I have said this here before, the calendar and the stores are my enemy as we near “the holidays” (like this term means so damn much to anyone, really).  We don’t celebrate Christmas, haven’t for many a decade now, although we do look forward to (sort of, in our own Scroogey way) our Solstice/Yule time.  This year it’s looking extremely Grinch-like.  And not even my fault!  (Which, apparently, it usually is.  No one is to blame.)  How does one manage five adults, and their respective job schedules, down to a single night of gathering?  For 2009 it appears as though we don’t.  Huge deep sigh.

   Most normal people, who have reached my advanced age, have purchased a bed by this point.  I have never claimed, nor attempted, to be normal.  But now I have bought, at least, a mattress.  We had to replace the other one in the “guest” room (where The Hurricane stays when she’s home, where The Empress lounges when she’s hanging out here, where Daniel and the dogs nap, where I lay out big quilt projects).  It was nearly a day-long event, and quite an adventure (because we turn everything into an adventure, we were the inventors of Fake-cations).  We even got a frame to put the box springs in, so the entire set-up isn’t even on the floor.  It just feels so adult and everything. 

And our happy, healing  thoughts are with Tracy tomorrow, she is having surgery, on her left hand.  Good luck!

   My baby, our bonus and unexpected Gift Child has apparently inherited her father’s obscure talent for pumpkin carving.  SHE made the Kitty!  NOT her father.  I stand corrected.  All credit should now be directed towards Empress, and her awesome skills.  Sorry I don’t have other pictures of the ones Dan did, but if you go to the PumkinMaster’s website, his look just like that.  (Seriously.)  Except for the custom ones he’s done over the years.

Not really, it was just the waiting room of the tire place/mechanic’s shop.  For over three hours!!!  Tragedy piled upon tragedy.  I missed my old lady swimmy/exercisey class completely, the car has to spend the night (must go back again tomorrow), it got dark by the time Dan arrived to rescue me.  This will go down in history as one of my NOT favorite days.  Oh, and The Hurricane was bit my a neighbor’s dog.  Let’s say this week is over and we can start a new one now.

  I think when we retire (okay, him- since I can’t seem to ever have a real job) we are going to live somewhere that has tons of Trick Or Treaters.  We do get a nice variety here, but never more than one bowl’s worth of candy (and I give generously).  A great selection this year though, very small and adorable to quite mature and elegant.  They always comment on Daniel’s wonderful pumpkins, his carvings are nearly famous now.  My favorite story of the evening though is about one small kitty.  (Her father explained this all to me after she chose her goodies.)  They had been out with friends in the University neighborhood and were heading home, driving past our house (they live around the corner), when she screamed from the back seat, “stop there!  They have a kitty punkin!”  Yes, this year Empress chose a design that was very clever, with a cat face.  (She has told us for years that she has “kitty vision” and can spot cats from practically miles away.)  Well this little girl, dressed as a kitty, spotted that Cat O’ Lantern, and she made her Daddy pull over, park, and walk her up the orange and purple Halloween path to my front door.  I asked her how old she was, she said four, so I had her count out four treats. 

Happy Witches New Year to all, and a Peaceful Samhain.

  This is the sound in our house tonight: Scooter, Leave It!  Max, it’s okay… Axel, knock it off!!!

Yes we have three dogs, of varying sizes, training, colors, and personalities.  All free roaming, mostly amongst the guts of pumpkins and newspapers strewn around the family room floor.  For a while there, all three were sitting so closely it appeared to be a dog and pumpkin quilt.  We are Max sitting, to save Empress gas, and time, and because we will eventually be fabulous grandparents.  It’s good practice.  All we are missing is Indie.  And a kennel license.

  That’s what my father used to tell me.  He also used to say, “if you had a brain you’d take it out and play with it.”  Okay, not USED to say, still says….  whatever.

So I forgot to make a grand and personally touching announcement, so sue me.

Yesterday, the 27th, was Daniel’s 49th birthday!  Yipee!  We have had one of our two festive dinners already.  He received a beautiful and thoughtful gift from The Hurricane: a harmonica.  I gave him the same thing he gave me: nothing.  Oh wait, this is what he says he gave me for my birthday last month, “much love and NOT a divorce.”  There, we’re even.

Seriously, I did wish him warmest regards of the day, all along the entire 24 hour period, continuously.  I can’t say anything else about it, he knows……

Boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen, witches and witchlings, we must move past this ridiculous photograph!  It was fun, even funny, but I am so done.  No, we are not doing t-shirts, don’t care J.D. if there is a great place to order them.  It’s all just silly beyond all reason.  No coffee mugs, not billboards.  Other things are going on.  Like how Daylight Savings Time got all moved around and screwed up.  The damn VCR/DVD player switched over automatically last night.  I have toggled that thing to manual so many times now I’ve lost count, and yet, it refuses to listen to me (much like my family who keep trying to put my face on products).  From what I have been able to find in my tedious research (all twelve minutes of it), the new Fall Back day is actually Halloween night.  As The Son remarked yesterday, not a good time for bartenders.  But that’s where it is now.  And the Full Moon will be on November the 2nd at 11:14 a.m.  So see, there are other matters around that could be worth discussing.  We must move on.