Would you "trick or treat" at this house?

While on vacation in Pennsylvania, we went to see the Yuengling (pronounced "ying ling") Brewery in Pottsville.  It's right smack dab in a residential neighborhood, so as we were driving around the block looking for a parking place, I spotted this house.  Do the Adams live here?  Didn't see Morticia out sweeping the sidewalk, but who knows...

I love the way the really big, really old pine trees surround the house.   More on the brewery in a later post.

Color popping up where you least expect it!

I thought, before I go on with my "vacation blogs", of which there will be a few, I'd talk about the moving Morning Glories around my house.

This year we had a bit of a drought.  That is hardly enough water to keep the plants thriving.  We did have rain but it was spotty, and so I was left to water, which was probably not as timely as it could have been.  That being said, my Morning Glories were not as beautiful as they had been in years past.  This picture is from a couple years ago when they grew all over the front deck of the house.  Unfortunately I took this picture in the afternoon, and as everyone knows (or as I learned!) the blooms are only there in the morning and close up during the day.

I also learned, that once planted, these guys come back year after year.  And they travel!  I mean, their little seeds fly around, or are carried around.  This particular summer I found them in the back yard!  In what we "lovingly" refer to as our grass.  It's just a weed pile we keep cut short.  And with all the sunflower seeds that land there from the myriad bird feeders, it's more of a mulch pile.   Since we do cut that part of the "grass" we cut down the flowers, although I'm sure they'll be back.

We do have a "brick patio" or rather a raised area that had some significance to the previous owners, and I found a few little plants growing there, and blooming.  I did get a picture of a flower, amongst the leaves, and bricks. 

Lookming forward to seeing where they show up next year!

More unknowns...

Found this guy on the back door of the shop.  Haven't identified him yet.  About the same size as the Tomato Hornworm, but it ain't...wrong color.  I'm NOT a caterpillar person, but they are fascinating to see...

They were found on a Virginia Creeper vine, for what that's worth.  Probably a moth caterpillar, but which moth?  I tried Google, but they let me down.  I do have access to a very good Moth/Butterfly/Caterpillar book, at the Nature Center, so I'll have to research it there.  Stay tuned...

Musk thistles...need more be said?

The scourge of all land owners, at least the ones who give a @#$%^.

I spent a few hours mowing the pasture, and trimming back thistles, and filled three 50 lb. feed sacks.  I do this every year, and it has kept the damn Musk Thistles under control, somewhat.  It is against the law to let them get out of hand, but tell that to my neighbors, and try and keep the peace!

 To those who are unknowing, Musk Thistles are like dandelions on steroids!  They are pretty (see picture), but they also have very thorny stems, and animals will not eat them!  The seed is enticing to Goldfinch, and there is a wasp, I believe, that lays their eggs on the plant, and the little insectlings then eat their way out through the seed heads.  Unfortunately there are not enough Goldfinch or wasps to keep the plants under control.

I did hear of one person who was showing pictures from a recent vacation and just raved about the beautiful purple flowers alongside the road.  Yup...they were MUSK THISTLES!!!

Of course while I was mowing, I did see some pretty flowers that have purpose and value.  These grow all over our property.  Why, I do not know.  They just popped up the past few years.  They're called Passion Flowers, and can be white, as shown below, or pink.  they have a neat fleshy fruit which is edible, although by the time I find the "ripe" ones, some other animal has found it first, and taken a bite or more.    The downside of these plants, is that they are viney, and when mowing I try to mow around the patches that seem thickest, but then I get tripped up!

On the lookout for Dots again!

In a very early post I wrote about the dearth of Dots at the grocery store, especially Crows, which are still my absolute favorite.    Since that time, I guess my ranting made their way to the proper authorities, because I can find Crows at almost any grocery store I go in to.   In fact, they are ofter sold down, and I find myself buying the last box(es.)

Now I'm on the rampage for Tropical Dots!  I have heard from sources in the know, that they are currently in production.  I still cannot find them on the grocery store shelves.  I do find Yogurt Dots or Sour Dots  (two of my least favorite) almost every time, but the only place I found Tropical Dots lately, was at a convenience store, and not one I visit very frequently, if at all.

Great candy, made in America, and I cannot find it!  Guess I've gotta start that write-in/call-in campaign again!  My cravings could probably help one more person get a job in the candy industry!

Maybe Oprah was right...

...about "not eating beef again."  Wasn't that because of the way some of them are raised and/or slaughtered?  Raising them in one thing; slaughtering them is another story with other issues.

I just finished a book called  Animal Factory by David Kirby, about CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations.)  In essence, factory farms.    Since I have an Ag background, through my schooling, I thought this was a rather positive idea.  When I was in college, in the early 70s, we went to visit some poultry farms in Indiana, which raised birds in confinement; and had laying hens in confinement.  This was thought to be efficient, healthy (enough) for the birds, and safe.  After reading Mr. Kirby's book, I'm beginning to question whether I want to eat any meat products at all!

The manure problems are enormous, and not that easy to deal with.  The documented failings of these farms to prevent pollution from getting into the water systems is appalling.  The air pollution and falling land prices for surrounding properties has been proven.  Last, but not least, the true welfare of the animals is practically non-existent.  And because they are often physically stressed, they are fed additives to help them cope.  These additives have an effect on our own personal health, on down the line, as those additives can be in the form of antibiotics and/or hormones that are not processed out of the food chain.  Just today there is news of a salmonella outbreak which appears to be antibiotic resistant, and at least one person has died. 

Farmland around here has become premium as housing developments take over.  Farming doesn't actually pay for the farmer to just farm.  They all have to keep outside jobs and this can lead to an 80 hour work week, or more!  Farming is truly a labor of love.

I'm starting to look for true organic food more and more, but its hard to find.  Since there are only two of us in the household, I'll pay the extra cost, jsut to keep myself healthier, and the true farmer in business.  Big business can't run everything!

When the new becomes the old becomes the new...

Is that confusing enough?  I say this because I like to haunt antique shops and flea markets.  I've been doing this for a few years now and I've seen a change in merchandise that's interesting, and confusing, to me.

I have been seeing items that are identical to things I've bought, or have been given as gifts, etc, years ago.  They're not "old" by antique standards (100 years or more?), but they're probably from the 70s, and perhaps early 80s.  Mostly dishes and glasssware. 

This got me to wondering...what's the "shelf life" of  a household item.  If I've kept it for 20 years, is it time to replace it, regardless of how good or useful  it may still be?  Should it be replaced with something "newer" just because it is newer?

 Have the owners of these items finally decided enough is enough, and they must go?  Or have the owners reached the ends of their lives, and the heirs are getting rid of these things because they have no sentimental attachment?

So there's my claim  that my (once) new stuff is now my old stuff, which is going to be someone else's new stuff!