Our Two Trees

 Friday, October 24, 2025

Our backyard tree is a red pine which in Minnesota is sometimes called the Norway pine. It's a beautiful tree. We're in the time of year where it really starts to drop it's needles. The above photo was taken from the alley. I'm not sure how old this tree is. 

Range of the red pine. 

Our front yard tree is a silver maple. Last time we had the tree guy out he estimated it was about 100 years old. The leaves have turned to a soft shade of yellow and are dropping slowly but steadily. The above photo was taken just south of our house. 

This is a north facing view of the tree. 

The range of the silver maple. 

Squash

 Tuesday, October 21, 2025

I've bought more real pumpkins and squash for decorating this year than any other year. 

Decorating with Books

Saturday, October 18, 2025

Books look great on a shelf but I also think they look very nice stacked. They can help reflect themes and interests, like in this case, Halloween. I also think they add warmth and personality to a space or even a whole room. 

The Porch and Turning On the Heat

Wednesday, October 15, 2025

October is the month the porch goes from very useable to less usable. At the beginning of the month Dale and I would still have morning coffee our there. Now it's getting to be quite a bit cooler in the mornings and evenings so it's not pleasant to be out there. At least it's mostly more useable during the daytime hours although you sometimes need a jacket or blanket. Yesterday was rainy and raw so I didn't use it at all. Soon enough it'll be so cold that it's only use will be as an entryway from the front of the house. 

Speaking of cold, today was the first day we turned on the heat. Dale needs to be pushed a little to agree to it since he likes waiting a little longer than I do to do it. When it comes to this I never want to assume he's ready so I asked him this morning if he was amenable to the idea. He was although he said he probably would've waited a little further into the month. He recalled a time years ago when he was on a trip up north and I called begging to have him let me turn it on. It's not so much that I fear his wrath for doing it as much as just knowing how much he likes to be here for the event of hearing the heat kicking in for the first time of the season. 

Speaking of the porch I moved the pumpkins out there. They were on the dining room table but that was starting to get a little crowded due to how many I've picked up over time. 

They look especially nice by the window. 

Decorating for Fall So Far

 Sunday, October 12, 2025

And we're not even halfway through the month. 

Plus I got a new pumpkin at Lunds. Hard to tell the scale of it in this picture but I'd say it's about 8 inches across. 

Enjoying Fall While Not Working

Thursday, October 9, 2025

I've been telling Dale ad nauseam how much I love not working and how nice it is being home during autumn. I'm enjoying having time to get things done around the house and working in the yard. Also, I'm enjoying just sitting out in the back yard. 

I'm also loving just being in the yard with my cigars. This morning I had a Romeo y Julieta with my coffee.

This afternoon I smoked a Camacho while Dale went on a nice long walk. 

When Dale got back Ada from next door came over to show us her new haircut. I asked her if she did it herself and if she got permission. She said she did and her dad, Josh, did the cut. One whole side of her head was shaved. Josh appeared and we asked him about it. He said he only took off a little bit at a time and that Ada kept asking for it to be shorter. Dale pointed out to her that his whole head is always like that. She also gave us some beans that they're growing in her yard. I think they're rather pretty with their purple specks. I asked her if they're edible and she said they were although she didn't know the name of them. I'll ask her mom, Breanna about them. We told Ada we'd plant them so we could grow some too. 

Sam and Becky are in town so Mom, Dale, and I went to lunch with them at the Galleria. It was so nice to see them and we talked for 3 hours. It's so nice to have the flexibility of doing things in the daytime. Have I mentioned I love NOT working?

Collecting: Black Cats

 Monday, October 6, 2025

The black cats are now out. I pulled them from storage in the basement coal room this morning. 

Black cats were represented in some of the decorations we had for Halloween as kids so there's nostalgia involved in my collecting them.

However, I also just love cats.

Having pets makes life better in my opinion. 

Every cat or dog I've ever had has been such an amazing creature so every reminder of them brings me a lot of joy. 

Collecting: Decorative Pumpkins

Friday, October 3, 2025

I have a number of collections. More thanI probably should but I enjoy them. Early October is when I often start 

Early October is when I often start hauling out the ceramic pumpkins. 

I couldn't get the lid on the pumpkin on the left to sit correctly. I thought maybe I mismatched one top and one bottom when I packed them up last year but to my surprise all the other ones fit just right. 

I'll also mix in other real pumpkins and other gourds to decorate. 

I enjoy having many collections as I think things in groups make a stronger statement than just a single object. More than one of the same type of item allows them all to highlight each other by showing contrasts and differences. Many of my collections are related to the holidays so October is when my pumpkin collection begins to appear. The jack-o-lanterns will come out next but I usually pack those back up after Halloween. However the pumpkins will remain until very early December. 

There are numerous reasons why people collect things. For myself I believe my collections, especially my holiday ones,  offer a sense of nostalgia and connection to past happy memories. 

When I go shopping I believe there's always the chance of possibly coming across an item which might fit into one of my collections. I love  the potential thrill of discovering something that's particularly beautiful and unique to fit in one of my collections. 

There is also the act of organizing and curating by collections which provides a sense of control and accomplishment for me. It also offers me a sense of security in what often feels to be an increasingly dangerous and chaotic world. 

I don't set up a bad display. Most are pretty decent if I do say so myself.

Carving pumpkins is an early and fond Halloween memory for me. Whenever I cut open a pumpkin now the smell immediately bring me back to the kitchen floor of the house on Stevens. Mom or Dad would cut the top out of the pumpkin and the destinctive smell would hit me. My job was to help scrape out the goop. 

I've always wondered how that scent related memory is felt so vividly. According to AI, "Our sense of smell, or olfaction, is profoundly connected to memory because of its unique and direct neural pathway to the brain's emotional and memory centers. Unlike other senses, olfactory signals do not first pass through the thalamus, the brain's main relay station for sensory information. This allows smells to trigger vivid, emotionally charged memories more immediately and powerfully than visual or auditory cues."