World Animal Day 2024

 

He was waiting for her, pacing, watching, calling. At her approach,  the cat rubbed its body against the fencing, then stood, bracing his forepaws against it. And purred.

Six months since he’d seen her—scented her, Lil thought. But he hadn’t forgotten her. “Hello, Baby.”

She reached through to stroke the tawny fur, and he bumped his head affectionately to hers.

“I missed you, too.”

Black Hills

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MathKnight, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

World Animal Day: History, significance, theme, quotes and more

World Animal Day is observed every year on October 4 to highlight the importance of animals and spread awareness for their welfare to maintain ecological balance

Business Standard

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Connor slipped through the employees’ gate for the falconry school. 

As always,  he felt a little flutter—a bit like beating wings—in his heart, along his skin. 

It had always been the hawk for him. That connection, like his power, came down through the blood.

Shadow Spell

Breathtaking hues as fall officially moves in 🍂

 

The burst of colors were a last swirling fling before the trees went into the final cycle. 

It was an order Kirby accepted—birth, growth, decay, rebirth.

 

The Art of Deception

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The damp air, fat as a soaked sponge, the flickers of light filtering through the trees, the swirl of the oncoming autumn made it all a fine day, in Connor’s opinion, 

to tromp around the wood following the hawks.

 

Shadow Spell

Celebrating the Autumn Equinox

“It’s a fine day, isn’t it? Bright and cool. The harvest is nearly done, and we’ll have our

celebration soon,” he continued as he walked with the hawk on his arm. “The equinox, as

you know, when night conquers day as Gronw Pebr conquered Lleu Llaw Gyffes. We’ll

celebrate the birth of Mabon, son of Mordon the guardian of the earth. Sure there’ll be

honey cakes for certain. I’ll see you have a bit.”

Shadow Spell

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It’s easy to let time slip away, but even a long-overdue gathering can be special.

Traditional Home

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“Keeps us balanced.”

“Seems it does, and I’m thinking balance might be the thing.”

“Ostara, the equinox, the balance of day to night? Rather than the solstice?”

Dark Witch

Kitchen Sink Soup

“It can’t be more or less. It’s not like cooking up a kitchen-sink soup.”

Blood Magick

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 At home I often make a variation called Kitchen Sink Soup, where everything but the kitchen sink goes into the pot to simmer away. What doesn’t seem like much to begin with can add up to something quite satisfying.

Healthy Families BC

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On impulse, she got out a pot. Then minced, chopped, poured, tossed in cubes of herbs

she’d frozen the summer before. With a kettle of soup simmering, she went back up to

finish her orders.

An hour later, she came down to stir, then glanced toward the window as she heard a

car. Surprised, pleased, she hurried to the door to greet Jack.

“Well, hi.”

“I had a meeting, and managed to wrap it up early. I left my jacket here again, so I

thought I’d swing by on my way … You’re cooking?”

“I took a walk, and it started cooling off, which put me in the mood for kitchen sink

soup. There’s plenty, if you’re interested.”

Bed of Roses

Autumn 🍂

The damp air, fat as a soaked sponge, the flickers of light filtering through the trees, the

swirl of the oncoming autumn made it all a fine day, in Connor’s opinion, to tromp around

the wood following the hawks.

Shadow Spell

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By Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61475246

Throw a Fall Harvest Party

Entertaining: Autumn Party

Decorating with a Fall Palette

Beautiful Autumn Garden

Fabulous Fall Centerpieces

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The forest had always appealed to her. In mid- autumn, it shouted with

life. The burst of colors were a last swirling fling before the trees went into

the final cycle. It was an order Kirby accepted—birth, growth, decay, rebirth.

The Art of Deception

Irish Recipes For St. Patrick's Day

It Might have been an ordinary gathering of Friends and Family on a rainy night. The little fire simmering in the kitchen hearth, with the big dog snoring in front of it. 

The wine Connor pulled out, uncorked, and poured generously into glasses. Volunteers dutifully peeling and chopping small mountains of potatoes and carrots, mincing garlic and onions while the hostess busied herself dredging chunks of beef in flour, browning it in a big, sturdy pot on the stove. 

The scents rising up, teasing of what was to come, and the mix of voices all talking to or over one another.

DARK WITCH

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"IrishStew Guinness" by User:Jpatokal - 

Own photo. Licensed under GFDL via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/

File:IrishStew_Guinness.JPG#/media/File:IrishStew_Guinness.JPG

Irish Recipes For St. Patrick's Day That AREN'T Corned Beef And Cabbage

Good news: There's absolutely no need to eat one more bite of corned beef and cabbage on Saint Patrick's Day, because it's about as Irish as spaghetti and meatballs. Feel free to let out a sigh of relief, but don't put down your fork just yet. There are other, greater dishes to eat that will help you celebrate St. Patrick -- all of them 1,000 times more appetizing and authentic than what you're used to eating.

It's pretty common knowledge that the Irish make great bread, which is so easy to bake, too. They're also really handy with a potato (the recipes below are all the proof you need of that). And they stew better than most anyone. Behold, the 10 recipes you need to have the best Saint Patrick's Day of your life. Or at least the most delicious one.

HUFFINGTON POST