Hog's Head

Thanks.

Good evening to all,

You made me laugh Magical Music Dreamer.  The only thing I did with the whip was flip it out to it's length on the floor and then slowly pull it back and watch the cats play with the end as it moved across the floor.  I didn't get them until I was sort of confined to the chair already and wanted something to use with them from a distance.

I thought the same thing when I first looked at the 'laughing house' in OR. I thought it was a miniature, I think because of the tree trunks making up the patio deck, until I noticed when I enlarged the whole picture that there is a person standing next to archway on the right side of the picture.  Still it's a very interesting shot, it almost looks like it's made of gingerbread.........................



The morning after the election I read on aol that a lot of people were googling the words...' Canada immigration' to see what was needed to move there, plus the fact that CA was considering seceding from the union 'again', like it did two elections ago when Obama came in, but this time there were two or three others making mention of it also, like TX/LA together, FL/GA/AL/MS together and one other two or three state grouping which I forgot.  Those who voted for Hillary shouldn't give up hope, myself included, because the electoral college hasn't voted yet and there is word that there are several GOP members who might/will vote for her instead of Donny.  She did win the populace vote by close to two million votes. I've read that he has already talked about wanting to get rid of the Dept of Education from the federal level....I don't remember anything said about that during the campaigning?  Makes me wonder what other 'hidden' tricks he has in mind. He scares me, and I've never felt that before about any other politician.  The only thing I can do is bury my head in the sand like the rest of the masses and wait and see what happens......On to something more cheery.......................













Cookie time!.....................







Maybe someone would like to try some pumpkin crunch cake and some hot cider?...................





Blessings for a fabulously creative day!  Hecate3fold!

Awesome gingerbread mansion! Our Council for the Arts has a Gingerbread contest for kids every year. Nothing quite like that masterpiece, but so much fun to see their imaginations at work.

Weather's changing....seems to be messing with my ability to sleep. I'll probably nod off right before l need to leave for work. Delivery day and sales going on. Will keep busy even if I'm sleep walking.

Hope this starts a nice weekend.

Brook Cottage, Fordingbridge, UK. Photo by New Forest Cottages.

Good morning. Coffee, please, Dobby.

Maxe... The Laughing House cottage is indeed real. Their website is at https://www.cobcottage.com/

Here's to a healthy, restoring day...

So, that happened. Told my family to just let the dust settle, breath and don't worry over things you have no control over. I hope the nastiness and hatred clears away soon. Focusing on peace, love and light.

Can't believe Thanksgiving is only 2 weeks away! After Halloween it seems the rest of the year just flies by. I love all of the Thanksgiving pics, Hecate. It helps me get in the spirit of things. I love the lighthouse!

Made breakfast for dinner last night, pumpkin pancakes! They were yummy!

I am chipping away at the clutter. I have a goal of Thanksgiving to get my dining room back to a dining room instead of a storage room. My mom had a cabinet with sliding doors, perfect for a pantry. I managed to get it upstairs and cleaned up a bit. It helped a lot! At least I can see into the living room now! Still needs a lot more work in here. It will get there. May need more shelves in here. I have no where to go with all of my craft supplies, or my dollhouse which isn't finished yet. It's become a catch all for things that I don't know where to go with. Plus, it's way to heavy to hang on a wall now, so I will need to find a table top to put it on.

Hope everyone has an amazing, peaceful, restorative day!

Just a flyby, hi!

Missy P, child proofing most important! I like the idea of turning pumpkins around. Have fun with your kids & grands!

Maxie, how have you gotten away with no colonoscopy? You should have a baseline one, at least. Oh, yeah, insurance. Sorry, not thinking. But you should, just saying. And I recommend a fleet enema, I can't drink the prep stuff, gag.

Hecate, the rug looks great! Love the colors!

Back to work. MMD, I'm avoiding the talk, as much as possible. Just makes me ill. Speaking of, Dobby, a chicken soup to go please? Too much sugar today!

Weather is finally cooling down here too. High is in low 70's now instead of 90's and decent humidity. Starting to feel like Fall.

Had to take my dog to the vet to get his nails trimmed. The vet had to sedate him since he's so big. He's about 100 lbs. and has very sensitive feet. When he was a puppy, he wouldn't walk in puddles. Now he's tall enough that puddles don't bother him. Even though he's about 7 and a half years old, he's still quite energetic and gets so excited around people. It can hard to walk him since he starts jumping up and down and making noises when he sees a person. He's also a log stronger then he looks.

He's an American Bulldog I got from the shelter as as puppy. The shelter didn't know what he was so I did a DNA test to fond out what breeds he were. There are DNA kits you can buy for about $80. You just swab the inside of your dog's cheek and send in the swabs and they email you the results. I got an email that said basically "This test is meant for mixed breeds. Your dog is 100% American Bulldog."  We never heard of American Bulldogs before. Turns out their are two types; both are about 100 lbs. and one looks like an English Bulldog and the other is more slender. Mine is the slender type.

I wanted a more unique name so I named him Liam. People tend to comment on what they would name him usually something boring like Domino. He's mostly white with a few large black spots. He has one around his left eye and even has black eye lashes while his right eye has white eye lashes. I get told he's beautiful a lot. One person asked if I was going to breed him. I can't even if I wanted too since he's from a shelter and all animal from that shelter have to be fixed. Someone just left him at their door in a box.

I'm glad this place has been a safe haven away from the election. I tended to mute the political ads on TV. The ads for local politicians were just as bad or even worse. They just told you how awful the other candidate was. Nothing about themselves or their policies. The whole thing makes me ill.    It's nice to know I'm not the only one. I get it right in the pit of my stomach.

Good evening all,

This has to be a quick fly by tonight.  Good to hear from you Shrivelfig. Your dog sounds really cute.











We have cake tonight and some tarts along with more turkey cookies.........................













Blessings for the magic of the season to guide each day!  Hecate3fold!

Golden Oak Treehouse Cottage, Sherwood Forest, UK. Photo by Forest Holidays UK.

Good morning. Dobby, I'll have a waffle topped with an egg, cranberries and a dollop of whipped cream, one of Hecate's cute turkey cookies on the side, and a tall mug of coffee, please. Have no idea what that'll taste like, but I'll take the gamble!

Shrivelfig... Interesting. I've never heard of American Bulldogs either.

Here's to a healthy, peaceful, comfy day for all...

I love the last blast of color Autumn gives us. Very much like our own Phoenix.

Muggleborn, I understand completely. Our dining room has been half art room/ half office for Larry and myself for ages. Since it's just Larry and myself,we make do with the little oak table in the kitchen. ..but,I have been working those craft bits back to the spare bedroom.

Will all the family be returning for Thanksgiving,missypotter? I'm sure it'll be a wonderful visit catching up with all those hugs.

I get to be with my grand cats this weekend. Probably not quite the same. ...I do spoil them with catnip treats and laser tag.

You certainly get a big reward when you rescued Liam, shrivelfig. My labs were always hundred pounders. It can be a chore getting them to the vet's. Is he a big baby? My Doc was very protective but, with few exceptions, Bear was a cuddle bunny. How's the recovery coming along? Yours from traveling and your sister and BIL's from the accident?

Better get to my laundry. Working tomorrow instead of tonight,so my usual weekend routine is mixed up.love to all.

Six weeks to Christmas Eve? Yikes.

Maxecat, I never had a dog this big before. I knew he was going to be big, I just didn't think he would be this big. My mom was worried that the shelter was going to put him down because they thought he was a Pit Bull. A lot of the shelters these days list the animals available for adoption on-line. That's how I found him though he was put in the wrong breed category.

He's pretty much just a big puppy. He's not particularly cuddly; he just wants to play. He gets so excited when he sees another dog that he starts jumping up and down. He's surprisingly agile for such a big dog. I have to reassure people all the time that he's not mean just excited.

We're all pretty much recovered. My sister and BiL have been sick recently and finally are getting better. They are talking about going to see my mom tomorrow.

Here's a photo of Liam.

Liam is a cutie pie! Give him scritches from me please? Thanks!

Glad to see we got a new set of pages, I'd been watching the numbers climb.

Weather was all a tumble today. Blustery, rain coming down in sheets, back to wind, then finally calmed down, back to a spit of rain. I saw we are starting a La Nina phase? Warm and wet winter for us (no snow). The north should get colder and snow, think Boston a few years back? Maybe not that extreme. South to be dry and warm - California to still be in drought. Hmmm. Fits the odd weather patterns.

Love the tree house! Always have been drawn to them.

Hiya Dobby, I'll have a cocoa nightcap, thank you. Peanut butter cookies are available, they went quickly at work - and the co-worker whose birthday they are for was very happy to get a gallon bag to himself! I will be at the bazaar for his actual birthday, so did my portion a week early. And I made a dish of au gratin potatoes from scratch, no recipe, just tossed it in. Poured heavy cream over it and baked - oh, my! Delicious! I used Gruyère, baby Swiss, Kerry Irish Cheddar, and a sharp cheddar on top. I had 2 servings - put in the fridge for tomorrow. I did share, I promise! I will be doing something similar again!

Ok, a turkey cookie and an owl cookie to go please!

Good evening to all,

Magical Music Dreamer, Around two years ago I read an in depth article by an astrologer explaining what the movement into the age of Aquarius really meant. He talked about new inventions that were coming into phase and compared them to the movement into the last age, the Pisces age, where the new things that were invented were more mechanical and now the new inventions were more along the lines of technology. He sited comparisons of war and conquest and gave an overall picture of the old having to be destroyed before the new can replace it. It definitely took me out of the mundane of living it and gave me the broader picture of viewing things from the point of the 'observer'. We are on the verge of a whole new way of thinking and of how we will live with each other and with how we will live in connection with the planet as a whole. I'm just hoping that the 'changes' can be done with less bloodshed than there was when we moved into the Piscean age.. Instead of it being an age of Belief we have started the beginning of the age of Knowledge. These are two very important words in spiritual astrology. The key word for Pisces is - I Believe, and the key word for Aquarius is - I Know. The next age we move into will be that of Capricorn, key word....I Utilize. By the time we get to that point in our existence, if we haven't annihilated ourselves, we will most likely be able to control what we think to the point of having it manifest into reality. I wonder how many lifetimes it will take for me to see that as a reality? Just wanted to share some thoughts with all of you.

Cute picture Shrivelfig!

More pictures and treats..............................



















Cupcakes and cookies...................................







Blessings for an enjoyable Sunday! Hecate3fold!

Rose Cottage, Lyndhurst, New Forest, UK. Photo by Martin O'Neill.

Good morning. Dobby, a large coffee, please.

Have a healthy, nargle-free day to all...

Happy Sunday! It's sunny and beautiful here today. So far this month has been the nicest weather this year! I am so happy we will be moving when it isn't hot for a change! We have a lot going on this week. Tuesday is the final walk through in the morning and the closing is in the afternoon. Our realtor/ friend and her husband want to take us to lunch in between. I invited Dad to come with us. I hope he does. I think he was feeling he might be in the way on the walk through. Friday we actually get the keys to the house around noon. Dad is meeting us at the storage unit in the morning and we will load up our cars with small boxes so we can move some things in that day. Saturday we have reserved a small truck so we can keep moving in smaller-easier to lift boxes etc. We hope to clear the little stuff out of the way so the "muscle" we hired for Monday can just concentrate on moving the heavy big furniture. Saturday the appliances arrive! I am so so excited about having my own washer and dryer again. I really hate hauling everything to a laundromat. Even though it is quite close by. It occurs to me that I am probably repeating myself. I apologize if that is the case.
We went ahead and purchased a dwarf Meyer lemon tree and a dwarf lime-quat tree to plant in big pots for the patio. We also got two rose bushes as well. Our landscapers took us to a nice place for pots so we got two big ones for the trees at a substantial savings from all the other places we have checked out. Bob is excited to get his patio garden going.
Bob enjoyed the Sonoran hotdog a lot. It came with bacon, refried beans, lettuce and cheese on it. I tried something they called a "caramello" which was like a quesadilla but with more cheese. It was good. It was definitely off the beaten path, but we liked it. There is no shortage of good restaurants here, that's for sure. We found another Mexican restaurant the other day while we were out that was also very good. We have been out running around so much lately that we have been eating out a lot more than normal.
That party will end very soon!
Not going to lie, the election results to me are just terrible. But it is what it is. I decided our house will be as Trump-free a zone as I can possibly make it. My Facebook will be all about Harry Potter, puppies, and good things. I imagine the news will be bad enough that I won't need or want to repeat it on Facebook. Which is not to say I won't be emailing-calling-and donating what I can to make sure the elected reps from this area know my feelings on issues. I will be a squeaky wheel. I just hope we can keep the damages done to the country to a minimum.
OK time to pack another box. Have a wonderful week!

Good evening all,

I didn't turn the puter on till two this morning, I've been busy working on the 'wabbit'. So far I have both sides of the ears done. the bottoms of the feet, and the two front sides of the head. Next will be the back sides of the head and the muzzle. The cut yarn that I ordered is going fast because I'm using two yarns to every square on the canvas. this makes for a very thick rug/ Still very concerned about how I'm going to get it all sewn together.

You must be walking on cloud nine MJS. It's all finally coming together for you. Did you ever find the lighting fixtures that you were looking for? I know you said you found some that you really liked but they were too expensive, did you find something else? Oh, have you taken the pups to the new house yet? If so what do they think of it while they are there? Please post a picture of what the new house looks like after you get the landscaping done, I'd really like to see it, maybe with Phoebe & George posing in the forground.

This top picture is for Maxecat...............................



And a few other lovely cornucopias..................................

















And tonight we have cake, cookies and eggnog..............................







Blessings for a week filled with sunny shiny days and new adventures! Hecate3fold!

I have been having a difficult time getting onto this new thread. It has been sending me to Limbo most of the time.
Glad you're enjoying your crafts Hecate.
Will chat more tomorrow. I just wanted to post while I could.
Have a good week.

Gravenhurst Narrows Lighthouse, Muskoka, Ontario, Canada.

Good morning. Dobby, I'll have some wheat toast with pomegranate jelly, plus a tall mug of coffee, please.

MJS... glad the house is coming together. Should be nice for you for the holidays.

Here's to a healthy, peaceful, restoring day for all...

Mmmm, pomegranates. Love adding those little beads of joy to a salad! Walking on the treadmill, pardon any weirdness!

MJS so close!

Too hard toulti task like this - later!

Good Monday morning ,everyone . Congratulations to MJS and Bob. Everything is falling into place . Container gardening will be so convenient. Hope Michelle gets to visit often.

Thank you for the sunflower thoughts, Hecate. The mild Fall has extended the show of my petunias, dianthus and the mini hollyhock that wasn't destroyed by rust. Need to get out and cut the butterfly bush back. Every few years it needs a good hair cut.

I think I'm gaining weight from the delicious photos of the treats.

I'd love to live in a Rose Cottage like that.

Afternoon all

Shrivelfig your dog is like the one owned by Spanky and our gang from the 50's kinda before your time, when I was a kid the ranger alternate at our rangerstation had an American bull dog called Bulger, when the dogs got into a dead porqupine all the rest had mouth fulls of quills but Bulger decided to hide his chunk by sitting on it, needless to say we were painfully reminded of his mistake several times a day, an owwwowohow sort of serranade! Hope you have a super week hugs dear!

MMD glad you could drop by my tablet alters between letting me see the pictures and not don't know if it is the site or just my tablet, hope you have a wonderful week, hugs dear!

MJS yeah how cool is that! Post lots of picts! Hugs dear!

Maxie well at least it is mostly confined to one room, I have mine all over the house, sigh, hope you have a super week hugs dear!

Hecate love all the great picts, they really help put me in the mood, love the extras you added to the lighthouse, hope you have a super week, hugs dear! You should be able to sew your rabbit with sinue, they also sell a man made version that is equally sturdy but not made out of gut!

Karentia busy as usual, hope everything goes well and you get a bit of a chance for some down time, hugs dear!

Always I would love to live in any of the latest cottages, the ones with all the ivy and such were amazing, thanks for posting them all, hope you have a wonderful week, hugs dear!

Hello to Weesa, lady, missy and muggleborn, hope you are all well!

Dobby a huge mug of mulled cider please make sure there is plenty for everyone and then I'll have some of the great treats Hecate has supplied, yhank you dear!

Fire between grinding apples, have a great day all!

Giggles at samtibbs' misinterpretation. ...my 'art' stuff is in the spare room,the dinning room and my tv table where I do a lot of my work. I've got to get to the tubes of fabric, either quilt like mad or donate the lot.

Wish I had been on the schedule today. It was so dreary I didn't feel like doing much around the house.

I think a big bowl of a hearty tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich would make this Monday tolerable.

Got to see that marvelous moon last night. Taking the garbage bin down the drive,I could see the moon perking through the neighbor's trees...did I say peek? Looming is more like it. What a sight.

Good evening to all,

Samtibbs, The problem I'm having with sewing the rabbit together isn't with what tread to use, I'm going to use yarn for that, the problem I'm having in my mind is matching all of the numbered notches when I do sew it up. There are a few darts that were left open in the pattern and those have to be sewn closed before I try to stitch some of the parts together. There are detailed written instructions but no pictures to look at. I know I will get it done eventually, but right now, thinking of the sewing job as a whole isn't looking that easy. Oh well, it's not like if I make a mistake the whole thing is ruined, just the length of yarn I'd have to cut off to re-stitch the mistake.

Maxecat, that tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich sounds great right now, Dobby, will you make me some......please.



Mmmmm, delicious! Thanks!

















That soup and grilled cheese has made me so sleepy...............must say good night for now.

Blessings for a spectacular day! Hecate3fold!

Oak Tree Cottage, Penn, UK. Photo by Karen. I think this has been posted before but it's lovely enough for a repeat!

Good morning. Dobby, I'd like some of that tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich that Maxe and Hecate are having, plus a tall vanilla latte, please.

Willow was fussing to go outside this morning, so I said "go ahead"!... and opened the door to the porch. She went out to a world of pouring rain and chilly wind, walked around for about 30 seconds, and then headed back inside, quite willingly, and is now curled up on the couch sound asleep.

Here's to a healthy, healing, nargle-free day for all...

I'm with Willow! I went out to the Post Office, Walmart, grabbed another burger from Burgermaster (local car hop style), and now back home. Feel like the sick ones at the office were trying to share with me... Making a chicken and rice soup shortly - picked up the last bits while I was out. I'm starting early on the rest of my cards, why not? Get them all out.

My house is stacked with stuff, Samtibbs. Not quite hoarder like, but feeling pinched. I try to clean one bit, at least a little bit a day. Unfortunately that just stacks something in another location half the time.

Oh! Return of the Jedi is on! Nice back ground for puttering. Hugs!