Today is the second birthday of my second betta, a momentous occasion if ever there was one. While the extraordinary Norton von Spudley isn’t quite the charmer his predecessor Buddy the Betta was, he has grown to be an endearing little fellow in his own right over these last 24 months, flitting and scooting to and fro as he vacuums the gravel for remnants from breakfast, flipping the tail to all who dare peer too closely into his cozy abode.

Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans . . . a sentiment expressed by many, immortalized by one, John Lennon.

It is a theory we all claim to recognize, and perhaps even intend to thwart by vowing to spend less time analyzing the nuances of life in favor of, well, actually living it.

Those who know me are quite familiar with my love of quotes. They have often made their way into my columns through the years, and can regularly be found sprinkled throughout my social media - at times accompanying a snapshot from my latest landscape photography session, but just as often speaking volumes on their own.

I have never had much of an affinity for Halloween. Perhaps as a child; but even then, the idea of dressing in costume to traipse through the neighborhood, door to door, essentially begging for candy from complete stranger . . . just always seemed a bit of a strange tradition to me.