US Veterans Day Today -- November 11th

 

November 11th is officially U.S. Veterans Day here in the United States.

On this day we honor those men and women who faithfully served in the six branches of the United States Armed Forces during both peacetime and war. It honors both those U.S. Veterans who are still living today and those that have passed away.

This blogger is proud to dedicate this message to those who served honorably in our nation's armed services: Thank you and God bless you for your service.

Monday Meme: Growing Up A Child Of The 80s

Worst cowboy movie I ever watched!

Night Sky Photography -- 11-07-2026 -- The Crescent Moon & Venus With Spica Before Sunrise

This morning I captured a couple of really nice shots of the lovely Waning Crescent Moon with Venus and the bright star Spica in a beautiful triangle in the eastern sky about 50 minutes before sunrise between the trees and power lines near my home.
 

Monday Meme: Trick-Or-Treating Aftermath In The 80s

Oh how I miss those days!

Historical Reenactors On Halloween

Happy Halloween, Y'all! Now I gotta go take down the Red Baron.

Southern Fried Nostalgia & Fandom -- It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown (1966) TV Special Review

Today is the 60th anniversary of the classic Peanuts cartoon special It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, which debuted on the CBS American television broadcasting channel on Thursday, October 27, 1966.  

This special, the second featuring the cast of American cartoonist Charles M. Schulz's classic and iconic Peanuts comic strip, was created to capitalize on the great success of 1965's  A Charlie Brown Christmas.

When It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown debuted on television nearly half of all TV viewing audiences at the time turned in to watch it, making it the first Peanuts special to debut at No. 1.

 

Although the Christmas special is arguably more widely recognized, both producer Lee Mendelson and animator Bill Melendez considered It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown to be a bigger success. 

As I have pointed out in a previous post, the Peanuts specials -- particularly the holiday specials -- are timeless classics that hold a warm place in the nostalgic part of this blogger's heart. As a child growing up in the 80s and a teen in the 90s, I found myself eagerly waiting every Halloween to watch this holiday masterpiece. Even now as a 40 year old pseudo-adult, I still enjoy the tradition of watching this classic piece of my childhood around Halloween night.  

Oh Linus, you blockhead!

 

SPOILER ALERT!  

This goes out for anyone who has lived under a rock (possibly one of the rocks that Charlie Brown got in his candy bag) and never actually watched the special.

Unlike the equally outstanding 1965 Christmas special A Charlie Brown Christmas, this Halloween tale largely centers around Charlie Brown's blanket-toting pal, Linus, who -- for reasons never fully explained -- believes that a spirit called The Great Pumpkin would rise out of a pumpkin patch on Halloween night and deliver toys to children who sincerely believe in him. As the other children get ready for Trick-or-Treating and Halloween parties, Linus prepares to spend the evening sitting in a pumpkin patch waiting for the appearance of the entity. 

The other kids mock Linus for his beliefs and for missing out on Halloween, but Charlie Brown's young sister, Sally, is willing to put her crush on Linus over her desire to go on her very first Trick-or-Treat outing and wait with him.

Perhaps the holiday episode is best remembered for Snoopy's first animated appearance as the World War I flying ace, and his infamous imaginary air battle in his Sopwith Camel (his real life doghouse) with the legendary Red Baron in one of the most iconic animated sequences ever produced. Snoopy imagines himself in a spectacular dogfight with the German ace, who inevitably shoots down the beagle.

"Curse you, Red Baron!"

The show continues to follow the kids enjoying Halloween by first going Trick-or-Treating -- with Lucy lamenting that she always has to ask for an extra piece for that blockhead Linus, and Charlie Brown getting rocks for some reason instead of treats. After stopping off at the pumpkin patch to mock Linus and Sally (who by this point is starting to get rightfully get pissed at Linus and worried about all the fun she was missing out on) the kids go to Violet's house for a Halloween party.

Meanwhile Snoopy's imaginary journey as the heroic flying ace continues as he travels behind enemy lines, crossing rivers and battlefields, then taking shelter in an imaginary farmhouse (aka Violet's house where the party is taking place) to avoid enemy patrols. Schroeder plays World War I era tunes on the piano. The music and Snoopy's mood alternates between dancing and joyful to sorrowful depending on the songs, until Snoopy accidentally howls and leaves the party in embarrassment.

Later on Linus and Sally, after having a rough night waiting in vain for the Great Pumpkin and missing out on Halloween fun -- although someone finally did show up to meet them. Was it the Great Pumpkin rising out of the pumpkin patch?! Alas no, it was our furry little flying ace who apparently made it across German occupied French-Belgian territory and back to Allied lines.

It's the Great....beagle?!

With her first Halloween night ruined, Sally angrily tells off Linus, yelling that he owes her restitution -- which is probably later given to her from his share of Halloween candy that Linus's older sister, Lucy is forced to ask for.  

The story ends with Linus waiting in the pumpkin patch most of the night, until Lucy shows up later to bring him home and to bed, and ultimately learning absolutely nothing from the whole ordeal as he rants into the closing credits about waiting again next year for the Great Pumpkin, to Charlie Brown's look of exasperation. 

It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown is full of humor -- much of it at Charlie Brown's expense. Among them one of the now infamous place kicking scenes with Lucy, where we learn that signed documents mean nothing unless they have been notarized; and later on with Violet and Lucy using the back of Charlie Brown's bald head as a model for a jack-o-lantern. Not to mention his Halloween costume, which thanks to that blockhead having a little trouble with a pair of scissors, makes him look like a big white potato.

Oh and let's not forget the most famous line of this special -- one that still makes me grin every time I hear it:

"I got a rock."

Like the Christmas special, It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown also includes the memorable music of the legendary Jazz composer Vince Guaraldi, particularly his most famous piece Linus and Lucy which played in the opening sequence where the two characters walk out to the pumpkin patch to find a suitable pumpkin for a jack-o-lantern. 

The legacy of this holiday classic continues on today in Peanuts comic strips and children's books, as well as American popular culture with references and themes related to the Great Pumpkin. One of my personal favorites was the parody of the special on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim series Robot Chicken. 
 

No matter how old it has aged, this timeless classic never fails to lose it's charm. Like all Peanuts comics and television specials, there is always a message. I will leave y'all with the most profoundly philosophical message from this special:

"Never jump in a pile of leaves with a wet sucker."
~Linus Van Pelt

Yeah, I wish I'd heard that particular message one late autumn afternoon when I was six, and that was a candy apple rather than a sucker.

Happy Halloween, Y'all!

Monday Meme: The T-Rexorcist

Night Sky Photography -- 10-25-2026 -- The Full Hunter's Moon & Saturn With Aries The Ram

Earlier this evening I captured a couple of really good shots of the October full moon above the treetops along with nearby Saturn. The October full moon is also known in North America as the Full Hunter's Moon.

The first shot shows the distant, but bright, sixth planet of our Solar System between the branches at the tops of my neighborhood trees with the Full Hunter's Moon on the other side of the closer tree. Next to Luna you can also easily spot the two brightest stars of the Constellation Aries the Ram in frame.

The second and last photo is a wider shot of the evening sky that shows the entire constellation (highlighted) along with the brightest stars of the Constellations Andromeda and Pegasus higher overhead.

I'm really pleased with how these night sky photos turned out and I hope y'all enjoyed my little presentation. God and clear skies willing I should have at least one more night sky post before the arrival of my favorite holiday of the year, Halloween, at the end of the week.

Monday Meme: Amityville Means Friendship

Night Sky Photography -- 10-12-2026 -- Morning Planets & Stars & Mars With The Beehive

On the morning of Monday, October 12th (Columbus Day here in the Americas) about 50 minutes before sunrise, I took this great shots of the eastern sky with the planets Jupiter & Mars along with the brightest stars of the constellations Gemini the Twins (Pollux), Canis Minor (Procyon), Leo the Lion (Regulus), and Hydra the Sea Serpent (Alphard).

The second shot is a close-up of Mars showing it close to the faint Beehive Star Cluster (Praesepe/M44) which is a part of the constellation Cancer The Crab.

 
The planet Mars was actually inside the open cluster over the weekend of October 10th and 11th, however overcast skies and rain from the recent tropical storm prevented me from getting a good shot of that event unfortunately. Still, I'm proud of how this photo came out, showing the orange-tinted 4th planet of our Solar System with the faint cluster of stars.

The Beehive Cluster (M44) is estimated to be at a distance of about 610 light-years (or 187 parsecs) from our Sun. 

Mars will continue to be a part of the faint constellation Cancer itself for about two more weeks till its orbit takes it further eastward towards Jupiter and a conjunction with the large gas giant in November.

Monday Meme: Pizza & Horror Movies

Me: Did someone order pepperoni and mushrooms?!

Countdown To Halloween -- Tomorrow Is Monday

Night Sky Photography -- 10-06/07-2026 -- The Moon & Planet Parade In Eastern Sky

Greetings fellow amateur stargazers!

Over the last few mornings I woke up about an hour, or so, before sunrise to capture a few wonderful shots of a couple of night sky wonders over the course of two days.

The first shots, taken on Tuesday, October 6th, show our beautiful moon in the early morning sky about 45 minutes before sunrise with the large planet, Jupiter, and its four largest moons visible. About two hours before, Luna occulted (passed in front of) Jupiter in its orbit eastward towards the sunrise. The photos I took show the planet emerging from behind the moon along with a close-up shot detailing the gas giant planet's four largest visible moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.

The second set of photos, taken on Wednesday, October 7th, show our lovely crescent moon leading a parade of planets that include Jupiter and Mars, as well as the bright star, Regulus -- the brightest object in the Constellation Leo the Lion.

 

The first shot shows Luna along with Regulus and the two planets aligned in a "parade" headed towards the rising sun in the eastern sky about 45 minutes before sunrise.

The next is a close-up of Mars, which is currently about 149,615, 458 miles (or 240,731,272 kilometers -- about 1.61 Astronomical Units) away from Earth and on its way towards its next opposition to Earth in February of 2027, so the Red Planet will be get bigger and more visible in the night sky.

The third shot is another close-up of Jupiter and three of its large moons (Europa was hiding behind Jupiter). Jupiter is currently about 540,213,623 miles (or 869,203,719 kilometers -- about 5.81 AUs) from the Earth.

Regulus is actually a quadruple star system made up of two pairs of bright stars about 79 light years (or 24.2 parsecs) from our Solar System. Collectively the Regulus system is the twenty-first brightest star in the night sky as seen from Earth.

I hope to have more night sky photography soon, there are several celestial events that I am hoping to being y'all images of happening later this month. Stay tuned and keep your eyes to the night skies, y'all.

Monday Meme: In Memory Of Tim Curry (1946-2026)

 

Monday Meme: Slasher Films & Gen X

The boring part was sitting though all the adult stuff waiting for Jason to get them.

Night Sky Photography -- 09-26-2026 -- The Full Harvest Moon & Saturn With Neptune In Opposition

 

Greetings & Salutations fellow stargazers!

Last night I was blessed with clear skies and a wonderful view of the September full moon -- also known as the Harvest Moon here in North America.

This year the full Harvest Moon was positioned close to the ringed planet, Saturn -- the second largest planet in our Solar System.

At present Saturn, the 6th planet of our Solar System, is about 785 million miles (or 1.26 billion kilometers, or 8.44 Astronomical Units) away from our Earth.

Saturn appears extra bright and close as its currently approaching its yearly opposition with Earth which will occur on Sunday, October 4, 2026.

The 8th planet of our Solar System, Neptune, reached its opposition to Earth in its orbit around the Sun this evening at approximately 2.7 billion miles (or 4.3 billion km, or 28.9 AU) from our planet.

Neptune was also positioned closely with Saturn and the Harvest Moon in the night sky, in a sort of elongated triangle.

Unfortunately the next to the last planet in our Solar System (Pluto is still a planet!) was still too far away to photograph, though I did point out where it would be located in my photograph below.

As y'all can see from my cover photo and below, I was able to capture a couple of really great shots of the Harvest Moon and Saturn through the tree in my front yard, framing our lovely Luna in a halo of early fall leaves.

I hope y'all enjoyed my photos, and I hope to have more soon.

Northern Cardinals Visiting My Backyard Feeders

 

Hello fellow amateur birdwatchers!

I have some photos of a wonderful family of Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) that have been visiting my backyard feeders for the last few months. These include the bright and beautiful male cardinals, the lovely reddish-olive females, and several awesome brown juveniles.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, these beautiful birds are common year-round in the eastern and central parts of North America from the south-eastern parts of Ontario and Quebec in Canada to the Yucatan Peninsula in southern Mexico. They are also the official State Bird of the U.S. State of North Carolina. 

These are also the most frequent visitors to my backyard bird feeders yearly and a joy to watch. They can also be seen sharing with several of the smaller House Finches (Haemorhous mexicanus) and the occasional Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) and Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor).

These photos were taken by me between mid-July to early September of 2026.