TREASURES!

Halloween is over!  

Last night we had a ripper of a storm go through.  Watching small children whizz past the window I tossed candy at them....... overhand.  We usually get packs of wandering kids, especially living across from a cemetery!  Last night 6, 6 kids!  I bought candy for 30,000.  By 8:00 p.m. I had eaten 5 billion calories and had a Kit Kat lodged in an artery.  The mums had blown off the porch, the candles in the lanterns were blown out and I had blown out my jeans.  Another holiday come and gone.  

This morning I thought I better lace up those tennis shoes and head out for a walk before sitting down to a good day of wheel work. 

That Kit Kat had rounded my arteries and made it's way to my butt.

Tossed a loaf of bread in the oven after I poured the first cup of morning coffee.  

7:45 a.m. and it's still dark, hate it! 

40 minutes later the bread was out of the oven, my coffee was gone, the chickens were fed and I was out the door.

The hostas are done for the year...... 

The wind is fierce this morning.  Temps are still in the 50's but my face looked like a bloodhound hanging out a car window on the freeway!  

November skies for sure!

Just to get out of the wind I headed into the woods.  Protection, shelter and quiet from the freight train pounding my ear drums. 

I sat on a log and let quiet seep in around me, much better. 

An abandoned nest..... I walked past this bush a hundred times this year, never saw the nest or the birds.  What else did I miss? 

Working my way to the edge of the protection, once again, smacked in the face by leaves, debris and noise.  I thought why not just accost yourself with downtown today.  It will be a quiet day in the studio so just give yourself the full frontal assault of traffic, wind and humans.   Thankfully I had slipped a few Kit Kats and peanut butter cups in my pocket to get me through the next hour of angst.  

First assault........... Christmas!  

Seriously?  

There are still leaves on the trees people! 

And where are the pumpkins and turkeys?  

Pilgrims?  

Anybody see any Pilgrims? 

And then right in downtown I found this loaded yellow crab!  

The color was in your face yellow.  I tasted them and they were quite sweet with a bit of tang.

Had they been within the 25 foot rule I would picked a bunch for jelly.  

Note: 25 foot rule for foragers, never pick anything closer to the road than 25 feet.  

All those idling cars, trucks and buses, no thanks. 

First evidence of the storm besides a few limbs and leaves. 

Thanks for the update insurance guys...  0 days without mayhem. 

On the way home I watched birds tumbling through the air.  

Hiking up the hill I heard crows laughing in a tree that stands guard at the entrance of the cemetery.

Walking under the tree to see what the ruckus was about, I spied this!!  

Shaking it, there was something rattling inside.  Who would stick something in the knot of tree? 

The bottle was sealed with brown packing tape; safely tucking it in my pocket, I would open it when I got home. 

 Waved to 92 year old Lois and Fluffy, they never miss a day.

Said Hello to Joseph Linhart, 

I always do...... 

"not guilty" for eternity or at least as long as the stone is there.

And home to hot coffee and a slice of warm bread!

Butch was still home so I pulled the little bottle out of my pocket and said:  

Hey, look at this!  He looked at it and said; Open it outside! 

I opened it in the sink. 

Inside: a reflector, spider ring, tweety bird and long list of geocachers!  

What is geocaching? Check it out!  http://www.geocaching.com/

I really don't know much about it but it sounds like a blast and of course I registered!

The little bottle has been in the tree knot since 2009!  Something else I had missed or maybe I just wasn't ready to see it?  

I signed my new geocache name and put a little ball of clay in it.  Ran over and replaced it in the knot of the tree.  Awesomely cool!! 

Along with other treasures found......... 

Yesterday I stopped by a junk shop in town and found these hand made shino plates with a bit of carbon trapping for $3 each.  Now I need plates like I need more _____, you fill in the blank! 

But I could not walk away from hand made shino plates for $3 each.  There is a whisper of signature on the back but unreadable so I will just be happy that they are studio pottery from an unknown potter.

Turkey dinner is going to look great on these dishes!! 

The last 24 hours I feel like I hit the lottery!  

Amazed by new found treasures. 

And now off to the studio and a stack of books on cd......