Are you SCARED yet?

I don’t do a whole lot of decorating for Halloween but I do have a few favorites that come out for the occasion!

I thought the wicked old witch and her black cat looked cute on the piano bench.

But then while I was shopping, hubby put my doll Wendy in the mix.

She looks real scared now, doesn’t she?

And I found my Edgar Allan Poe book to put on the library table.

And guess what?

A RAVEN flew in to perch on top.

WENDY!!!

I know you are all VERY SCARED now!

So I better stop and wish you a fun and friendly Halloween!

I’m joining Mosaic Monday HERE.

Dark Dreamy Swamps

You may think I meant to say, Dark Dreary Swamps! But of course I didn’t!

Because swamps are very beautiful and teaming with life.

(you’re seeing reflections in most of these!)

I think swamps get a ‘bad rap’ and it’s hard to really show the beauty of the swamps we visit in Blue Run Park in Dunnellon, FL.

They ARE dark so the camera has trouble penetrating and focusing on the beauty.

The water is dark…

the vegetation is lush…

the trees are gorgeous….

especially the Cypress trees!

And all kinds of birds and critters live there.

We always see Ibis in the swamps.

And when we’re lucky we see Wood ducks.

Aren’t they beautiful!

The whole family swam out to greet us.

Or maybe we should say, stayed in the shadows!

According to Wikipedia HERE…

“Florida swamps include a variety of wetland habitats. Because of its high water table, substantial rainfall, and often flat geography, the U.S. state of Florida has a proliferation of swamp areas, some of them unique to the state. A swamp is a wetland that is forested.”

Duckweed has such a small petal that it can sometimes look like ‘slime’ but it is a very pretty delicate plant that carpets the swamp in places.

In this photo the green looks like grass but it is Duckweed growing just on the surface of the water.

And yes…

sometimes when you look closely you see something ALIVE right below the surface!

Look out BELOW!!!

Hope you’ve enjoyed seeing photos of the swamp and a few of it’s inhabitants!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.

Eat Healthy!

I eat healthy most of the time! And with my healthier eating plan AND a lot of hard work (I don’t mean hard work to try to lose weight, I mean literally the HARD WORK of helping someone clean their house out and move, up and down a flight of stairs, etc)..and exercise I have now lost 11 pounds! That’s probably all I will lose and I’m not sure I will keep it all off, but we’ll see. It IS hiking season here in Florida now so I should be more active for the next few months.

HTP hike # 56

This is a typical lunch for me. Hubby grills extra chicken so that I have leftovers for my lunches.

I’ve added avocado slices and a few Craisins to this healthy salad. I like Butter Lettuce best and usually have just a few Wheat Thins on the side!

But does that mean I never get hungry for something ‘less than healthy’! Oh no, my friend!

I don’t know what made me think about Nachos but I just HAD to have some!

I bought Tortilla chips and Jalapeno Pepper slices in a jar. I had everything else I needed!

I placed a layer of the chips on a cookie sheet, on foil!

Then I grated all kinds of good cheese: sharp cheddar, American and  Havarti and sprinkled most of it on top. Next the Jalapeno Pepper slices (they were only $1.23 for a jar…and a FEW goes a LONG way! they are HOT!)

Then more cheese on top of that!

Bake for about 10 minutes at 350.

We put chunky salsa, guacamole and sour cream on top. I took a photo of the homemade guacamole I made but it looked awful, kind of all green and mushy! teehee But it tasted wonderful!

We grilled hamburgers and made some sweet corn. Man….or Woman should can not make a meal out of Nachos alone (or eat salads at every meal!) lol After all, it is Fall….and Football season!

Have you made anything ‘out of the ordinary’ this week?

I’m joining Thankful Thursdays.

Old Books and New Books

I love old children’s books, especially school readers.

I don’t find them very often any more but I did find this beautiful 1937 Children of Foreign Lands at a library book sale.

The illustrations are delightful and it’s fun to read the sweet stories.

I’ve read some really good books lately too.

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

gets the FULL FIVE STARS in my Goodreads review.

It’s a wonderful story, especially if you are around my age!

And I received a new book from my blog buddy, Carol from Buttercup Counts her Blessings and her book blog HERE.

 

The Big Empty

by Stan Jones and Patricia Watts.

Thanks girlfriend! I can’t wait to read it.

What have you read this week? Anything good?

I’m joining Mosaic Monday HERE.

Fall Migration

We’re starting to see some unusual birds here in Florida!

I looked up high in the sky while standing in our driveway and saw these two Storks.

I’ve cropped the photo to give you a better look.

And I don’t want to forget to show you the geese we saw in NC while we were there.

We drove down a road, taking a bit of a shortcut and there in a wet area were 150 + geese!

YES….I said 150 GEESE!

We couldn’t believe what we were seeing.

My sweet hubby found a place to pull over.

It is a property called The Farm,

with a big beautiful barn

and other neat out buildings.

Ready now?

You put your left foot out

you put your right foot out

you put your left foot out

and you SHAKE IT ALL ABOUT!

You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself about!

And that’s what it’s all about!

It’s a great time to see migratory birds wherever you live!

Have you seen anything interesting this week?

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.

*Fall Pretties*

I love decorating for Fall even though it feels more like summer time here in Florida!

It’s my least favorite season so I make an effort to surround myself with things that look pretty!

I won a fun giveaway at Life and Linda and she sent me these beautiful Mackenzie Childs Elizabethan guest towels.

Aren’t they the cutest!

Thanks Linda! (I love this tag too)

I hung them on the baker’s rack for now.

But I’ll probably move them again! I’m bad to do that! lol

And Sam asked me to show my progress with cross stitching.

(The red barn will be stitched in under the sun!)

I had to take a break when we were in NC. I took my little project bag but I was too tired in the evenings to do any stitching. So now I’ve started again since we came back to Florida. I’m anxious to finish these and start working on something for the holidays.

Do you have pretty Fall decorations up?

Anyone want to brag about their nice cool Fall weather?

I’m joining Thankful Thursdays.