Oh Hell No (335/366)

TIME: 8:42 am
PLACE: Outside
SUBJECT: Snowflakes on my car

*~*~*

I took the dogs out and there were flurries.

Flurries! WTF?

I am thankful that they didn't stick around.

So not ready for any white stuff to be falling from the sky.

 

Gone to Seed (334/365)

TIME: 3:23 pm

PLACE: Side of house
SUBJECT: Dill

*~*~*

The dill on the side of the house has gone to seed.

Here's a close-up view:

 

Squirrel!!! (333/365)

TIME: 12:23 pm

PLACE: Front porch
SUBJECT: Squirrel

*~*~*

My sister-in-law gave me the corn from her decorative corn stalks for the squirrels.

They found it right away and made a gigantic mess on my porch.

Who Do I See in Dad's Tree? (332/366)

TIME: 4:17 pm

PLACE: My Dad's
SUBJECT: Fake owl

*~*~*

This picture is from yesterday - I had no time today to take anything of value - work was the worst!!!!

Dad hung this plastic owl in the tree to scare away the squirrels. Now that all the leaves are off the tree we can finally see it.

It didn't work - according to my dad the squirrels were still very abundant and annoying this summer.

Why Did the Chickens Cross the Road on Thanksgiving? (331/366)

TIME: 3:36 pm
PLACE: S. 14th Street
SUBJECT: Chickens!

*~*~*

After our Thanksgiving meal with just HH, SD, DQ and her boyfriend, I packed up food in my many takeout containers to make a meals on wheels delivery to my dad.

I was delayed by chickens in the road.  Which is weird - when did we get chickens in the neighborhood?

That white one on the right had some attitude and was giving me the evil eye.

See?

(Look at the strut on that sassy gal)

The joke is funny because it's true - they did want to get to the other side!

Lucky for them, it was a turkey cooking and not a chicken cooking day.  I guess they knew that and felt pretty secure being out this afternoon.

I want chickens, but after seeing what Scully did to the rabbit, I'm not sure they'd survive at our house right now.  Someday though!

Wayback Wednesday or That's a Big Sandwich! (330/366)

TIME: May 1982

PLACE: Dining room of childhood home
SUBJECT: Me, my sister, my 2nd oldest brother and a sandwich

*~*~*

My brother (that guy there on the right) recently texted these photos to the family group chat.

I don't remember this being taken at all, but we all finally came to the conclusion that this sandwich was for my oldest brother's (not pictured) high school graduation party.

Dad purchased the creation from Imperial Deli in Imperial, Missouri (no longer in business). I'm pretty sure he put the seat down in the Ford Fairmont station wagon to bring it home.

I need to point out my silver slinky belt with the butterfly buckle; how strong my sister is; and my brother's jorts and 1980 USA Olympic t-shirt.  I am deliberately trying not to draw any attention to my hair style.  Thank you for not bringing that up.

Here is another shot of the sandwich (because you can never have too many photos of a really long sandwich)....


L-R: Dad, Me, my sister, Mom

*~*~*

My dad and mom were 40 yeas old in this picture.  I was 15, my sister was 6 and my brother was 16.

I don't know where my oldest brother was...he was probably too cool to be in a sandwich photo.

Basket Case (329/366)

TIME: 9:50 am
PLACE: Kitchen

SUBJECT: Basket on table

*~*~*

The sun shone for a bit this morning - then it went away.

Work is pretty stressful this week - I am down one employee and I have one more on vacation.  The good news is I am at home and can whine, complain and curse without worrying about anyone hearing me. 

Kill(ed) the Wabbit (328/366)

 

 

TIME: 8:14 am

PLACE: Back porch

SUBJECT: Deceased rabbit

*~*~*

(I made the photo today hidden - so look only if you want to see the deceased bunny, it's not bloody, it just looks like it it laying down, however, I didn't want to offend anyone)

HH left early this morning to go drive - he took the dogs out before he left.

Bad timing for the rabbit in the yard who happened to be in our yard.

It made a critical error and was caught behind our shed and the fence, it's escape was cut off on both ends by each dog.

Scully weaseled her way between the shed and the fence and was able to grab the bunny.  She refused to drop it until she went up on the porch and then she finally released it.

HH left it there in case it was just stunned and hopefully would come around - unfortunately, it was mortally wounded. :(

RIP - poor bunny.

Sunday Vibes (327/366)

TIME: 12:16 pm

PLACE: Sullivan Dr

SUBJECT: Grey Sky

*~*~*

A cold, wet, grey and dreary Sunday is usually the perfect time to take a nap on the couch...

Except you can't because it has already been hijacked by these two:

PLACE: Living room
SUBJECT: Scully & Mulder

Toe Beans (326/366)

TIME: 11:51 am
PLACE: Living room
SUBJECT: Jack

*~*~*

In honor of Caturday - I present to you Jack's toe beans.

Deoxyribonucleic Acid Results (325/366)

 

TIME: Now
PLACE: Ancestry.com
SUBJECT: DNA results

*~*~*

No photo today, but I do have my DNA results.

Would you look at that Southern Italy/Sicily percentage!  If I add in the Northern Italy estimate, the total comes to 44% Italian - For some reason this pleases me to no end. Grazie Dad!

And we can't forget Mom's side - look at the Eastern Europe and Russia and Germanic Europe percentages - a total of 53%!  Those crazy Czechs.  Hooray for Koláče!

Dad has a bit of German somewhere down his line.  "Tedesco" is a surname in his tree, which in Italian translates to "German", so I am fairly certain he contributed some of that Germanic DNA as well.

Hmmm, 3% Greece and Albania and a tiny amount of Northern Asia.  That's interesting.  I haven't been able to go back that far in my genealogical research to verify these, but I will take them.

 
Other good news?

Monkeyboy has his DNA on Ancestry too. They do show him as my child in the DNA Matches.

That would have been awkward if they didn't.

Not a Square to Spare (324/366)

TIME: 5:57 pm

PLACE: Target
SUBJECT: Bath Tissue aisle

*~*~*

We needed more dog food; we also something to make for supper, so I drove down the road to Target.

It appears panic has once again set in among the herd.

He Gets to Sleep In (323/366)

TIME: 8:19 am
PLACE: Bedroom
SUBJECT: Mulder

*~*~*

He gets to stay in bed while I get up to go to work.

Granted, I am working from home, which means I have been waking up about 45 minutes later than I used to when I had the 30 mile commute.

Still - sometimes I get a bit jealous of his leisurely life.

He does have to poop outside though - so maybe I don't have it too bad.

Ripped Pants (322/365)

TIME: 1:32 pm

PLACE: Home
SUBJECT: Ripped pants

*~*~*

HH was working on the furnace at the rental when this happened.

I think he made it home without anyone seeing.

Of course, the first thing that came to my mind was this classic Spongebob episode:

:

My Triangles (321/366)

TIME: 4:09 pm

PLACE: Street corner
SUBJECT: Triangles of leaves, sidewalk and grass

*~*~*

I was trying to capture a good perspective of the triangles I saw in the sidewalk, the dried leaves and the patch of grass.  

I took several photos from several different angles and just couldn't get it to work the way I wanted - this is the best shot of the lot.

To make up for it, here, for your entertainment (if you so wish to listen) is James Blunt singing "My Triangle" with Telly on Sesame Street.  

Spoiler alert, they worked the word "hypotenuse" into the song - Impressive!

Thanksgiving Cactus (320/366)

TIME: 1:32 pm

PLACE: Living room
SUBJECT: Flower

*~*~*

My Thanksgiving cactus is blooming like crazy.

It has never had blooms this large before - I must be doing something right.

Rainy Night in the Drive Thru (319/366)

TIME: 7:34 pm
PLACE: Fazoli's Drive Thru
SUBJECT: Rearview mirror

*~*~*

Rainy Saturday today.

HH spent the day replacing the furnace at the rental house.  He came home about 4:30 and went to bed as he had to be up at 12:30 am to drive the truck.

StellaDella and I went to the JoAnn's to pick out fabric for a project I am planning to give DQ at Christmas.  We stopped at Saver's (thrift store) as well.  Might as well live it up before they close everything up again!  

We also dodged a ton of rain each time we exited the car.

We were out a bit longer than I expected.  I had chicken marinating at home to bake for supper, but since it was so late, we stopped at Fazoli's to pick something up to eat.  I'll make the chicken tomorrow instead.

It was pouring again while we were in line. The headlight's of the car behind me lit up my the raindrops on my rearview mirror. 

Down The Hallway (318/366)

TIME: 5:05 pm

PLACE: Upstairs hallway
SUBJECT: Light

*~*~*

The last of today's light spreading down the hallway before the early darkness of November sets in.

Cheers to Public Art (317/366)

TIME: 4:30 pm
PLACE: West Main & N 8th St
SUBJECT: Mural

*~*~*

The Belleville Mural Project is attempting to add more public art around our city.

This mural was just recently completed.  I was only able to take a quick snap of this one side on my recent drive-by. This mural actually wraps all around the building.  I like it.

Veterans Day (316/366)

TIME: 5:08 pm

PLACE: Dining room
SUBJECT: Great uncles

*~*~*

In honor of Veterans Day, I am sharing this large portrait that I am grateful to have in my possession.  These three soldiers are my mother's maternal uncles.  They were drafted and served during WWI.  Left to right are:

Frank Kosar (1895-1927) - Co "C", 148th Infantry, USNG, 37th Division. Served 22 Jun 1918 to 21 Dec 1918.  He was wounded with a bullet in the hand on 29 Sep 1918 during the first phase of the Meuse–Argonne offensive. After returning home, Frank suffered from the effects of the mustard gas he encountered and also PTSD ("shell-shocked" in those days). He was declared insane in December of 1922 and spent the remainder of his life in the State Hospital in Jacksonville, Illinois.  He died 6 Nov 1927 of tuberculosis.

Anthony Kosar (1889-1977) - Served in the Army from 25 May 1918 to 13 Jan 1919.  I cannot find his unit or any other documentation on his service.

William Kosar (1892-1951) - Battery E. 327th Field Artillery, 84th Division. Served 23 Jun 1918 to 19 Feb 1919. After arriving in France, his division was broken up into smaller groups.  They then trained others to replace combat divisions at the front. I don't believe he experienced any combat.

I truly appreciate the service and sacrifice they and all other veterans have made for our country.

Peppy & Salty (315/366)

TIME: 5:53 pm

PLACE: Kitchen
SUBJECT: Salt & Pepper shakers

*~*~*

These two supervised as I made potatoes with the instant pot.

I tried to catch the steam as it released, but was unsuccessful.

The potatoes were good though.

Pedicure Spa (314/366)

 

TIME: 6:08 pm

PLACE: Nail salon
SUBJECT: Pedicure spa

*~*~*

A pedicure was sorely needed.

Right after work, I headed out, masked up, entered the salon and chose my color.

The spa had a liner in it while I was soaking.  When I was finished, they removed the plastic and let the water down the drain.

I sat there just a bit longer to wait for my polish to dry.

It Was All Yellow...and Orange (313/366)

TIME: 10:51 am
PLACE: Downtown
SUBJECT: Ginkgo Leaves
 
*~*~*

The fallen leaves of the city's ginkgo trees create a yellow carpet on the streets.



This maple has a nice yellow to orange ombré going on as well.

Controlled Burn (312/366)

TIME: 9:53 am
PLACE: Millstadt, IL
SUBJECT: Fire

*~*~*

My sister and I were on our way to Millstadt when we saw a large cloud of smoke over a part of the town.

We both said that we hoped it wasn't at our brother's or at the friend's house we we going to.

As we turned on the street to our friend's home we realized it was right next door to her house.

Thankfully, it wasn't an accidental fire, but a controlled burn on the property.

We piled in her car and drove to Ste. Genevieve, MO to do some picking and antiquing.

TIME: 2:23 pm

PLACE: St. Mary's Antique Mall, St. Mary's, MO
SUBJECT: Sprinkler alarm

*~*~*

I thought the sprinkler alarm outside the antique mall would be an appropriate companion photo with the one I took earlier in the morning.

Tray and Tokens (311/366)

TIME: 8:35 pm
PLACE: Kitchen
SUBJECT: Ashtray & Tax Tokens

*~*~*

We are in the process of trying to make our way through the gigantic amount of items we have in the house.  I just cannot handle managing all this inventory anymore.  It's got to go!

We sold 2-dog kennels, a vintage school desk, a wooden desk and a microwave on Facebook Markeplace.  Now we only need to sell about 999,999,999,999 more items to be considered minimalists.

I was going through a basket of items from my Aunt's house - which was also my mom's home growing up, their grandparents built it and it was filled with stuff. 

Hmmm, that may be where I get my pack rat tendencies from.

Anyway, I found these things - a Bohemian Savings and Loan Association aluminum ash tray and 2-State of Illinois Retailer Occupation Tokens.  

The Bohemian Savings and Loan Association was established in 1884.  It failed in May of 1985 and was acquired with government assistance.  Then in December of 1987 it failed again and no active institution received its deposits and assets. That was during the S&L crisis, correct?  I did find a Supreme Court case for this institution:  FEDERAL SAVINGS AND LOAN INSURANCE CORPORATION, AS RECEIVER FOR BOHEMIAN SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATION, PETITIONER V. JOHN V. CAPOZZI, ET AL. No. 88-1300. It's an exciting read.

They gave out a cool ashtray though.

The tokens are interesting as well, I shall direct you here: The Sales Tax Token Collector's Home Page for more information. It explains the "hows and whys" very well. It seems the Illinois tokens I have ceased being distributed only 8 days after being issued because they were too similar to a dime.

Yep - pretty close. This is why it is taking me so long to go through things - I find interesting items and get lost in the rabbit hole of the dang internet! 

Sleeping Scully (310/366)

TIME: 6:09 pm
PLACE: Kitchen
SUBJECT: Scully

*~*~*

We had some beautiful fall weather today - sunny and temps in the 70s.

The dogs were in the yard much of the day.

All the fresh air must have made her tired.

Maple Leaves at Night (309/366)

TIME: 10:30 pm

PLACE: Backyard
SUBJECT: Maple 

*~*~*

Working all day (it's month-end!) and having the darkness arriving earlier tends to make the daily picture taking a bit more challenging.

I am grateful for the sodium light in the alley which helps with night-time photos.

The maple tree seems to glow under it.

A Platform We All Can Agree On (308/366)

TIME: 7:19 pm
PLACE: Kitchen
SUBJECT: Pizza Pedestal

*~*~*

HH and I weren't hungry, but StellaDella wanted Dominos tonight - therefore, we ordered Dominos.

I do hope contactless delivery sticks around after all this mess we have going on.

I like not having to interact with people.

Also? This cardboard platform is part of the delivery - it keeps the food packages off the porch floor.

Who doesn't like a pizza pedestal?

Light Difference (307/366)

TIME: 10:06 am (top) & 5:18 pm (bottom)
PLACE: Home office

SUBJECT: Looking out the window

*~*~*

It was bright and sunny today - the maple tree in the front yard has some nice color and contrast against the cedar tree.

With the time changing this weekend, it is getting close to dark when I sign out for the day.

I don't like the time change, however, I am grateful that I don't have to drive home in it anymore.

Tessa Taste Test (306/366)

TIME: 8:27 am
PLACE: Kitchen
SUBJECT: Tessa

*~*~*

Time to come clean...I am one of "those" dog owners.

I make my own dog food - not all of it, because it doesn't have all the nutritional supplements found in the commercial food - but I do cook up a crockpot of a "doggie stew" about every 10 days or so.  The dogs get about a quarter cup mixed in with their regular food at mealtimes.

This stew has chicken, chicken livers, peas, carrots, a sweet potato, regular rice and chicken broth.

The cats like it too and will sometimes eat a bit - however, they actually prefer their canned food - Sensitive Skin & Stomach Tuna & Oat Meal (Purina Pro Plan Focus).

This morning, besides eating her canned food, Miss Tessa decided she needed to taste test the current batch of stew that was cooling on the table as well.

It passed.