whimsical wednesday

happy halloween!    halloween on the farm was indeed a happy one.  the pumpkin fairy visited.  i had a "costume" for the first time in many, many years.  there was a bit of reverse trick or treating (in costume); took my neighbor a treat!  as is tradition on the farm, all the critters got an extra treat!  happy halloween!

i awoke to find that the pumpkin fairy had visited!

miscellaneous

my friends enjoyed a recent vacation in hawaii to celebrate their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.  i was pleased to have the opportunity to look at all of the photographs they took.  one photo particularly caught my attention:  a hawaii license plate on their rental car (convertible, of course)!  while i'll continue to look for that elusive license plate, i can definitely say all fifty state license plates have been sighted.  game over!

it's cold enough at night now to need a bit of heat.  otherwise the weather has remained quite pleasant.  what's nice about cool nights is the luxury to enjoy a fire in the pit outside or in the living room fireplace.

there are still plenty of colored (and green) leaves to enjoy.  the bittersweet is striking, leafless with bright orange berries gleaming in the sunlight.  the harvest moon grand.

get ready.....

this week's whimsical wednesday is halloween!  for your activity, have some halloween fun.  do something new or revisit a part of the celebration you no longer participate in.  enjoy!

photo friday

getting to know you.......

thoughtful thursday

we often find kindness from the most unexpected persons, under the most unexpected circumstances.

whimsical wednesday

our whimsical wednesday activity was the road trip game of sighting humorous signs.  primed for seeing a multitude of signs, then having to narrow the choices to my favorite, i was shocked at the actual result after almost seven hours of driving! one, count them, one!  only one sign i saw was even remotely humorous and it wasn't even that.  it was more of a "smile" sign.  a donut shop's sign read, PUMPKIN SHAPED COOKIES.  that provoked a smile.  it is pumpkin season and everything imaginable pumpkin can be found anywhere and everywhere.  perhaps we'll have to play this road trip again for another whimsical wednesday.

get ready.....

what is it about wednesday lately that it a day of travel!? a day of travel means another road trip game for whimsical wednesday.  let's read billboards, marquees, signs of all description.  what was the most humorous one among them?  share it with us here at the blog.

photo friday

a carefree summer day for a young boy.

thoughtful thursday

BEST EVER.  two words used to describe a myriad of persons, places, things, circumstances.  one would think that not everything in the world could be the BEST EVER.  perhaps not if one's perspective is of  a world of competition and exclusiveness.  conversely, it is very heartening that individuals think their "world" is filled with the BEST EVER;  the best ever family, the best ever home, the best ever friends, the best ever experiences.  for the world is large enough and encompassing enough for everyone, everywhere to believe their small corner of the earth to be valued as the BEST EVER.

whimsical wednesday

according to studies, it has been revealed that people smile, on average, 50 times per day.  to discover if this average applied to our individual selves, this whimsical wednesday we counted our smiles.

the parameters for my smile counting was that i would count smiles for 12 hours, between six am and six pm.  all smiles were counted; smiles when we encounter persons we pass in a hallway, smiles that occur during conversing with others, smiles given when thanking someone for their help, smiles that are provoked through reading or hearing or even thinking about something and any other that might cross my face.

based on my smile count "rules" i smiled a total of 140 smiles, 50 of which were smiled by 11 am!  my smile count was 90 smiles over the average 50.  it was neat to discover that i smile a great deal during any given day.  as a result of our smile study for whimsical wednesday, i think i will continue to be aware of smiling and remind myself to do it offer everyday!  how about you?  how many smiles did you smile today?

get ready.....

studies suggest that people smile an average of 50 times a day.  for whimsical wednesday, count the number of times you smile throughout the day!  then assess how paying close attention to smiling makes you feel!

photo friday

glorious autumn

thoughtful thursday

walk softly; be gentle and kind....
it is as much a benefit to the individual as it is for others.  

whimsical wednesday

this is my photo of a commonly used item taken from a different angle.  what is it?

miscellaneous

colder temperatures arrived in the last few days; chasing the hummingbirds away. the feeder remains hanging just in case.  however no hummers have been sighted since it got cold.

with the cold arriving and the hummingbirds heading south, it was time to bring in the houseplants that have been on the porch all summer.  also, the kitties' winter nest was assembled (consisting of the bench on the porch covered with an old comforter).  they can crawl under the blanket and stay quite snug.

leaves are not only turning colors but are already falling from the trees.  some trees are already bare.  that's what a drought and summer heat does to trees.

it's woolly worm season.  they seem to be everywhere.

the heron flew overhead yesterday and cast such a large shadow it was startling!  he glided from my lake, across the meadow to land at the neighbor's body of water for a visit there. wow!  it is always breathtaking to watch.

get ready.....

let's play "what is it?" for whimsical wednesday.  take a photograph of a common object from a very uncommon angle so that the item isn't readily identifiable.  then ask others if they know what the object in the photograph is!

photo friday

here kitty, kitty?!

thoughtful thursday

fall beckoned.  i complied; the screened porch my destination.  while i sat, i was soon covered with the three kittens.  as they snoozed in a heap on me, i looked at the vista beyond the porch.  there was so much to see; the ducks lazing on the water, the birds going about their day, the turtles sunning themselves at water's edge, observing the trees to discover which leaves had begun to be painted with fall's colors. although it was very enjoyable to sit there it was soon that i thought that i "should" be doing something.  as soon as that thought came to mind it occurred to me that i WAS doing something.  i was immersed in the glorious season of autumn.  i was in that moment instead of there and somewhere else at the same time.  i allowed myself to DO this for quite awhile and it was time well spent.

whimsical wednesday

happy halloween preparations this whimsical wednesday!  my preparation entailed creating halloween cards. a dozen post cards of fall colors were embellished with pumpkins, jack-o-lanterns and greetings of stickers and stamps.  the cards are ready to mail.  they sure are cute; hopefully the recipients will think so too.

miscellaneous

fall has arrived and so has october!

the birds and squirrels are making ready for winter as they store food in trees or in the earth.

everyday more and more leaves are turning bright colors.

it has begun to rain on at regular intervals. after a year of drought and a very intensely hot summer, the rain is most welcome.

as dusk fell a few nights ago, i looked out the window of the sun room to discover a raccoon peering into the window.  he wasn't paying attention to me; he was watching television!

the "wee" ducks are now as large as the adults so i can no longer tell them apart.  the "wee" kittens have just about reached their adult size as well.

friends tell me they have gotten out their stockpots as it soup and chili fixing time! that's eating at its finest.

get ready.....

it's october!  halloween will be here in a blink of an eye.  let's get ready for that celebration by creating a decoration or making cards this whimsical wednesday.