My Official Blog Spot

Seriously, this is Spot, one of our cats, so he is officially my blog Spot.

This wasn't posed at all. He jumped up on the little end table, upon which the pumpkin was sitting, and it was just too good a shot to pass up. I try to keep my camera within arm's reach for just such photo ops. It's like he just knew it was Hallowe'en.

Spot's a character, whose favourite pastimes include knocking stuff off counter tops and tables onto the floor just to watch them fall and, possibly, because he knows the sound of them hitting the wood floor above where I sit, here at my computer, scares the bejeebers out of me, especially when it's dead quiet in the house.

Here in New England -- I'm in Vermont, to be precise -- Hallowe'en seems to be an occasion for major decorating, comparable to Christmas. On my drive to and from work, I see all manner of scarecrow-like creations posed in front yards and draped over benches and slumped in chairs (at least, I think they're scarecrows). They're still all lying around this week, totally unaffected by the dusting of early snow, though a few are looking pretty sodden from the typical early November drizzle (perfect weather for curling up by the fireplace or wood stove and wishing hibernation were an option.) "Ghosts," fashioned from white plastic kitchen bags, dangle from trees and fake cobwebs festoon porches lined with carved pumpkins. Witches on broomsticks are firmly planted in the sides of houses, looking for all the world as if they just didn't brake fast enough. The creativity of the folks in this area never ceases to amaze me.

I live in the middle of the woods, 1,400 feet from the main road, and our house can't even be seen from it, so no trick-or-treaters venture this far in and I don't bother decorating. I'm a curmudgeon, albeit a lovable one, so sitting out the spooky festivities in the peace and quiet of the forest doesn't bother me at all. The added bonus is that I don't buy all kinds of wicked treats that I can't resist sampling...and sampling...and sampling (bad enough my colleagues at work bring in all their leftover sugar bombs and I find myself gorging on fruit chewies).

Besides, with Spot and a pumpkin, I have the perfect Hallowe'en decor right inside the house.

"So, why is this blog called "Weeding the Rose Garden?" I hear you ask. Or is that just the voices inside my head? Well, I'm Rose and this blog, along with all my other creative endeavours, are my gardens. Weeding is just pulling out the random thoughts and putting them out there, letting them lie, and do what any good compost does... feed the soil and initiate new growth, more thoughts.


Weeds are flowers, too, and I like them. And I take LOTS of floral shots, whether cultivated flowers, wildflowers, or what other people consider just weeds. I took this one the morning after Hallowe'en during a three-mile walk, which felt great right after I'd done it, but just about killed me for the first part the week. There was some serious aching going on all day Monday and Tuesday, and Wednesday was no hell, either. I am soooo out of shape. I'm not sure what these are (yes, yes, I know...they're flowers), but the colour was gorgeous and it was just so wonderful to see such lovely late bloomers.

Speaking of late bloomers... okay I don't know where I'm going with this, and besides, it's time to go nuke some yummy leftovers for dinner.

Rose ;-)
November 6, 2009