T Stands for Gnomevember

Nan treated me to another outing. This time we went to Tower Hill Botanical Garden where they were celebrating Gnomevember.  What is Gnomevember? An annual event where members are asked to donate their garden gnomes. The gnomes are then scattered around the gardens. Visitors grab a score sheet at the information desk and then can make their way to the garden where they count how many gnomes they found.

I’m blogging while using the iPad and had only tested uploading one photo not multiples. Seems iPad  uploaded my photos in random order.

Look carefully can you spot the cardinals?

He sells seashells by the front door

Some bunny wants to be gnome

There were still a few flowers and berries growing at the beginning of November

I wonder what this guy is up to with his can of poison?

The staff was also busy laying out Christmas lights for Tower Hill’s lighting event during the month of December. Tickets sold out by the second or third day they went on sale!

We had a gorgeous day

Besides the gnomes, we also got to see the last days of the fairy house displays

I forgot to take pictures of our beverages and lunch at the cafe, but did manage a picture of this tabby

The Welcome

Biker Gnome

I thought the larger gnome on the right was holding a cup. This was going to be my drink reference, but on closer inspection, he’s holding a water can which the Eldest pointed out to me was a beverage container for plants.

Inside in the tropical garden room, oranges

If the field was a sundial, these guys could be the gnomen

My favorite gnome because of my new, blue shoes

Hidden in plain sight

Help yourself to some goodies

One of the fairy houses

Inside, angel trumpets

You could always grab a drink from the hose like I used to do when I was a kid.

Two friends enjoying the day

Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to find out what the rest of the T Stands For gang is up to. If you want to play, include in your Tuesday post a beverage or container for a beverage. Don't forget to link your blog to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's page.

Baby Weems

Last Thursday’s post about best gifts received got me all nostalgic and reminded me of another book I loved as a kid. The book, Baby Weems was written in 1941 by Joe Grant and Dick Huemer. Only I just recently found out, it wasn’t originally a book, but a Disney short animation as part of a feature called The Reluctant Dragon.

This version is a bit of a tour of the Disney animation studio. The storyboard for Baby Weems is shown and explained. It starts around the 27 minute mark and runs for about 10 minutes or so.

If you’re not into watching the video, the short version of the Baby Weems story is a young couple have their first child, a beautiful baby boy. At two days old, Baby Weems starts talking. Suddenly, he’s a phenomenon and the whole world is interested in him. He meets with the noted authorities of the day. While Baby Weems  is whisked all around the world on tour, his poor parents sit next to a radio which they rock in a cradle. Then Baby Weems becomes ill. His temperature soars. The world waits to find out if the poor baby will recover. He does recover, but he’s just a normal baby. The world soon forgets him, and his parents are the two happiest people in the world as they just wanted a darling normal baby.

Did you have a favorite book, story, or movie that you loved as a kid?

Alphabet Sunday

Brought to you by the letter, E. Enders Island

Saturday Afternoon at the Movies

This idea came from a Facebook meme:
Over 10 days, post your 10 all time favorite films. What movie has really made an impact on you or what films can you watch over and over and never tire of? Post either the movie poster, DVD cover or even a screenshot on your timeline. No need to explain.

Only I had a hard time picking out just 10 movies so my favorites over the next few hundred Saturdays 😸 in semi-alphabetical order:me favorite films. What movie has really made an impact on you or what films can you watch over and over and never tire of? Post either the movie poster, DVD cover or even a screenshot on your timeline. No need to explain.

Only I had a hard time picking out just 10 movies so my favorites over the next few hundred Saturdays 😸 in semi-alphabetical order:

Meredith Wilson's The Music Man (1962) Robert Preston, Shirley Jones

If you haven't seen this movie, it's available for rent on YouTube

The Friday Five Good Things

Five good things that happened this week:

1. After refrigerator repair delays, sick delays (The Young One and I had colds), and the ride from Hell (don’t plan the route to Pennsylvania that takes you across the George Washington Bridge in New York City on a Friday rush hour, start of the holiday weekend afternoon), we finally arrived at the halfway point of our trip in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. The hotel never looked so good!

2. The Eldest had a stomach bug, and the Young One and I were still feeling blah from the cold, so we decided to hole up at the hotel in town where the Eldest lives and spend the rest of the weekend there.

3. On Sunday, we ventured out to do a little shopping at the local Walmart (the only store in her rural town). Then I spent the rest of the afternoon resting at the hotel. The Eldest felt better so she came to the hotel, we had pizza delivered and watched movies.

4. On Monday, we moved into the Eldest’s apartment.  No one felt like cooking so Himself made a Wendy’s run for hamburgers. We watched movies and played a board game called Apples to Apples

5. Out shopping Christmas Eve for last minute things the Eldest needed for Christmas Eve dinner. While picking up ice cream, a man was filling his carriage with frozen pies. He was putting in a cherry pie and I told him that was my favorite. Then Himself and I both said: We’re coming to your house. What time should we be there? He laughed and said 2 pm. On Christmas. Later heading to the check out he caught sight of us and yelled, Don’t forget, 2 o’clock! 😺

The Eldest cooked a delicious chicken and rice dinner.

How was your week?

Throwback Thursday: What Was the Best Gift You Got As A Kid?

There were 2 gifts I got when I was a kid that I loved to death. And I still have them.

The first was the Spirograph, a drawing tool that made intricate designs using gears. I was around 10 or 11 years old when my parents gave this to me one Christmas. Out of all the gears that came with the set, only one small gear is missing. Not bad since a lot of children played with this set besides me in the 50 plus years I've had it.

The other gift was The Language Book. For those that followed my dad's Notebook series on Throwback Thursdays, this book was a Christmas in July gift from Charlie and Doris. They lived in West Newbury quite a distance from us, before the Interstate was put in. And the weather always seemed to turn bad during the Winter when my folks and Charlie and Doris would try to make arrangements for a holiday gathering. So, they decided to celebrate Christmas when the weather was better and traveling was easier during the Summer. I was 12 years old when I received this gift. The book covered the history of language from cave paintings to space communications. The subject just fascinated me and probably one of the reasons I majored in English Language and Literature in college.

What was the best gift you got as a kid?