Traveling - Wordless Wednesday

For my 'Wordless Wednesday' post. I want to share travel photos of my boyfriend who had to pick up a friend's sister in Alabama. We live in Ohio. He went through several states. I am not sure which pictures were taken in which state. He snaps the photos to do whatever I want with. I wasn't able to go, as someone had to stay home to let the landlord, plumber, and roofer in.

I enjoy looking at photos when you can see the changing of the seasons.

I hope you enjoyed the travel photos from Ohio to Alabama and back again. There is plenty of scenery and beautiful autumn photos. 

Which photo did you enjoy best?
When was the last time you traveled?

November 2016 Writing Challenges

November is the 11th month of the year. It is the fourth and last month to have thirty days. The zodiac signs for November is Scorpio and Sagittarius. While keeping what month in mind, I have come up with 30 days of different writing challenges. Please enjoy! If you try your hand at one of these writing challenges. Please drop your link in the comments section. That way I can come check out your writing. Thank you.

1. Become a turkey who enjoys posting to social media. Write and share several posts you have shared on social media on how you feel about Thanksgiving. It could be as simple as tweeting,"Down with the pig, choose the other white meat."

2. Do you think turkeys make good pets? Or should they be allowed to roam free?

3. Instead of another holiday coming up write, 'Twas the night before Thanksgiving'. The ideas are endless. Are the turkeys saved? If so how? Or was it the Thanksgiving dinner that needs saved?

4. Describe what your favorite part of fall is.

5. You see a pile of leaves, do you jump in?

6. Your at the first Thanksgiving dinner, what do you bring?

7. Elections are in November for the USA, do you think it is important to vote?

8. Your traveling on the Mayflower, write a letter back to family and friends and describe it. 

9. Football has become a tradition to what on Thanksgiving in many USA households. Do you watch football? What is your favorite team? tell us about any Thanksgiving football traditions you may have.

10. Your walking through a field, when a scarecrow starts talking to you. Tell us about your conversation with the scarecrow.

11. Brown, yellow, orange and red are fall colors. Create a photo essay with those colors. 

12. How can you help the poor or less fortunate on Thanksgiving?

13. Write a letter to someone and tell them how much they mean to you. Why you are thankful they are in your life.

14. Write about what you and your family are most thankful for.

15. list more ways you can be more giving as a person in the next upcoming year.

16. For countries that don't celebrate thanksgiving, in what ways do they show they are thankful?

17. Write about someone who has passed away, how do you remember and honor their memory.

18. List what you plan on making for Thanksgiving breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. Do you make traditional foods, create your own or add a certain twist to your Thanksgiving meals. Tell us about it.

19. Write a poem about about fall or Thanksgiving.

20. Share a healthy recipe for Thanksgiving.

21. What are your favorite Thanksgiving memories?

22. What do you enjoy about the fall season?

23. If you could invite anyone to Thanksgiving, who would it be and why?

24. Don't worry about writing today. Please enjoy Thanksgiving with your family and friends. If you still want to write something, write ten things you are thankful for that has happen this past year in your life.

25. Black Friday, do you do black Friday shopping? Tell us how you feel about Black Friday shopping, the good and bad? if you going shopping, what are you looking for?

26. What are family traditions you have in the fall?

27. What is your favorite warm beverage to drink in the fall?

28.  Write about Cyber Monday Thanksgiving sales. Are you planning on buying and saving online.

29. the weather is getting cold in many area. Some places have seen snow. What ways can you stay warm?

30. Today, is the last day of November, write a summary of the blogs you post for the month. What are looking forward to in December?

Good luck in accepting any of these writing challenges for the month of November.

Below you will find ideas to buy to help you with your writings.

Pumpkin Butter & Biscuits

Tis the time of year when pumpkin flavors and recipes come out abound. It seems no matter where you go something or someone is making something with pumpkin. 

Today I want to share a recipe I make in my crockpot each year. It doesn't take many ingredients. It is sweet and taste great on biscuits or breads. You can use the finish product in other recipes to enhance and create a unique flavors.

I like to cook Pumpkin Butter in the crockpot. I made the biscuits in my sandwhich maker. I get a small bowl of Pumpkin Butter. I dip the biscuits in the Pumpkin Butter.

If you want to try making Pumpkin Butter in the crockpot. Here is the recipe : 

Crockpot Pumpkin Butter 

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4 cups of pumpkin, cubed

1 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons pumpkin spice

1/2 teaspoon of cloves, ground

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

3 cups of Stevia (or any kind of sugar you want)

4 Tablespoons of water

Cut rind away from the pumpkin. Cut pumpkin up in to cubes. Put in blender til pureed. Combined all ingredients in the crock pot. Crock on high for 2 to 3 hours. 

Tips : 

You can substitute one can of pumpkin for the real stuff. You do need to cook longer to cook the pumpkin down. When pumpkin is cooked down as much as you can. train it to get any of the big chunks out. Unless you prefer them.

You can use any type of sugar you want. I choose Stevia because of being a type 2 diabetic. People do like using brown sugar for a different taste. If using brown sugar, your pumpkin butter will have a darker color than orange.

Photos taken by and © belong to Sandy KS aka rusty2rusty.

11 Trick Or Treating Safety Tips For Your Pets

Many people enjoy taking their dogs trick or treating with them. Other will have their dogs with them as they pass out trick or treat candy. I have compiled safety tips that will help keep your dogs safe while trick or treating or handing out candy to trick or treaters. 

1. Keep Candy Out Of Pets Reach

Trick or treat candy is never for your pets. As chocolate can make your pet deathly ill or kill them. If you are taking your dog with you trick or treating. Bring along a couple of your dogs treat to give him or her. if handing out candy, make sure you put in a place your dogs can't reach it.

2. Halloween Plants
Make sure to keep pumpkins, gourds, and corn stalks away from your pets. Teach them they are not a toy to be entertained with. As big chunks can break off and be swallowed. These can cause a blockage which needs treated by a vet.

3. Black Cats

Bring your black cats in at least a week before trick or treating or Halloween in your area. As black cats are the most abused animals during this time of year. Either by pranks or peopel practicing in the occult or other dark rituals. Black cats are believed to be the pet of witch's. Which will cause people to harm them.

 

4. Keep Pets Out Of The Yard

Do not allow your pets to roam free during trick or treating or on Halloween night.  You never know if something will cause your pet to run off, be harasses and teased or worse stolen. Keep them in doors or caged up.

 

5. Keep Pets Away From The Door

Strange costumes can scare a dog when yelling out for candy. The dog could get defensive and defend its home. Never knowing what trick or treat is all about. Place your dog in another room or in a cage.

 

6. No Lit Candles

Lighting candles in pumpkins is an old tradition. Never have  a lit candle where you pet can get to it. A pet can easily knock them over in play or walking around. One year a lady lost her house due to her cat knocking a lit candle over during trick or treating. Accidents happen but they can be prevented. Use glow lights, solar lights or flame less candles that take a battery. 

 

 Dressing Pets In Costume 

Make sure your pet will be comfortable wearing a costume. Try the costume a couple days before. That way your pet can get use to wearing one.

8. ID's Please
Make sure your pet's Id's are attached to their collar or harness. That way if they get loose or out of the house, they can be returned to you.

 

9. Walk On A Leash

If you take your dog trick or treating, make sure you walk them on a leash. Being a leash prevents them from running off and getting lost. If you sit out side to hand out treats. Make sure your dog is on a leash. As something could easily distract them and cause them to dart off in to the night.

10. Pet Friendly

If your pet is not pet friendly (meaning gets along with all animals) keep them home. If you are handing out candy, make sure they are in another room or a cage. Otherwise you are asking for trouble.

11. Bring Along Poo Bags
Make sure you bring along poo bags to clean up after your pets. Nobody wants to step in poo while they are looking to get candy on trick or treat or Halloween night.

Do you have anymore safety tips for pets on Halloween or trick or treat night?

12 Trick Or Treating Tips To Keep You Safe

Trick or treating will be happening within the next week's on various days all around the United States. There are twelve tips to help keep your trick or treaters having fun and safe at the same time.

1. Wear comfortable shoes. Avoid heels or other shoes that will make feet hurt if not used to wearing. Make sure shoestrings are tied. Or better yet, find shoes that don't tie for little ones. As shoe strings can be a tripping hazard.

2. If trick or treating happens at dusk or night, carry a flashlight or glow stick to light your path. Wear a reflective vest or other reflective gear that will be seen by those with flashlights. 

3. Make sure masks are easy to see out of and will not fall down covering your loved ones eyes. Better yet, use those face mask paints and paint a face mask on your child. This avoids not being able to see clearly out of the mask or the mask falling and covering the child's eyes. 

4. Know where you will be trick or treating. Go for the four houses with lights on side beside compared to that lone house sitting by it self down the street. Do not take shortcuts through dark alleys or other places you would never do otherwise.

5. Spot the location you will be trick or treating in. Familiarize yourself with the route if you are not already. That way you know the pitfalls you need to avoid or go around. 

6. Make sure the props are light and flexible. That way your child can't hurt themselves or others with it.

7. Cross the street at corners. If you must cross the street in the middle of the road, make sure you look both ways before crossing. Driving, look out for trick or treating who may dart out in front of you. Do not walk down the middle of the street when vehicles are going both ways. 

8. If your child is not old enough to stay home alone, they are not old enough to go trick or treating alone. Make sure your children are old enough to go trick or treating on their own and are properly trained what to do and where to go.

9. Only knock on door with lights on. As those indicate they are handing out candy. Preferable only to houses you know but with families stretched across America, that can be hard when you don't know anyone.

10. Never go inside a trick or treaters home unless you know them. Simply instruct your little one to stand outside and wait to receive candy. If the stranger persists in you coming in, leave and go to another house.

11. If your trick or treater is old enough to go on their own. Designate a time and place to meet at. Carrying a cell phone is a great way to stay in contact. Remind your child the cell phone is for emergencies only. 

12. Make sure the trick or treaters knwo the candy is for gathering. Not for eating. Once the candy is gathered, you can take them to a place in your area that will check the candy for you. If you are not sure where one of those are and must do it yourself, make sure to throw out any candy that is open, has a hole in it, is partially there or looked smashed or crushed.

A few things you may consider buying to keep your trick or treater safe

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I have challenged myself to write every day something that is related to Halloween. As Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, next to Christmas.  I created a post called "October 2016 Writing Challenges", it is where I am getting my ideas to write the entire month.

Photo from Pixabay. 

If I Were A Pumpkin Poem

Here's a Halloween poem I wrote :

If I were a pumpkin...

I would taste creamy

I would be full of guts and seeds

I would like to jiggle when I wiggle

I'd want orange as my color

If I were a pumpkin...

I would sit for a spell

I would wish upon the stars at night

I would love the midnight air

I would listen to the wind blow

I would sing a song at the moon

-The End.

Have you wrote a Halloween poem? If so, please share your link in the comments below where you have shared it. That way I can read it.

Need to come up with a cute and quick Halloween poem. I found the generator that can do the job.

http://oakdome.com/k5/lesson-plans/word/halloween-personification-writing-exercise.php

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I have challenged myself to write every day something that is related to Halloween. As Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, next to Christmas.  I created a post called "October 2016 Writing Challenges", it is where I am getting my ideas to write the entire month.

Photo from Pixabay. 

If you are interested in buying pumpkins to decorate your home. Or want to read a book about "Too many Pumpkins". Here are a few selections that may catch your eye.

My Town Is Banning Halloween

On the list of October Challenges to write about today is "The mayor of your town wants to ban Halloween. Write  a letter to the mayor telling why you agree or disagree with him." I think this is a good writing challenge. During the last election, trick or treating day was changed due to a politician wanting to visit the area I lived in. It does make one wonder if this helped get Obama elected for a second time.

A couple people got together in my area to create a parody video about the moving of the trick or treat date. This video was created all in good to lighten up the issue. As It did upset many people when the traditional trick or treat date was changed. Would you be upset if the traditional trick or treat date in your area was changed due to a politician wanting to visit? 

Here is my part of the writing challenge :

Dear Mayor, 

Four years ago you changed which day we held trick or treating on. Due to a politician visiting the area. You upset many people by changing the long held tradition of holding trick or treat the last thursday before Halloween. 

Somehow you were elected again. Now you want to ban Halloween all together. What is wrong with you? 

Really because you're scared of clowns? I know more clown sighting have been reported all over town and in the country. Banning clowns didn't work, as you soon found out you can't discriminate or throw clowns in jail for walking out of the woods or standing on a street corner. 

I find that is a silly reason to ban Halloween. Maybe those clowns live in the woods. Or seeking out new land to build a house. Don't they have a right to live where they want? 

Or is this another sad political tactic to get the people of the town to vote for who you want to be President? 

Is the clown reference to Trump?  As the democratic party has called him a clown numerous times. Either way you have some explaining to do to the town's people. As we do not need another trick or treat scandal in Defiance.

Being scared of clown's or making a political statement is no reason to ban Halloween.

Sincerely,
Sandy KS

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I have challenged myself to write every day something that is related to Halloween. As Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, next to Christmas. I also decided to join the "Ultimate Blog Challenge" I created a post called "October 2016 Writing Challenges", it is where I am getting my ideas to write the entire month.

Photo from Pixabay. 

A New Pay To Write Website - Niume

I recently started writing on a website called Niume. Where you get paid to write. You earn from the views you receive. The more views you get, the faster you can earn. You also can earn by referring new members to join. If you wish to join Niume, would you please join under me. The link to join is  :  https://niume.com/?ambassadorID=48957

Niume has several different spheres to list your posts under spheres is the same thing as categories on other websites.

20 Spheres to Choose From :

1. Animals

2. Architect & Design

3. Art

4. Business & Finance
5. Culture
6. fashion
7. Food
8. Games
9. Humor
10. Interesting

(A place to put post that can be fit in to a sphere)

11. Lifestyle

12. Literature

13. Movies & Series

14. Music

15. News

16. Photography

17. Science

18. Sport
19. Technology
20. Travel

When you first join, you get to choose under to five spheres to join. after joining, to join other spheres all you need to do is subscribe to the sphere.

Requirements & Guidelines

The website requires the minimum of five lines per post many members write more than that. It is also required to have a photo or video in each post. You can use your own photos or those from a free photo sharing website. Such as Pixabay.com. If you do use a photo, make sure you site the source at the bottom of each of your posts. You can learn more about the FAQ by visiting this link : 

https://niume.com/pages/help/#/creation

I have written a few posts that have gone viral. Others that haven't got many views. You never know which posts will go viral. Or which ones will be left aching for more views. My suggestion is to follow the rules and share your posts on all your social media outlets.  

3 Posts I have Written On Niume

1. Roof Fixed With A Pool Noodle

https://niume.com/pages/post/?postID=125389

2. Praying Mantis

https://niume.com/pages/post/?postID=93900

3. Homemade Flour Tortilla's

https://niume.com/pages/post/?postID=109566

You can join different Facebook groups to share your posts in. make sure you read the rules of each Facebook group before submitting your first post. Such as :

1. Blogging Friends

2. Niume Writing Community

Make sure to tell them Sandy KS sent you.

Photo from Pixabay a free photo sharing website.

Rib Fest 2016 Defiance, Ohio

A few weeks ago my boyfriend, daughter and I went to the local rib fest in my town. After this year I have decided I will no longer be attending the rib fest. This is due to several reasons. 

1. My boyfriend is allergic to pork. The rib fest does not allow for any type of meat to be served. Except for ribs. All vendors sell pork ribs. None sell beef ribs. In the past some vendors sold BBQ chicken too. With the new rule where vendors can only sell pork ribs. It excludes people with a pork allergy.

2. I am allergic to tomatoes. No vendors serve ribs without a BBQ sauce made out of tomatoes. I checked to make sure.

3. I see no reason to attend a festival that my boyfriend and I can't eat the main reason of the festival. 

4. It cost $5 for each person to enter. I see no reason to pay money to go somewhere I watch others enjoy eating. My boyfriend and I left and got food somewhere else. As the sides did not fill us up.

Now let's check out some of the food that was offered.

My daughter did get a 1/2 rack of ribs. She liked them. As she prefers meat and potatoes over anything else.

The bucket of fries with cheese added was good. Yet, a girl needs to be able to eat more than fries and cheese.

I decided to try the coleslaw that was offered at the vendors's "Spanky's", which is a local bar in town. I got maybe three bites in this cup. I paid $3.00 for it. To me $3.00 is a little much to pay for possibly three bites fo coleslaw. It was not good. I really did not like it.

My boyfriend did try the macaroni and cheese. He said it had a white sauce that tasted like alfredo.

My daughter did get some ice cream from the "Eric's Ice cream" truck. Eric's has three ice cream parlor's in town. The ice cream can be rather expensive, but you do get what you pay for. I always order a small. As I can't eat it all.

The Rib Fest can be an enjoyable experience for the whole family. As there is music and beer to go with the food. It is a great way to explore the downtown shops. 

Photos taken by and © belongs to Sandy KS aka rusty2rusty.

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