Itâs hard not to get pulled into the fun that is Halloween. People spend a lot of money on Halloween costumes. Not this cheapskate. This costume cost me $2.00 because I had most of it. I bought batteries for the raven on my shoulder. Only used 2 out of the pack. And the âcaution:hauntedâ tape around my body and hat.
My lawn-mowing hat.An old work shirt. Love it. It has been around. As you can see from this picture, even the hanger has been saved from the junk pile. đA young lady asked me, âdid a bird use the bathroom on you?â âYes, it did.â I guess my attempt at replicating bird poo worked. Tried to paint weeds that are in full bloom right now on our roadsides. A young man asked me if this leaf was real? âYes. I picked it up out of my yard.â âWOW!â He replied. âYou grow big leaves.âHead and ankle bands.
I wore this to our âBoo on Mainâ Saturday. Boy howdy did I get the looks. I scared on little boy. He started crying. đ˘ Another boy about 10, asked if he could take his picture with me. And a little fellow about 4 wanted a hug. 𼰠And I was asked if the corn for the corncob pipe was real? Yes, we ate it for dinner. đ˝ It was delicious too.
âNo, weâs not. Weâs chosen to be uneducated, unpolished, poor white trash. I donât care how country you are or how poor you are. You can use home spun English and still sound like you have sense. You can be poor as dirt and be clean and not smell like a sweaty beer soaked dishrag, with a hint of pot and then try to cover it up with gas station cologne.â She held her nose up sniffing the air like a chef sniffing the aroma of the main course. âAnd most of all you can be poor and have some manners.â
Oat puffed out his chest, âone, you donât jaw to my Pussy like dat. Two, ainât you just all high and mighy.â
Esther smiled a great big smile, âyou ainât seen jawinâ yet.â
If Oscar could have dried up and blown away, he would have.
âWe gonna let ya eat.â They all filed out of the house. Pussy in the lead with Oat bringing up the rear. He stopped at the door, âyou go fur it bro. Like I says, you needs a good fuckinâ.â He winked as he walked away. âThe way I sees it, you two; two peas in a pod.â He called out from the sidewalk.
Esther closed the door behind them.
Oscar had slid down the door frame to a squatting position in the floor. He felt like he was about to throw up.
âI am so sorry.â She heard Oscar whisper from the floor. âGod, forgive me. I am so sorry.â
She got down in the floor with him. âYou can control your brother as much as I can control the weather. And we both know I canât do that.â
âIâve never been so embarrassed in my life. Please forgive me.â
She lowered her voice to the softest whisper she could, âOscar.â
His heart stopped. Was this voice from his dream. His stomach cramped. He jolted past her out of the room.
Oh well, she thought. Before she left, she cleaned up the kitchen the best she could. As she was putting her coat on, Oscar walked into the room. âYou donât have to go.â
She smiled, âthank you for a wonderful evening.â
âYouâre too kind.â He forced a smiled, âthe evening of insults.â
âI will return your socks after I wash them.â
âWhere are you going?â
She was a little shocked and her first reaction to any situation reared its head; anger. âI beg your pardon.â
âWe didnât clean the house or unload the truck.â He sounded almost panicked.
âHotel,â she headed toward the door.
âPlease,â she stopped and turned around slightly annoyed. âI have a guest room. Stay here. Itâs the least I can do.â
All kinds of sick axe murdering thoughts rolled through her mind. âYouâre very kind. You donât really know me nor do I know you.â
âTrue. But we are both mature adults. I can never apologize for what just happened.â He put his hand over his heart. âPlus, we donât have a hotel in this town. The closest one is half an hour away.â
Esther laughed, ânone?â She thought about that for a moment, she was way much too weary to drive another half an hour.
Oscar gave a half smile, ânot even a B&B.â
âAirBnB, VRBO?â
He thought for a moment. âI wouldnât know.â
âOkay,â he helped her out of her coat. âBut Iâm goinâ to warn you,â She raised herself on her tip toes. Her eyes sparkled and dance with playfulness. âI can protect myself, Mr. Patterson. Youâre bigger than a mouse.â
30 minutes , 3 times a week. Icky. ~ Sweat, Sticky and stinky. ~ Move more. Really? ~ My body is tired. Honestly. ~ Moving will give you energy. Iffy. ~ Call me lazy. Probably. ~ Walk my dog. Absolutely. ~ Walk when I can at work. Definitely. ~ Push mow my yard in the summer. Exhaustedly. ~ Move more. Voluntarily. ~ Exercise? Forcibly. ~ Do it with the upmost joy? Doubtfully.
I find journaling laborious. Thereâs no fun in it. Yes, it sucks! With that being said, writing stuff down is the best way to keep track of it. A budget. A gratitude journal. A prayer journal. The notes on my phone is a rockstar. Especially since I discovered you can make it read to you.
This isnât my first rodeo with MyFitnessPal. A free app where you can log your daily calorie intake. This app will let you do a whole lot more. But Iâm sticking to the free version. See my series called âWaste not. Want notâ. I entered Ollieâs biggest cheapskate contest. But if theyâve ever named a winner, well it wasnât me.
As with all problems in my life, the solution is me. My relationship with food is, I see it. I like it. It tastes good. I want it all. I donât want that good feeling good food creates to end. Buying individual serving sizes is a waste of money. But I know me. If I have a 10 oz bag, Iâm eating a 10 oz bag.
I have set goals in the past. I have used this app in the past. But as I get older, I know things are going to become more difficult.
Iâve adopted a now or never attitude. And this birthday is going to be a big birthday for me. No. I donât expect my muse to fall out of the sky and land in my lap. đ But what if this happened. đ Letâs just call it like it is, my crush. đ¤ Muse feels more grown up, more artistic. Crush feels like Iâm back in high school with adolescent hormones raging.
Back to journaling. A friend of mine was encouraged to journal by her therapist. We discussed ways to get her interested. Okay, so with the 999 ways to journal, maybe I donât dislike journaling after all.
It takes time. I have to guess at portion sizes sometimes. And I take breaks from doing a food log on the weekends. This isnât a licensed to eat all the food. Itâs a break mentally from the never ending food log.
I bogged myself down the last time I tried with âIâm going to be doing this the rest of my lifeâ. If my best friend is a good example, no Iâm not. She has gotten to where sheâs content with her weight. Eats pretty much what she wants. And doesnât worry about it much. Thatâs where I want to be.
There is a concept among some Christianâs that we have no business in space. That we need to remain on Earth. Doing works on Earth. Spreading Christianity on Earth. That the desire of humanity to venture into space is a waste of energy, resources, and time. Resources better spent doing other things.
According to a Gallup poll updated in 2022, 81% of Americans polled believe in God. 21% said God exists but they have doubts. 7% are convinced that God doesnât exist. According to the same poll (during the 1950âs & 60âs) 98% of Americans believed God existed.
I went through a time in my life where I was mad at God. Yes, I hated him. I called him names. Ignored him. Had no use for him. I blamed God for humanities mistakes. I judged God through what I saw in humanity. Then I like to think, I grew up.
Many people believe that God has abandoned us. Heâs a deadbeat dad. A shyster, a low life. Then there are others who treat God like a genie in a bottle. They just need to ârub him the right way.â
So, where is God? When you feel down, out, spent, on your last leg, drawing your last breath; where is God? Has he abandoned you to live on the international space station? Does he live at your neighbors house but wouldnât dare cross the fence? Does he live in church but just one church? Does he live on Mars? Is he the man in the moon?
Where is he? Who among us hasnât screamed this question at him? I have many times.
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
Most likely, Iâll never get to go to the farthest reaches of anything. Other than my imagination. And guess what? God is there because he lives in me. I take him with me every where I go.
Sometimes, this isnât a comfort. When we are worried about our job, health, a loved one. God living inside me seems lack luster. When you need a physical hug. Someone to say, âgood jobâ or âevery-things okayâ.
Would I like to go to the moon? Heck yeah. How much would I pay? At this stage in my life? Nothing. Saving for my future here on Earth. If I was offered a free trip, Iâm on it. Taking God with me.
I lost the link the website for the Gallup poll. I will post it later when I find it again.
Are you familiar with the saying, âone manâs junk is another manâs treasureâ? Most of the stuff I get rid of is ready for the trash. Hereâs an example of why.
I donât even remember when or where or how long Iâve had these bowls I call dishpans. One of them got a crack. Iâm sure from time and usage. I bought a can of the product above to work on my gutters. Dude in the commercial repairs a boat with this stuff. đ¤ It could work on my dish pan?I let it dry for about a week. It worked. đ The water in the pan was moving when I took this picture. I thought it was cool. I wish the Flex Shot would have worked that well on my gutters.đ˘
Little man spun around and started screaming. âPussy! Pussy! Come hur. You gotta see dis! Pussy!â The sound of his voice caused Esther to shutter. A movement that Oscar noticed. Before long this scrawny looking woman came into the living room holding a baby with three smaller children trailing behind her. They looked like stair steps, her being the tallest.
âBro, whur your manners? Iâm Otis, Oscarâs my big brother. Ery-body call me Oat. This hur angel is my wife Pussy and our brude; Austin,â he pointed at the baby. Next in line was, âLarry, Teddy, and Tim.â
Esther clasped her hands together as she stepped into the living room. âIâm city trash.â She spoke with a southern accent so fake it dripped with honey. And continued, âand I half expected your youngins to be named Larry, Daryl and Daryl.â
âOh, she be funny bro.â
Oscar was about to die. He never looked up from the floor.
âWell I see ya got well mighty fast. Earlier you couldnât get out the bed.â
âSon of a bitchâ, Oscar didnât like to curse even in his thoughts. He could feel a panic attack coming on. He started to sweat and shiver at the same time. He didnât want Esther to see him like this. She would think he was pathetic. Heck he felt and thought he was pathetic.
Oat just started laughing. âWe goinâ down to Hardeeâs fur dinner.â
The two oldest boys started chanting as they shuck their fists in the air with joy, âHardeeâs, Hardeeâs, Hardeeâs.â
âChecks come in?â Oscar said it before he could stop himself. That wasnât very nice. But his brother brought out the worst in him.
âYa could pitch in and give some green for maâs dinner. Hardeeâs ainât cheap.â Oat sputtered. âI got 5 mouths to feed.â
Oscar just glared at Oat.
Esther suggested, âhow about we send her a bowl of soup and some corn bread?â
Oscar liked that idea much better than shelling out money but he couldnât move. All he could really do was glare at Oat. Knowing his mother, she would eat the soup all the while bemoaning that no one cared enough about her to buy her a cheeseburger. It was a lose lose for him.
âShouldâah known country not good ânough fur you.â Pussy rolled her lips.
Esther laughed, âoh honey, you donât have a clue what youâre talkinâ about?â
This time when Bo opened her eyes, it was the sheriff. When he realized she was awake, he pointed, âthis is Mini from the diner. Sheâs studying to be a physical therapist. We are going to get you up.â
Gently, Mini moved Boâs feet toward the floor. The sheriff put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her up. She screamed from the pain. Chad swung the door open. âGood, you might need to help.â The sheriff calmly spoke. âLittle lady, walk to the door and we will leave you alone for today.â
Every move she made invoked a scream. Mini was on one side, the sheriff on the other and Chad was in front of her. Each step shot needles from the bottom of her feet, up her legs. Each step brought a scream from her lungs and tears to her eyes. Chad locked eyes with her. His black eye wasnât shining quite as brightly. But his eyes had filled with moisture listening to her screams.
She collapsed at the door. He caught her carting her to bed. â5 more minutes NuNu,â she hissed.
âHowâd she know that?â The sheriff asked.
Bo focused on the yellow ring under Chadâs eye. Her arm burnt as she tried to raise it. I.vâs had been attached to her. âYouâve been out for days now.â He held up a tablet, âIâve been learning about you. 5 MINUTE PLAN is the title of a poem youâve written where you just want 5 more minutes of sleep.â He paused. She just blinked. âYour blog wasnât hard to find.â He laid the tablet on his lap, âhow did you know my sister used to call me NuNu?â
With great effort she squeaked out, âI didnât.â
âHow do you know that song you keep humming?â
Bo whispered, âwhat song?â
As she closed her eyes, Chad screamed âdonât pass out on me again!â But she was gone.
Voices filled her head, âsheâs been speaking Spanish, French, and Russian according to the internet.â That voice was the sheriff
âThis bullshit all started with a visit to the cemetery.â That was Chad.
âShe wasnât like this when you first met her?â That was Dan.
Chad sighed, âno.â
âHow do we fix this?â The sheriff spoke, maybe.
She heard the door open or close? The voices were too muffled to hear what was being said. Was she trying to get up? She needed to hear what was being said. A desperate pull was urging her out of bed. She thought she saw her hand wrap around the i.v. pole. It struggled against her as the carpet grabbed at its wheels. She kept telling herself she had to hear. Had to know what was being said. This force that was pulling her to the door felt like it was outside of her. Invisible yet strong. Pushing her to the door. A glance at her feet set off alarm bells inside her mind. Her toes were curled inward; to her eyes, her feet were blue. Swollen ankles protruded from under the hospital gown someone had dressed her in. âMust hear!â Raced over and over in her mind.
Her hand was shaking wildly as it reached for the knob; it was absent of her presents. The door knob was blurry. She wasnât sure it existed. âOpen it!â Her mind screamed.
The knob wiggled with her finger tips only centimeters from it. Light poured through the crack blinding her.
Chad was standing; with a bewildered look on his face, in the bright glow of the door. He caught her as she fell.
Bo was dreaming?
Chad, the sheriff and Dan were standing by the gravestone. The sheriff started digging in top of the grave. A perfect ditch. âNormally, I donât condone the destruction of graves.â He wiped his brow, âIâll make an exception in this case.â
All three men pushed the stone in the ditch.
Dan started beating it with a sledgehammer. Screaming and sobbing as he pounded away at the stone. Chad too was crying. His tears paled in comparison to the heartbreak Dan was pouring out.
Bo felt herself scream. She felt the fall. The pounding on the gravestone. As if it was happening to her body. Each thrust felt like a bone breaking; blood vessels busting. Her skin burnt. As they covered the rubble with dirt, she couldnât breathe. The weight of all that soil was crushing her chest. She wanted to scream but couldnât.
Something was happening to her. A smile danced across her lips. Wet, a little coarse, what was rubbing against her cheek? Warm puffs. As she pulled her hand to her face, it touched something soft and furry. âYouâre soft.â She muttered opening her eyes. A bone shaped tag danced before her, âVan Helsing?â A giggle tried to escape her raw throat, âChico isnât short for Van Helsing.â
Chad laced his fingers through hers, âhi. His name is Van when the sheriff calls for him. But for whatever reason he will only answer to Chico for me.â
Recently, I had the opportunity to teach a craft class. The person that was suppose to teach couldnât and I was the pinch hitter. Needless to say, this brought out the nerves. I canât do this.I purchased 2 glass goblets at the Dollar Tree to practice. The parameters of the class: the students would have 55 minutes to paint their glass. GREAT! If you would like to try this craft at home, you will need: at least 2 regular craft paint brushes, 1 large craft paint brush, some water in a cup/glass to clean your brushes. A plate or palette to put your paint on. (I just paint right out of the bottles.) 1 glass goblet, paint to match which ever project you choose, and some paper towels to dry your brushes with and if you would like to stay with the 55 minutes, a hair dryer. The class was small, which was great. We kept blowing fuses with our hairdryers. The ladies did a fantastic job.