Image created with AI by Joan Reeves |
Image created with AI by Joan Reeves |
Image created with AI by Joan Reeves |
Image created with AI by Joan Reeves |
Now I see elaborate Halloween yard decorations, but I think most kids go to Trunk or Treat celebrations instead of going door to door. I think those are nice but not the same as the neighborhood celebrations. It’s a little sad. Today’s kids don’t know what they’re missing, but I do. And my father really misses opening the door on Halloween. He loved the little ones the best because they just looked so cute in their costumes and the proud parents would be hovering nearby.
We have a new routine where we buy some candy “just in case” and order pizza for Halloween. We watch the original “Ghostbusters” and “Practical Magic” and snack. I enjoy it. Last year I had choir rehearsal on Halloween night and we did the pizza thing the day before, but it wasn’t the same. This year, the way is clear for pizza and candy on Halloween night. I may even put a Halloween shirt on the dog.
Do you have trick or treaters? Do your kids do something for Halloween?
I worked for months to prepare for this event, planning everything
in minute detail, such as the placement of my items, what to sell, and my list
of tools and things I needed to be my best for the big three-day show.
Being a hyper independent person, I set up my booth all by
myself, grid wall and all. After about 5 hours, it was ready. I put everything
extra back on my dolly, more than I should have to save a trip, and headed for
my car.
As I moved across the parking garage, eyes on my car, something
fell off my dolly, causing me to trip. I face planted in the parking garage. My
glasses broke and left a C shaped cut around my eye that bled like the victim
in a teenage horror movie. I sat in my car feeling my arms and wrists and felt
no protrusions and held McDonald napkins on my face to stop the bleeding. Then,
after convincing myself I did not have a concussion, and putting on the extra
pair of glasses I always carry, I drove the hour and half home.
The next morning, I put a band-aid on my eye and did my
show. Repeat on Saturday and Sunday, and yes, my arm was a "little sore".
After the show, I tore everything down, moved it to my car
and went home. By Monday, dark bruising showed up. My eye was completely black
and my fingers tingled. I went to Minor emergency on Tuesday, 5 days after the
event and guess what? My elbow is broken.
That’s been a couple of weeks now. My black eye is gone, and
my cut has almost healed. My arm still hurts at night and getting new x-rays on
Tuesday.
I hope all of you started your October on a much brighter note.
Stephanie Suesan Smith writing for Caroline Clemmons
It is fall in Texas and the temperatures are starting to drop enough to go outside during the day. I am eagerly waiting for November. I have a birthday then. More importantly, a book comes out I want to read.
I probably should be writing about something book-related, but honestly, I just really want to talk about Yeti.
He's my new dog.
This good boy was found trying to get into the fire station. One of the guys fostered him for about a month, but this skinny white husky pup needed a forever home. My husband sent me a photo of him without any context. Just a cute 1 year old husky pic. He took the kids to meet him, and the meeting went really well. We picked him up in August and we're almost 2 months into having him.
He's such a lovebug. I really expected a lot of issues since he'd been on the streets for who knows how long. But he just adores the kids and his favorite thing is his 3:00 nap.
I've never been the type of person to allow dogs on my furniture, but well, he's won me over. He's also claimed a blanket as his own. Here he is after gathering it up for himself. It was flat on the couch (for dog hair purposes). He nibbles it, he moves it where he wants it, he burritos himself with it. He's just absolutely adorable. And he's my new couch buddy.
I've started running again, I mean he's a 1 year old husky, so he needs activity. He and I go out every afternoon before dinner, and whoever is home in the morning takes him out then. But he and I have our runs every day, no matter what, and, wow. He's really fast. I don't know as I will ever truly be able to keep up with him, but he's kind enough to slow his pace for me LOL
And he is learning to play. He didn't play before we got him. In fact, we had to teach him to play fetch, and to play with toys. He's getting there. But you know what he does love? His blankie.
So this month, no book post, only the wild Yeti in his natural habitat-a cozy blanket.
I've never been much of a fan of change. I despise DST with the kind of anger I reserve for pedophiles, racists, homophobes, and misogynists--yeah, I know that's extreme--and really wish Facebook would stop insisting everything in my house that I love is passe and obsolete and should be gotten rid of immediately if not sooner. Every time it's mentioned that Boomers are no longer relevant, I want to cry (I'm not only extreme, I can be childish as well), because I think we are relevant indeed. We have knowledge and memories to share, we are funny, we spend money, and we remember when kindness and truth were good things.
Oops, sorry-not-sorry, I didn't even intend to go there.
Where I meant to go is to admit that I'm often wrong about change. Changes of seasons are just the tip of that iceberg.
As in, for years and years, we drank a certain brand of coffee and we loved it. I remember when it came in one-, two-, and three-pound cans. Then, as the cans all grew smaller and the prices grew bigger, they started offering different blends, and we loved some of those, too, only every time we got used to one, they discontinued it, so we changed brands.
It's better, and our chosen blends have been around for a long time. I wonder if it was better all along, or if we were the ones who changed.
My grandkids all print. I think they can write in cursive, but they usually don't. In truth, I don't like it that it's not necessarily taught anymore, but that's because I DO still write in cursive, which means everyone should, right? I haven't yet looked at anyone and known which way they write, so maybe my concern is a non-starter.
I remember when cataract surgery required long hours of lying still. People approached it with dread. Now it's done with lasers. It's fast and painless.
I used to have my oil changed every 2000 miles; now it's every 6000, and both the dash of my car and my phone let me know when it's time.
If I were still working on a typewriter, I'm pretty sure I'd have given up writing books a long time ago or be spending much more than I can afford hiring a typist.
So, yeah, I love...well, no...I accept that change is often good. Sometimes fun. And yes, of course that's my natural hair color--it hasn't changed at all.
Speaking of change, I have a new release of an old book with a great new cover by Nancy Fraser. I hope you'll give The Girls of Tonsil Lake a look!
https://books2read.com/u/bxGQQk
Why? Good question. I did something dumb. I picked up something heavy and felt a ping of pain in my right wrist.
Then I spent a couple of hours doing graphics work, using the mouse constantly, whih put more strain on my wrist.
I packed up my laptop so Darling Hubby and I could go to our house in the country.
Imagine my surprise this morning when I woke up and found my right wrist was a little swollen and about a 20 on a pain scale of 10. After ibuprofen and icing the delicate joint, I wrapped it in an ace bandage which helped a little. So instead of a pretty bracelet today, I'm sporting a good old ace bandage.
There are 3 things to learn from my mistakes.
1. Don't pick up something you know is too heavy!
2. When you feel pain in a joint, be smart and don't overwork it which exacerbates the issue.
3. Carry a microphone in your laptop case so you can dictate and continue writing—just in case you find yourself unable to type.
Wishing you a happy autumn which commenses in a few days. Now I'm going to sit on the porch, enjoy a cup of tea, and watch the clouds roll past.
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