This and That

We are getting ready for another heat wave. It’s supposed to feel like 43C tomorrow and Wednesday which is over 90F. Thursday it drops back down to more seasonal temperatures. The odd weather of 2013 continues.

This post is a bit of a “this and that” –“ this” being Halloween and “that” being birds and dragonflies.

So, Halloween is coming and its time to make costumes. One of my blog followers, Jinxxxygirl, mentioned in the comment section of a recent post that she is thinking of dressing up as a witch for Halloween and hasn’t gotten her costume yet. So, here’s the hint. Head for the thrift shops NOW but ignore the Halloween stuff. Go to the ladies dresses and look for a larger than you need black dress (Larger in case it shrinks when you wash it and NOW because you will have better selection) You can sometimes find great vintage clothes, sometimes just old clothes and sometimes brand new. Any of them will work for a costume but old or vintage is best for a witch. With any luck you may find a black shawl too. Then you have time to “witch” it up by sewing on black or purple beads, plastic spiders and bats, etc. All you would have to buy or make is the hat.

Now, if you don’t know what you want to be, go with an open mind. I suggest you click on Halloween costumes under the LABELS on my blog and just go down a few posts. You will see me in a scary white costume that started out as old bed sheets from the thrift store. Then you will see the best one – my daughter as Satan’s bride. Read the post to see how we came up with that – for next to nothing! Again, we were in the ladies dresses section, not the Halloween section.

One more costume. This is Jack as dracula. I had fun making this one. He was only two at the time.

Now for the “that” part of the post. Yesterday we went for a walk thru the trails at Rondeau. Luckily the mosquitoes must have been asleep because we didn’t have any bother us and we didn’t bother with bug spray – by the way, Avon makes a great bug spray that is not toxic yet it works. We didn’t see much but did get two good shots to share. Of course on Saturday while riding the bikes thru the same spot we saw a doe and two fawns – and me without a camera!

 
This Rose-breasted Hummingbird landed on a branch for a rest so I snapped a quick picture of him. We have one in our backyard and I cannot believe how much sugar water he drinks every day. Love hummingbirds.

My other love is dragonflies. I had several of them crawl onto my hand yesterday. I gave the camera to Joe to take a picture but, God love him, he is not a photographer. He tries but seldom gets a good picture. This is how it would start. He had the camera and he would say to me “Tell me when to take the picture!”

“ What?” I asked him, “Can’t you see the dragonfly?”

 “Sort of.”

(big sigh) “ Just take it now.” …and I would check and it would be out of focus or the dragonfly was so small you couldn’t see it. He will not use the zoom part of the camera.

After about four or five tries he hands me back the camera and says, “Forget it. This won’t work. The dragonfly won’t show up against your hand.”

I take the camera back, focus it on my hand; put my hand down on the railing and sure enough another dragonfly lands on it and “click” got it. Here it is.

 

I cannot figure out why it wouldn't work for him. I love the man dearly but he is no photographer!
Wow, you can still see the inprint of where my wedding band usually is. I had to pry it off a couple of weeks ago because of an arthritis flare-up and I still cannot get it on. The strange thing is only the left hand got the flare-up; the right hand is fine. But, as Joe always says, "only you".

Cheers

Violet