AUTUMN, THE YEAR'S LAST...

 

William Cullen Bryant (November 3, 1794 to June 12th, 1878) was an American romantic poet, journalist and long-time editor of the New York Evening Post. Born in Massachusetts, he started his career as a lawyer but showed an interest in poetry early in his life.

In 1825, Bryant relocated to New York City where he became an editor of two major newspapers. He also emerged as one of the most significant poets in early literary America and has been grouped among the fireside poets for his accessible and popular poetry.

AUTUMN THEME TODAY

I saw these at one of the supermarkets.

I am fascinated by the 'bumpy' pumpkins that look like there are peanut shells growing all over them.  They are actually called Peanut Pumpkins and have been in France since 1883.  They were introduced to the United States commercially in 2010.  The bumpy-looking skin appears on the surface of a seemingly regular pumpkin when sugar extrudes through the skin.  It begins to crackle and form the peanut shell-like shapes even after the pumpkin has been harvested.

So, no Monday Recipe Post today but here is a video on how to use one of these Peanut Pumpkins.  If you can't open the video you can look at it here.



I am supporting the following memes as they become available, with many thanks to all our hosts.

Maggie at Mosaic Monday

Jesh at Seasons

Tom at Tuesday's Treasures

N.C. Sue at Wordless (on Tuesday) at Image-in-ing

Betty at Wednesday Around the World

HUNTLEY MEADOWS, ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA

It is a little longer a ride for us to get here, but is always worth the trip.  We come in every season.  I have several photos today that will fit in with the memes below them.

This was the only Great Blue Heron we saw that day.  

We also saw this little bird.  Gregg took these photos.  I hope someone can identify it for me as I found nothing online.

For Willy-Nilly Friday Five

1) It has been a quiet week but we did go to Huntley Meadows, as you can see by the photos in this post.  

2) Mother Nature has flipped the switch.  We are now experiencing cooler weather.  This is my favorite time of the year when we say goodbye to humidity.  

3) We are still cleaning house and downsizing has become our middle name. More trips to Goodwill and also a big box of books have gone to a worthy cause.  We continue to make headway.

4) Our opera season starts this weekend.  My friends and I will be watching live performances from the New York Met on a movie screen at a local theater.  I don't know if I will ever actually get to see an actual performance in New York, but this is the next best thing.  Besides the  performance, artists are interviewed in the intermission, along with stage production people, costume designers; seeing behind the scenes is fun.  I have enjoyed opera since childhood.  My father had a very good singing voice and was also an excellent piano player.  It was my job to turn the pages of the music, and he let me join in whenever I wanted to.  Good memories but I didn't really know the beautiful music I was listening to was actually opera, and that my dad was giving me a life-long gift.  I started out very young.

5) Finishing off with a link to a beautiful home in New York here.  

I am supporting the following memes as they become available, with many thanks to all our hosts.

Maggie at Mosaic Monday
Jesh at Seasons
Tom at Tuesday's Treasures
N.C. Sue at Wordless (on Tuesday) at Image-in-ing
Betty at Wednesday Around the World
Theresa at Good Fences
Tanya at Willy-Nilly Friday Five
The team at SkyWatch Friday
Eileen at Saturday's Critters

Misty at Camera Critters
Anni at Bird D'Pot
Stuart at Wild Bird Wednesday