Ferdinand Cheval

Palais Idéal du Facteur Cheval — Hauterives, France

This building, located in southeastern France, was created by Ferdinard Cheval, the town’s postman. Though Cheval was poor, his work has been recognized by major figures in art and literature, from Pablo Picasso to Anaïs Nin.

From source: http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/palais-ideal-du-docteur-cheval

Walking along his mail route in the town of Hauterives in Southern France, a postman picked up a stone in 1879. As he held it in his hand, the shape of this single stone inspired that postman, Ferdinand Cheval, to build a grand palace.
For the next 33 years, he collected stones along his postal route. Sometimes just one or two, and other times, wheelbarrows full of them. Having left school at age 13, and with no training in architecture or art, 43 year old Postman Cheval began to build his palace with cement, wire and stones, working at night by an oil lamp.
The palace shows a mix of inspirations, including the Bible, Neuschwanstein, Hindu sanctuaries, Meliès, a cave, and a sandcastle. It also includes a shrine for his wheelbarrow. Cheval wanted to be buried in his palace, and when French authorities forbade it, he built his own magnificent vault in the local cemetery at the age of 80. Inscribed in the palace walls is Cheval's message to the world:
"I was not a builder, I had never handled a mason's trowel, I was not a sculptor. The chisel was unknown to me; not to mention architecture, a field of which I remained totally ignorant... Everything you can see, passer-by, is the work of one peasant, who, out of a dream, created the queen of the world..."

Ferdinand Cheval (1836 – 19 August 1924)

'Hope you enjoyed the video - it must be an amazing place to see!

fd

Today's funny :o)

Mushrooms!

With all the rain we've been getting, lots of mushrooms are popping up all over the place! Some are quite beautiful, too.

 Didn't want to forget about the gang - stomping down the stairs after their treats were all gone!

More rain is forecasted for today and tomorrow...... (sigh)

One way to get rid of mice!

Have this plant eat 'em!

A giant plant that can gobble up bugs and even rodents has been discovered in Southeast Asia.
The carnivorous plant (nepenthes attenboroughii) was found by researchers atop Mt. Victoria, a remote mountain in Palawan, Philippines. The research team, led by Stewart McPherson of Red Fern Natural History Productions, had learned of the plant in 2000 after a group of Christian missionaries stumbled upon it while trekking up a remote mountain and reported it to a local newspaper.
The discovery, announced last week, was detailed in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society.

The pitcher plant is the world’s second largest and can grow to more than 4 feet tall, with a pitcher-shaped structure filled with liquid. The plant secretes nectar around its mouth to lure rats, insects and other prey into its trap. Once an animal has fallen in, enzymes and acids in the fluid break down the carcass of the drowned victim.
“All carnivorous plants have evolved to catch insects but the biggest ones, such as this one, can eat rats and frogs,” McPherson told LiveScience. “It’s truly remarkable that a plant this big has been undiscovered for so long.”
The world’s largest pitcher plant (nepenthes rajah) was discovered in 1858 by British naturalist Hugh Low in Borneo. The plant’s rat-eating habit was confirmed four years later when his colleague Spenser St. John found a drowned rat inside one of the specimens.
Though some have approached McPherson to ask about the likelihood of cultivating the monster plants as mouse traps for rodent-infested regions like New York City, the botanist (who also happens to specialize in pitcher plants) says he finds the idea “a bit far-fetched.”
“Mice and rats are attracted to the sweet nectar of the plant, but it only catches them occasionally,” says McPherson. “It just isn’t practical. There will be too many mice for the plant to catch anyways.”

Source: http://www.livescience.com/10561-giant-plant-eats-rodents

Today's funny :o)

Pic dump time!

Oh, look-muddy water! Let's drink this instead of the nice clean water Chickenmom

 hauls out twice a day!

Looked out the window last week and saw Laverne just lying there with her eyes closed. I thought she was dead. She was sound asleep just sunning herself. Stupid chicken.......

Always seems like we have a lot of water here. Maybe I should get a couple of baby quackers??

It rained most of the weekend. Sunday was downright chilly!

With all the rain, the pen flooded and I had to keep putting dry hay down for them. Charlie, Laverne and Shirley were tired of getting their feet wet, so they spent a lot of time on the perch. Maude and Sophia have their own in the other corner but preferred to lay down on dry hay.

Today I have to clean all the smelly hay out and just hose the whole pen down. It's supposed to be nice and sunny, I sure hope so. Five chickens poop a hell of a lot.

Found this scented flypaper over in Tractor Supply. I go through a lot of the stuff.

I've never seen so many flies! With the horribly cold Winter and cool Spring I didn't think there would be a bug problem this year. I was wrong. Again.

Easy Listening for a Sunday Afternoon

Hall and Oates

Me and Mrs. Jones

By Billy Paul

 

Me and Mrs. Jones
We got a thing, goin' on
We both know that it's wrong
But it's much too strong
To let it go now

We meet every day at the same cafe
Six-thirty and no one knows she'll be there
Holding hands, making all kinds of plans
While the juke box plays our favorite songs

Me and Mrs., Mrs. Jones (Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Jones)
We got a thing, goin' on
We both know that it's wrong
But it's much too strong
To let it go now

We gotta be extra careful
That do we don't build our hopes up too high
Because she's got her own obligations
And so, and so, do I

Me and Mrs., Mrs. Jones (Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Jones)
We got a thing, goin' on
We both know that it's wrong
But it's much too strong
To let it go now

Well, it's time for us to be leaving
It hurts so much, it hurts so much inside
Now she'll go her way and I'll go mine
Tomorrow we'll meet
The same place, the same time

Me and Mrs. Jones
We got a thing goin' on
We gotta be extra careful
We can't afford to build our hopes up too high
I wanna meet and talk with you
At the same place, the same cafe, the same time
And we gonna hold hands like we used to
We gonna talk it over, talk it over
We know, they know, and you know what I know that it was wrong
But our thing is strong, we gotta let 'em know now
That we gotta thing going on, a thing going on

Saturday Night doo-Wop

Ricky Nelson!

 From Wikipedia:

Ricky Nelson

Eric Hilliard Nelson – known as Ricky Nelson, later also as Rick Nelson – was an American actor, musician and singer-songwriter. He starred alongside his family in the television series, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, as well as co-starring alongside John Wayne and Dean Martin in Howard Hawks's western feature film, Rio Bravo. He placed 53 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1957 and 1973 including "Poor Little Fool" which holds the distinction of being the first #1 song on Billboard magazine's then-newly created Hot 100 chart. He recorded 19 additional Top 10 hits and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on January 21, 1987. In 1996, he was ranked #49 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.

• Lived: May 08, 1940 - Dec 31, 1985 (age 45)

Friday Night Steam

1925 Doble Series E Steam Car!

The Doble steam Car was an American steam car maker from 1909-1931. Their latter models of steam car, with fast firing boiler and electric start, were considered the pinnacle of steam car development. The term "Doble steam car" comprises any of several makes of steam-powered automobile in the early 20th century, including Doble Detroit, Doble Steam Car, and Doble Automobile, severally called a "Doble" because of their founding or association with Abner Doble.

Photo source: Hemmings.com

For more detail and history on this steam beauty, visit:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doble_steam_car

Today's funny :o)

Garden update

All the rain we have been getting is really making the garden grow! Potatoes are perfect for growing in cinder blocks. All the excess water drains right out of the bottom.

 The peppers are doing good, too!

 So tempted to pick some of these and fry them with butter and fresh garlic:

 Shirley comes over to see what I am doing:

This year the corn is growing well. We hould have planted more .

Charlie, Laverne and Shirley:

 The flies are horrible this year - this is three days worth. I've been tearing fresh basil leaves up and placing them in the pen and run. It seems to help but I don't know why it works.

 Maude and Sophia enjoying exploring the run. Later this summer I'll let them out in the yard.

We are supposed to get rain for the next couple of days. That means ALL of the chickens will be together ALL of the time. Should be fun - 'ya think??? 

The Bear Hunter

Remember the pic of the bear from yesterday? Terry (http://jterryt.blogspot.com/) sent me this about a REAL bear hunter:

 Tom Wilson

 http://digitalheritage.org/2010/08/tom-wilson/

 You can download the story (and thousands of other books) free from here:

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/31709/31709-h/31709-h.htm

Thanks again, Terry - we all like FREE!

:o)

Today's funny :o)

A bird in the hand is worth a bite on your nose.....

Yesterday was first time.....

..... Maude and Sophia came out of the with the rest of the gang for breakfast! Since May 18th I have been feeding them in the coop because of the fighting. I put their food in a separate dish and all was fine until Laverne wanted their food. (it's all the same). Well, at least it's a good start. Finally.

After breakfast,Charlie, Laverne and Shirley go out in the yard for most of the day. M & S stay in the pen and the run.

They wander all over and look for bugs. They love crickets and will squabble with each other to win the prize. The only thing they refuse to eat are the gypsy moth caterpillars - I guess they have a bitter taste to them.

Maude and Sophia enjoying a peaceful day:

Charlie, L & S hanging out in the shade.

I keep fresh water under the deck for them in case they get thirsty.

My rooster wind chimes.

What other kind would I ever possibly have?

:o)

Nice music!

Just love these music videos from Animusic. View in full screen and look at all the detail on the moving parts. Even the shadows match!

'Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

:o)

Today's funny :o)

Bear with me

Can you see him in the back between the car and the flowering tree?

This is in our next door neighbor's yard. The bear walked through ours by the wood piles and went through theirs. Hubby & I went to town early and we just missed seeing it. Now we know why the mama deer and the fawns haven't been around. Today is garbage pick-up. He'll be back...

Classic cars from 1935

When an automobile was a work of art:

Cadillac

Chevy pickup

Bentley

Chevy

Dodge pickup

Ford coupe

Jaguar

Nash

MG

Plymouth

Duesenberg

The best part of these classics? Running boards!!