The Dinner Party

I hope that everyone had a fun Halloween. We sure did. Now, I simply must share pictures of a friend's dinner party. She loves Halloween and goes to great lengths.

A ghoulish butler welcomes you to dinner.

My goodness this place looks scary!

The table is set with great pains....matter of fact the centerpiece looks a bit hungry,

 and so do those folks on the chandelier.

There was a delicious soup served in a test tube, followed by a scrumptious salad

and very unusual pizzas.

home made cookies,

along with delicious and "brainy" red velvet cake topped with raspberry sauce.

....and then there's Leslie, the chef and hostess who is probably already planning next years feast.

*I didn't actually attend this dinner party. Leslie lives in Houston

All Creatures Great and Small

Well, maybe not great...or does great refer to being wonderful or being large?

Ever wonder where a phrase (like All Creatures Great and Small), that rolls off of your tongue comes from? Well thanks to the Internet, we have to wonder no more.

Seems there was a veterinarian surgeon and writer in England named James Alfred (Alf)Wight (1916-1995), who under the pen name James Herriott, wrote a series of books about his practice. Then in 1978 a popular British television show, All Creatures Great and Small, was based on his books. 

Who knew?
* well, obviously my cousin did. Seems it predates Wight and is from a 19th century hymn by Francis Alexander Luthor.

Still don't know the answer to wonderful or large...

Being Sassy

I am taking several fun courses again at the local University, taught by volunteers.

The title of one of the courses intrigued me. Being Your Sassy Self. Turns out it is all about centering yourself and loving yourself more. One thing our instructor suggested to get out of our ruts, is to change things up. Like if you go for a walk, don't always walk in the same direction. Go the other way. I have shown you a lot of the mansions nearby, that are fun to walk by. ...but yesterday I went the other way.

 There are still some smaller homes around here, that have not been demolished to make way for mega mansions.

Most are small and have one story

and the majority seem to be lovingly cared for.

This one looked really old,

and this is one of the larger ones. Personality, I like that they are still here.Next time I walk, I may go in yet another direction. No telling what I may discover.

Fall Flowers

Now is the time that most people are planting Fall flowers in their yards.

A lot of folks in town plant pansies. They come in many colors and seem to take the cooler weather, even a light freeze.

While some folks actually landscape this time of year with ornamental cabbages. I will probably put in pansies.

Although, as you can see, the Pentas that we planted in Spring are still flourishing.

I hate to pull these out, so I guess I will wait until they can't take the cold weather and plant my pansies.

Do you put in Fall flowers in your yard? If so, what kind?

October

Ole' It's October! Just kidding. A Mexican Fiesta party has nothing to do with October, it is just one of the many things I have been up to...that has caused my absence.
Tom and I have been back in Texas since the beginning of October, and have had his three grown nieces from California visit, followed by my two daughters and granddaughters.
When my girls come into town they want to see the rest of the family, so we had twenty nine here for fajitas! Everything was great, except I burned the beans! One of the slow cookers that I borrowed wasn't working, which I discovered too late, and tried to finish them on the stove...only to burn them Me oh My!
I am going to get out there and take some pictures in between going to classes at the University and working out at the gym (ugh)..... that I have joined....promise!

The New Neighbor

In our absence this summer we got a new neighbor.

My granddaughters, much to their delight, noticed that something was watching us through the window.

So, I am guessing that our new neighbors have a cat,

whose favorite pass time seems to be watching me through the window .
I am allergic to cats, but I figure there is no harm in us being friends from afar. 

End of the Road

Sadly, it is time for the King and Queen to leave the castle.

We headed north to Calagary where we would catch our flights back to the U.S.A..

Calgary is cowboy country, so our last excursion  was a stop for a steak lunch at a very pretty ranch,

where our bus was met at the gate by these two friendly cowpokes.

While the steaks were on the grill, we were taken on a wagon ride through this beautiful forest.

This very real (and friendly), cowboy was giving all of the horses a drink prior to a trail ride.

Some of our guys even tried their skills at roping, while others were busy learning how to line dance.

Thanks for coming along with me. If you if get a chance to tour Western Canada, I can highly recommend it.