Halloween Decorations

RIP is my traditional Halloween front door decoration.  This year I thought I'd do something a little bit different.  Of the two, the pumpkin/flowers or RIP, which do you prefer?

Camera Critters-Cat

Appropriate for the season~

MESSAGE FROM KATE: UNFORTUNATELY I CANNOT ACCESS MY EMAIL ACCOUNT AND MY COMPUTER HAS ALSO "DIED." I, HOWEVER, HAVE POSTS AUTOMATICALLY SCHEDULED HERE 'TIL SOMETIME IN NOVEMBER BECAUSE I AM HAVING SURGERY SOON; THEREFORE, I DON'T HAVE TIME TO SET UP ANOTHER EMAIL ACCOUNT FOR BLOGGING RIGHT NOW, TRY TO RECOVER MY ADDRESSES NOR RESPOND TO YOUR COMMENTS. WHENEVER I CAN I'LL VISIT THOSE OF YOU WHO ALLOW ANONYMOUS COMMENTS ON YOUR BLOGS. BUT I'LL BE BACK. IF YOU CARE TO EMAIL ME, I HAVE ANOTHER TEMPORARY ADDRESS:

myhearthandhome@gmail.com

PS. I think that Denton, dear Denton, has "fixed" my blog for me so that I can post...at least while I still have my writing hand!! Thanks, Denton. My library trips are limited so I'll try to visit your blogs whenever I can!

To see more camera critters, click here.

Halloween Decoration #2

Perhaps he could be paired with the female I posted yesterday?!

$19.95?!

And, would you pay $19.95 for this Halloween decoration?

ABC WEDNESDAY - "O" Oven

 The vineyard and restaurant, Vino in the Valley, serves some tasty pasta dishes in addition to pizza.  Eating outside during the summer and early fall is part of the pleasure.

For more ABC Wednesday posts, click here.

Bonfire

Fire and Ice

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I've tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.

by Robert Frost

Rush River Bridge

Bridge over the Rush River in rural Wisconsin

To see more bridges, go to Louis 1a Vache's Sunday Bridge Meme.

Camera Critters

These beautiful and patient animals spent the day pulling a wagon full of familes who were enjoying the cool and sunshiny fall weather at a vineyard and restaurant where we enjoyed a wonderful pasta meal while watching the parents and children having fun.

To see more camera critters, hustle over here.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

I wonder if any of this salvageable?  Sometimes old wood can be used in interesting and creative ways but this building looks pretty far gone.  Any ideas?

A Family

This sculpture is located at the entrance to United Hospital in St. Paul.

"The family is one of nature's masterpieces."  George Santayana

ABC WEDNESDAY-"N"-Newsworthy

Newsworthy

To see more posts for ABC Wednesday, click here.

If the Shoe Fits...

 "'The time has come,' the walrus said, 'to talk of many things: of shoes and ships - and sealing wax - of cabbages and kings.' " Lewis Carroll

Sunday Bridge Meme

"These photos show just a small portion of the Stillwater bridge: The bridge consists of ten fixed steel truss spans 1,050 feet (320 m) long in total, including a vertically lifting span 140 feet (43 m) long. It is 23 feet (7.0 m) wide, allowing one lane of traffic in each direction. The lifting span is a Waddell and Harrington type, one of six built in Minnesota and Wisconsin and one of three still remaining today. Built in 1931 to replace a swing bridge from 1910, it was the last bridge of this design to be built in the area. Minnesota and Wisconsin evenly split the $460,174 cost of the bridge." Credit: Wiki  To learn more about this bridge, its safety rating,  its future and a photo of the lift mechanism,  click here.

To see more bridges for the Sunday Bridge meme, click here.

The Trolley

The wedding party had already disappeared before I saw the trolley that had brought them and friends to the hotel where I assume the reception was taking place.  When I entered the hotel to find them, the elevator door was just closing so I caught just a glimpse of the bridal group.  Wasn't quite fast enough!

"You have to kiss a lot of toads before you find a handsome prince." Anonymous

Stop Bullying!!

October is "Stop Bullying Month."  With the rash of tragic incidents involving bullying in schools and on college campuses, this billboard is highly appropriate.  Peace does begin at home and then extends outward. When children and young adults are affected, adults need to step in!

ABC Wednesday-"M"-Mural

  I've driven by this building many times, but have yet to figure out the explanation for this mural. Any ideas?

To see more "M" posts from blogger throughout the blogging world, click here!

Joseph

Joseph is the valet at the entrance to United Hospital in St. Paul.  When he saw me taking photos of a sculpture in front of the hospital, he approached me and asked to see my camera.  He in turn proudly showed me a picture of his son on his camera.  Joseph is from Ethiopia and has been in the United States here in St. Paul for two years.  I wish that I could speak another language, ANY language, as well as he speaks English!

10-10-10 Worldwide Global Warming Grassroots Parties

The following quote is from this site, which explains the grassroots environment efforts:

"The 'Global Work Party' is designed to couple grassroots environmental activism with political engagement in communities across the world on Oct. 10, 2010 — 10/10/10.

McKibben, co-founder and director of 350.org, the organization responsible for planning Sunday's "work party," put on a political rally last year that CNN called the most widespread day of political action in history. In hopes of lighting a fire beneath world politicians, the scope of this year's event has expanded to global scale.
'"We need to figure out a way to get our politicians to work," McKibben said in a phone interview. "We figured one way would be to get to work ourselves, to kind of provide the model, and so all over the world people will be doing very useful things in their community.'"

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I learned about this effort too late to check it out in St. Paul and to participate; however, "planting" a tree on my blog is one way to promote attention to environmental issues.  I think that I will  plant a tree myself somewhere it might be needed.



Camera Critters

This lovely creature is a life-sized stuffed toy that resides in the entrance hall of a home in Mendota Heights.

Isn't it just begging for a kiss?!

Check out this meme if you would like to see more Camera Critters posted by bloggers throughout the world.

My New Chariot?

After leaving my neighborhood library, I spotted this three-wheeler.  I ride my bike, covet scooters and thought that this vehicle might be one I'd like to try! My adult childen would smile, DH would just pretend he doesn't know me, but my grandkids would cheer me on! Have to choose one's friends wisely if this is the vehicle of choice!

T-P'd Not funny!

Because I had an early morning appointment, at 7:30 am I drove past this yearly "prank" visited upon some hapless home owner.  I laughed and stopped to talk to the young man who was busily trying to clean up the mess (probably on orders of his angry parents).  Johnny, a high school junior at a neighborhood school, was the target by his buddies, I'm sure. As a former teacher of kids that age, I was amused.  When I related the scene to my husband, his reaction was quite different.  He didn't think it was at all funny, considering the clean-up job.  I'd rather see kids doing that, tho, than smoking pot or getting into drugs. I continue to laugh as I drive by since it takes awhile for the clean-up job.  Perhaps I'm the only adult who thinks it's funny?!

And, since this is National Poetry Day with the theme of "home," ...

"'Home is the place where, when you have to go there,/They have to take you in.'"

Robert Frost, "The Death of the Hired Man"

Summit Hill House Tour #4

This house on Grand Avenue was built in 1914 and has been given a whole-house remodeling.

Summit Hill House Tour #3

This imposing red sandstone Victorian was designed in 1888 for Clarence H. Johnston and William Willcox for Harriet and Rush Wheeler, the latter a prominent lawyer who led the effort to create the center boulevard on Summit Avenue west of Lexington Parkway.  Now owned by House of Hope Presbyterian Church, the mansion serves as the home for its minister and his or her family. Credit: Villager

“A house is a home when it shelters the body and comforts the soul.”

Pedestrian Foot Bridge

This foot bridge spans Montreal Boulevard close to 7th Avenue. When my DH was a young sprout, and when it was fun and safe to engage in some neighborhood shinanigans, his compatriots and he would drop water balloons on the cars passing below.  How frightening and thrilling it was to have an angy motorist chase them, attempting to get just retribution for their "boys-will-be-boys" activity. Didn't get captured, but it was a sobering experience for them. Guess their activity ceased shortly thereafter not only because of being chased, but they realized their "fun" could be dangerous for the motorists.
To see more bridges of different kinds, go to Louis La Vache's Sunday Bridges site. Click here.

Carousel - Camera Critters

"Sleepers, awake!" crows Chanticleer atop his brass pole. He sports silky blond feathers, tail plumage in three rich colours, red comb and wattles, and powerful carved legs. 48"Lx43" H. Hand carved of Basswood.

For the treat of a lifetime, go visit Lark Toys in Kellogg, Minnesota.  It is a treasure trove of handmade wood toys and vintage toys with one of the most remarkable carousels you might ever see.  My grandkids and I have been going there for years.  It is a 25-year-old family business that was started in a garage by a hand carver.  It grew like topsy over the years with many different kinds of toys, both modern and hand-made, and now has a restaurant, candy shop, a mini-golf course, and a gift shop under one roof with the hand carved carousel the major draw. $1.00 gets you a ride on one of the animals on the carousel.

"And the seasons, they go round and round,/ And the painted ponies go up and down./ We're captive on the carousel of time."  Joni Mitchell

Click here to see more camera critters posted by bloggers from around the world.



GRAFFITI: October Theme Day, 2010

I have noticed that bloggers use the words "graffiti" and "mural" interchangeably so I don't know how I should classify this one. Since it is NOT on a community center building but rather on one that looks abandoned, I will put it in the category of GRAFFITI.

Happy Theme Day, fellow bloggers! Click here to view thumbnails for all participants