CBWC: Trains or Train Tracks All photographs by Owen Kraus The train still runs. It can't exceed 5 mph because the tracks are not up to the task. The train doesn't really go anywhere. It used to go to all the factories along the Blackstone and its tributaries. It took people to work, hauled raw materials to the mills, and finished materials out.

CWWC: Any Which Way with Autumn Leaves The autumn leaves might drift past your window, but you might want to drift past the autumn leaves. When the weather is nice, it is good to stroll down the lane and watch nature in all its brilliant colors. It can amaze as if turn from green to gold and red and orange and brown.

FOTD – October 3 – Tulips I love tulips. I love them; the skunks love their bulbs, and the squirrels like the flowers and leaves. No part of our tulips goes to waste. These ruffled tulips remain my favorites

ONE-TO-THREE PROCESSING Well, as it turns out, unless you want to get into changing colors (a bright yellow or process blue Cardinal), they will look quite similar -- but there are differences. The Original Posterized Fresco Watercolor And just because, in black & white I don't see the point in applying changes that no one would ever use. I could turn this bird any color I want, but why?

ARE YOU READY FOR THE HOT SEAT? The "not stupid" people always greatly outnumber the "stupid" -- if indeed the stupid are as stupid as they act. I have serious doubts about how much of the nonsense they spout is real (even to them) and how much of it is play-acting and intended to throw us off our guard. Because how could they achieve anything if they are really that stupid?

FOTD – October 2 – S if for Spiderwort and Sunflowers Really, spiderwort is a wildflower. Very few people intentionally grow it. In fact, as far as I know -- at least around here -- I am the only one. I love it for its deep blue color. For reasons best known to the color spectrum and our cameras, I have a lot of trouble getting these deep blue flowers to show up the way your eyes see them.

FOTD - R is for rhododendron, roses, and ruffled petunias. Rhododendrons Roses Ruffled Petunias Note: This "Throwback Thursday" post is from October 1, 2022.

The above was originally posted on April 5, 2013, by Marilyn Armstrong.

Episode 1: The Campaign, by Arod Serling* Opening scene: Rural state rally, small town folks and area farmers in attendance. A candidate for office is at the podium. To the left of the stage are two of his aides. Candidate: “If you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of ’em, would you? Seriously. OK?

Not Quite Autumn: The Changing Seasons, September 2022 And so the seasons turn, and now it's autumn. The leaves are beginning their change, but aren't quite there yet. I think they will fully change during the next couple of days. The weather is perfect, with day temperatures down in the low 60s and in the low 40s by night. Not quite frost, but close.

CFFC: Where/What/When We Work Whether you work full-time, part-time, or no time, it always seems that there is work to do. For some mysterious reason, the work at home piles up when you are retired, no matter how hard you work at it. Perhaps we are slower or take more breaks. Whatever it is, the work never ends. "Workbench Machinery…

It was a perfect day to be a bird. Or, really, anything since the day was perfect. I bought new food just the other day, and the birds get really enthusiastic about fresh food. Although many birds flew in and out all day long, these few stayed around long enough for me to get a picture. A Tufted Titmouse Downy Woodpecker? Chickadee Goldfinch Flying Woodpecker

FOTD - STONECROP AND HYDRANGEAS Although there are a billion weeds, the hydrangeas are blooming with enthusiasm, as are the stonecrops. It's hard to get pictures of them amidst all the green weeds. But with the help of a very long lens from the deck above the garden, I got a few. Somehow, amidst the weeds, there are some flowers. Still!

FOTD – September 30 – Queen Anne’s Lace Queen Anne's Lace is pretty and a lot bushier than I remember it. I suppose I'd always seen it in fields where, compared to the trees and gates, it looked small. When it moved into my garden this year, it started really growing and before the rain stopped in May, it was four or five feet tall and bushy.

FOTD - P is for so many names, including "plant" itself! There are a lot of plants that begin with a P -- probably many more than I have here, but I'm trying to display a little self-control!

Fandango’s Provocative Question #15 Redux And so the wise man said to the not-nearly as wise (other) guy: “The fundamental cause of the trouble is that, in the modern world, the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubts.” -- Bertrand Russell Funny you should bring this up today because Garry and I were talking about this very thing last night.

CMMC – September - The letter P starts the word I have a lot of "P" stuff, from petunias, pottery, printers and pocket watches to Pileated woodpeckers and porcelain. Ruffled Petunias Porcelain Qing antique rice bowl Pottery - Han Dynasty (206 B.C.–220 A.D.) Silver pocket watch from the late 1800s Petunia Porta-Potty Pileated woodpecker

FOTD – September 28 – Orchids I always found orchids interesting, but I had heard they were very difficult to grow, so I never tried. When Garry's brother sent him a pot of them as a birthday present, I had nothing to lose. I had the orchids. All I needed was a little guidance. I decided to give them a try.

FOTD – September 28 – Narcissus We've had any number of conversations in this house about whether narcissus is another daffodil variety. Some say yes, others no. They have a very similar structure and the same kind of leaves. They grow wild locally. Please be gentle with this sweet flower. I fear politicians have given it a bad name!

Below One Hundred Percent, by Rich Paschall You might recall that the Orange Dictator promised you lower drug costs. In fact, he promised that he would lower it more than 100 percent. OK, he was not too good at math. He told us he would lower prices by amounts "nobody can even imagine." That is about the only true thing he said.

FOTD – Magnolia, sugar maple and mums The Ms turned out to be pretty special. I think I have more of them somewhere, but these three will be good enough, I hope. Magnolia Maple trees give the best reds and golds. You'll find sugar maples all over New England. That's where maple syrup comes from. Mums are the ultimate autumn flower. They look like fall and they have a scent you can't quite describe, but it's definitely Autumn!

Just a couple of weeks ago, the following appeared on the SERENDIPITY website. In case you missed it there, here it is again. The information is timely and important. The Broken Promises, by Rich Paschall Despite what Donald Trump promised in his last campaign, his administration has actively destroyed the safety net for Seniors and will continue to do so next year.

FOTD – Daylilies Lacking much new material, with flowers being a bit rare right now, I have many, many daylilies. With and without roses.

I did it again. Well, really, I didn't have much choice. I had already opened the fish and used half the vegetables. They wouldn't keep. I needed use the rest before it went bad. I think this will always be a problem. The amount of stuff you have to buy to make one meal is at least twice as much as you will need -- maybe more.

FOTD – September 27 – Lilies, Lilacs and Lantana "THREE WINDS," she cried. He frowned, but picked more tiles from the wall. Lilies of Tiger and Easter sound like a mah jongg move, doesn't it? On the other hand, there's also Lantana and Lilac. Lilac is my favorite both for its scent and its beauty. Lantana is considered invasive, but it's too cold for it to invade up here, so it's a "potted" flower -- beautiful in the summer, gone in winter. Tiger and Easter Lilies and Lantana Pink Lantana Yellow and orange Lantana

I don't want to sound like I'm bragging, but I did it again tonight. Well, really, I didn't have much choice. I had opened the fish and the vegetables and they wouldn't keep, so I needed use the rest of it or it would be junk. This time, since we didn't have a follow-up roast, I made miso soup and fresh rice.

CWWC: Any Which Way in the Evening Some like to hit the road in the evening. The moon, the stars, and the road ahead can be appealing. Some prefer the evening to avoid the heat of the day. Some prefer it to avoid the rush-hour traffic of the city. When it rains, the roads glisten. They beckon the nighttime driver. Which way do you go in the evening?

FOTD – September 26 – Jimson Weed -- It IS pokeberry -- and it's still poisonous. I know we passed J, but I felt these pictures needed a home. There big purple berries grow everywhere this time of year. The birds eat them as do the other creatures. I am fairly sure the deer eat them too. Only for people are they poisonous.

CBWC: My Pick - The best of the black & white photographs I don't know if these are my best black & white photographs, but they are among my favorites. Five favorites My most popular photograph and maybe one of my best in black & white

The digital world is filled with all sorts of cyber threats, and most people think falling victim to one would never happen to them, but scammers are getting more and more creative these days. University of Illinois Chicago A simple little email from a friend asking for a favor involving a couple of hundred dollars. Except that when you read it again you realize that the signature isn't his usual signature -- and he says he's traveling, but you just heard from him and he was clearly at home when he wrote.

Suddenly, it's fall. Time to go a'leafing! I already know I don't have any "K" flowers, but I've got some lovely shots of the kitchen window and this year's deck flowers: chrysanthemums, lantana and petunias. Since I took these photos, Owen picked up a second set of mixed mums. Morning light in the kitchen The new ones are white and orange.

Flowers of My Day - The Big Basket of Begonias Lacking fuchsias, this summer's deck flowers are a ruffled hanging geranium and its elegant companion, a rich pink begonia. Not quite a real macro, though using a macro lens Both plants would probably be happier -- or perhaps more enthusiastic -- if they had more direct sun. Nonetheless, they seem to have settled for dappled sun and a hefty dose of water.

The above was originally posted on April 5, 2013, by Marilyn Armstrong. This is not a “challenge,” just an invitation for you to bring back one of your early posts. You can pingback to this article if you wish, so we can find your Throwback, too. You can even steal the logo (on the left).

FOTD – September 24 – Japanese Maple And suddenly, the letter "J" floated before my eyes and I saw my tree, my lovely Japanese Maple that is green all summer, but scarlet in the autumn. It is the first to turn green in the spring and the last to lose its leaves in the fall. Meet our Japanese Maple tree.

FOTD – September 23 – IRIS The irises got eaten by the skunks and have never been replanted. I miss them, but I can't manage the bigger gardens anymore. Meanwhile, these are the irises we grew back when the garden was still young and healthy -- and hadn't been taken over by strangling vines.

Fandango’s Provocative Question #183 The right question, but the wrong "slant." I could care less what race they show them to be, but I do care how much they distort the story and how little they apparently care for J.R.R. Tolkien's actual written work. If they don't like what he wrote, why are they making a series out of his books?

CFFC: Circles and Curves Lots of curves, circles, and bends in the road. Life and the world are like that.

When we went out to eat I came home full of sushi 🍥 I decided there was no reason I couldn't learn to do it. Basically, if you can roll a joint -- even a not very good joint -- you can make sushi. Sushi is easier. I still needed a few more things. I needed a wrapping matt, though you can do without one if you must.

Summer lasted pretty much all summer. That is to say, it was warm and sunny most days, with a few summer storms thrown in for good measure. We usually saw temperatures in the 80s with our share of the 90s mixed in. I don't mind the low to mid-80s, but the low to mid-90s is too much. I used to love it, but now, not so much.

CFFC: Where/What/When We Vacation When I worked for an international freight forwarder many years ago, the vice president of operations asked if I had a passport. I didn't and never thought I would need one. "You better get a passport," he told me. Your turn is next. What he meant was that he sent someone from the corporate international department on an airline "familiarization tour" each year.

FOTD – September 22 – H is for Holly, Hemp, Hosta & Hydrangea I made it all the way to H! It's a bonanza! Holly Hemp Hosta Hydrangea with Stonecrop

CFFC: Where/What/When We Vacation What is the most famous landmark or building you have ever seen? It has been my fate to live in and visit a few famous cities. I grew up in New York, so there has always been the Empire State Building. Then, there's the Western Wall of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. And the Tower of London ...

A couple of day ago, we probably destroyed half of our new brakes and skinned our tires trying to not run over a "rafter" of turkey hens who had to cross the road exactly when there was traffic. We don't have much traffic. This isn't a metropolis. We have ONE traffic light in town. Once, a few years ago, someone got the bright idea to put in parking meters.

CBWC: Tables, Chairs, Picnic Tables A bit chilly for a picnic

FOTD - G IS FOR GERANIUM! When I lived in Israel, finding flowers that could withstand the sun for many hours a day was not easy. It turned out the two flowers veranda gardeners could count on were petunias and geraniums. Especially geraniums. If you water them when they get dry -- which during an Israeli summer is often twice a day -- they will bloom like mad from April until the first rains arrive, typically October.

FOTD – September 20 – Fuchsia Of all the flowers I have grown in the summer, my favorites were fuchsia. I loved the colors, the drape of the long, graceful flowers. A few years ago, right before COVID showed up, the man from whom I had always bought my glorious fuchsias passed away. Since then, no one has offered high quality fuchsias.

Not only do I think this is the most adorable squirrel I've ever seen, but he (she?) is probably the tiniest. He must be a baby because he wasn't even as big as a chipmunk and they are pretty small. His colors are unique. Clearly a red squirrel -- the white ring around his eye is a giveaway as is the white tummy and the tight curl of his tail, …

Garry got the best pictures of the warm and furry animals, so somehow I wound up taking pictures of weeds and one big spider. Not quite autumn, but oh so close... This is the last corn crop of the season. Soon the farm will move into "winter" mode and we will all wait for spring again. The cycle never stops. Photo: Garry Armstrong

FOTD – E is for Easter Lily I did these Easter Lily photos when I had full use of a lot more filters than I currently have. Unfortunately, changes to the structure of the PC operating system have made a lot of those filters non-viable. When I get the opportunity, I like showing off these pictures. They came out better than any other processing I've done and look like drawings or maybe watercolor paintings.