Halloween Decor on Campus

Davis Hall

Happy Halloween

Autumn Blessings

Go Cards!

It was a victory for the Otterbein Cardinals today as they defeated our arch rival Capital University in a nail biter that wasn't decided until the last second. Luckily the rain held off until around 3 pm. I served as event photographer for the Homecoming festivities again this year and then Andrew and I had a delicious lunch in the alumni tent, visited with friends and attended the game. My feet are killing me as I covered a lot of ground during the parade, tailgate and game and shot about 600 photos.Cardy waves to me from the parade route.

The crowd goes wild..

OC remains undefeated for the season!!

Witch Hazel

The witch hazel flower is the last in the season to bloom and sometimes even blooms in to the winter when there is snow on the ground. In a bare winter woods the shrub is a particularly spectacular sight. This is blooming witch hazel along the banks of Big Darby. The facial astringent witch hazel is derived from this plant and it has also some other medicinal value and interesting folklore. For additional details click here.

New Boots

I'm so excited. I finally got some new boots. These have been on my list for the past two years. We were at TSC on Saturday and they were 20 % off so I got them! Yay-comfort and fashion all in one boot.

Down the Darby Fall 2009 Installment

It was too nice of an afternoon yesterday to stick with the intended plan of doing yard work so when our friend Mac called and suggested a float trip down the Darby we had the canoe loaded, our stuff packed into dry bags and were on our way within an hour. After arriving at Mac's house, we were temporarily delayed by the discovery of a pair of little stowaway's in the ballast of his canoe, and of course I had to get a photograph of the offenders. Shortly thereafter we were on our way and had a wonderful afternoon of wildlife watching (which included beaver, turtles, an osprey, numerous other birds) and paddling through an array of stunning fall colors reflected off the water.

A Hat to Match...

...Daisy's new coat. I finished knitting my hat to match Daisy's coat (blog post on Oct. 12). Tonight we took a nice long walk and took a couple photos along the way. I love fall.Me and Daisy with our matching gear.

Gotta love those red leaves.

My Halloween decor.

Bosses Day

A good time was had by all as we celebrated Bosses Day by going out for a delicious Mexican lunch at Las Margaritas today to thank our boss (she's on my left) for all she does for us.

A Grooming Fool

...is what I have been this week. All buns are in various stages of disarray. Why is this the case in the prime of show season...sigh. Andrew snuck a photo of me which of course looked like it so I made him take another. LOL He also installed the sides and back onto the rabbitry and we are set for winter weather. I guess temperatures in the 30's are called for tonight. Not ready for this...

Giant Puff Ball

Andrew rides his bike to work and cuts across the creek to get there. Tonight he found a giant puff ball in the woods. He's actually been talking about them all week but now I have actual evidence. The diameter of this particular specimen is 18 inches. Here's some info about puff balls. Some species are edible and have a mild taste. Andrew's mother once fried one up in butter. (I prefer morels myself). However do not eat or taste any fungi/mushroom unless you have an expert to identify it. Some of them are deadly poison and the ones that aren't can have mimics that are deadly poison.

Daisy's New Coat

During the five hour drive to Kentucky and back (with a little work in between) I managed to knit Daisy a new coat. I found this pattern on Ravelry-it's called Cosmo's Coat by Laurie Lee. The teal and white yarn is BLF and the dark yarn is a BLF/angora mix. This was an easy coat to knit and I used up a bunch of scrap yarn leftover from another project to make it. Daisy loves it and looks very cute in it and was a willing model but the photos don't do her justice because she doesn't "smile" when being photographed. I have enough yarn left to make myself a hat to match her coat. Won't that be cute? :-)

Autumn in Kentucky

We're in Kentucky enjoying autumn for the weekend. Andrew's college roommate and his wife own A Little Mountain Pleasure horse farm. Although the weather hasn't been stellar we have been out and about none the less. We enjoyed horseback riding, hiking, fishing and cooking up a bunch of good food and have also started a batch of pear wine.

Here I Am

Tonight I was at the front end of the rabbitry when Pip suddenly appeared -practically at my feet. I gave her some feed and she sat and contently munched while keeping one eye on me as I went from cage to cage to feed the others. Later as I headed out to the spigot to get some water and I saw another bunny approach. This one was smaller and as soon as I came back from filling the water container it scurried under the lilac bush. I finished my chores and went back in the house and mentioned to Andrew that there was another bunny out there with Pip and that I thought it was one of her babies. He agreed and said he had been watching it for about a week and that it was getting less timid by the day. Interesting....it might be one of her May babies. The bunny was too big to have been born recently. Andrew said that I am going to go out one day and find that all my rabbits have been sprung loose. If you've never read Watership Down I highly suggest it.

Pip is the small brown thing in the middle of the floor.

She's still munching as I head back from getting water.

Burgandy Cotton II

On July 10 I posted about my new burgundy cotton plant (named for the bloom color and not the cotton color). The other day I picked one of the bolls and am waiting now for it to dry out and get fluffy so I can spin the cotton and pick out the seeds to plant next year. Here's some interesting information on planting and harvesting cotton. Coincidentally the most recent issue of Spin Off magazine includes an article on growing cotton and I have a past issue that discusses the different colors of cotton. It's not all white!

Brunch

There are twenty eight of us grandkids on one side of the family-ages 26-52. I don't get to spend enough time with my cousins (on either side) who are scattered from California to Massachusetts. Today three of us managed to slip off for brunch at Panera. Amazing how fast four hours can get by when you are in good company.

Triple Show

The United Angora Rabbit Club held a specialty show today in conjunction with the Jackson and Blennerhasset Rabbits Club show in Marietta, OH . The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. The UARC also had a wool display and raffle along with their show. I served as the show superintendent but my friend Lisa, who was secretary, really did all the work. (Thanks Lisa!) A good time was had by all. Here is a link to some photos taken at the show. My black satin angora junior doe Selene won the top of her class but couldn't compete with the wool on the winning animal owned by Irene M. (Congrats Irene!).