~ Dona Nobis Pacem ~

I'm posting a peace globe that I made last year, because I wanted to make sure to participate, in a small way, in Queen Mimi's third anniversary of Blogblast for Peace.

We have a new Macintosh computer, and I've yet to figure out how to create graphics on it.

I had several kind bloggers offer to help me, but I lost track of time and didn't ask for their assistance.

Hanging around with our ever-peaceful kitty cats (they're brothers) calms me and helps me find some peace in my daily life.

I hope you feel the same as you look at these two furry guys 'pawsing' for peace on the windowsill.

=^. .^=

Sepia scenes ~ kinda spooky, kinda friendly

I spied this guy last week displayed in the window of a local art gallery. The actual piece is painted in Jack O' Lantern orange, but I thought I'd give it a sepia bath.

Visit Mary T, our Sepia Scenes hostess, to see more sepia photos.

A bit of history on a rainy Halloween night

(spooky bat art for Halloween created by artist Richard DiCarlo of Derby, Ct.)

Welcome to the Sterling Opera House

Is this historic building haunted?

Some are convinced that it is.

And that bit of information is all I needed to know last week when artist Rich DiCarlo, president of our local Valley Arts Council, invited me and a few others to step inside the Sterling Opera House in Derby, Ct. on Halloween.

I took him up on the offer, but not without first inviting blogging buddy Linda, Duchess of Norwich-Upon-Thames, who I knew would be interested in visiting this historic building, as well as in looking for ghosts.

She immediately was intrigued, and asked me to find out if she could bring along her friend, Amy. That was fine with the arts council prez.

Since Linda had never been to the area, we arranged a meeting at the Derby Train Station (below), which looks rather haunted here, don't you agree? The rain was coming down in buckets for a few minutes, so we waited in our cars for it to pass.

Here is another view (below) that I snapped through the windshield.

I like how this photo came out; I confess a bit of sepia-fying went into the final product.But back to the Sterling Opera House...seen in this picture in 1889, the year it was completed.

It stands majestically across from the old Derby Green, vacant since it was last used as City Hall in the 1960s. Renovations are in the works. Its ornate cupola is being repaired and is expected to be replaced in the spring.

(I just noticed that our Duchess Linda has written a comprehensive post about our experience...much longer and more detailed than this post will be, but I will forge ahead. )

The American flag in the above photo is hanging from a lamppost on the perimeter of the Green along Elizabeth Street, across from the opera house. The Second Congregational Church, and its long-vacant parsonage next door, can be seen in the background.

When Rich unlocked the side door, a musty odor greeted us as we entered the building.

Dark? Yes. We all were armed with flashlights and extra batteries. And digital cameras. Duchess Linda had two with her. I had my trusty Canon point and shoot.

We entered the theater and our 2 1/2-hour journey began...walking amongst debris, dust, piles of wood, and more debris. Did I mention it was dusty?

Here is Duchess Linda walking past one of the walls...dilapidated place, isn't it?

Below is another view of the theater, right near the stage. See any orbs? No? That's because I cropped them out of this photo. We'll leave the orb story for another day. Stay tuned for that.

I'm off to work, to get official vote numbers from yesterday's local elections.

It's Election Day - will this woman be our new mayor?

The votes are being cast as we speak. Here our blog friend Linda looks at what may be her future office space, if she wins the election today.

Bwahahahaha!

Don't forget to vote today ~ and may the best man or woman win.

*** Mouseski for Mayor ***

Ruby Tuesday ~ spooky?

On Halloween night I went out alone, in the pouring rain. That was brave of me, no?

It was not to trick or treat, but to meet up with the one and only Linda, blogger extraordinaire.

Lucky for me she was able to drive about 70 miles from her home in Norwich, Ct. with her friend, Amy, so we could do something fun and spooky to celebrate the holiday. wooooooo

We met at the tiny Derby, Ct. train station, pictured here in this photo taken through the windshield. It looks almost haunted in the dark, doesn't it? Creepy.

But more on that later!

To see more Ruby Tuesday photos with a little or a lot of red, visit our hostess, Mary T, at Work of the Poet.

Mystery of previous shadow shot post uncovered

It's... it's... a jar candle! A Granny Smith apple-scented Yankee Candle.

It was fun fooling folks. ;-D

~ Shadow Shot Sunday ~

This could be a mystery photo. Or can you guess what it is?

A bit spooky for Halloween. Just a bit.

Visit Tracy at Hey Harriet to see many more shadow photos...

From the e-mail bag today

Why the dog left ...

Now that is creepy.

Happy Halloween!

Thursday's moon rising

I liked this shot ~ looks like autumn to me. I added a slight vignette frame to it.

Happy Halloween!

Looking at the Sky ~ clouds at sunrise

I went out in the front yard to take photos of the sunrise last week. The kids at the bus stop nearby seemed to be wondering what I was doing. I felt like saying "just look at the beautiful cloud formations!" but I didn't.

To see many more cloud formations and sky shots, visit Tisha at CrAzY Working Mom.

A Halloween message

<>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<>

This little poem sums ups my Halloween plans. And you?

Halloween rerun ~ still spooky though

From the 2008 archives...I posted this last October, but it's worthy of a re-post!

Linus is on the left, Rigby is on the right. They are both kwazy kitties.

Sepia scenes ~ shadowy

It's moi photographing our neighbor, Libby, in our driveway.

Our two cats, Linus and Rigby, stay indoors. We want to keep them safe and sound.

And they certainly don't like it when I interact with (pet and talk to) Libby. They watch me from the front window and seethe. At least I imagine they're seething. Sorry, guys.

For more pictures of this friendly feline, see my post from Sunday.

To see more Sepia Scenes visit our hostess, Mary T, at the blog of the same name.

Ruby Tuesday

Two for the price of one ...

I went outside Sunday to get a shot of this shadow on the house for next week's Shadow Shot Sunday meme, and was able to get a Ruby Tuesday photo at the same time.

Dying weeds make for some vibrant autumn foliage, don't you think?

To see more photos featuring a little or a lot of red, visit our hostess, Mary T, The Teach, at Work of the Poet.

Happy Ruby Tuesday to all ~

Fall foliage right outside our house

~ Autumn colors ~

The bright blue sky and fall colors were so pretty Sunday afternoon. Regular readers will recognize Ralph's van in the lower right-hand corner of the top two photos.

Leaf peeping from one's front yard is fun and it saves on gas. I like that!

In the next photo I used a bit of 'edge blur.'

What do you think?

Such beautiful colors. I love October!

Sunday afternoon photo shoot

Ralph went over to see our feline friend, Libby, across the street this afternoon. I called her, and was able to snap a few photos. Below she is coming over to see me.

and my favorite:

Now isn't she sitting pretty? And I love the way the fall leaves are surrounding her. I should have saved this for Shadow Shot Sunday, but I couldn't wait!

= ^. .^ =

My follow-up on saga of the abandoned cats reprinted here

(P.S. to fellow cat lovers: the blind kitten seems quite healthy and happy, as do the mama and the other kitten)

Three abandoned cats nearly ready for adoption

SEYMOUR — The three abandoned cats that ended up at Dr. Tara Nanavati’s veterinary office last month are doing much better and will soon be ready to be adopted.

Nanavati said he performed surgery last week on one of the cats that had lost both of its eyes and was left only with eye sockets. The kitten is healing well, he said.
The cat may be blind, but it doesn’t know anything different, Nanavati said.
“When they are blind I think they have a sixth sense,” he said. He tested the blind feline and found that it easily jumped into a cage with a raised edge to reach a food bowl.
Nanavati said the three cats, a mother cat, the blind kitten, and a kitten from another litter, will be ready for adoption by the middle of next week.
“I hope that they will be adopted by someone from the younger generation,” he said. “If an older person takes them, the cats could outlive them.”
He recommends that whoever does adopt them should keep them indoors to guarantee a long life. “The blind one would have to stay inside or else it would become somebody’s meal,” Nanavati said.
Publicity about the felines’ plight last month generated widespread interest among people wanting to help, Nanavati said.
The cats had been thrown from a car along Route 8. They were found in a box, and a good Samaritan took them to Ansonia Animal Control Officer Jean Roslonowski.
The surviving cats are in Roslonowski’s custody. They are being boarded at Nanavati’s veterinary office at 876 S. Main St.
“People are enthusiastic when they first hear about (animals with problems) but I need someone who is serious and ready to give long-term care,” Nanavati said. He said anyone interested in adopting a cat needs references.
For information about the cats or adoption, call 203-735-9915.

(This story appeared in the Oct. 24 New Haven Register.)

Shadow Shot Sunday ~ second submission

~ Pumpkins ~ Jack o' Lanterns ~ Hay Bales ~

Shadows!

To see many more shadowy photos, visit our hostess, Tracy, at Hey Harriet.

It's beginning to look a lot like...

Christmas?

Yesterday I wrote my third story in as many years about a well-shaped evergreen tree from Shelton, Ct. being cut down for use as a Christmas tree. (You can read it under the link above)

Coincidence? I suppose. Unless there is something in the soil in this southern Connecticut town that makes evergreens flourish and grow to more than 60 feet high. I wonder if someone would want to investigate that possibility?

It's interesting to watch the work crews ready the trees for transport. It's quite a process.

Have a great fall weekend. We have rain in the forecast here. Not fun.

Looking at the Sky ~

I have to get out more. I've gotten so many blog posts out of one street fair my mother and I went to last weekend that I can hardly believe it.

I snapped this as we were leaving the harvest festival. I think it came from a booth decoration. I don't think it was a bunch of balloons that accidentally flew away from a little child's hand.

That would be sad if it were the case, wouldn't it?

To view many more sky photos, visit Tisha at CrAzY Working Mom.

Sepia Scenes

This is another view of the Derby, Ct. Green, featuring the gazebo. Last week I posted a sepia photo with several flag poles on the Green and a steeple-less church that stands across the street.

Visit our hostess, Mary T, to see more sepia-fied photos at her popular Sepia Scenes.

Linus loves Rice Krispies, corn flakes and ...

Total, which is what was in Ralph's bowl this morning. How unsanitary!

Usually I just give Linus a single flake or two as a treat. But this morning he got really bold and went over to the bowl before I could stop him. Of course I had to go get the camera.

Coincidentally today was the day I gave Ralph the Garfield "I Heart Cats" mug for his coffee. haha

Impressions

I took this photo in our backyard late Monday afternoon and just got done playing with it. I think it resembles an Impressionist painting now. Monet, anyone?

Jack o' Lantern ~ vignette version

This was a child's entry into a pumpkin-decorating contest at our city's harvest festival last week.

It looks like there is a red (second place) ribbon on his pointy hat.

Confession: I didn't carve a pumpkin until about 10 years ago. I've led a sheltered life.

I wonder if I will get around to carving one this year? If I do, I'll post a picture. Stay tuned.

As you can see I'm still experimenting with the vignette application.

Ruby Tuesday ~ fall colors and seasonal riddles

On Saturday I found a few spots of red amongst the yellow berries winding their way through some forsythia in our side yard.

The picture wasn't too exciting, so I added some 'edge blur.' Ha ha.

This is through the windshield of Ralph's van..that's why it's not clear..but at least it's red. I decided not to be a perfectionist.

And below, another of those "burning bush" bushes in a 'vignette' view, as seen through the open passenger-side window:

To see many photos with a little or a lot of red in them, visit Mary T at Work of the Poet.

Q. Why did the ghost get indigestion?

A. He was goblin his treats!

Q. What do skeletons say before dinner?

A. Bone appetit!

Q. What happens when a ghost gets lost in the fog?

A. He is mist