Signs I Have Seen Around the U.S.

 While I was browsing through my digital photos, I came across some interesting signs (at least to me) that I had photographed while traveling. 

This road sign near Fort Davis, Texas was a warning I had not seen before.

Here is another road sign; this one in Michigan at a Christian Conference Center. Kind of hard to gauge if you are exceeding the half part of the speed limit.

Sometimes it isn't the message of the sign that is unusual but where it appears (barn in Ohio).

Sign outside of Kalamazoo, Michigan museum.

Sometimes it is the rustic nature of the sign that caught my attention.

This gas station was in the Low Country of South Carolina.

I am not sure what this company does for the watermen of Chesapeake Bay. I saw it while waiting in the car for my husband who was visiting a business in the same block.

Then there are the signs that raise questions. Is the company owned by gay fishermen? Do the fish they catch have a specific sexual proclivity? Is this the name of a family? I am guessing it is the last one. Saint Helena Island, South Carolina. 

We have a diverse and interesting country.

Beautiful October Weather

 

We are in a streak of sunshine, blue skies, temperatures in the mid-60s to low 70's. Because I have a bad cold, I have not been outside much. This afternoon as I took a few photos I noticed leaves are already floating down. I need to enjoy the beautiful fall weather now! The forecast looks like a mild one for trick-or-treaters Saturday.

Actually, September and October have gone by in a blur. I had surgical procedures two weeks apart (September 9 and 23); my husband had total knee replacement surgery October 5th; this week we both have bad colds with hacking coughs; and for over a month my washing machine has had no functional spin cycle until last Wednesday when it was finally repaired. I am sort of looking forward to November, but of course that signals winter is on its way. We are expected to have a mild winter because of El Nino. We will see. 

When I bought my two small pots of mums at the end of September, there was only a handful of blooms open. Now they are at peak bloom. There were a few brown ones I cut off this afternoon, but still unopened ones, too. 

We are starting to discuss Thanksgiving options. We haven't made any decisions yet. Our retirement community announcement sheet said the food service is going to offer a Thanksgiving meal ready to heat up at home for $50 for four people. Choice of ham or turkey. That is a new service this year. A few years ago, when we ate in the dining room, the service was so slow that by the time they came to our table they had run out of gravy and the portions were skimpy as they were running out of food. Don't know how generous the servings will be for take-home. You have to pick up the meal the afternoon before Thanksgiving. Might be better to eat at a restaurant since then there are no dirty dishes. Something to ponder. 

Custom-Ordered Jigsaw Puzzle

 

My husband's youngest sister decided she would create a photo of his wooden bookmarks and her oldest sister's paper bookmarks that she designed and gave away to people. She wanted to order a custom-made jigsaw puzzle.

Above is the 500-piece puzzle that was the end result of her efforts. 

She ordered the puzzle from mypuzzle.com. We asked her to order one for us, too. The pieces are sturdy cardboard. The color is good. The pieces were not just cut as innies and outies but with interesting "arms" and sharp points.

 A "poster" of the picture is provided in the box. The only down-side that I noticed is that the pieces are not truly interlocking. If you put together a section that you need to move into place you will need to scoot it to the location or break it into smaller bits to relocate it. 

The idea to make a puzzle was well-executed and turned out well. We enjoyed assembling it. 

Beaded Garden Stake

 Twice a year my retirement community has Swap Shop. It consists of items people no longer need or want: clothing, household items, books, jewelry, hobby supplies, stationery, etc. A resident does not have to contribute to be able to claim items so it is not really a swap, just a way for residents to clean out clutter and give unused items a new life. The Autumn Swap Shop ended yesterday. There will be one again in the spring.

When I went over to the main building Friday where the swap was taking place, I noticed all but one item I had donated was gone.

 The only thing that caught my eye was a metal "pole" with beads on it and capped by a glass knob. I didn't know what it was, but I guessed maybe it was a lawn ornament since the bottom of the metal was rusted. After some internet sleuthing, I see it is called a garden stake.

Places like Walmart sell these as DIY kit projects with the stake, beads, and screw-on knob so you can design your own.

I have no desire to own a garden stake, but I thought the beads might be able to be used somehow, such as making a bracelet. Most of them have metal rims which is not typical of jewelry-making beads, but they would probably work OK. A project for this winter possibly.

If I decide not to use them, there is always the Give 'N Take Table year-round to give somebody else a chance.