Halloween fun begins again!

JoyCam hand delivered our invitation to this year's Halloween Parade Kick-Off party.

It came on a night when I was stuck at work late and worn from dealing with my psycho co-worker all day.

It is the coolest invitation yet - as Monster said, "thanks for the head."



From the outside:

The Prize Inside is rolled up in the center:

Sink repaired

Monster saved the sink - he bought a drain snake this afternoon and, while I was at work, he managed to unclog the kitchen pipes and have the sink cleaned by the time I got home.

In celebration of a working kitchen again, we had beans and rice for dinner with fresh little slices of green onion and tomatos with just a tiny drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

pretty good weekend

Went to the DragonCon parade on Saturday morning.

Went to Drive-Invasion Saturday afternoon through the rest of the evening.

Spent Sunday recovering from heat and dehydration of Drive-Invasion.

Monday, did a lot more yard work and tidying up around the house, followed by inviting a few friends over to hang out on the patio and have burgers and snacks and drinks.

Monster managed to clog both the garbage disposal and the kitchen sink with shredded cabbage while making coleslaw.

He has since been trying different methods to unclog the pipes today.

Know a good plumber?

I am an ISTJ

Your Type is
ISTJ
Introverted Sensing Thinking Judging
Strength of the preferences %
22 12 25 56

The lines at the gas stations in town on my way home from work were enormous, stretching out into the street and tying up traffic. I guess some people get to listen to the news at work. After I got home, someone told there was a news bit about possible gas rationing that's sent everyone into a panic.

What I saw this morning

Chipmunk in a tree

I don't know what kind of tree it is - looks like mini apples - but the chipmunks love it.

making plans for next spring

Monster took Daniel's blower and cleared off the remains of the back patio of the house.
Got a Citronella candle and sat out on the bench that monster built during the magic hour watching the lights fade and the fireflies come out.

Feels like Autumn...

... But only because my belly is getting stuffed so much on a regular basis that you'd think it was the holiday season.

Today I went to visit Mother to see the house she's bought and we went out to eat afterwards. Not as bad as burrito night, but still laying around trying to digest a large meal. If I'd known she wanted to go out, I wouldn't have eaten lunch on the way to Smyrna to visit her. And, of course, she sent me home with two large plastic containers of homecooking too.

Now I'm back home blogging and checking email before tonight's daily thunderstorm knocks out the electricity here again. Does that on a daily basis now. Not that that's a real problem - it usually only lasts for a few hours - but it seriously limits my evening activities with no light, phone, or computer to play with.

Smells like solvents to me

But it's just Monster in the living room cleaning up a new old Danish table with teak oil.
That and talking back to the TV news. We went to Willy's for dinner and now I am horribly bloated from eating the whole burrito. urrrrrggghhh.....

Falling asleep as I write this but here I sit still at my computer. Went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory tonight. GREAT movie. It has so many of my favorite people involved in it: Tim Burton, Danny Elfman, Deep Roy, Johnny Depp. It seemed to be a very accurate interpretation of the Raold Dahl book but I really should purchase a new copy of it for myself and read it.

Add that to the list: Charlie and the Chocolate Factor, Stiff, Secret Life of Lobsters, The Princess Bride, Troll, The Cockroach Papers

Whenever I have a chance to buy and read them.

the slow season

Sometimes it's so quiet here now that it seems like a funeral. Actually, funerals are much more lively.

Saturday at last

The house is still flea infested despite two Orkin treatements and constant cleaning, but it's getting better. I believe by the time we're finished painting and unpacking the problem will be gone.

Today's goal is just to make an appointment for a haircut. Next will be to finally get new prescription sunglasses. Most days I am blinded by the sun when I have to drive.

We have no dumpster or recycle bin because someone decided to fill both to the top with topsoil that they moved from the front yard. There is no wheelbarrel here at the house and the gardener couldn't wait to start moving and planting things. Meanwhile, the grass still needs to be cut.

Finally we are moved in with a working phone.

The phone is hooked up now. The utility company had simply made the error of enabling the dormant phone line that's downstairs in what was once a separate apartment. We now have normal, basic phone service upstairs where we're living.
Still have all my stuff in boxes and am living in less than cheap hotel standards this week. I am looking forward to civilized domesticity again soon.

Busy moving into the new house. Don't have phone service yet. blogging online at a coffee house at the moment to check emails and update bits.