Cat Thursday--More Fall Kitties

 Welcome to the weekly meme (hosted by Michelle at True Book Addict) that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite lolcat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! 

I just need more cats surrounded by fall leaves!

We Did It! Mt. Timpanogos Is Finito!

 September 11th was the big day! Two of my friends and I hiked the great Mount Timpanogos located in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. This is the second-highest mountain in the Utah's Wasatch range. It's approximately 11,754 feet! The last time I hiked this was with my boyfriend and now husband when I was 23 years of age! I had to plan and prepare for this unlike the one I did in my early twenties. So crazy how our bodies break down with age. We even did the less elevation side...It took us a little over 11 hours. The weather was beautiful!

Can you find the mountain goat?

So many different views and scenery.

We made it to the saddle back and took a much needed break before we scrambled the mountain-side. We could've fallen to our deaths many times....

They have a little hut at the top where you can sign your name and take pics. So breathtaking!

Lots of fire smoke from Idaho fires that weekend...

More mountain goats. A whole family further down our trail. We took a rest and let them move along before we came down...well, actually a fellow hiker came down a bit later with their dog Zelda and moved the family along a bit more quickly!

I couldn't resist adding in this fuzzy caterpillar!

We saw this beautiful deer on our way down just chilling and only slowly moving away from us as we moved along the trail. But right before I saw this deer, I hear its friend in the bushes...and I truly thought it was some large mammal like a bear running towards me! I ran towards my friends ahead but they were calmly watching this other deer as I'm fleeing for my life...wow.😆

from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

We also saw a couple of pikas. And they are just the cutest. But I could not get a great picture cuz they are very good at hiding under rocks and in shadows!

My only injury was two bruised big toenails. They look terrible and it was so painful on the way down. It may take up to a year for my nails to heal up. But it was worth it? Looks like I'll need to lace up better or something for my next 14.3 mile hike with an elevation gain of 4,448 ft...ha ha.

I took Monday off and slept and watched Netflix...but felt halfway decent Tuesday! I'm hoping to get some bookish posts in soon. But we all got our Covid bivalent jabs on Friday and those put me under for a couple of days with mild aches and pains and fever...so I'm hoping this week is a lot more productive.

Cat Thursday--Hello Fall!

 
Welcome to the weekly meme (hosted by Michelle at True Book Addict) that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite lolcat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! 

It's not technically quite Fall yet but I don't care. After triple digits last week and rain and chilly weather this week...I am definitely ready for some chill in the air and some fall storms!

Cat Thursday--Full Moon Kitties

 

Welcome to the weekly meme (hosted by Michelle at True Book Addict) that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite lolcat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! 

Happy first day of the full moon! Let us bask in the wisdom of cats...

Blessed be!

Spooky Fall Challenges: RIP XVII, Frightfall, and Cryptkeeper 2022...

 I'm a little late getting this up but oh well, better late than never I say! Tis' that time of year again!!!! All things spooky and fall and Halloween. We are officially putting up our décor this Saturday even though it is still 100 degrees F outside😵

R.I.P. XVII is in it's 17th year! I can't believe it. Crazy. Just goes to show how long I've been hanging around the blogosphere...

Frightfall is hosted by Michelle of Castle Macabre and she has a ton of things going on over the next couple of months from Gothic readings and short story horror to a read-along of Victor LaValle's The Devil in Silver.

And this challenge is new to me this year Cryptkeeper 2022: Countdown to Halloween.

Books

Too many but here's a pile I'm hoping to draw from this spooky season:

Darkly: Black History and America's Gothic Soul by Leila Taylor--This one has been on my list for far too long.

Nightmare Fuel: The Science of Horror Films by Nina Nesseth--She takes a lot of the psychological reasons why and how horror films get us scared. Looking forward to this!

The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror by David J. Skal--This is a classic.

The Lady and Her Monsters: A Tale of Dissections, Real Life Dr. Frankensteins, and the Creation of Mary Shelley's Masterpiece by Roseanne Montillo--This one sounds so fascinating.

All the Living and the Dead: From Embalmers to Executioners, an Exploration of the People Who Have Made Death Their Life's Work by Hayley Campbell--I love all things about the culture of death and dying. Yes please.

The Devil in Silver by Victor LaValle--Looking forward to the read-along with Michelle. I loved "Changeling" and his short story that flips H.P. Lovecraft on its head! So good.

Fledgling by Octavia Butler--She writes amazing fiction. This one is a twist on vampires.

Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker--I've had this one on my list for awhile too and my son read it recently and really enjoyed it.

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix--He's great for humor and horror all in one.

Gideon The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir--Also have heard great things about this series.

Ghost Story by Peter Straub (may he rest in peace)--I'm hoping to actually get to this one, especially after his passing recently.

It Bleeds by Stephen King--I've heard there are some really great short stories in this collection.

Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw--Just picked this one up. Looks intriguing.

Gallant by V.E. Schwab--I love everything she writes. This one is a one-and-done haunted house story. Yes, please.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Enjoyed her last horror mashup "Mexican Gothic."

The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman--The first in a series. AMC+ just made a TV series based on this called "Dark Winds" which I loved. Really want to see how the setting and characters differ, etc.

Movies

The Invitation-- Looks like a take on "Dracula." Looks fun

Nope--Jordan Peele's stuff is always interesting. Looking forward to finally seeing it soon.

Barbarian--Air Bnb from Hell? 

Hell House II--I watched the first one with my son so we're hoping to get the final two installments in this Halloween!

Hell House III

Murder by Death--Someone told me about this being a precursor to "Clue" so now I must see it.

Bodies Bodies Bodies--I've heard all the good things...

Nosferatu--The original German horror classic. I have yet to see it.

 and anything else I can watch on Shudder...

This is just a slice or maybe I won't even get to these and other delectable and terrifying morsels will capture my soul...