford (1863–1935)

The robins, cardinals, jays, doves and sparrows have been busy singing.
Thanking me for putting extra food out for them on these cold days.

I thought the cold winter days could use a little cheer.
Cassie helping me with this little still life,
Yellow is such a happy color!

Meanwhile, my tree is still up.
It's hard to take it down.
It's so pretty and twinkly -- everyone needs more twinkly!

The snowmen will have a place of honor throughout the month of January.
It is winter -- even on the Gulf Coast.

Wishing YOU well and much joy in this new year!

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Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

This is the coldest start to the New Year that Houston has seen in years.

I've come to grips with the knowledge that most of the tropicals 

will be no more.

Some may return from their roots, but.....

I'm determined to read more in 2018.

I started early with some holiday reading and,
in Neil Gaiman's New Year wish -- some fine reading!

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
is book one in the Winternight Trilogy.
Perfect for cold weather reading!
Set in Northern Russia where winter lasts almost all year.
A fantasy/history mix filled with folklore.
Wonderful!

I finished The Man Who Invented Christmas before the holidays.
I didn't mention it because I loved it so much I gave copies as gifts.
Didn't want anyone to dash out and buy a copy!
I wish my English teachers in high school had Standiford's ability to bring
Charles Dickens to life.
I learned so much about Dickens, Christmas, 
history of publishing and copyright.
A great edition to my collection of holiday books.
I understand that it's also a movie. 

I'm currently reading
Endurance, A Year In Space, A Lifetime of Discovery by Scott Kelly
and it's a winner.
Almost impossible to put down.
Here's to science and the human desire to explore!

I'm going to settle down with tea in my new mug and read.
Isn't the mug pretty?!
I have a dear friend who gives me a red and white mug every year.
She always finds the perfect mug for me.
This one is a little oversize -- the more tea the better!

I watched the Rose Bowl Parade -- 
can't remember missing a year -- a real tradition.
Books on one side, knitting on the other
and football soon to start!

Wishing YOU well and much joy in this New Year.
May it bring peace to all. 

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What I Found On My Morning Walk!

I thought I'd take you along with me on my morning walk.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

The world good certainly use a little more Hope and Love.

Wishing YOU well and much joy! 

Willy Nilly Friday

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It's The Month To Give Thanks

November is the month we give thanks.

Today I'm going to give thanks for the new restaurant just across the street!

Once, a restaurant named FRED'S was located in the space.

FRED'S was in this location long before we moved into our house.
It was a neighborhood hang out.

They served Italian food.

Then Fred died, his family took over for awhile,
but ended up selling to folks who

 didn't pay their rent and the space went empty.

It's now ECLAIR PARIS, FRENCH BISTRO AND PATISSERE.
They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The interior is very different from the past.

Light and Bright.

So far, I've only been there for breakfast and 

the Eggs Benedict are yummy!

I met a friend for breakfast and she tried the Avocado Toast.
Another vote for YUMMY!

Then there are the pastries!
Oh, my! 

I have tried the Chocolate Croissant and the apricot tart.
YUM!

I'm going to have to watch how many times I visit ECLAIR.
Too many times and I might not be able to fit through the door!

I've also noticed that the employees are recognizing me.
They are telling me what their favorite menu items are.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

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Pumpkin Patch

I have my own Pumpkin Patch.
They were a lot of fun to crochet.
Now, I just have to keep the kitties from playing with the smallest!

Now that my Pumpkin Patch is finished,
I can start thinking about Halloween.

My favorite part about Halloween -- the cooler weather that usually arrives!

The origin of Halloween can be traced to Samhain (pronounced sow-in, which rhymes with cow-in), which was an ancient Celtic festival that was celebrated to mark the end of harvesttime and the beginning of the new year.

 The ancient Celts believed that the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead was at its thinnest during Samhain, thereby making it a good time to communicate with the deceased and to divine the future. 

Samhain is Gaelic for “summer’s end,” a day to bid good-bye to warmth and light as day length shortens.*

A BRIEF HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN*

Following the Roman Empire’s rule over Celt-occupied lands in the 1st century A.D., the Romans incorporated many of the Celtic traditions, including Samhain, with their own.

 Eight hundred years later, the Roman Catholic Church further modified Samhain, designating November 1 as All Saints’ Day, in honor of all Catholic saints. This day was formerly known as Allhallowmas, hallow meaning to sanctify, or make holy. 

All Saints’ Day is known in England as All Hallows’ Day. The evening before, October 31, is known as All Hallows’ Eve, the origin of the American word Halloween!

In later years, the Irish used hollowed-out, candlelit turnips carved with a demon’s face to frighten away spirits. When Irish immigrants in the 1840s found few turnips in the United States, they used the more plentiful pumpkins instead.* 

*From The Farmers Almanac

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

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Pumpkins

I've been making pumpkins.

I ordered a kit from Mary Maxim.

Five crochet pumpkins.

I've finished two and started the third.

Pumpkins, like other squash, are thought to have originated in North America. The oldest evidence, pumpkin-related seeds dating between 7000 and 5500 BC, was found in Mexico.

As one of the most popular crops in the United States, 680,000,000 kilograms (1.5 billion pounds) of pumpkins are produced each year. The top pumpkin-producing states include Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and California.

When ripe, the pumpkin can be boiled, steamed, or roasted. In its native North America, it is a very important, traditional part of the autumn harvest, eaten mashed and making its way into soups and purees. Often, it is made into pie, various kinds of which are a traditional staple of the Canadian and American Thanksgiving holidays. In Canada, Mexico, the United States, Europe and China, the seeds are often roasted and eaten as a snack.

And, today is Oliver's Gotcha Day.
He's lived at Twisty Lane one year today.
So glad you are here little guy! 

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

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To Guide The Uninitiated

I love the Farmer's Almanac.
It is fun and informative.
I thought I'd share some Victorian era Etiquette
along with more Autumn fun.
Be prepared to laugh out loud!

To guide the uninitiated, Thomas E. Hill compiled a list of dos and don’ts in his Manual of Social and Business Forms, 
first published in 1875. 

• Bathing: “Upon arising, take a complete bath. A simple washing out of the eyes is not sufficient. The complete bathing of the body once each day is of the utmost importance. Not more than a quart of water is necessary, preferably rainwater.”

• Skin: “Beware of exterior applications of cosmetics. Instead, once every two or three months, take a teaspoonful of powdered charcoal mixed with sweetened water or milk. This will prove efficacious in making the complexion clear and transparent.”

• Kissing: “Upon the meeting of intimate friends, among ladies, at the private house, the kiss as a mode of salutation is yet common; but this is a custom which ought to be abolished for physiological and other reasons.”
  

  
  

• Bowing: “A gentleman should not bow from a window to a lady on the street, though he may bow slightly from the street upon being recognized by a lady in a window. Such recognition should, however, generally be avoided, as gossip is likely to attach undue importance to it when seen by others.”

• Small talk: “No topic of absorbing interest may be admitted to polite conversation. It might lead to discussion.”

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Mosaic Monday

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