Thanksgiving Is Tomorrow

 Wednesday, November 26, 2025

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. I can't believe it's here already.  

The platter is from the Currier and Ives dinnerware line which was manufactured by the Royal China Company and introduced to the American market in 1949. We had a set of these dishes when I was growing up and whenever I see a piece it reminds me of the house on Stevens. I seem to remember Mom inherited the set from someone although I can't remember who. 

I incorporated some elements in the display that have a little bit more of a Christmas vibe but didn't want to overdo it too much at least until we're officially past Thanksgiving. Want to get the porch freshened up for Mom's visit tomorrow. 

Squash

 Tuesday, October 21, 2025

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

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. 

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. 

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."

Home Decor

I believe the decor of a home should stay somewhat true to it's era. When I say "somewhat true to it's era" I mean that many of the furnishings should at least look like they date (give or take) 10 years from when the house was built. In the case of our house the year is 1924. Of course there should be flexibility worked into all of this. Sometimes furnishings from different eras can compliment each other.