ODDS AND BODS - 10/1/24 - HAPPY FIRST DAY OF OCTOBER

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF OCTOBER!

I am offering apples, would you like some?

How about these beautiful sunflowers?

These are a couple of jigsaw puzzles I put together, with a poem in between. 

 

Mr. Bear has the right idea.  I feel the need for a good long soak today.

because bear was a tad bit grumpy earlier.

Just kidding! 

For the love of children. 

Today’s dream cottage.  You would half expect to see a few fairies.

Here’s my dream kitchen showing a pretty walled-in garden outside.

Or I would be happy with this one, and what fun that would be to have my own pet chicken?

All that is needed now is a comfy corner to sit in a comfy chair.

Here’s my bedroom, or…

this one.

A new word for me and it's not only the clouds I love looking at.

Wise words but I welcome any thoughts, any comments on this. You can enlarge any of these pictures to see more details.

And now for a recipe or two.

This little bear and his little friend seem quite happy. A hot beverage has a way of being very comforting.

So, time for a warm beverage. Hot milk for them to share, and for us…

And now for some fun with Food

That's all for now.

 

THIS AND THAT

I am starting off with another puzzle.   

While on the theme, this is what I had for breakfast this morning. I toasted wheat bread, spread mashed avocado on the bread, put a poached egg on the top and sprinkled crushed pepper flakes on top of that. Always my go-to breakfast when we buy avocados. I finished it off with a glass of orange juice.   

And then I had my usual one cup of black coffee.  I think I had the same smile after that first sip as this little guy. 

I found him and the other cuties on Pinterest.  

Hopefully I haven’t repeated any.

Loved the flower painting, also found on Pinterest. 

 

Saw this also and it brought a smile.  

The picture below came from the following link, and I included it just in case.  More information can be found at the website.  You might need to click on the picture and enlarge.  

https://www.wildlifecenter.org/baby-squirrels

This made me laugh because well, you know, I am an introvert at heart and the older I get, the more so. Both my parents were the same. The saying was on a 'T' shirt. 

The next one made me chuckle and wince at the same time.  I have actually seen how close people get to these big boys/girls on past trips to Yellowstone, have read about recent close encounters, and other stories when they pop up in the news, and watched a few videos. They are definitely not cute and cuddly fluffy cows. Big and beautiful they may be, but they can be ornery. More importantly dangerous if they feel threatened by the close proximity of humans.  Like a lot of wildlife out there, especially if protecting their young. And what would we do to protect our kids? Give our all, absolutely! That reaction is all across the species.  Enjoy them, love them but give them a wide, wide berth.  The general advice is to stay 25 yards away and this website gives you more advice.  Even then be aware. I think this and other animal packets are sold by the National Park Service.

And this for me is so true!

As always, thanks for visiting and have a great day.

LEGO EXHIBIT ON NATURE AT GLEN BURNIE GARDENS IN WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA. - PART 2

For a change I thought I would post the last photos of Sean Kenney's Nature Connects Exhibit today.  I normally take Sunday off from blogging.  

Before I continue, I would like to once again thank Linda at "The View from Squirrel Ridge" who shared that there was a Lego Exhibit here.  Thanks to Linda we had a wonderful time looking at several animals in the exhibit.  Hard to imagine they were all put together with Lego bricks, quite amazing works of art.

These first few photos were taken inside the museum before we actually went to the garden. It was where we purchased our tickets.  (There is also a booth right outside the garden entrance which we used on our last visit.)  I also wanted to pop into their gift shop as I was looking for a few stocking stuffers.  I know I am starting early but if we go anywhere a little different, like a museum which is somewhere we don't go to all the time, I am always on the lookout for small gifts.  This is not only for December but also for birthdays and special occasions (I was lucky and found a few items made locally, which is always nice).  I don't need an excuse to walk around a gift shop, truth be told.  I love to browse even when I don't buy anything.  

I noticed the bats hanging from the ceiling.  There was a sign nearby, but I wasn't looking for them at the time and missed taking its photo.  There are 1,100 species of bats worldwide, with 40 species in the United States alone.  I found this out while reading 10 Fun Bat Facts at The Nature Conservancy website.  The other information is very interesting also, which you will be able to see if you click on the name above.  One fact that I found very interesting was that bats can eat up to 1,200 mosquitoes an hour.

Near the entrance to the garden.

You will see this nearby.  A fun photo opportunity for the little kiddos and the big kiddos.

The Coral Reef complete with Seahorses.

The sign came out blurry but I think the number of bricks was 83,516, and it took 564 hours to build.

The Sandhill Crane.  

I saw a pair once on a road trip going across country.  It seemed like they were dancing in a field.  I have always remembered that moment.  Information about this delightful bird can be found here.

Snow Leopard

63,379 bricks used and it took 580 hours.

I had to smile when a couple spoke to me about this beautiful piece.  They were husband and wife in their forties.   The husband explained that when his wife had told him she would like to go to a Lego exhibit, he was thinking they were like the ones he had played with in his childhood.  He said, okay, we can go, wondering why she would want to in the first place.  He was very surprised to see the ones here.  He finished off by "These are really cool aren't they?" at which I replied, "They certainly are!"

Rhino

88,361 bricks and it took 726 hours to build. 

The name rhinoceros means ‘nose horn’.  It comes from Ancient Greek words: rhino (nose) and ceros (horn).

They are also herbivores (plant eaters).  Other interesting facts can be found here.

It seems fitting to end my post with the Chameleon, having started out with the sign inside the museum.

Chameleon

Among the most fascinating animals on earth, chameleons are endowed with many unique adaptations—independently rotating eyes, shooting tongues, prehensile tails, and (last but not least) the ability to change their color.  They also have the ability to see ultraviolet light.  These facts and more can be found here.

That's all I have of the Lego animals.  I missed a couple only because by the time we had walked all over the garden, it would have meant backtracking to see them.  By that time the heat and humidity was getting too much, and we decided we can always come back at the beginning of September, or earlier.  We have until September 4th.  Fingers crossed that we get back in time.

We were both very impressed with Mr. Kenney's animals.  They were amazing!  If you are ever in the area I can highly recommend going.

There are several YouTube videos at the address I have given below for you to get an idea of what they are like.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sean+kenney+lego+artist

He can also be seen here:

https://seankenney.com/about/

You can find my first post on the exhibit if you click here.  Other photos taken at the garden on this trip, accompanying a poem, can be seen at this link.

There will be one other post from Glen Burney, which will be my last for a while, at least until we go there again.  I will be sharing more photos of the garden area.