This is Halloween

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A.K.A. All Hallows Eve.

The celebration of the dead on the eve of

All Hallows (A.K.A. All Saints Day.)

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We celebrate Halloween with candy and All Hallows with stomach aches.

Hallow-haiku

My pumpkin face grin.
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Glowing in the hallow night.
Keep away spirits!
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Entered this just now in a contest to win big!
Well, big as in $25 at Whole Foods.
Yum-O-lantern!

Speaking of Whole Foods: I found this water conservation video on their website. Seems that drinking beer SAVES WATER! And I don't even think they took into account that a pint is much MORE than a glass!!!

Switch to autumn drizzle

Not another picture perfect October afternoon in The D.

But foggy and misty isn't all that bad.
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And the Stony Creek antelopes didn't seem to mind it at all. Yea, I know: That's a white-tailed deer.

More autumn color

Another picture perfect October afternoon in The D.

Actually 12 miles north of The D - looking across Cranbrook Lake.(As always you can click the pic for a larger view)

World picnic

According to Earth911.com:

Americans throw away enough disposable plates and cups to give the world a picnic six times a year.

Reduce - Reuse - Recycle

Satisfied goals

Nothing like taking a long vigorous walk on a crisp autumn evening through the fallen leaves...

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to the drugstore for a (limited edition) candy bar.

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What makes a good goal?

Traditional goal-setting wisdom states a good goal must be:

a) written - I wrote about it here in This is Eric's Blog.

b) challenging - It was a long walk in the dark.

c) believable - Does anyone not believe me?

d) specific - Walk, buy, eat

e) measureable - 1.9 miles out and 250 calories in

f) have a specific deadline - before primetime television starts

To rake OR to blow

Days of cold and rain and wind

end in a ground covered in:

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Heros Severus

A.K.A. Severum.

A freshwater tropical cichlid (fish) from South America.

The fish sometimes called "Bun Size" lived a long and happy life in a 40 gallon aquarium. Most of her adult life was spent in solitude due to the fact she would kill any other fish put in the tank. She survived at least 4 moves in her lifetime. I'm not 100% sure how old she was but I believe she was acquired sometime in 1994 at about the size of a quarter and lived until the summer of 2002.

And the winner is...

The trouble with the rat race is
..................that even if you win, you're still a rat.
(Lily Tomlin)

Note on previous project post:

As I review the manufacturer website of the garage door opener I installed last week I discovered they offer a quicker option called the "Excelerator." It opens twice as fast and its claims to fame are "eliminates aggravating waits" and "when seconds count."

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OMG! I didn't realize my garage door was aggravating me so!
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I now wonder how many seconds of my life I would save if I would have opted for the faster version.

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According to the stopwatch on my cell phone the door opens in 12.59 seconds and closes in 12.32 seconds. (Times are an average of 3 consecutive closed to open and open to closed cycles.)

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OMG! That would be a savings of 6.3 seconds every time I open the door! I could use those extra seconds during nap time!

Bald Mountain

A little hike (but no bike) to Bald Mountain (North portion) to see more of the sights of autumn on yet another warm fall day.

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Some fall color across Shoe Lake (just off a parking area.)

Autumn Bug

The warm up in the weather is bringing the bugs back out. Here's one climbing on my house.

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and here's a vacant wolf spider web next to my electric meter. I wonder where he has gone?

Hmmm....

Stony Creek Trails

Temps are back up to almost the 60s - woohoo!

So today called for a hike.

Stony Creek Metropark has some ever so fun bike & hike trails - and there's a way in without charge - heehee.

Fall is in with a lot of yellow but not quite enough red yet.

And then I happened to run across this Banded Woolly Bear Caterpillar. Probably looking for a place to rest for the winter.

Subliminal Primates

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...and now you are, too.

Sweets Day

Now THAT would be a holiday!
I guess it would be the same as Halloween tho.
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But this "Sweetest Day" that is celebrated primarily in the Great Lakes region and parts of the Northeast is:.

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Sorry... not a holiday here at This is Eric's Blog.

Casual Friday

An American and Canadian custom which has spread to other parts of the world where some offices celebrate by allowing workers to wear more casual dress.

Fun!

(Whatever.)

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I prefer underwear only Fridays.

Kitchens and projects 3

Yesterday's "project" post reminded me I didn't finish the

KITCHEN PROJECT postings from back in July.

I'm SURE someone has been wondering. Anyone? Anyone?

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6-spray all doors and drawers with STONE.

This is the "final process" mentioned in an earlier post that will hide 60 years of wear and tear on the surfaces.

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7-paint the edges with dark glossy gray.

Just because I need a step 7. AND it looks cool too.

2 1/2 inches

PROJECT FUN!

Last weekend I took on another home project.

What could be better then a little home project?

Like installing a well overdue new garage door opener!

Hours of fun... until the power cord was 2 1/2 inches too short!

Where's my electrician?

Don't worry! By the time I decided to post about this project I had moved the plug box so all is powered up and running great!

Autumn evergreen

I came across an evergreen in full fall colors today:

Evergreen: having foliage that persists and remains green throughout the year.

The New World - Give Thanks

Today in 1492 the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus arrives in the Americas making today Columbus Day. No mail. No banks.








Today across the border in Canada it's Thanksgiving. The Canadians give thanks for a successful harvest and don't seem to have any Pilgrims involved. But is there pie?










Two holidays - One day.

Living dead day

Today the dead live again... and it's NOT EVEN Halloween!
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This is because today is World Zombie Day!
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In celebration there was a Zombie Walk in my hood.
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Hello Kitty

No associates for today, just the yang to the Daisy yin.
Kitty was a cat:

Here she is back in 1982.
(Proper name Fuchsia-Patches, but answered to Kitty.)

Friday associates

Friday is associated with the Greek Goddess Venus.
Venus is associated with the month April.
April is associated with the flower daisy.
Daisy was a dog:
Here she is back in 1978.

Just a Thursday

What's there to say about a Thursday?
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Searching for a meaning to it all I find:

"This must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays."
(The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)
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A few minutes later Earth is destroyed.
(In the book that is)

If it makes you happy.

A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?
(Albert Einstein)

If it makes you happy, it can't be that bad.
(Sheryl Crow)


Where else but This is Eric's Blog
can you find complementing quotes from Einstein & Crow?




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Lots of green

19 to be exact.

The last of Homely Homer before he goes into the compost bin.

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What to do. What to do. Sure you can fry them (like the movie name) but I have already done that a few times this summer. You can also pickle them (like my sun tea jar pickles) but I tried that already this summer. They seem to not be bad in a stir fry either. But do they have the same nutritional value as a ripe red tomato?

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What else? How about Trick or Treats?

Poke a stick in them and cover with caramel?

Yumm!

It's too soon for this!

Ran up to a local home stuff store to find THIS just inside the door.

Did I sleep through fall? Did I miss Halloween and Thanksgiving? Is it already Tis the Season?

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NO, IT ISN'T!

Question: is this a blurry cell phone pic OR are you just dizzy from seeing Xmas decor in the beginning of October?

Harvest moon night

The harvest moon is:.
the first full moon on or after the autumnal equinox
and signifying the end of the growing season.
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That'll be tonight...




Do these
come in
pumpkin?

Get ready for pumpkin

October = Pumpkin everything.
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Already had pumpkin waffles and pumpkin pancakes. What else is to come? pumpkin pie (or is that a November thing), pumpkin bars, pumpkin custard, pumpkin beer (no thanks - made that mistake once), pumpkin chocolate-chip cookies, pumpkin soup, pumpkin bread, pumpkin doughnuts, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin...
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UPDATE 10/6: pumpkin butter (no fat and a ton of sugar)

Rainy days and nachos

A cool rainy fall day
calls for deep fried
Mexican food!
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Olé!

Good Tips

Last night Alton Brown (American food personality, cinematographer, author, actor, and all around funny guy) spoke to a sold out crowd on the campus of Oakland University.

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His final bit of wisdom is shown is this crummy cell phone pic:

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I personally would save the good beer until everyone left!