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And they were blooming nicely Thanksgiving Day!

I had to use some plant ties to get them to stand up – sort of. These bulbs put out very long stems before flowering:

I’m sure there is a more showy or professional way to do it but this works fine for me. As they continue to bloom, I’ll make some adjustments to try and get them on the straight and narrow through the rest of the bloom period.

Some have/had good luck getting these to bloom a second or even third season. I might do some research on how to properly store these bulbs and see if I can get “Year Two” out of them!

Here’s a link to the last 6 weeks’ worth of growth posts and images.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

I’m not leaving my home today but I’m just like everyone else and want to take advantage of any deals on this now somewhat notorious shopping day! I’m sharing some links below that are to web sites with good values, or free shipping, and that have great products for your shopping list requirements. Have fun, stay home, save money – and plan on a nap early afternoon!!

Many specials for today or for this weekend only are only advertised on the merchant’s web site so don’t be afraid to click through to look for extras…

++ 10% OFF any order at Exterior-Accents.com! Click here to get 10% OFF

++ Win $250 Duncraft Shopping Spree – Enter here at duncraft.com.

++ Save as much as 70% on select National Geographic merchandise!

++ Direct Garden Decor; Garden & Indoor Fountains

++ Nature Hills Nursery Weekly Specials

Hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving. I’ll be posting a photo of my Turkey Day Paperwhite blooms a bit later this morning. I love it when plans come together!!

Found this vintage Thanksgiving image which is most like my home environment – where animals seem to rule!

Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday!

If you know someone who likes feeding outdoor birds, you’ll likely find a lot of great gift ideas at Duncraft Wild Bird Superstore.

Choose from feeders and food, birdbaths – and don’t forget to check out the “deal of the day” via the link at the right of this post. Birds need our help more in winter than in warm weather months.

Feeders they located and count on for food during the summer will be important to their survival once cold temperatures arrive.

Duncraft is the leading resource for wild bird feeding products in the USA.

Since 1952, Duncraft has manufactured Duncraft brand bird feeders, mails the Duncraft catalog nationwide and its www.duncraft.com website offers hundreds of the best wild bird and nature-related gifts, birdfeeders, bird foods, pest solutions and garden décor.

Blooms have appeared! Looks like I timed it just about right to have blooming bulbs for Thanksgiving!

The plants themselves are about 26″ tall. I’ve had to tie them together to keep them from falling over and pulling themselves out of the bowl.

You can track the last six weeks’ growth here.

If you’ve pre-purchased a turkey to cook for your Thanksgiving dinner, today is about the right time to get it out of the freezer. I mention this because one particular year I got sidetracked – having purchased my turkey early – and it was Thanksgiving Eve before I remembered all 14 pounds of it was still in the freezer!!

Nasty weather on tap for much of the country this week. Please keep up-to-date on weather that may impact your travel plans and allow extra time to safely get where you want to go.

I don’t do Black Friday. I detest shopping, crowds, noise, and the forced “gaiety” of this retail-focused shopping event. No one ever looks very happy about being out there at zero-dark-thirty being pushed and shoved amongst the masses.

No thanks.

You can find plenty of “deals” on line – without leaving your home, or your family, this holiday season. Here are a few unique and inexpensive gift ideas…

FREE SHIPPING on orders placed by 11/25/2013!

Under $20…

See Spot Run Cheetah T-shirt

Designed with a humorous twist, this high-quality shirt is made of heavy-weight, preshrunk 100% cotton. Includes a tag with information about cheetahs.

I got one of these for one of my nephews last Christmas and it was very well received!

Available in Adult and Child Sizes.

Under $30…

National Geographic: The Best of 125 Years 2-DVD Set

You can’t go wrong with this gift!

National Geographic celebrates 125 years of amazing exploration and memorable moments with this 2-disc set featuring some of the most memorable and beloved television specials.

From headline-making discoveries to intimate human portraits, Best of 125 Years features unforgettable stories and explorations that not only captured our imaginations, but that still inspire us today.

Programs include Exploring New Frontiers: National Geographic at 125, Incredible Human Machine, Gorilla, Search For the Afghan Girl, and Secrets of the Titanic.

Under $40…

Hometown Puzzle

How cool would this be to get as a gift? You’ll need to order this one no later than December 9, 2013 for timely delivery.

This unique jigsaw puzzle lets you discover even more about the areas you know well. Your journey starts with a house-shaped center piece and grows, one “ah-ha!” moment at a time, into a six-by-four-mile topographic map.

Streams and roads, forests and lakes reveal themselves as your 400-piece puzzle takes shape, resulting in a distinctive perspective on the places that mean the most to you. Specify recipient’s full U.S. address, including street number and name, city, state, and zip code.

Hundreds of unique gift ideas waiting for you a National Geographic Online…

If you think your US rent or mortgage payment is high, spend a bit of time on House Hunters International on HGTV and you may find yourself scratching your head AND counting your blessings.

I haven’t had too much time lately to watch episodes but last night I did manage to catch two I’d recently recorded.

In the first, a couple was moving from Arizona to Mougins area – Provence, France. I didn’t expect this area to be cheap. A quick look at the local real estate listings does confirm, AND it’s part of what is known as the French Riviera, so…

What was their budget? $1.4 million US dollars.

Seems a decent budget to me!!

I was glad they had a LOT of money which should make their options more interesting but I still figured they’d get some (fairly) palatial property. NO! Granted, two of the properties had nice gardens and one actually had “acreage” but the houses were nothing spectacular and one was even a “fixer” with no working bathroom. I nearly fell off my sofa!!

In the second episode, a couple with a newborn was moving from Brisbane, Australia to Papua, New Guinea. You can read what the US State Department has to say about travel and safety issues in “PNG.”

This couple’s monthly rental budget was $7,500. I’m guessing this must be some work subsidy required to get anyone to move from beautiful Brisbane to totally “different” PNG. Even that would not have made ME leave Brisbane!

They ended up with an apartment – granted a large apartment with three bedrooms – but the final selection was made based on it being in a gated, secure compound with 24/7 security.

Wow. $1.4 million purchase with no working bathroom or $7500 rent to live in a closed compound. For at least this one month, I will be somewhat thankful to write what now appears to be my puny little check for my housing accommodation – with bathroom.

I haven’t been able to post much lately. It seems that about 75% of the leaves have fallen so raking has become part of a nearly daily routine! But, there are quite a few left ON the trees as evidenced by this colorful example:

For once there is a bird feeder without a squirrel on it!!

As for the Paperwhites…

I came down this morning to see several of the bulb stems bent over – meaning the top-heavy buds are starting to form. Right on track for some Thanksgiving Day blooms this year…

Okay then – these are going to be posts with LONG images from now on!

Here are links to prior weeks in case you’d like to see the growth in just 5 weeks’ time:

4, 3, 2 and 1.

No signs of flower buds as yet, but I’m still hoping I will have flowering bulbs for Thanksgiving!

Veteran’s Day is Monday, November 11.

Below is a story about one particular veteran you have probably never heard much, if anything about…

Opha May Johnson (2 Feb 1900 – Jan 1976) was the first woman to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. She joined the Marine Corps Reserve in 1918. She was born in Kokomo, Indiana, enlisted at the age of 18, and died at the age of 75 in Washington, DC.

When she became a Marine, she was given a category of “F” (for female.) In those days, women were allowed to enlist but were not allowed to serve in war zones.

Here’s a “thank you” to Opha and to all members of all branches of the US Armed Services who help keep our country strong!