Smokey

Smoky - Author's Picture

Smokey's face looks quite offended. She didn't like that we were paying attention to a puppy rather than her. She's a tabby; maybe mixed with something else. Not my cat, but it is my picture.

Obelisk

Obelisk - Author's Collection

The pictured decorative obelisk was bought at Crafts Etc. or maybe Hobby Lobby. I've had it for many years. I have no clue if the hieroglyphics mean anything or not. In the picture, it's sitting in front of some of my Star Wars "stuff." In Dobbs City, a fictional town that appears in my short stories, there is a weathered obelisk located at the city's old square.

The Harrowgate Protocol

Mercy Anne Harrowgate

I've been working on The Harrowgate Protocol, a story about a vampiress named Mercy Anne Harrowgate. It's been fun. I've been working with MS Co-Pilot and other platforms on obtaining visuals to enhance the story. CP will also make graphics and talk to you about what you're writing. It doesn't write for you, but it's a good tool to bounce around ideas. The Harrowgate Protocol is finished and will appear on the blog. It's currently being edited for publication.

Timber Rattler

Timber Rattler

I've found several of these (but none this big) at our place. "The timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) is a large, heavy-bodied pit viper species native to eastern North America. It is also known by the names canebrake rattlesnake and banded rattlesnake. It is a very poisonous snake with a deadly bite." Source: Google. Image: Meta via Texas Snake Identification.

Find out more on howstuffworks.

Skink

Skink - Author's Picture

According to Google Image Search, the picture of this creature "shows a five-lined skink, likely a Common Five-lined Skink (Plestiodon fasciatus) or a Southeastern Five-lined Skink (Plestiodon inexpectatus). You can get an idea of its length by the porch boards it's lying on. They are 2"x6". This picture was taken in July of 2025.

5 Facts About Popcorn

Popcorn Stand - Author's Picture

I took the picture of the popcorn stand, but I don't remember the exact location. Curiously, while I was thinking about this post, I was traveling to a town. I saw something ahead on the road and swerved to miss it. When I got closer, I saw that it was a container of popcorn that someone had thrown out onto the road. Or lost, I don't know.

1. Popcorn has been enjoyed for thousands of years in the Americas.

2. Cracker Jack, a type of caramel-coated popcorn (and peanuts), was created in 1896.

3. It is estimated that corn was domesticated c.a. 9,000 years ago.

4. Americans consume about 17 billion quarts of popcorn every year. 

5. One cup of unpopped buttered popcorn will give about 28 cups of popped popcorn.

Sources: Google, ctrlcalculator.com.

Antique Bottle

Unknown Type of Bottle - Author's Picture

I can't find an exact match on Google Image Search. There is embossing on the bottom, but I can't tell much about it. I think it's just numbers; the bottle is made in such a way that you can't do a tracing on the bottom (I tried). I dug this bottle myself, out of an old trash dump in a certain wooded area. Many of the other items I found date back to the 1940s and 1950s. I suspect this one does, too. Anyway, if you're looking to buy something like this, they're going to be pretty cheap.

El Faro

Captain Steers Ship Straight Into a Hurricane

From the channel of Dark Records.

I remember keeping up with the El Faro on the news when all this happened. It was intriguing. It turned out to be bad, real bad.

"The in-depth story of the sinking of the El Faro 2015. The vessel made the headlines when it disappeared on the outskirts of the Bermuda Triangle. The last time anyone heard from those onboard the El Faro was when it headed straight into the heart of Hurricane Joaquin. At dawn, not a single trace remained. The ship had vanished as if it never existed." Source: Dark Records.

Seriously Spooky Art

Ghoulish Vibes

Whether it's a ghoul, phantom, revenant, or "what have you," this picture gave me some serious Lovecraft vibes. It reeks of...something. The source is Meta via Spectral Insomnia. The artist is unknown.

Daisy

Daisy - Author's Picture

Daisy was almost too dark to get a good picture. She belongs to my in-laws; the wife was checking on her while the family was at a doctor's appointment that required them to be gone overnight. She was so cute that I had to take a picture and, naturally, post it.

Sam Houston Memorial Park, Part 2

In this section, I post more pictures of a visit to the Sam Houston Memorial Park, in northwest Red River County, Texas. I think I took these pictures in May of 2025.

General View - Author's Picture

The image shows a general view of the grounds, looking northeast. Mrs. Jane Chandler Gill's head is located right of center. It's the white color, or maybe off white, image. Further back is a monument to Sam Houston. The very large plant in the middle of the picture is a cactus. Learn more here.

Pine Tree - Author's Picture

It can't really be seen, but this image shows one of the largest pine trees I have ever seen. The larger visible branch is, in itself, as large as some pine trees.

Jesse Bowman Marker - Author's Picture 

This historical marker commemorates Jesse Bowman (1785–1836), a pioneer who volunteered for duty at the Alamo. He perished there with many others. The marker is transcribed below.

"Jesse B. Bowman was born in Tennessee about 1785. By 1811 he was living in Illinois where his son Joseph T. Bowman was born that year. Bowman and his family settled in Ouichita County, Arkansas, until it became more populated and they moved to Hempstead County. In the 1830s Jesse B. Bowman and his family moved with his brother and other family members to this area of Texas, where they soon qualified for a league and labor of land. On February 23, 1836, Bowman answered the roll call at the Alamo garrison in Bexar. He was listed as a private and permanent volunteer under the command of Jim Bowie. On March 6, Jesse Bowman lost his life at the fall of the Alamo. His body and those of the other Alamo defenders were burned by the Mexican army under General Santa Anna."

Learn more about Jesse Bowman here.

Heard in Texas 16

Heard In Texas #16

"The best way to stay out of trouble is to not get involved in anything that might get you in trouble."

The Titanic's Hidden Weakness

📘Sinking of the RMS Titanic ↗

Wikipedia • RMS Titanic sank on 15 April 1912 in the North Atlantic Ocean. The largest ocean liner in service at the time, Titanic was four days into her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States, with an estimated 2,224 people on board when she struck an iceberg at 23:40 on 14 April.

The Titanic's Hidden Weakness | Disaster Documentary

From the channel of Wonder.

Seether by Veruca Salt

Veruca Salt - Seether (Glastonbury '95)

From the channel of malmal2006.

Veruca Salt, according to the Urban Dictionary, is a term for a sweet or pleasant girl who is really a tantrum-throwing person. The band was formed in 1992 by Nina Gordon and Louise Post. Veruca Salt is an alternative rock band. For some reason, I had been unaware of this band for years. They really are a talented group.

Lyrics

[Intro: Nina Gordon]

Ow!

[Verse 1: Nina Gordon]

Seether is neither loose nor tight

Seether is neither black nor white

[Pre-Chorus 1: Nina Gordon & Louise Post]

I try to keep her on a short leash

I try to calm her down

I try to ram her into the ground, yeah

[Chorus: Nina Gordon & Louise Post]

Can't fight the seether

Can't fight the seether

Can't fight the seether

I can't see her 'til I'm foaming at the mouth

[Verse 2: Nina Gordon & Louise Post]

Seether is neither big nor small

Seether is the center of it all

[Pre-Chorus 2: Nina Gordon & Louise Post]

I try to rock her in my cradle

I try to knock her out

I try to cram her back in my mouth, yeah

[Chorus: Nina Gordon & Louise Post]

Can't fight the seether (Seether)

Can't fight the seether (Seether)

Can't fight the seether

I can't see her 'til I'm foaming at the mouth

[Bridge: Nina Gordon & Louise Post]

Keep her down, boiling water

Keep her down, what a lovely daughter

Oh, she is not born like other girls

But I know how to conceive her

Oh, she may not look like other girls

But she's a snarl-toothed seether, seether!

[Guitar Solo: Louise Post]

[Chorus: Nina Gordon & Louise Post]

Can't fight the seether (Seether)

Can't fight the seether (Seether)

Can't fight the seether

I can't see her 'til I'm foaming at the mouth

[Outro: Nina Gordon & Louise Post]

Seether

Can't fight the seether

Seether

Can't fight the seether

Seether

Can't fight the seether

I can't see her till I'm foaming at the mouth, yeah

Lyrics Source: Genius.

Stone Metals

Stone Metals Horse - Auther's Picture

After I wasted my time with internet price searches, I realized that the price was on the package. It's less than $10. If you're interested in these models (I, personally, am not), try to find one anywhere other than online. These things will set you back at least $50 (from what I saw on the internet).

Their website is here.

Frost Cutlery Firefighter Folding Knife

Firefighter - Author's Collection

This Frost Cutlery folding knife can be purchased for under ten dollars. It does not include a sheath. It does have a belt/pocket clip.

Zombie Hand

Return of the Dead

I think this image is quite spooky. My favorite movies in the zombie genre are Dawn of the Dead (2004) and Return of the Living Dead II. At any rate, I think the image is good artwork. The source is Meta. The artist is unknown.

Space Shuttle Discovery

Discovery - Author's Picture

The shuttle has no markings on it except for "NASA" and "United States." Google image search identifies it as the space shuttle Discovery. Other than that, I don't know what it is. I believe it to be a loose piece from a Micro Machines collection.

Burial Mask

Burial Mask - Author's Collection

This is just a reproduction ("whatnot") of an Egyptian burial mask. I found it several years ago. It was inside a "shadow box," and I ended up, somehow, breaking the box. I think things like this are popular, mainly, because of King Tutankhamen's famous (mostly) golden burial mask. Did you know there are also silver burial masks?

Pygmy Rattlesnake

Pygmy Rattlesnake

The pygmy rattlesnake, or Sistrurus miliarius, is a venomous snake. It can grow to a length of about 2'. It can most definitely be found in East Texas. See Wikipedia for more information.

Image: Meta via Texas Snake Identification.