Candy Corn

Pictures From Spring Valley

Candy Corn

Here is something else I found in the garden. My sisters really enjoy growing them. They are supposed to keep away pests. I thought this looked like candy corn with the yellow around the outside and red in the center. The chickens love to grab a flower, break it apart, and eat the seeds inside just like corn.

Cushaw Squash

Favorite Pastimes

Cushaw Squash

Here is my last squash picture. This is called a Cushaw Squash and this is the first year I grew it. We picked some of them yesterday. They can get as big as twenty pounds. One of mine weighed eighteen pounds. They're also called a sweet potato squash and can be used as a substitute for pumpkin in pies. They are popular in Creole and Cajun cooking. I'm still trying to figure out how to cut up and cook my eighteen-pound Cushaw Squash.

Pumpkin

Favorite Pastimes

Pumpkin

I've been growing pumpkins for several years now. We had one in our pumpkin pie last Thanksgiving, and it looks like we'll be having this one this year too. Last year I got eleven Small Sugar Pie Pumpkins and two Big Max Pumpkins. This year I expect to have around ten Amish Pie Pumpkins. The two we picked this morning were between one and a half and two pounds. There's nothing like growing your own pumpkin for pumpkin pie.

Dud Organic Squash

Favorite Pastimes

Dud Organic Squash

This tiny squash seedling is growing under the huge leaves of the other plants. I planted organic squash here when I planted the other mounds, but it never sprouted. After replanting it several times, this tiny seedling finally emerged, too late in the season to produce any fruit. It made me wonder how "organic" this seed really was.

Squash Patch

Favorite Pastimes

Squash Patch

Here's the squash patch from across the back yard. A lot of the fun in gardening is watching it grow and change throughout the year. This beautiful carpet of squash leaves came from dirt mounds with spindly little seedlings. It's hard to believe the patch will soon be covered in snow!

Butternut Squash

Favorite Pastimes

Butternut Squash

What a thrill to dig down among the leaves and find the fully ripened squash. We have outwitted the squash bugs, cucumber beetles, downy mildew, and all the other enemies of the gardener. Now we are ready to store up the harvest for the winter.

Squash Leaves

Favorite Pastimes

Squash Leaves

This is always about the most exciting time of year in the squash patch. All the plants have grown big and their leaves cover up the bare dirt. But even more exciting is all the maturing fruit which is hidden from view. As the fruit begins to get ripe, the leaves will wilt up and die, revealing the bountiful harvest awaited all year.

Horse-Drawn Plow

Mud Valley Memories

Horse-Drawn Plow

Now it's time for some fall pictures. I've always liked this picture of a four-horsepower plow. It seems like a peaceful and thoughtful scene as we wind down the year. I took this about six years ago when we were living in northeastern Ohio. I enjoyed watching all the activity on this farm each time we walked by. This is kind of an unusual shot and I'm glad I got it.

Seahorse

Around Ohio

Seahorse

Here is the last of my aquarium pictures. These are Kuda Seahorses. Seahorses are actually a type of fish, of which there are thirty-five species. According to allthesea.com, seahorses have the head of a horse, the snout of an aardvark, the pouch of a kangaroo, the eye of a lizard, the tail of a monkey, and an armor-plated body like a dinosaur. What animal do they remind you of?

Cichlid

Around Ohio

Cichlid

This fish looks like a cichlid to me. However, I could not find an exact picture of it anywhere on the Internet. I doubt if there is another fish anywhere with this expression on its face. It sure looks like it has something on its mind.

Shark

Around Ohio

Shark

I think this is an Atlantic Sharpnose Shark. It is commonly found off the coast of Florida and South Carolina and in the Gulf of Mexico. While not considered dangerous to humans, it is a nuisance to fisherman. I never thought I would get this close to a shark.

Diver

Around Ohio

Diver

As we were watching the fish in the aquarium, we saw this diver swim out. She is feeding the fish from that little bottle. Some of the fish ate the shrimp right in the water and others ate it off the coral. It was fun to watch the fish trailing around after her. The sharks in the aquarium can bite; that's why the divers have to wear gloves.

Palete Surgeonfish

Around Ohio

Palette Surgeonfish

This lovely blue fish comes from the Indo-Pacific Ocean. It is supposed to be a calm fish. I like the way it seems to be peeking out at the faces lined up on the other side of the glass. It is called a palette fish because of the unique black markings on its blue body. It is also known as a Blue Tang. I thought it was one of the most beautiful fish in the tank.

Aquarium

Around Ohio

Aquarium

I have always liked aquariums. I got my first aquarium when I was eight years old. It only had one fish—a bright red beta named Rocket. I loved that fish. Since then, I have had a 20-gallon tank, then a 12-gallon tank, and I finally went down to a 3-gallon tank. I have had Tetras, Tiger Barbs, Rosy Barbs, Guppies, and I don't know what else. My favorite was a blue and red Gourami. This shot of the zoo aquarium reminds me of all those beautiful fish.

Copperband Butterflyfish

Around Ohio

Copperband Butterflyfish

This fish is also called a beaked coralfish. It does have a very interesting mouth. It uses its long, narrow nose and mouth to hunt for food in crevices and holes. This beautiful ocean butterfly is generally peaceful but may pick on other fish if it is kept in a small tank, according to liveaquaria.com. If you are thinking of adding this fish to your tank, it will set you back a mere $199.99.

Cardinal Fish

Around Ohio

Cardinal Fish

Did you spot this pretty fish in the last picture? It's name is Kaudern's Cardinal. The black and white stripes almost blended in with the coral reefs as these little fish swam around the aquarium. In fact, their maximum size is three inches! Once the fish have spawned, the male Cardinal Fish carries the eggs in his mouth to protect them.

Sponge

Around Ohio

Sponge

This beautiful sponge begins our tour of the zoo aquarium. The aquarium was a truly an amazing place. I could have stayed and watched the gorgeous tropical fish swimming for hours. There are many different varieties of sponges. Did you know they are classified as animals?

Ford Truck

Favorite Pastimes

Ford Truck

This is the last model I did. I thought I did a pretty good job on it. The hood actually opens up and you can see into the motor, and the doors open. When I took it in to the fair, there was a little boy there who saw me put it on the display table. He wanted to pick it up and start driving it around. I thought that was the best compliment I could have gotten.

Ford Van

Favorite Pastimes

Ford Van

Here is another model I enjoyed making. It came in a box with lots of little white plastic pieces. I had to paint each piece—silver, blue, brown—it had a lot of different colors. Then I somehow glued together all the little pieces. There were brown decals that I applied to the insets on the doors. I entered it in the fair, and it won a blue ribbon for me. It's funny to see some of the newer SUV models going back to this square, boxy shape.

String Ship

Favorite Pastimes

String Ship

You have been a great audience for my zoo pictures. I thought it might be time for a short break, since I do have quite a few more. I made this string art ship about three years ago. I like how the designer made the sails stand out from the ship. I have tried to make a few other ship models, but this one came out the nicest.

Flamingos

Around Ohio

Flamingos

There's nothing quite like seeing a whole bunch of flamingos. In fact, colonies in the wild can be as large as twenty thousand in number. In East Africa, there are even colonies with one million members. Like most birds, flamingos are very social and like to live in groups. As far as flying, they can fly up to thirty-five miles an hour, as far as hundreds of miles a day. They usually fly at night, which makes it unlikely that you will ever see a flamingo flying.

One Flamingo

Around Ohio

One Flamingo

Speaking of classification, at first it was debated whether flamingos should be classified as storks or ducks. Finally, they were given their own classification. There are six known species of flamingos, ranging from pink to orange to red. They may live as long as fifty years in captivity. And yes, flamingos can fly.

Two Flamingos

Around Ohio

Two Flamingos

If you were asked to design an animal exactly the opposite of a penguin, what would it look like? How about something long-necked, long-legged, and flamingo pink. It's pretty funny to think that both penguins and flamingos are classified as birds. I can't decide which one is more fun to watch and take pictures of.