Debra LaValley's Blog

Get Out the Cowbells! The Winter Olympics Have Begun!

I love watching the Olympics – especially the Winter Olympics! It is strange since I went skiing once and will never again; was always a terrible skater. I had to pretty much crash to stop and never could go backward. I went cross country skiing a few times, but snowshoeing was more my style. However, I really love watching all of the winter sports (from my couch)! Figure Skating is definitely my favorite. I have a couple Moen Olympic Cowbells. One is plain and the other is from the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics (an EBay purchase many years ago). I also have many Olympic pins in a box somewhere.

I am actually watching Pairs Figure Skating Short Program as I type this. It is snowing outside and it is extremely cold here in New Hampshire today, and it will be colder this evening and into tomorrow. Wind chills in the double digits BELOW Zero predicted! Perfect weather to stay inside and watch others frolicking in the snow in Italy!

Wishing everyone a great weekend! For those who like football, enjoy the Super Bowl tomorrow. I have never been a fan of the sport and luckily neither was my dad so we didn’t have it on at home. Once in a while, my dad would watch the Super Bowl even though he didn’t really know the rules, etc.

Below are more ChatGPT Calico (Maisey) images with her enjoying various Olympic Sports that I created.

Sometimes – You just have to take what you get!

The weather has been very nice the past few days! There has even been sunshine! I drove around in hopes of seeing the local eagle pair or any interesting creatures. The best that I saw was a squirrel running across the street in front of my car! Luckily, I had time to slow down so he made it safely to the other side of the street! You never can tell what direction a squirrel will go!

When I got home, I sat on my couch. I noticed a flash of sunlight hitting the glass marble hanging from chimes I have out on my front porch. I grabbed my iPhone and snapped a few photos. I liked how the reflection was captured in the marble. It wasn’t a majestic eagle; but it was something interesting captured in the ordinary sights of a beautiful winter’s day.

Happy Winter Solstice! Yuletide has begun!

After tonight, the nights will get a little shorter each day! Yay! I am not a fan of the darkness so early!

The above Calico Yule Cat, I created in ChatGPT 🙂 Enjoy!

I wish everyone a safe and Happy Thanksgiving! Let’s all focus on our blessings during the holiday and every day! I am very thankful for my family and friends! Love you all!

November Night Sky Ablaze!

November is usually very gray and dreary but not so on November 11th. Many areas in the US and around the world were graced with a wonderful display of the Aurora Borealis! I was able to get fairly decent photos in my back yard right in town, and we have a lot of light pollution in the area. I was able to see the northern lights with my eyes! Of course, the camera in my iPhone captured the colors even more brightly. These pictures are right out of the camera. You can go to my Flickr photostream to see more of the photos. It was such a treat to see them. It is very exciting, and I did not mind braving the wind and cold (windchill was in the low 20s). We were supposed to see them again on the 12th; but Boscawen had too many clouds. I am just happy that I was able to see them on the 11th.

Keep Looking Up!

Happy Godzilla Day!

Who knew? I love Godzilla, and yes, I do have quite a few Godzilla figures. I also have a Godzilla bank that when you put a coin on top, Godzilla comes out of the sea (to music) and grabs the coin and pulls it into the deep. Yes, I am still a child at heart. The Godzilla on the left is the 1954 Godzilla, and the small glow in the dark Godzilla is a 1955 Godzilla. I bought him in Salem, MA last month. I was there the 5th through the 8th! What a fun experience! I have downloaded a few photos below.

I hope this finds everyone well! Happy November to all!

Awww – what a cute baby mouse! Funny how cute they are when they are outside. I took this photo over where I view the local eagle’s nest. I do not find them cute this time of year when they get into my house. Maisey (my cat) fails to deter vermin from wanting to find a comfy spot in my apartment. My apartment is in a house built in 1840 and has a dirt cellar. When the nights start cooling down, it has not been unusual to have a tiny rodent visitor (better than a rat)! A couple nights I saw one scurry across my living room just before I was heading to bed. I put out some mouse traps (live capture). I baited with peanut butter. After a couple nights, I caught the little beastie. I took it in the car for a drive to the woods far away from my house and set it free. It has been a week or so, and I have the traps still out. Luckily, I have not seen any more signs or had any in the traps. I won’t be surprised if I do get another, but it won’t hurt my feelings if I don’t.

Happy Autumn to all of you! Take care!

Lift-Off

The local nest that I monitor for the NH Audubon Society had a successful year. They had one eaglet and it fledged a few days ago. This morning, I stopped by the nest again, and the fledgling was out on the limb from the nest vocalizing. It probably was hoping for a food delivery. The parents are most likely close by and will be monitoring the juvenile before they head out on their own. I was happy to actually see the fledgling fly this morning. Yesterday, it was high in the nest tree. I watched for well over an hour, but it did not fly off while I was there. It is always great to see a successful fledge. There was not a successful hatch last year.

I hope everyone is having a great summer! Enjoy!

Happy Summer!

Here in New Hampshire, we have been having some steamy weather. It is not my favorite. I would rather have it cold than hazy, hot, and humid! As I stay inside with the AC, I have been playing with my ChatGPT apt. I created the above image which I call The Ole’ Swimmin’ Hole. It has been fun playing. My sassy calico Maisey has been the star of many of my creations. I wouldn’t mind being at the swimming hole today! July arrived with even more mugginess! Ugh 🙂

July has its share of fun! I love SHARK WEEK and SHARKFEST that will be on television this month. It is certainly more entertaining than all the repeats! Family will also be visiting this month! It will be great seeing those who live out of state!

July is also Summer-ween! It really is a thing 🙂 I am all for Halloween type themes any time of the year!

Wishing everyone a safe and wonderful summer! Stay cool!