Double trouble

Macbeth: witches chanting around a cauldron. Something wicked this way comes!  I enjoy associating the song with Halloween. But as I go through eye of newt, tongue of dog... I can't help thinking how gruesome they are, especially that I'm an animal lover, particularly dogs, and I hate it when animals are hurt.

There is an article though that I came across which suggests that these bats, worms or lizards are "likely just herbs by other names... the brew was "designed to gross out the masses; to stop them from practicing magic."

Now that I can accept. There are only 12 translations from The Literary Tourist. I did some research for the 13th. As I do not normally see these plants in my part of the world, I was also learning while putting them together. The photos are mostly public domain. The one above is my mother's cauldron but it's only jack fruit inside. A link to the photographers and sites follows.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

1. Eye of Newt - Mustard Seed
Deception Bytes
 

2. Toe of Frog - Buttercup
Максим Кукушкин

3. Wool of Bat - Holly Leaves

Petr Kratochvil

4. Tongue of Dog - Houndstongue
Reusable Art

5. Adder's Fork - Adder's tongue
The Flower Book

6. Lizard Leg - Ivy
Ivy on house in autumn by Petr Kratochvil

7. Hawk’s Heart - Wormwood
Pino Perino via Luirig

8. Ass’s Foot or Bull’s Foot: Coltsfoot
Peter Hager

9. Bear’s Foot: Lady’s Mantle
Herb Rowe

10. Calf’s Snout: Snapdragon
Rosendahl

11. Graveyard Dust: Mullein
Vera Kratochvil

12. Sparrow’s Tongue: Knotweed
All-Free-Download

13. Fillet of a fenney snake - arum
Luirig

Linking with Thursday 13 and Favorite Things

I love autumn!

A picture of a Swedish forest adorned our living room wall many years ago. It was a riot of stately trees in red, orange and yellow. I remember staring at it from time to time when I was growing up. I would imagine Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel traipsing in. Magic! 

Then Mother took me to her friend's sister's garden wedding. Hanging purple orchids served as the I Do backdrop. The bride's family property had a brook that sang along a russet violin as it played O Perfect Love, and the lawn was carpeted with brown, crisp leaves that crackled on our heels (they were landed Filipinos). 

As far as I can figure these two things - the autumn forest and that utterly charming garden wedding influenced my fondness for autumn - a season I have never actually seen but that's so real and alive as it can be in my enchanted heart and mind.

Here are 13 autumn scenes and quotes that I immensely enjoyed putting together!

1

 

 If the world had a front porch

2

"and forget not that the Earth delights to feel your bare feet, and the winds long to play with you hair." - Kahlil Gibran

3

  I Love Autumn

4

Old Paths With a Twist of Time

5

"Autumn, the year's last loveliest smile." - William Cullen Bryant

6

 

 Image by Shabby Blogs

7

Enchanted Nature

8

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the Earth seeking the successive autumns." - George Eliot 

9

 Let's All Eat

10

 "Autum is a second spring where every leaf is a flower." - Albert Camus

11

Country Living Made Beautiful

12

"There is something incredibly nostalgic and significant about the annual cascade of autumn leaves." ~ Joe L. Wheeler

13

Country Living Made Beautiful

Linking to - Thursday Thirteen and Thursday Favorite Things

Random bookish thoughts

Thursday Thirteen. A few things random: books, coffee, PhD, country dreams, life as usual.

1. some idea...

 

 Heathcliff, Mr Darcy, Rochester - The Literary Heroes

2. life can be so alive like this if it's not going to be fair

Lil Bit of Country Bliss

3. I hope the kiddo won't mind my collection

Heathcliff, Mr Darcy, Rochester - The Literary Heroes

4. I attended an investment presentation; this bloom was on my table

Major Homes Property Presentation

5. beautiful weddings are better than marriages that suck

 Romantic, Shabby and Vintage

6. ok, the cycle never ends....

Piled Higher and Deeper

7. 'once upon a midnight dreary... '

Book Riot

8. one day when all this is over, I'm gonna live in the country

All Things Country

9. this made me laugh

 Heathcliff, Mr Darcy, Rochester - The Literary Heroes

10. double negatives - guilty!

Freelance Writing Jobs

11. just two letters and the lovely sentiment is on

The Grammar Police

12. coffee fun

All Things Country

13. I want to get my hands on The Book Thief before the film is released

 

Book Riot

Humanoids in Humanities

Pointed.

 More BTT here.

Which is better (or preferred) … stories with multiple character points of view? Or stories that stick to just one or two at most? And, why?

If the writer has a knack for portraying multiple or just one or two character points of view, I'm game with either. It's fun to practice cognitive complexity now and then.

Write from Karen

Ever wondered how a bunch of foreign instructors in a Southeast Asian university absorb themselves during a meeting?

The scenario: three languages; four age groups, five ranks, philosophies as varied as the total number of wrinkles of everyone in attendance and a common bottomline: pay.

Some suffer burnout, others are eager for showtime one minute and ready to bite the academic dust the next, while the rest look forward to hearing the meeting is adjourned. Those who do not speak the local language have to sit quiet through untranslated speeches. They interact via notes -

1. Crap! Syllabus doesn't match the book. Computer nerdery got messed up or who do we talk to about this?

2. Ah there goes conceptual thinking. Look at the powerpoint.

3. I'm so sick of being professionally stagnant....

4. Business guys are paid $$ more per hour than us humanoids in Humanities ....

5. Oh yes. That's fair.

6. ... watched Sex and the City last night. It was funny but soon I was no longer laughing at the film... seatmates had to read the subtitle first and were laughing about six seconds late

7. But hey, they say we are paid tonight for warming our seats.

8. I bloody well hope so.

9. The Council is the deciding party for our case. Our license has been issued under TCT rules ... nothing is written in stone yet.... We either apply for a tourist visa or leave the country.

10. I'm beginning to fancy that conference in Vietnam... hmn...

11 God I need coffee!

12. with rum?

13. laced with sedative.

This is a repost. More T13 here and Favorite Things here.