a*list haiku... kinda sorta

"Fly Me To The Moon" with

"Harold And The Purple Crayon" for 

"The 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee", please.

So good to have watched the NASA movie one more time before it takes off.

(smile)

So good to have seen the imagination-rich family movie for the first time.

(smile)

So good to have the musical coming up tonight.

(smile)

got deep?

Yes, I did, thanks, both literally and figuratively, at back to back events this afternoon!

I have looked forward to "A Sunday Soiree" ever since I first spotted it on fb several weeks ago.

Hey, how could I resist when such a fancy word was luring me in?

(smile!)

Plus, this was an offering from DEEP Center, now celebrating its 15th year, and it was time to see what the new generation was writing about.

I have tried to always be there to support their fundraisers and I have always - I mean, ALWAYS - been amazed by the students' works.

Today, there were seventeen young writers who stood up and read, or recited, their writings to the crowd gathered at Victory North.

Nine of those were middle school youths who are part of The Young Author Project, which presented them a challenging approach to creative writing.

What brilliant imaginations they have!

Kudos to Christina Campbell for her award as Middle School Laureate!

I sat next to her glowing grandmother.

(smile!)

The eight high school students were part of that program, too, as well as Block By Block - which combines writing skills with recording histories of the students' communities, streets, and families - and also The SLAM Team.

That last represents the hiphop version of beat poets and consisted of three amazing young women: Eyonn Mitchell, Kay Mitchell, and Bashia McNutt.

Bashia is there in the photo, performing "Wishful Thinking", accompanied by the Savannah Music Festival Jazz Academy.

Absolutely amazing how poised and talented she is!

No wonder they created a new award for her: Block By Block Senior Legacy Award.

Absolutely amazing!

(smile!)

The soiree ended a little early... could I make it to the east end of Victory Drive in time?

Unlike the White Rabbit, I was not late!!!

That's a little inside joke for those familiar with the Lewis Carroll classic, if not with this musical, "Alice In Wonderland, JR.".

This story is about an imaginative girl who fancies herself being a princess or a professor or a... what?

It isn't until she falls deep into a rabbit hole - a situation I am well acquainted with - that she has time to ponder her true identity.

But just which would that be?

The Alice that fell into the hole?

The Alice that grew too tall from a potion?

The Alice that shrank so small after eating a cookie?

Or are all three appropriate for the time and space that they inhabit in that world?

Ah... deep thoughts.

(smile!)

insights from the book of face

The most wonderful moment 

in a woman's life 

is when she realizes she can do 

whatever she wants, 

she doesn't owe anyone 

an explanation, 

and she doesn't need 

anyone's permission.

She's just living.

And it's beautiful.

@BOSSGURLCEO

 

That was on my first niece's page.

Very nice.

I totally relate to that.

Re-enchant your life 

by making the mundane exciting. 

You are not "going to CVS", 

you are visiting the apothecary 

to buy potions. 

You are not "running an errand", 

you are doing a side quest. 

You are not "feeding the birds", 

you are making an alliance 

with the crow queen.

@SketchesbyBoze

 

Quite imaginative for my niece, Hope!

Quite my speed, too.

I've seen fire, 

and I've seen rain. 

I've been through the desert 

on a horse with no name. 

 

I've gone to Kansas City, 

I sang in the sunshine. 

I've been on the road again, 

with Georgia on my mind. 

 

Like a rolling stone, 

I've given peace a chance. 

I've put a camel to bed 

and danced the last dance. 

 

Mr. Tambourine Man 

played a song for me. 

I've whispered words of wisdom, 

let it be. 

 

I've fallen into a burning ring of fire 

and walked the line. 

To all the girls I've loved before, 

you were always on my mind. 

 

I've been everywhere, 

I've been so lonesome I could cry.

I've driven my Chevy to the levee

when the levee was dry.

 

I've been to Itchy Coo Park in a yellow submarine.

I've made the scene in a time machine.

 

I've done the Hokey Pokey and turned myself around.

I've welcomed baby back to the poor side of town.

 

I've followed the tracks of my tears

down a long and winding road.

I've kept on searching

for a heart of gold.

 

I've sought shelter from the storm,

I've sat on the dock of the bay.

I've rocked around the clock

on a sunshiny day.

 

I've knocked on heaven's door, while blowing in the wind.

Joy to the world, those were the days, my friend.

 

Lay lady lay, in crimson and clover.

It's been a hard day's night, the party's over.

-  Audrey James Paris

Nice "reflections of a boomer"

from former sailor Bob Bueling.

So many songs from my youth

that I still love to sing!

(smile!)

flying high with amigas!

What a lovely way 

to spend a Monday!

Barbara and Carolyn met me 

for our unexpected

private screening at AMC

of "The Blue Angels" -

just us with no distractions!

We were able to soar

over Pensacola surf

along with those planes!

So wonderful to see it (again!)

on the silver screen!

(smile!)

Then, it was off to Applebee's

for my birthday dessert -

literally on the house! -

and it was the very first item

delivered to our table!

LOL!

That little waitress must have been new.

Or maybe she was trying to help me

s l o w  d o w n

again.

Possibly that was her goal

as we were there

more than two hours.

Good to have that time together!

(smile!)

thanks for the birthday flowers, mary and pat

Wonder why these particular flowers 

are around the mailbox?

The deer don't like them.

I suggested the reason might be 

the peppery taste of 

the chrysanthemum petals.

 

Right inside the back gate

were these delicate-looking

lace hydrangeas.

I think Grandma 

would have enjoyed

their pastel 

French blue centers.

And here are the ones

that I look forward to

every year:

the oak leaf hydrangeas.

I'm not even sure

if it's the flowers 

or those giant leaves

that attract me more.

Together,

they are quite

the lush couple!

Believe it or not,

this flower was more than

seven inches wide

and two inches deep.

It's called - and rightly so -

a dinner plate dahlia.

This particular one is

5 days old.

These are also dahlias,

just not on such

a grand scale.

The largest had a diameter

of nearly 4 inches.

The reason for this photo?

They struck me as 

misplaced stars,  

still trying to maintain 

the relationship they'd had 

in the night constellation

of their origin.

Here's St. Francis of Assisi,

communing with

the lilies of the field.

Follow the line of sight...

and there he is,

not minding the fact

that these lilies are so diverse

in color, and petal shape,

and height.

All are to be loved.

I took this for Bill, the artist,

now living large

in California.

 

This photo was taken

for Mama.

She had daylilies 

circling every tree

in the front yard

of the home of my youth.

My birthday is always

a day with her.

 

Then there's this shot!

This lily speaks of the

inside joke between

me and my first niece,

from the time she 

"fringed the porch light" 

on for me.

I miss having her

only seven houses away.

 

What next?

I could show the photo

of the gloriosa lily that 

I snapped this trip -

as always -

but I'd rather show off

this leopard-spotted variety.

It was facing the ground,

so I had to get creative

in my stance

to catch this shot.

What an exotic flower

to close this session

in the Prokop garden!

 

Not that I was done

with flowers

just yet.

I made a beeline -

get the pun? -

for Kayak Kafe midtown

after I left Coffee Bluff.

The pita and hummus

wanted to sing me

a happy birthday!

Ah, so good,

down to the last note -

I mean, bite.

(smile!)

tina tuesday... and there was flan!

Seriously!

I was in Pooler,

with mi amiga, 

Barbara,

for a double header

at the Royal

and our luncheon

at Jalapenos -

of shrimp ceviche

for each of us -

included

this delightful

dessert!

(smile!)

I had carefully selected the movie times to allow for a leisurely dine at Slapfish, but it was gone.

That's okay, we still had seafood!

We had two fabulous sports movies, too!

Both were set in the 1950's, though we hadn't realized they had that in common.

The first was "The Long Game", featuring a a group of teenaged, Mexican-American, golfers, in Texas, called the San Felipe Mustangs.

They won the State Championship in 1957, a year before I was born.

I told Barbara I'm going to recommend that one to my brother, Smitty, as he loves golf.

The second movie, "Maidaan", was an Indian film.

Nope, no Bollywood in this one, just futbol - i.e., "soccer" - and lots of it!

The focus was firmly on the football coach, Syed Abdul Rahim, who was under constant attack for using players from all over India, rather than only choosing those from the state of Bengal.

The film begins in 1952, with the Indian team being soundly defeated, 10 -1, in the Asian Games, leading the council to want a new coach.

Instead, he convinces them to allow him full rein to choose the best players from all over India, with him being solely responsible for their losses.

The movie then followed him on his scouting trips, on the training of the players, and on their trips to the Olympics in the intervening years (a feat no other Indian team has managed in the last 62 years).

The film ends with their successful - Gold!!! - entry at the 1962 Asian Games.

Very exciting... but also a bit sad for me.

The coach had lung cancer for several years, and died in 1962.

1962.

That was the year my brother Ronnie was born...

and he died of lung cancer...

and would have been 62 years old in July this year.

I snapped the photo of the sun setting as we were done, with the palm trees lending a tropical flair and reminding me what a special day this has been.

i thank You, God.

not for another 6 months!

Yes, that was the news from my cardiologist today -

he'll see me in six months!

Not in three, or four - 

nosirreebob!

Six months!

(smile!)

I really did try to tell him that the warm weather was the reason my heart beat on time.

Just look at how steady that line of temperatures is that started yesterday!

In the eighties!!!

Oh, I do so love it...

and so does my warm heart.

That calls for a bit of poetry -

no, even better, a haiku!

Even better than that

is a knock knock joke haiku!

Here's just the thing, 

courtesy of Danny Beam!

"Knock knock!!!"

Who's there?

"Hike"

Hike who?

Unsuspecting son,

Dad waiting with bated breath,

Sets the perfect trap.

 

Hahahaha!!! Hahaha!!!

I do so love a good pun!!!

post-Thanksgiving - the weekend

That would be Saturday and Sunday, with yesterday being the former.

Bugs Bunny was on yesterday morn.

(smile!)

I am grateful to have not had anywhere I needed to be this weekend.

The weather has taken a dip into the 40's at night, with the 30's due in a couple of days.

Rather, in a couple of nights.

No, I'm not happy about it, but it could be worse, as I well know.

Meanwhile, I had nowhere calling me out, so I stayed in, going through closets, going through cabinets, filling the recycle bag.

Admittedly, I've been doing that a lot of late.

So what have I unearthed and deemed worthy of keeping?

One item was from my first niece, a Valentine's Day card.

She'd given it to me in 2014, while we were in Daytona Beach, having a holiday, and she had surprised me with the card.

But that wasn't the most special thing about it...

she had written a poem, a poem just for me!

Yes, I'll be holding on to that, as I will this postcard.

Sent from Spain in 2014 by Jill Harboldt, a nurse and one of my former students, it sings praises of my teaching!

She had toured the Basilica De La Sagrada Familia, an unfinished church with a combined style of Gothic and Art Nouveau, unfinished because the architect, Antoni Gaudi, died in 1926, six years into the ambitious project.

She was impressed with how he balanced everything out "not unlike a chemistry equation."

Yes, I'm keeping that, too.

Speaking of combining odd elements - hahaha, a chemistry pun! - I have been doing that with food.

Mary and Smitty sent me home with a container full of turkey and ham, plus a container of desserts and a plate of side dishes.

This Coconut Curry Korma has smoked turkey, green beans, the yellow bell pepper from Asbury Memorial, and an apple, with a toasted tortilla to scoop it up.

That finished off the turkey from them.

I'd already had a sandwich with turkey, ham, and squash casserole (which was surprisingly tasty and moist); pumpkin pie and fried turkey breast for brunch Friday; and turkey pasta soup for breakfast yesterday.

That left just one of the side dishes: the baked sweet potato, which I heated and used as the bed for the turkey frank in the wrap that served as breakfast today.

I really wouldn't mind eating any of those meals again!

And here's something that I've done yet again: watched "That Thing You Do!".

That's my $1 Weekend Movie Night reward this time around.

Get this coincidence: it's the second movie I've seen this weekend that features Tom Hanks and Steve Zahn!

Not a deliberate move on my part!

I had no idea that Zahn was in "You've Got Mail", which I watched on Tubi yesterday morning... and I had forgotten he was in TTYD.

Right place, right time.

(smile!)

poetry in motion!

When I returned home from WNS and got settled, there wasn't much on TV.

I'd caught the last few moments of "The Big Bang Theory" and checked to see if any of my favorites in "The X-Files" were up to bat tonight.

Nope.

I saw that "Jeopardy" had something going on at 8 PM, so I popped it on... and stayed!

That's because one of the categories was "Baseball Haiku".

Say what?!

That sounded delightful!!!

And it was, too!

So, a quick refresher for folks: haiku is a Japanese poem consisting of 5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in the second line, then 5 syllables again in the third line.

Okay!

I missed one of the squares, but I caught part of the next.

 

"Annie's got problems

Nuke is enamored

Crash something I missed" 

[Notice that I maintained the correct number of syllables in the last line!]

 

The correct answer for the described movie was "Bull Durham".

How cool is that?!

I made sure to have my camera ready for the next time a contestant chose that category.

 

"Lupus and Tanner

Skilled not inside the diamond

Buttermaker drinks"

 

Oh, ding, ding, ding!

I know this one!

I watched "The Bad News Bears" fairly recently!

How nice to be reminded of Walter Matthau again!

 

Next puzzle, please!

 

"Ease his pain, it said

A voice that whispered through corn

Doc Graham got to play"

 

Oh, my, oh, my!

That very first line was all it took this time.

Who is not familiar with that quote?

Yes, take me out to "The Field Of Dreams" again!

Let me hear the rustle and smell the corn in the summer air!

 

"Jimmy once a pro

Alas, war calls men away

Nine gals beats no gals"

 

Sweet!

This one was given to me as a Comcast reward!

I may not have watched "A League Of Their Own" nearly

as many times as I've watched "The Sandlot",

but I do treasure it!

 

Now, time to do something else!

Later!

farewell to a songbird

Her voice was a bright beacon,

shining a clear and steady path 

to all the world,

letting all know

to sing out

and have their voice heard. 

I've just returned home from the three-hour

Celebration of Life 

for Joan Maree Graham Hester Byrd

over at Asbury Memorial Church.

I misspoke.

The service itself was only two hours, followed by an hour-plus reception.

I was briefly in Holliday Hall, visiting with Jean and John Hester, my nieces Zaida and Molly, as well as Rev. Billy, who made it through the entire service, gladdened by all the love shown to his mother.

I chose to eat in the garden, Mama's needlework singing to me as I ate.

"The kiss of the sun for pardon,

the song of the birds for mirth,

one is nearer God's heart in a garden

than any place else on Earth."

By the time I was ready for company, I returned in time to bid farewell to my relatives.

Right time, right place.

i thank You, God.

poetry concert!

"You mean, music concert?"

 

I mean poetry concert!

Several composers have set the poems of American poets to music and tonight I was blessed to hear them voiced. I Cantori, the choral group at Skidaway Island UMC presented the pieces, including one that a member had composed... and I knew him!

"Had you known he would be there?"

I had not. Joseph "Joey" Timmons had been one of the Armstrong Masquers at the same time as Jojo Ward. I kept looking at Joey as he sang, immediately picking out his voice from the others. It wasn't until the conductor announced him as the author of the score for the T. S. Elliott poem that I recognized his name and how I knew him.

"Oh, I remember him. Seems you had a little crush on him."

(smile!)

"And what poem had sparked his creative spirit?"

It was "When The Evening Is Spread Out Against The Sky". Just the title of it brings to mind my favorite time of day at Grayson Stadium, with the sky going to purple as the green trees leap up for their last touches toward the top.

"Now, that sounds like the e.e. cummings bit that you so love!"

 

Indeed, I am so fond of it that I even wrote another stanza for it. That particular poem was even one of those featured tonight! However, it wasn't my favorite piece. The melody attached to it wasn't the one that I composed for singing those words. That isn't to say it wasn't a pretty song as they did it... it just wasn't as pretty as mine.

 

"Understood. Were there some compositions that really worked for you?"

 

Well, I very much liked two that were quite familiar. Both were in the second part of the 90-minute program. One was a Shaker hymn, "How Can I Keep From Singing?" and I mouthed the words right along with them. The other was "Will The Circle Be Unbroken", a tune I recall the Carter Family singing on TV, back in the day. And of course I loved the Ogden Nash "Animal Crackers" trio about the panther, the cow, and the firefly - everyone laughed at those, including me! But my absolute favorite was "Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Eve". I would really like to hear that one again. You could almost hear the horse's harness creaking.

 

"Oh, very nice! Robert Frost has so many good poems!"

 

Yes, he certainly does. Mama had a book of his poetry, so I've been reading his works for much of my life.

 

"Wasn't there a Langston Hughes' poem in the mix tonight?"

 

There was a trio, actually, but none I really knew. Sam Johnson probably would have recognized them, but neither Barbara nor I did.

 

"Oh, good, you had company there! Anyone else you know?"

 

Well, surprisingly, Ray Ellis and Randy Canady were there... in the choir!!! That was a bit of shock. I thought I saw them, but they seemed to look a bit different than they do at Asbury, so I thought it might be relatives, right, or limited gene pool at work. But, nope! It was them! At a United Methodist Church!

 

"Wait a minute. They're gay, right? Doesn't the UMC have a problem with homosexuals?"

Yep. That's why Asbury Memorial is no longer affiliated with the UMC. That's why I was surprised to see from the program that it really was Ray and Randy singing with this choir, too, at this church. It seems like a conflict of interest for that married couple.

"Heard."

Anywho, it was also a nice outing with mi amiga. 

Fairly low-key, as it was just us two, but we spent the pre-concert time walking the grounds. 

I even pointed out the Prayer Labyrinth that I'd walked last night!

"Last night? Why were you there then?"

I got the date wrong. 

Oops! 

I got the price wrong, too. 

The Book of Face said nothing about a cost, so I figured it was free. Nope! 

$20. 

I'll send them a check for $17, as I only had 3 bucks on me at the time and they didn't take plastic. 

Barbara paid and didn't even complain about it, so that was good.

"That really was good."

And get this: afterward, when she suggested we get something to eat, I told her I was craving pizza, and I wanted it from Cici's. 

"Had I ever been to Donato's?", she'd asked. 

Of course I had, several times, with her and Carolyn and even Sandy and Kal. 

We went to Cici's and I ordered the pizza I wanted, sans cheese, and she even ordered a special Hawaiian pie. 

It was less than she usually paid at Donato's, too.

So, that worked out well for both of us!

"Very good!!!"

Such a lovely Friday evening for us!

i thank You, God.

combo number 9 (ya gotta sing it!)

"You have to do what?"

Ya have to SING it!!! Sing it loud, sing it proud, sing it like you mean it!

"It sounds like something on a menu at a Mexican restaurant."

And so it is! And this is the day for such things, as it's like the 4th of July for our south of the border neighbor! That's why I made a point of going to El Potro between movies this afternoon.

"And that's what you ordered there."

For sure, for sure. Combination Number 9: two beef tacos in crunchy tortilla shells, rice, and refried beans, with generous amounts of cheese on everything! What the heck - I was going all the way! I just wish I could have had a refreshing margarita to wash it all down.

"Yeah, that wouldn't have been very good for your heart."

Precisely.

"Nice of you to wear your Sand Gnats shirt!"

That's what the waiter said! He really liked it! The ex liked it, too. Speaking of him, he sent me back a photo of him quaffing a margarita! Nice of him to do so!

"So, what were the movies in your double header?"

Here they are! Nice of the marquees to have my A*List trio posed for me like that, isn't it? I noticed while I was walking off my meal and waiting for mi amiga Barbara to join me.

"Oh? Good for you to have company coming. Now, what were the movies?"

The first one, seen at high noon and in Big D, was "Guardians Of The Galaxy: Vol. 3"!!! It was all about Rocket this time, giving his back story. I had been a bit concerned that the Star Lord was going to be killed off - hey, that's what the previews indicated - and so I knew that would be unbearable for me. Thankfully, that was not the case!!! Whew.

"Oh, that is good news! You know you can't trust those previews. Marketing folks string those together and they have shown themselves to be clueless many, many times."

For real.

"So, I'm guessing that you and Barbara saw the George Foreman movie?"

You must be dreaming! She's not going to a sports movie!!! Nah, we saw the one on that third poster. "Love Again" was its name and, as I told her, it was much better than I had expected. Still, the reason I had it on my A*List was because I'm still working through movies I haven't yet seen before I start doubling or tripling up on a single movie. Can you believe we had five new movies this week??? After so many weeks of no change?

"Well, change is good! Especially if it means a larger variety of films."

It's certainly good for me. Barbara's tastes aren't as broad as mine, so she still tends to only see one movie a week at the AMC, but at least her A*List membership is still paying for itself. She had thought about canceling it, but I had her look at the movie prices. All she has to see is two movies a month to make it worthwhile.

"Good for you! Yeah, it really was sticker shock to see what the tickets cost when you bought them for Christina and Miyah a few weeks back."

Yeah, it was. I'm pretty spoiled when it comes to that. I just rattle off my phone number and they give me the ticket, easy peasy.

"Hey, before you gallop off into the ether, what song was it you were referencing?"

Mambo No. 5!!! I even came up with some new lyrics in the form of a poem. You ready?

"Hit me!"

Combo Number Nine, hahaha
A little bit of refried beans in my life
A little bit of chips and salsa as my side
A little bit of taco's all I need
A little bit of Tina's what I see

better'n any ol' woodchuck critter

Posted as my fb cover shot, I'd added these words:

"Even in the pouring rain, this tree is absolutely stunning."

 

To date, it's garnered fifty "likes" and "loves", making it possibly the most popular, non-person, cover image ever for me.

It's had quite a few comments, too, since it was uploaded yesterday.

Here's what folks are saying about this gorgeous work of nature!

Hallie Allgood
Absolutely gorgeous!!! I lost mine to the cold a few years ago.

Faustina Smith
Hallie, that's a shame. Mine is pretty old, but it's a great forecaster of the ending of winter. Better than a groundhog! 🙂

Hallie Allgood
Faustina, mine was only about ten years old but you’re right. You knew spring was coming when it bloomed.

Michelle Davidson
Beautiful!

Andy Peña
I love Dogwood trees.

Faustina Smith
Andy, the city has planted several of those in the park. They're still pretty young, but they do have pretty flowers... and gorgeous red flames in the fall!

Susan Morgan
Means an early spring! Beautiful!!

Lorretta Ruggiero
I think the rain adds a beautiful contrast.

Faustina Smith
Lorretta, I totally agree!

Linda L. Walker
I agree!

Lizz Smith
I LOVE TULIP TREES

Faustina Smith
Me, too! This one has been so full of flowers that I could smell its perfume from the porch!
She's got new leaves at the top now. Better than any groundhog!

Susan Morgan
You bet!

* * *   * * *   * * *

Clearly, Joyce Kilmer had it right in his poem, "Trees".

It's been one of my best-loved poems since I was a little girl.

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

 

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the  earth's sweet flowing breast;

 

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

 

A tree that may in Summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

 

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

 

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.

 

* * *   * * *   * * *

 

The poet died just five years later, in one of the many battles of World War I.

He was only 31 years old.

 

i thank You, God, that this poem remains.

dawn, dawn, DAWN!

Hey, you have to think of Belt when you read that!

Wait, you don't know him???

The cute over-garment addition of Guy?

Oh, wow, you don't know him, either???

Clearly, you need more of "The Croods" in your life!

Come to think of it, I could use a bit of that caveman clan in my life, too!

(smile!)

 

That's all right,

that's okay,

I've got Dawn

to light my day!

 

It's taken months to set up this luncheon, but here we are at "our" haunt, The King & I!

Trust me, she posed for this photo - she did!

It appealed to the lighter side of her great sense of humor!

(smile!)

 

I had tofu pad thai, with leftovers enough to share with dinner.

No need to call for it - "dinner! dinner!"

Hahahaha!

I had hoped she'd be joining me for the Ralph Fiennes' film -

try saying that three times, very fast, with his pronunciation of his name!!! -

but, she had places to go.

Next time, we'll do a movie first!

(smile!)

in need of aa and aaa

That's ghoul-speak for a need for a bit of vacation.

Hahahaha! Hahaha!

Poor lil' scary things, they've been locked up in storage since 2019.

October 22nd will mark the first time that Dawn and Chris have had their glorious, grandiose, gargantuan, ginormous, gourd gala, aka BYOP (Bring Your Own Pumpkin) party, since before the onset of the pandemic.

That means this favorite trio of zombies hasn't had brains for... well... for three years.

They're famished!!!

And the Iannocone-Kosmachs are overwhelmed at the prospect of getting the house and roof and porch and yard ready.

Did I say "are"?

I meant to make that "were", as in "they were overwhelmed at the..."

You see, Dawn (that's her, standing) managed to convince her hubby to allow others to help.

As in, for the first time ever.

They've been hosting this BYOP for their family and friends and neighbors for 14 years... and the Koz has always wanted to put everything outside - be it on the porches, on the roof, in the trees, in the garage, around the front and back yard - in place with his own two hands.

Dawn was always in charge of all inside the house.

And, like I said, they set it all up, in years past, by themselves.

 

But they're three years out of practice.

So, Dawn sent out the request to her friends: "Anyone want to come help us on Saturday?"

"You betcha!" I said!

And so did others: Gina, Debra, my outlaw Bunny (all in the above photo), and Susan.

We were all there at the appointed noon start time.

Allison came a bit later, with her two kids, and were set to work assembling "scarecrows", with a package of M&Ms for the body, a peanut butter cup head, and long packages of Sweet Tarts for arms and legs - and they stayed until they got them all done!

 

Madison and Anna Kate came by about that same time and the two high school seniors were put to work with me!

And just what grisly work were we doing?

We were jump starting the hearts of ghouls and bats and witches and mummies, complete with giving them a couple of good shakes and even a thump or two to make sure they were working!

The girls worked on the three small bins of Dawn's creatures of the night, while I had the two huge bins full of Chris' goblins and beasties.

And guess what?

We inserted AA and AAA batteries into each and every one of them, opening up their screwed-down chambers and flipping their switches to get the juice flowing through their bodies or skulls or whatever they might have.

And we kept at it, too, until every creepy crawly had cylinders of life and were ready to scare some unsuspecting soul...

 

... much like these creepy crawlies crouching in the garden!

BWAH HA HA!!!

(smile!)

Yep, Chris had been busy with John out in the yard, setting up some of his favorites from years past...

and he was even smiling!

Halloween is his favorite holiday of all time and it did his heart good to start getting surrounded by some of his scary pets!

I was so glad to see him brightened up!

It's been a rough three years.

But now...

well...

(get ready to sing like Perry Como and Bing Crosby!)

now...

it's beginning to look a lot like Hal-low-een,

everywhere you look,

there's a pirate upchucking stew

and another using the loo

and a couple more just doing what pirates do!

Hahahaha!

The Koz had just started on this when I arrived.

Almost five hours later, it was up and running (including the waterworks), and so was the pirate at the table that couldn't hold his liquor...

it just ran right through him!

Hahahaha!

His buddy John was out there, too, and got a kick out of that!

In that same time span, Dawn had bins and bowls and boxes full and ready for the party, thanks to the many hands inside helping her out. 

I was telling her that with the thirteen people there, they had achieved between forty and fifty man-hours of work.

Pretty good for a Saturday afternoon!

I can't wait for the party!!!

(smile!)