Curiouser and Curiouser...

I’ve been watching this one house out by Where-I-Work, following the gradual evolution of its Halloween display. The decorating is of the sort I most enjoy - a visual display that demonstrates creativity and effort, with an output that someone has clearly put thought into ... and had a lot of fun doing.

First came two tall figures, skeletally thin with ravaged faces (courtesy of some deftly painted mannequin heads.) No sheets here, either - these spirts are properly attired, draped in wispy, tattered white clothing and straggly white wigs. A ghoul that looks like a risen “Johnny Depp as Willie Wonka” strides across the back of the yard. In front of him, Miss Haversham curls over in distress, keening into the wind that whips spirals of her decaying wedding dress around her.

Day at a time, the scene grows:

        Faceless villagers begin to populate the ground…

        Spiderwebs appear in the corners…

        Green eyes glow from the branches of the tree…

        Tombstones pop up like mushrooms…

It is the most wonderfully evocative “creepy but not outright frightening” bit of Halloween decorating that I think I’ve ever seen - not to mention superb theater, the way the scene unfolds piece at a time. I've been thoroughly enjoying the show whenever I go past.

In today's driveby, I noticed that the latest evolution of the scene was up and consisted of…

        two battered old plastic rocking horses…?!?

Not the actual horses-
these come from Ponyhenge,
but you get the idea...

They’re definitely part of the mise en scène (no sane parent would let their child bounce on a hill that steep so close to the road) but I'm a bit uncertain as to what part they are meant to play.

I guess I’ll swing by in a couple of days and see if they’ve doubled in number... in which case, I’ll know I've witnessed the Four HobbyHorsemen of the Apocalypse!

Experiencing: Second Waves

Unsurprisingly, the first of my second waves has to do with covid-19. Like many places around the world, Where I Live is experiencing an uptick. So the powers that be have decided that everyone is going to work remotely for a while, which, for the most part, means that "people should stay home." Not IT, however. We are still required to make the drive in to the office, where we sequester in separate rooms... to work remotely, offering support to the struggling folk who got to stay home.  

I dunno. Maybe I'm just cranky because my commute is 45 minutes each way and I like to sleep, but to me, that just feels like a whole lotta time (and gas) wasted for working remotely. However, nobody asked me and I’m still earning a paycheck, so I’ll shut up now.

Covid is not the only second wave going on around however, because holy moly, have the trees been colorful again the past few days! I was not fibbing when I said that we had one short, early burst that turned up its toes almost immediately. From how the trees looked, I honestly thought this was going to be one of those years where all the leaves just get ugly and die, no faffing about with any of this last hurrah nonsense - but in another 2020 “gotcha!”, after two full weeks of dull and uninspiring foliage, the late-turning trees have gone spectacular again. Usually, the window for color is fairly compact but this year’s display was so excessively stretched out that it actually divided itself in two distinct rounds. I’m happy to see it, mind you, but of all the short seasons, long seasons, dud seasons, and spectacular seasons of foliage I’ve ever seen, this is the very first double-barreled season that I can recall.

(Altho’ it IS a double-barreled year, isn’t it? Hmmm… “2020 - Expect the Unexpected”)

Finally, I went to the neighborhood farm stand to buy my pumpkin today. No pumpkin (there’s a shortage, if you can believe it) {Srsly, universe?} but… 3 weeks after telling me that corn was finished for the season, there were 2 bushel baskets of fresh ears! Apparently, they discovered one lone tiny patch of late bloomers - so you’d better believe I snapped some up! The husks were looking a bit rough around the edges but I can assure you that the insides taste Just Fine. I'm thoroughly enjoying this little second wave of corn on the cob.

Oh - and there’s also another second wave to come…

      because somebody is buying me another Bad Dragon!

I’m going with the design that I heard described as “vaginally ergonomic” - which I find both amusing and titillating. It will be a while yet - they’re on limited production at the moment - but I’ll keep you posted!

Meanwhile, to help you get in a properly spooky Halloween mood...

Deductions in Space

I came across this right on the heels of a lazy rainy day binge-watching Star Trek movies. 

Clearly, the universe wanted me to make this my next Spock Sunday feature. 

(Plus, it just plain makes me giggle.)

What can I say?

Variations in Space

Just a little something for our northern neighbors...

oh, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Fall Fell

Driving to the farmers market last weekend, I realized that the trees had not only started to change early but that they were actually producing a very pretty display this year. I’m not sure how this happened in the midst of a drought… or even how something so lovely could possibly occur in 2020…, but there you have it. There was inarguably stunning foliage.

It didn’t take long for the 2020 Effect to make itself known, however… within 3 days, the pretty was gone: the leaves had dropped, turned brown, and were just messing up yards. (Red and yellow on your lawn is glorious - brown is not.) Fall had been early, fast, and short.

Which particularly sucks because I still haven’t reached the point where I’m prepared for it to be fall. I know a lot of people are grateful that a long, hot summer is over and that the crisp air of autumn is here - and I suppose that, to some degree, I am too. But the problem is that I have been so face down in work for so long that I’m out of sync with the calendar. I’m raking fall leaves in jeans and sweatshirt but my brain is still expecting shorts and sleeveless shirts and wondering when I can sneak off to the beach. I need more transition time, people!!!

Still, it’s nice to feel like there’s at least a little bit of positive change in the wind. I’m not such an optimist that I think everything’s going to be okay once 2021 comes - we’re kinda too far down the toilet for that. But I am willing to believe that we may soon be able to reverse direction and start the long upward haul up out of the plumbing. (God willing and the crick don’t rise…)

The universe is doing its best to encourage this sense of cautious optimism, as well. I have two friends whose cancer has gone into remission, our family is expecting the first of a new generation soon, and my sex life has undergone an unexpected revival. (List in order of importance but not necessarily of impact. ;-D) 

Now if it will just provide some rain… and maybe some attitude adjustment at work, I might even be able to bumble along in a reasonably content manner!

Just Because I Like It

Once again, nothing really fit my mood, but this makes me laugh...

         and laughter is ALWAYS good for what ails you, right? :-D