This, That & Things To Come.....

No road trip this week. But next week we're going to take a drive over Boreas Pass. So be sure to get your rest and pack a lunch 'cause it's quite a trek up and over the Continental Divide!

And in the meantime, I'd like to remind everyone to check out my eBay listings - I have a few more vintage flower pots at auction along with some very vintage garden posters.  CLICK HERE!

Sorry, no Etsy craft listings yet - I've been busy with apple harvest! Hopefully, next week I'll have some things up for sale.


I was recently gifted with a blog award from Rene of Confessions of a Modern Witch . Thank you SO MUCH Rene!! I feel honored to be called an Inspiring Blogger!  I do hope everyone stops by Rene's blog for a read. And really, it's all YOU readers out there in blogland that INSPIRE ME!

Now for the Things To Come..... In the month of September, I am going to have not one, not two, but FOUR give-aways. So be sure to stay tuned!

Agoraphobia

Ag-o-ra-pho-bia  - The abnormal fear of wide open spaces *

Mrsduncanmahogany of the blog  October's November (do hop on over and say 'HI' she's growing the most magnificent giant pumpkins!) recently made a comment on one of my posts that got me thinking. About mountains and wide open spaces.

Hubby and I have been making frequent trips into the mountains. We both love the mountains and feel quite at home surrounded by the rugged peaks of the Rockies. But I know not all folks feel that way. Many people who come to Colorado from the wide open prairies can feel a bit of claustrophobia when they get 'back into the hills'. Understandable. 

I grew up in the Colorado Rockies. No matter what direction I looked, What horizon I gazed upon, I saw the Mountains silhouetted against the sky. This sight is very comforting and reassuring to me. 

Wide open spaces on the other hand make me nervous. I feel very exposed and vulnerable. It took me a looong time to adjust to living in the 'wide opens' of Louisiana. I never really did learn to like the 'wide opens'......

*This is a very broad meaning of agoraphobia. Click here to read more!

Now for the answer to Tuesday's question - Why was the fire hydrant connections so high off of the ground? So the fire department can reach the connections during the winter months. The annual snowfall in Leadville is 142.7 inches (3620 mm) - that's over 11 feet! (or 3 1/2 meters!)

Congrats to Debra for your answer! (I also enjoyed learning a little something about your country.) 
Robin, I found your answer most inventive. It sounded very plausible. 

Weird Wednesday ~ SLIders pt. 2

Last week I wrote of a unique phenomenon called Street Light Interference - or SLI for short. Click here to read the post!

Several of the faithful readers of this blog left comments regarding this phenomenon occurring to them. I am also one of those that has light bulbs "blow out" at an unusual rate. My computers act weird sporadically for no known reason. I have an unusual amount of static interference on my cell phone calls. Watches just don't seem to work when I where them. And I am not the only one in my family to which this happens. My sister and youngest son also have the same things happen to them.

While no 'formal' studies have been done on SLI, this effect doesn't appear to be a conscious one. Most SLIders seem to have an unusually strong electromagnetic field (all people have an electromagnetic field - it is created by the electrical impulses that travel back and forth through a person's nerves, spinal cord and brain). Many SLIders report that when SLI does occur, they are in an extreme emotional state. This heightened state creates an excess amount of energy (electricity) which travels through the air and interferes with the electromagnetic field of an electronic item.

Other studies take into account the geomagnetic/geo-electric/vibrational energy of a location (possibly Ley Lines). This Earth Energy could amplify a person's electromagnetic field causing SLI to occur.

If you have SLI experiences, keep a notebook of when and where these occurrences take place. Note the geography (if you can) of the location, your emotional state, time of day. You might be surprised to find something in common.

Next week SLI and Vibrational Energy.

Question for The Readers...

Can anyone tell me why this fire hydrant is so high off the ground? 

***HINT***  This picture was taken in Leadville, Colorado, elevation 10, 152 ft.

I'll post the answer on Thursday.

Cat Tales ~ Pumpkin Update 8.27.12

The Pumpkins are 'pumpkining' along.

Jack

Jack is getting more orange every day. Very few veins of green are left. But his stem is still a very vivid green.

Jaquette

Jacquette is beginning to get twinges of orange. She is still 44 inches around.

Jacqette & Jacque

Jacque is still quite green and growing. He is now 37 inches around. And is rapidly gaining on his big sister.

Jackie

One of the new babies is named Jackie. Jackie must be very shy because she is the one living in the cosmos plant. She is now 17 inches around.

Kitty Sylvester

The other new baby hasn't grown too much. Mommy isn't too sure why. But I think she suspects that the powdery mildew might have something to do with the lack of growth.
Mommy still sprays the Pumpkin leaves three or four times a week with milk to help combat the nasty mildew. Mommy has also been cutting off the leavez that are effected the worst.
Sylvester fusses at Mommy when he sees Mommy pouring the milk into the spray bottle. Sylvester LOVES milk and hates to see it not put into his tummy!

Purz and Catnip Dreams ....... Gomez

Insects and 3D Embroidery

The art of Claire Moynihan

I know! I know! This isn't an insect but the little snail is still really cool!

Road Trip Down Colorado Hwy 91

These are a few of the pictures taken on a short drive on Highway 91 from I-70 to Leadville.

Granite marker commemorating the valley where the town of Kokomo once stood.
Kokomo was the site of the highest Masonic Lodge in the USA - elev. 10,618 ft.

Driving up Fremont Pass

Old Mining cabin & Outbuildings near Leadville

Clinton Reservoir near Fremont Pass

Shameless Plug!

I now have a shop on Amazon. Click Here! 

Individuals can now sell up to 40 items a month without becoming a 'professional seller'.  So, I am slowly clearing out the great number of books that Hubby & I have accumulated over the years. So far, the selection includes books on Faeries, Witchcraft, Mysteries, Folklore. Over the coming months, as I unpack book boxes, I will be adding to the inventory. So keep checking back.

And I have been listing items on eBay as well. Click here! 

Right now I have numerous vintage McCoy flowerpots on eBay. As well as a portable electronic birdsong identifying device (Birdsong Identiflyer). And I will be listing more vintage and antique items as they are found in boxes.

And coming soon will be numerous art and craft supplies to my Etsy shop! So be sure to keep checking all my 'outlets'! You never know what you might find. 

Weird Wednesday ~ Are you a SLIder?

Do streetlights turn off whenever you go by? Do your house lights turn on or off by themselves? Do you have trouble with watches not working? Or do your lightbulbs constantly seem to blow when you turn on a light switch? If so, then you might be what is known as a SLIder - SLI stands for Street Light Interference.

This is a strange phenomenon that is marked by the following occurrences - 

• Appliances such as lamps or TV's go and off without being touched.
• Lightbulbs constantly blow when a SLIder tries to turn them on or off.
• Volume levels on TV's or stereos change on their own.
• Watches stop working.
• Children's electronic toys start by themselves whenever a SLIder is present.
• Credit Cards and other magnetically encoded cards are damaged or erased when in a SLIder's posssession.
• Cell phone calls will be interrupted by static or dropped.

What causes these things to happen?  It is speculated that this effect might be caused by electronic impulses of the brain. All of our thoughts and movements are the result of electrical impulses generated by the brain. Could these electrical impulses also effect things outside the body?

I would love to hear your thoughts.......

**over the next few Wednesdays I will explore this phenomenon even more**

For All the Autumn People .....

Hubby and I spotted these leaves last weekend on our trip to the mountains. It won't be long.....

Cat Tales ~ Pumpkin Update 8.20.12

Mommy has stopped measuring Jack 'cause she said that he has stopped growing bigger. She said that he is just getting more and more orange every day.

And Jacquette and Jacque have grown quite a bit since last week. They are now 44 inches and  28 inches respectively.

There are now two more babies on the scene. One is growing in the middle of a cosmos plant and the other is right by the front step, hidden by some more cosmos.

And Mommy said that there are several eensy, weensy babies like these to be found. Mommy said that the milk spray is helping the Pumpkin plant hold its own against the powdery mildew. Mes keeping Mes paws crossed that the Pumpkin can hold out long enough to let the babies get big!

Purz and Catnip Dreams ....... Gomez

More Paperwork

The Art of Helen Musselwhite

Betty Ford Alpine Gardens.

The Betty Ford Alpine Gardens is located in the town of Vail at an elevation of 8,250 ft. It is the highest botanical garden in the United States and is recognized as the foremost authority on high-altitude plants.

The Gardens' plant collection showcases more than 3000 plant species of high-altitude plants. And to a Nature Lover like myself, this was a walk through paradise!

Vail Valley

This week I'm taking to you to Vail.  Vail is located in the Gore Range, approx. two hours west of Denver, Colorado. The town of Vail was built as a base village for Vail Ski Resort which opened in 1962. It is the second largest ski mountain in North America. 

Vail Ski Resort

Gore Creek runs through Vail Valley

Looking west down the Vail Valley

Gore Creek School circa 1922

Tomorrow we'll take a walk through the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens located in Vail.