songbird's crazy world

 One of my favorite t shirts     Cats wanted to know why we left the front door open … trick or treaters loved seeing Shadow … Duchess was too shy to show herself, but did investigate the open door … We’ve got a bit of sibling rivalry going on … as you know, Drew and I moved in together in July 2023.  Before that, Duchess lived with Drew and Shadow lived with me.  So maybe “stepsisters” is a better description. Duchess’s loyalty is with Drew, and Shadow is clearly my cat … The other day I was home alone with the cats.  Duchess was missing her person, she sounded so forlorn…I opened a bag of cat treats, and both cats enjoyed.   And after they ate, Shadow wrapped herself around my ankles in a way that said “this is MY person, go find your own …”  I felt so sad for Duchess.  Until Duchess chased Shadow down the stairs and pursued her until Shadow was under the couch.

  Theme in Yellow Carl Sandburg 1878 –  1967 I spot the hills With yellow balls in autumn. I light the prairie cornfields Orange and tawny gold clusters And I am called pumpkins. On the last of October When dusk is fallen Children join hands And circle round me Singing ghost songs And love to the harvest moon; I am a jack-o'-lantern With terrible teeth And the children know I am fooling.

          

 Couldn’t resist posting a few more photos from the neighborhood.

  William Shakespeare (1564-1616)                        from   Macbeth A dark Cave. In the middle, a Caldron boiling. Thunder.                  Enter the three  Witches.        1 W ITCH.   Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd.        2 W ITCH.   Thrice and once, the hedge-pig whin'd.        3 W ITCH.   Harpier cries:—'tis time! 'tis time!        1 W ITCH.   Round about the caldron go;     In the poison'd entrails throw.—     Toad, that under cold stone,     Days and nights has thirty-one;     Swelter'd venom sleeping got,     Boil thou first i' the charmed pot!        A LL.   Double, double toil and trouble;     Fire burn, and caldron bubble.        2 W ITCH.   Fillet of a fenny snake,      In the caldron boil and bake;     Eye of newt, and toe of frog,     Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,     Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,     Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing,—     For a charm of powerful trouble,     Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.    

 So I was driving home the other day and I spotted it a farm stand,   Meyer’s Farm .  It’s just a short drive from my house, but they have real farming operations out east, in Calverton. The produce they sell is primarily from their own farm.  So I had to stop.  I bought some apples, some tomatoes, zucchini… And then I saw it.  Yellow cauliflower. It just looked so delicious… I bought a head. It was huge. I cut it into florets  The recipe said to place the florets on a baking sheet.  I needed two baking sheets.  I seasoned it with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika, and roasted it in the oven, It was delicious.  Drew doesn’t eat cauliflower, so I froze half of it, and I guess I’ll be eating some every day for awhile …

 This one deserves a post of its own

  The Raven BY  EDGAR ALLAN POE SHARE Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—     While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. “’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—             Only this and nothing more.”     Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December; And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.     Eagerly I wished the morrow;—vainly I had sought to borrow     From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore— For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore—             Nameless  here  for evermore.     And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain Thrilled me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;     So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating     “’Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber d