Halloween Decor Part 1

I don't normally follow up my Halloween blogs with a "how to" for the decorations. But this year I had so many decorations, I thought it might be fun to give other Halloween enthusiasts some ideas. Here's a brief summary of the 2015 spooky decor:

• Skeleton dressed as a die hard Bruins Fan
• Ten glass candle-lit jars with themed cut-outs
• "Happy Halloween" signs
• A bat cave in the pumpkin with eight bats
• Mummy cat with lit rib cage
• Buzzard, mini jack-o-lanterns, decorated candy bucket

I'll cover all the details (including pictures) in six upcoming blogs. This blog covers how I created the perfect die hard Bruins Fan.

  The skeleton's outfit had several elements. He was wearing my Bruins PJ bottoms, my Bruins sweater, a handmade black and yellow yarn wig, and he was holding a rally sign. The clothing was the easiest since all I had to do was put it on Mr. Skinny. I did have to use a pin to reduce the waist size of the PJ pants to keep them from falling off. It is a toss up between the wig and the sign for which had a larger investment.

Inexpensive yarn used for the skeleton's wig

For the wig, I purchased two bundles of knitting yarn (364 yards each). I couldn't find small bundles, so now I have lots of leftover yarn to knit a sweater. Sadly I have NO clue how to knit. I guess I'll learn in my spare time. Each yarn bundle was $2.99, so I have roughly $6 invested in the wig. I purchased inexpensive "super saver" type of yarn since I wasn't worried about it falling apart. As for time, it probably took roughly 4-5 hours to complete. I first measured out a length of yarn about 30" and cut one black and one gold strand together. From there I kept using that as a measure. After I'd cut about 10 lengths of each color of yarn, I would randomly choose a new "measuring" piece of yarn to cut future strands. I kept doing this over and over until I had fairly randomly measured lengths that were all between 26" and 36". This gives a pleasing "sloppy" look to the wig. I grouped 10-12 strands of alternating black and gold yarn until I had about 18 total bundles. I used a black piece of yarn to connect the bundles by tying a knot around the first group, then the second, and so on.

This is one end of the wig where I started tying the bundles together

Another view showing the bundles tied together to make a natural "part"

For the rally sign, I purchased a 14"x22" piece of thin poster material for 49 cents. The other materials used for the sign were items I already had, but at most they would have cost just a few dollars to purchase. I laid out my design and decided it would look cool to have "Bruins" in gold lettering on a black background. I used my computer to print out "Bruins" in all caps in a thick font that I mirrored horizontally. I printed the backwards letters onto a sheet of self stick paper (the kind normally used for package labels). I stuck the letters to a piece of gold art paper. I used a pair of scissors and an art knife to cut out each letter. When I flipped them over, they were perfectly cut and no sign of what I used as a guide. I glued each letter to a long black rectangle. 

The rally sign. The Bruins won Halloween night so it must have worked!

Once that was complete, I had to fit the piece onto the poster around the brown bear I'd drawn. I had the idea to cut around the bear's ears and fit the black rectangle behind them. It made for an awesome effect and a tighter bond with the poster. I simply glued the rectangle to the poster and the bears ears to the rectangle. Time-wise, I probably had about 4 hours in the poster. My husband also helped me by re-enforcing the back of the poster so it wouldn't flop around while Mr. Skinny was holding it. 

Close-up of the lettering and how I fit the black section behind the bear's ear

The awesome reinforcement my husband did to keep the sign from collapsing

I hope you enjoyed the coverage of the die hard Bruins Fan decoration. I had a ton of fun creating a festive atmosphere this Halloween. Look for future blogs covering the rest of the decorations.

Another Successful Halloween

Halloween 2015 has come and gone. This year my decorations were more elaborate than in years past. I had ten glass jars with candles on the stairs leading to my front porch, a bat cave pumpkin, a mummy cat skeleton, a die hard Bruins fan, a new "Happy Halloween" sign, and two little ceramic jack-o-lanterns. I even decorated the stock pot (used to hold the candy) with a jack-o-lantern face.

The Halloween Cat Committee of Neo and Murphy inspecting the pumpkin prior to carving

We had plenty of trick-or-treaters to eat up our candy. I overbought this year, expecting a bigger turn out than we actually had. I purchased roughly 8-10 pounds of candy, and I have about 4 pounds leftover. Candy Capacity Planning is always the unknown factor each Halloween. Also, we've moved so much in the past five years that I've never been able to get into a rhythm of knowing how many kids will show up. 

Neo says, "Nice pumpkin, mom!"

My favorite costume last night was a little boy dressed as a lion. The costume was absolutely adorable, and it reminded me of my leopard costume when I was a kid (which I wore year after year until it didn't fit anymore). Also, I'm a sucker for cats...what can I say?

Spooky mummy cat. I used tiny flashlights inside the rib cage to make him glow.

This year I had the extra blessing of two black cats. Murphy joined us this summer (the joke is he sought me out because I have "cat sucker" tattooed on my forehead), and he played the role of door greeter. We did not let either Neo or Murphy out most of the evening since Halloween is one of the most dangerous times for black cats. Neo was happy to stay inside on the warm couch and occasionally walk to the door to see what was going on. Murphy was a bit perplexed why I wouldn't let him go outside. Up to that point, I'd always let him out when he asked! My husband had the very important task of holding him every time I opened the porch door to greet kids. The kids and teenagers delighted in Murphy and Neo's je ne sais quoi. One girl even asked if she could have Murphy. I immediately said "no, he's my boy", so she and her friends settled for a quick pet. Our third cat, Ixie was safe and sound asleep in our bedroom. She does not care for this holiday. Thanksgiving is more her style.

Murphy says, "I got this mom. This pumpkin carving stuff comes naturally for me."

The decorations were much more involved this year. I spent about two weeks getting ready, and for the second year in a row, I had an injured arm which prevented me from doing any elaborate pumpkin carving (last year for Halloween, I tripped over Neo and had to do simple carvings on my pumpkins). That's where the idea of a bat cave came from. All I had to do was carve a "cave opening" which was a simple saw-tooth pattern. No small details and no difficult cuts to make. I also had to deal with a pumpkin that was going soft on the bottom. Thankfully it lasted long enough for me to get through Halloween. I purchased some LED candles that changed colors, and some with the traditional candle "flicker". My original plan was two bats hanging inside the pumpkin cave and the rest flying out of the cave. When I hung the two bats in the cave, you really couldn't see them. So my husband helped me shift gears, and we hung those two bats near our die hard Bruins fan. We were able to set up the rest of the bats so they looked like they were flying out of the pumpkin cave. 

Bats flying out of the pumpkin. We lit them with special flashlights.

Bat emerging from the pumpkin cave.

I probably spent about twenty hours more on decorations this year than in previous years. Having a studio in my home gives me the time and space needed for such a project. One of my favorite decorations was the treatment I gave our skeleton this year. He was a "die hard Bruins fan", complete with rally sign, Bruins sweater, Bruins pants, and black/gold wig. 

My die hard Bruins fan. And the Bruins won Halloween night!

The wig is handmade from yellow yarn and black yarn.

All in all, Halloween this year was fun and successful. The weather totally cooperated (no wind, temps in the high 40s, and no rain). People got a kick out of our decorations, and we had plenty of visitors. Murphy wasn't happy about being pent up in the house and porch, but he did get to go out after most of the hoopla had tapered off. This morning he is resting comfortably. Neo is also napping; he loves Halloween but also needs his beauty sleep. Ixie is just happy all those strangely dressed people have gone home. She is dreaming of turkey and dressing and ham and.......

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Fleece - The Magnetic Fabric

What sound does a fleece blanket make? When you wrap up in a warm, soft piece of fabric on a cold evening, is there a silent message that goes out? My cats seem to think so. I can be sitting on the couch, no cats in sight, and I put a fleece blanket on my lap. Suddenly, as if drawn by a siren's song, my cats are there. Neo wants under the blanket, Ixie merely wants to lie on top, or knead me and the blanket. Murphy enjoys long naps on our bed with a choice of not one, but two fleece blankets. With all the fleece choices, it's a tough life for these cats!

Ixie enjoys being under the blanket now and then

I'm not sure when this magnetic attraction starts in a cat's life, or if all cats are drawn to fleece. Maybe it's like catnip...only some felines are affected. One thing I do notice is cats have a built-in knack for seeking comfort.

Ixie showing how to be properly comfortable

When we had a leather couch a few years ago, the cats flat out refused to sit on it until I put their fleece blankets down. Then they snuggled in and went right to napping. On our fabric couches, they don't mind sleeping on <gasp> bare fabric, but they usually cuddle on a fleece blanket if one is made available. On our bed, they will sleep on the sheets, but usually prefer to be near or on the fleece.

Murphy has mad fleece skillz: he spans two fleece blankets and a pair of pants!

I couldn't tell you where or why the fleece attraction began with cats, but I have seen first hand with all three of my kitties just how strong the fleece magnetism is. Want a cat in your lap quicker than you can say "tuna surprise"? Toss a fleece blanket on. They'll come runnin' (or, at least a brisk trot). Warm, cozy, cat-approved fleece....it's hard to beat on a cold winter's day.

Murphy resting peacefully on the popular green fleece

Neo demonstrating the "Olympic Diver" tuck during an intense napping session....on fleece

Neo showing the same napping form on the previously mentioned green fleece

New England Autumn Fun Part II

This weekend my husband and I took a trip to the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Even though we had to deal with a flat tire on our second day, we had a good time (thank you Toyota for the full size spare under our 4x4 truck so we could drive home). We saw some of the most saturated, eye-popping fall color that a human being can absorb in one trip. We also saw tourists from around the world. Plenty of tourists. I knew people came here in the fall to look at leaf color, but I now have a greater appreciation for how popular New England is this time of year. We booked our hotel room three weeks prior to our trip, and we were lucky to get it. Most places were booked solid.

It only took three hours to drive from our home to Littleton, NH (where we stayed the night). It was a pleasant trip with no real traffic trouble. Along the way, we stopped at some scenic places. Upon arriving in Littleton, we spotted our hotel, topped off our gas tank, and found lunch at a great little pub in downtown. After lunch we took off in a random direction (well, a direction that my husband thought would be good; he is the one with awesome directional sense. I'm just the photographer!). This little trip yielded some great photos. We stumbled across a covered bridge among other things. I took a ton of pics. 

Covered bridge near Lunenburg, VT

The saturation and variety of colors were absolutely spectacular. Sometimes the best pictures are ones of the foliage up close. I took a number of wide, scenic views, but the best way to show the colors was getting "up close and personal" to the trees. Some of the colors are hard to describe. It's like a red-orange-yellow-gold-green explosion of beauty. 

Delicious maple colors

Autumn rainbow

There are also plenty of bodies of water (creeks, rivers, lakes) in NH that provide endless photo opportunities. We got off the beaten path a few times so I could shoot these creeks and lakes. We stopped by one pond that was so still, it was hard to determine what was real and what was a reflection.

Calm, cool reflection

Scenic creek with colorful mountains in the background

Another beautiful creek along the journey

You might wonder if I saw "The Old Man in the Mountain" that NH is known for. Well, no one sees the old man anymore because he fell off many, many years ago. However, I saw where he used to live:

Follow the arrow to where the face used to be

Sadly, now the iconic mountain face is just another mountain among many mountains in New Hampshire. However, I could still appreciate how lovely the mountain was, with or without the famous face. 

We had a fun trip despite the tire trouble and heavy traffic coming home. We found the neat places off the beaten tourist areas. I took some close up pictures that really captured the essence of the season. If you don't live near New England, take a trip one year to see the fall color. The timing can be tricky (this year's colors were a bit later than normal), but it is well worth the trip. Just make sure you book your hotel well in advance and bring plenty of memory cards!

Happy Autumn!

New England Autumn Fun

New England is a great place for people who love seasons. We get hot weather in summer with plenty of thunder storms. Winters can be downright blizzardtastic. Spring is full of beautiful blooms and great sunshine. And fall....well that is like a red-orange-yellow-yougottabekiddingme color explosion. A few days ago we had some rather stiff winds off the coast of Massachusetts that whipped up the ocean. My husband took me to Gloucester, Rockport, and the Nahant area to look at the stormy seas.

I love photographing waves; I do it every chance I can when I'm at the beach or on the coast. It's a matter of getting the timing just right to catch the power and beauty contained in the water. It is addictive for me, and I lose track of anything but those beautiful, rhythmic waves. Thankfully my husband is excellent at preventing me from stepping off into oblivion while I blissfully snap picture after picture.

Waves crashing over rocks near the shore of Gloucester

The effect of high winds making the waves even fuller and more dramatic

After taking pictures near the Gloucester coast, my husband took me to an area near Nahant. There is a beautiful walkway that curves along the waterfront. The area is safe, as long as you remember that waves don't have much respect for staying behind walls, especially at high tide during a wind storm. I took several pictures, and we stopped for a bit to admire the crashing waves. All of a sudden, one of those waves came right up, over the wall, and all over us. We turned at the last minute and my cameras were protected, but we were soaked to the bone. All we could do was laugh at our dilemma. It really was pretty funny.

Rough waves near Nahant that go over the wall at high tide

This is what you see before you get soaking wet if you stand too close to the edge

There are other fun autumn things to do (aside from meeting the ocean) in New England, like gazing upon the beauty of deciduous trees during their color show. We drove west on highway 2 this past weekend to see what we could find. We stopped at some lovely towns along the way and did see the beginnings of fall color. Most places in Massachusetts have been warm and dry which has delayed the usual timing of the leaf color. But we found some beautiful places to visit and photograph. We also had lunch at a quaint little restaurant and grabbed fresh produce at a real farm stand. It was a beautiful day!

Bridge near Turners Falls, MA just off Highway 2

Old building in Turners Falls

Pedestrian bridge in Turners Falls with an old power house in the distance

Looking downriver from the pedestrian bridge

Fall color in the Colrain area

More beautiful colors

This gives a good sense of the progression of color so far

The leaves may not be changing according to the usual timeline, but there are so many beautiful towns and countryside in New England that beg to be explored. Happy Autumn!

Changing of the Seasons

Autumn has arrived once again. For a brief spell, our days and nights will be equal, then the darkness outweighs the light. In spite of the shorter days, I enjoy this time of year. College football arrives, the hockey season starts, and the baseball playoffs take shape. I also love the cooler weather and the "brisk" feeling that arrives with fall (I relished it as a kid because it gave us a break from the hot Southern summers). And for leaf color, there are few places on Earth more beautiful than New England. I had the opportunity to live in Connecticut for a year, and the color did not disappoint. This year remains to be seen since the Boston area has been in a dry spell for most of the summer and all of September. Maybe I should run out and water all my trees heavily.

Holidays also start to show up with the arrival of fall. The first is Halloween, then  Thanksgiving. I don't do much for Thanksgiving these days since most of my family has passed on or are scattered far apart; it was much more fun when I was a youngster (never mind that traveling was WAY easier). My Mom, Stepdad, sister, and I would drive to my Aunt Tootie's house, and she would cook a feast. I could see all my other aunts and uncles, cousins, and family friends. And the food....oh my, the food. I sure do miss those gatherings. These days, my husband and I usually do something simple for Thanksgiving. We sure as heck don't drive or fly anywhere. One year we spent it at the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum in Dulles, VA. Other years we cook a turkey breast (perfect for two people), or we dine on something totally unrelated to the holiday. 

Halloween is a different story. I love Halloween. I get to buy all that terrible candy I'd love to eat year round but try to avoid for fear of accelerated tooth decay. I always buy stuff I would like to eat in case no children show up. Then I'm not stuck with a bunch of Honey-Crack or Chocolate-Covered-Coconut-Bliss. The past several years, I've lived in places where trick-or-treaters are fairly abundant, so I haven't had to deal with much in the leftover candy department. I also try to make sure I have chocolate and non-chocolate type of candy available. I get a big kick out of planning my pumpkins. I try to do at least one, but most years I can do two. I even bought a brand new fancy carving kit. Maybe this year I'll go for 3 or 4 pumpkins. Last year I had to do "simple" carvings because I tripped over my black cat, Neo two weeks before Halloween. Ironic, yes. I also have a skeleton I can dress up and a cat skeleton to compliment the human bones. This year we also have an additional black cat, Murphy. One can never have enough "Halloween" cats. However, I will keep Murphy, Neo, and Ixie safe inside on Halloween.

I'd love to write more, but it is time for me to get busy choosing pumpkins, preparing my carving ideas, dressing up the front of the house (and the skeletons), and buying some candy. Hopefully this year will be as fun and successful as previous years. 

Once In A Long While Opportunity

Last night, those who did not have cloudy skies were treated to a rare sight. You've probably heard of a harvest or super moon. Those occur when the moon's orbit is closer to the Earth, making the moon appear slightly larger. And you've probably heard of or seen a lunar eclipse. On September 27th, about 21:00 (Eastern Time), we had a rare occurrence of a Harvest moon and a lunar eclipse. The last time these two events lined up was 1982. The next one will be in 2033. So it isn't exactly a once in a lifetime opportunity, but certainly a once in a long while event.

I was ready with my camera and tripod last night. I "glued" a series of the shots into a progression:

Progression from no eclipse to about 90% eclipse

 It was fun to sit in the dark and watch a rare celestial phenomenon. Heck, I would have been happy with just a lunar eclipse, but to get both at the same time was even better. And I think my cats were happy that I was pointing the camera at something else besides them.

In olden times, this sort of thing caused chaos and panic among people who were wary of deviation from normal moon phases. What does it mean? Will the harvest be poor? Will we be plagued with locusts? Will our wells dry up? These days we are less superstitious and more in awe of such an event. As a writer, this sort of event fuels my well of inspiration and gives me ideas for enriching my stories. 

The next time the news media makes a hype about something in the night sky that happens once in a great while, go take a peek if you can. You might discover the wonders of stargazing.