Sunday, November 17, 2019

Mosaic Monday #54: October Odds & Ends

Is it too late to write about October?  I still have a mountain of material from our trip to Europe, but some odds and ends from last month are calling to me.  So, take a clue from the turkey - slow down, get a cup or glass of your favorite beverage, and read on!

We began the month in Missoula for Homecoming festivities at the University of Montana.  We are not alumni, but we miss the sentiment of hometown football games, especially the marching band.  For four years back in Ohio, we never missed a game.  We had quite a merry group of band parents, and relished supporting #1 Son in the drum line.  Spousal Unit and I both needed a "marching band fix", and were prepared to drive 2.5 hours to get it!

Coincidentally, downtown Missoula has a farmer's market on Saturdays, and we strolled among the vendors prior to attending the Homecoming Parade.

The University marching band led off the parade, followed by your customary floats, horses, Shriners driving miniature cars, dance troupes and politicians angling for your vote.



I admired the creativity of the "stage" float, with actors performing skits the entire parade route, and the "dueling" pianos.

Units were still rolling past with no end in sight, but it was time to make our way to the stadium, a 15-minute walk.  With our tummies rumbling, it was convenient that we would pass through the market once again - who could resist a waffle sandwich?
My blogging buddy Kit of A Montana Life is a stalwart UM fan, and she advised being in our seats for the pre-game show, which includes Monte (the team mascot) and the band entering the stadium.  She was spot on!  It was a special treat to see the skydivers land so expertly smack in the middle of the field.



We were glad to have our waterproof coats and a waterproof blanket as the weather alternated between light rain and blue skies.  UM's fortunes waxed and waned with the rain, but they ultimately dominated Idaho State 59-20.  We enjoyed the night life in Missoula that evening, and after attending Mass, returned home through the rolling hills the next day.
Band spells out G-R-I-Z

Harvested seeds in my "bucket"
At that point, only six days remained until our departure to Europe.  I focused heavily on my to-do list, which included planting flower and grass seed.  We had some native grass seed left from last fall, but it was not enough to cover the bare patches that required re-seeding.  I resorted to harvesting grass seed from our yard - it's not a physically demanding task, but it is tedious and I was repeatedly amazed at how quickly I spread what had taken me an hour to collect.  I didn't keep track, but I invested many hours in this process over those six days.


In my October 6 post, I wrote about some challenges with my tree skirt.  Before our trip, I created a new pattern and went to Hobby Lobby to purchase new burlap colors.  This allowed me to cut all the strips so they would be ready and waiting for my return.  I am going to cheat a little and give you some current pictures of the skirt in progress - I am thrilled with how it looks so far!

Three weeks is a long time to be away from friends, so visiting with my dear neighbor friend was a priority before our journey.  We kayaked on a misty morning, and later in the day she brought us some fresh cinnamon rolls, just ideal with afternoon coffee.  We walked the frosty hills, and that is when I snapped the picture of the turkey crossing sign, which stands to one side of a track through her property.  "What is this doing here?" I asked.  "Well, remember that this track used to be the county road before they developed the current route.  So, this sign was installed by the county to warn drivers about a frequent turkey crossing, and it was never taken down."  Oh.  Wouldn't you love to have your own turkey sign?

On one of my other walkabouts, I passed this snake on the road just outside our driveway.  With a sunny day, it was obviously trying to capture the last of the fall warmth.  Normally a snake like this will slither away on your approach, but it did not move, even when I crouched down to take a close-up.  I spoke to it, telling it to find a different sunbed or risk getting squished.  Maybe I should have been more proactive, because when I returned later, I found a snake that would not be slithering any more.  Sad.


To wrap my oddities post on a more cheerful note, I was tickled a few weeks ago that LeeAnna of Not Afraid of Color posted a moose in my honor.  Since then, I keep seeing flamingoes EVERYWHERE.  LeeAnna, this mosaic is for you.
Left - aren't these just ADORABLE slippers?
I always endeavor to close a post in a nice, neat way - this comic fell into my lap, bringing us full circle from turkey to flamingo!




Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.
Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.
The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Monday (U.S. Mountain time).
Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog.
Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back.
As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by.
Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully.
Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us.
 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enter

45 comments:

  1. ...a lot os going on in your life! Thanks for sharing and hosting.

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  2. So enjoyed your post! I especially like the photos of the marching band. Many times they are the best part of a football game. Have spent a lot of time in the bleachers watching children and grandchildren perform. It is wonderful, even in the rain! Have a wonderful week!

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  3. Lots of fun stuff going on in your life! I love the ruffle-y tree skirt! It’s coming along quite nicely. Looks like you and your husband had a great time in Missoula.

    Michelle
    https://bijoubeadboutique.com

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  4. Many, many things to read, to look at the clips... well, I take a cup of tea and enjoy your Post.

    Thank you for sharing.

    Happy MosaicMonday

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  5. Lots and lots of fun things. Hey, I smell waffles, yum!

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  6. bwaahahahaha the cartoon. Thanks for the flamingo fix!! I feel special. That little snake... doing his best to cross the road but shouldn't have even been our probably. This weather is mercurial at best. Boy the harvest of seed brings home how easy it is to expect plenty doesn't it? I think a lot of food wouldn't be wasted if it was harder to find or fix too. I like that you used the harvested seed... LeeAnna

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  7. Love the tree skirt. What...waffle sandwiches? Those sound interesting. I've got to get out more. Funny cartoon!

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  8. You certainty are busy with so many wonderful activities going on and I very much enjoyed your post! Thank you for hosting!

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  9. Thank you Angie for sharing what you see on your walks, your adventures at the Homecoming Festivities. Looking forward to reading/seeing your photos on your next adventure when you visit Europe. Thank you too for hosting, such a wonderful group of bloggers joining in each week.
    Joy

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  10. What fun to attend a college football game! We have not been able to attend CU Boulder's football games as yet==always sold out! We've seen a few US Air Force games in Colorado Springs, and of course some Broncos games.
    Was that chicken and waffles? Yum!
    Your tree skirt is a beautiful project--can you believe it is almost Thanksgiving?

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  11. Ein interessanter und vielfältiger Post über dein tägliches Leben !
    Geschmückt mit tollen Fotos und Collagen.
    Durch die Übersetzung konnte ich alles gut damit verstehen !
    Liebe Grüße aus Deutschland
    Jutta

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  12. Fantastic shots and wonderful stories. Busy busy!
    MB

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  13. Hello, the Homecoming parade and football game look like fun time. It is neat watching the skydivers landing. Your waffle sandwich looks delicious. I love waffles. The flamingo cartoon is cute. Thanks for hosting. Enjoy your day, wishing you a happy new week!

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  14. Fascinating to read your post this week, Angie as we don't have such things as "Homecoming" in Australia. Although sport is very important in schools and universities, it never reaches the status afforded to it in American schools and colleges.

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  15. Some of those savoury waffles sound fantastic!

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  16. I would have loved being at the football game too! Would you share your blanket? heehee! You do so many fun things and neat projects too. Love the burlap tree skirt you're working on and the flamingos are cute at the end of the post. Lots of things to smile about today! Come by and visit me when you can....but don't be too skeeeeered!!! Happy Monday!

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  17. A lot of lovely things in your October, too! Are you soon ready for Christmas? Any snow? The south of Finland is pitch dark, no snow :)) Happy MM, thank you for hosting.

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  18. I've been eating lots of Waffle House waffles down in Florida. I even made chicken and waffles with them one night.

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  19. Hi Angie! I very much like that photo of morning light reflecting on the lake. I'm imagining I'm there. How cool is that stadium situated among the hillsides and mountains. The high school and junior high marching bands are our favorites during the many parades we have in our town. I think they bring the Husband back in time when he used to march with his trombone in high school and college.

    You've reminded me that I must put sow flower seeds on a To-do list, which I need to start pronto. Cheers!

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  20. Stumbled across your blog and as a fellow photography lover would love to join in.
    Dawn aka Spatulas On Parade

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  21. We are like you guys in that we love hometown sports events. Of course we love football, but lately we've been taken in by women's sports. Virtually all of our travels take us to one kind of event or another. Our current RV trip will culminate with University of Southern California women's and men's basket ball games. - Margy

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  22. What a fun collection this was.... love it. We have many snowbird friends from Ohio in our Winter home, so I’ve heard quite a bit about that marching band (and ,uh the football team that goes along with it), but had no idea that Montana put on such a great show with theirs. What fun and the market looked great too.

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  23. PSM. Oh and I am still blogging about June, so you know I think October is fine. Thanks so much for hosting. (I do hope to be caught up and get closer to real time eventually, but, like you, don’t want to skip documenting any of our trip).

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  24. Another lovely post.
    The Missoula farmer's market looks great and I'm still laughing at the last flamingo cartoon :)

    Have a good week.

    All the best Jan

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  25. It sounds like you are well integrated into the community there. The Farmer's Market looks like a great place to visit and to shop.

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  26. Love that sky and reflection. Thanks for hosting.

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  27. LOL I love the flamingo/turkey joke. Looks like you had a great time in Missoula. thanks for the video of the marching bands. Those waffles look delicious and your skirt is coming along beautifully. How lovely to have a friend to go kayaking and hiking with. And no it is not too late to show us your October travels.....I am still way back in July! have a great week and thanks again for the link up.

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  28. Dear Angie – You have such exciting events one after another, and you look to be engrossed in each event. I like marching band; I enjoyed a lot watching my son’s performance in the high school marching band. The tree skirt looks lovely and as a reflection freak, I was glued to the mirror image of the lake. Yes, three weeks feels a long time especially in the changing seasons. During my husband hospitalization, the landscape changed a lot from yellowish green to myriads of vibrant colors.

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  29. Wonderful post Angie, I really enjoyed it, nothing better than a marching band, althoughhaving said that a band with bagpipes stirs the blood!! Beautiful lake reflection and your tree skirt is looking great. Looking forward to more of your holiday photos .

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  30. Hi Angie great post ,the bag pipes bought back memories of my mum,she used to dance to the bag pipes it was lovely to watch her.
    Sorry about the poor snake is it dangerous,I have never seen one coloured like that,hope your day is a good one my friend xx

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  31. What a lovely month! And I love the sky shot - so beautiful.

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  32. Hi Angie, I love the sky, and I am sorry for the snake.

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  33. A Farmer's Market or similar is something we always look out for on our travels. Even better when they have a plate of samples before buying.
    I remember those snakes - Garter Snake? harmless enough if a little smaelly if they are handled. Enjoyed your story again Angie - and those videos.

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  34. Lovely series of "October' photos ~ where does the time go???

    Happy Day to You,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  35. wonderful parade and marching band....

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  36. It is never too late to write about October, especially when you've had such a fun month :-) Except for the snake. I have a horror of snakes.
    Amalia
    xo

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  37. Farmers markets are one of the greatest assets any community can have. Ours has become some popular, however, that it is a tad claustrophobic going there. I always make it a point to get there VERY early so that I don't have to contend with the press of people and the difficulty of getting close to the stalls to look at, and select, the produce.

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  38. A busy time for you. The waffles sure look great. Wonderful photos, Angie and thanks for sharing.
    Have a womderful day!

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  39. Hello my friend! I am a bit behind in reading blogs. So glad you had fun on your trip to Missoula. It really was a festive homecoming. Today I woke before dawn with the excitement of this holiday week. And was greeted by a skiff of snow! Coffee tastes even better with snow. Happy Thanksgiving! Kit 🍗

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