Happy Halloween!

One of the things I love about my area is the local custom of having some type of "trick" to get a "treat". The trick is usually some type of corny joke or groaner.

Our condo building has a buzzer system to let people in, so there will be no trick or treaters tonight. Instead of getting a new supply of one-liners from them, I had to search the internet for my own.

Why don't ghosts like rain on Halloween? It dampens their spirits.

I bought 75 percent of shares in a vampire hunting business. I'm the main stakeholder.

What kind of medicine do witches use on their warts? I don't know, but it's not working.

What do you call a lost wolf? A where-wolf

What does a panda ghost eat? Bam-BOO!

What do you call a movie about zombies finding true love? A zom-com.

What’s the best thing to put into a pumpkin pie? Your teeth.

Why do vampires love baseball? They turn into bats every night.

Which position do ghosts play in soccer? Ghoul-keeper.

Five years ago: The Lee Family

Weather See-Saw

The weather here has been a little bonkers. The average high for late October is in the mid-60° F range, and the average low in the mid-40° F, but only two out of the last ten days were average. Today when I rolled out of bed it was almost 70° F, and the high was forecast to be 86° F! 

The above-average numbers are doing a number on my mind and body. 

• The weather swings have impacted my sleeping. My body had gotten used to brisk overnight temperature, and last night wasn't. I was too warm with the sheet on but too cool without it. I tossed and turned so much I woke up with a stiff neck and a sore lower back.

• It's hard to figure out what to wear. Sunday was one of the normal temperature days. When I left the house in the morning I wore jeans, a long sleeved shirt, a denim jacket, and a fluffy scarf around my neck. This morning when I left for a yoga class at the gym I wore shorts, a tee, and sandals. Later in the day I had to dig through my clothes to find things I thought I was finished with for the year.
  

• The days are getting shorter, which means the sun is lower in the sky at this time of year, but my brain associates warm weather with the length of the day. In the morning the sun should have been much higher in the sky as I was driving to the gym. At the end of the day it felt like it was getting dark way too early.
  

• After lunch Hubby Tony and I took a walk through the neighborhood across the street, where we admired some impressive fall foliage. A brisk wind kept things feeling cooler than they actually were, but I tried to stay in the shade as much as possible because in the sun it was hot! I came home sweaty enough to change my clothes.

Tomorrow it's supposed to be in the 80s again before rain comes through and knocks the temperatures back down to normal. I can't wait.

Dramatic Tragedy

On Friday night Hubby Tony and I went to the Hi-Pointe Theater. From now until Halloween they are celebrating with a "Hauntathon".

 I'm not a fan of blood and gore horror movies, but not everything they're showing fits into that category (as evidenced by the marquee sign for the sold-out showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show). Instead, we saw a classic suspense movie-the original version of The Phantom of the Opera.

I thought I knew the plot of Phantom, but my knowledge is based on the Andrew Lloyd Weber musical. It turns out that the title character in the early version was much more malicious. The story revolves around The Phantom (AKA Erik, a disfigured, masked recluse who lives underneath the Paris Opera House), Christine Daaé, (a young opera singer that he mentors from afar, then kidnaps), and Vicomte Raoul de Chagny (Christine's beau). In his lair Erik professes his love but is spurned. He vows to get revenge on both Christine and Raoul.

Every silent movie has a musical accompaniment. I expected some type of traditional organ or piano. Instead, two musicians at the front of the theater played a moody electronic score, which corresponded perfectly with what was playing on the screen and added to the eerie mood. I was caught up in the plot twists and turns. Even though I was pretty sure I knew how things would end it was still bittersweet when the movie was over.

Signage Of The Times

Here's a selection of political items that have recently caught my eye.

Yes it does! Please do it.

Or Indysplendent, Librarytarian, or Greeny?

Yes! And in my opinion the order is important.

Someone repurposed an old Biden sign into an 'H'.

I think it's for Harris, but why not just get a new sign?

A St. Louis-centered sign with the Gateway Arch in the graphic.

STL is a nickname for the city.

Who needs a elephant or donkey?

The Cocktail Party works for me!

(For what it's worth, I tried really hard to showcase both major political parties. In a month of searching, all I could find were standard-issue Trump signs.)

 

Five years ago today: I Could Be A Barking Bison That Grunts

Helpful Or Weird?

Several months ago I often started seeing Google AI (Artificial Intelligence) Overviews at the top of the screen when I did an internet search.

At first I shunned the summaries, preferring to click on the old reliable hyperlinks. However, I'm starting to see the advantages of an artificially generated summary of information from multiple sources.

To see what the AI engine could do I did a search for 'Google AI Overview' (pretty meta, right?). According to the Overview from that search, a generative AI learns patterns and determines which links to include. It's available for some, but not all, searches.

However, not all of the Overview information is correct, and you should do a fact check if the answer doesn't feel right. For example, in my search the Overview said you had to be signed in to your Google account. That was originally true, but changed back in August.

If you use Google for searching you can't turn off the AI Overview feature, but there are a couple of ways to get around it. One is to use the Web tab at the top of the search results just under the search box. Some browsers may not show the Overviews. Depending on your browser, you can install an extension that blocks the feature.

Did you know about the new Google feature? Have you used it? What do you think about it?

Five years ago today: What The Heck Is Cascara?

Creepy, Comical, and Cute

Otherwise known as a collection of Halloween decorations I've seen in the past few weeks.

`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

For some reason this skeleton walking its canine skellys across a lawn made me think of Son Donald, who is tall and takes his two small dogs out for a walk every day.

This tall skeleton knows its pet owner etiquette. See the poop in the bag its holding?

Skeletons also like to dress up and celebrate the holiday.

This collection of Halloween inspired painted rocks is cute. (Sorry about the glare on the top one.)

Someone left their foot in Aisle 3.

I wonder how often this dude sitting at a cash register gets mistaken for an actual store associate?

Five years ago: Special Sink

What A Difference One Letter Makes

Today I volunteered to hand out information at a vendor booth during a domestic violence awareness walk.

Last night the booth organizer and I were emailing back and forth about the details. I asked her for the address. She gave me a location. Google Maps recognized the address, but said it was in a completely different part of town.

I did some internet research on the event and found out that the actual address needed to include an S (as in SOUTH). With that information I was able to find it just fine.

(And when I pointed out the discrepancy to the organizer, she apologized for forgetting that detail.)

Was It Something I Said?

I've subscribed to dozens of blogs, which means that every day quite a few posts show up in my feedreader. I go through all of them, and try to comment on as many as I can. More and more of the blogs I visit have enabled comment moderation, so my thoughts aren't visible until they're approved. It makes sense; I've noticed that I'm getting more spam comments, so I'm sure others are too.

I also like to find out if someone has commented on my comment and so will revisit the post a day or two later. In the past few weeks there are a couple of blogs where nothing from me is showing up! I like to think that I leave constructive comments but maybe I'm wrong. Or maybe Blogger is up to its old tricks again and sending things to Spam folders?

Feline Ferrying

The cat shelter Hubby Tony and I foster through has an active Facebook group for volunteers. Last week the office posted that they needed a couple of Kitty Taxis (which is taking a cat a vet appointment and bringing it back to the shelter). One of the times fit our schedule, and I said that we would be happy to do it.

The taxi was this afternoon. When we arrived at the shelter the Operations Manager brought the carrier up from the building's Isolation room in the basement. The carrier held David, a sweet orange tabby who didn't look happy to be there.

The shelter prioritizes cats with special needs, and our passenger today certainly qualified. He had recently arrived from another location after his front leg had been amputated. Today's visit was the first one with the shelter's partner vet, who would do a physical exam, take out the staples from the surgery, and put in a microchip.

This is our second time ferrying a cat to this vet. Both the front desk and the medical staff are friendly and professional. After an initial consultation in the examination room the technician took David into the treatment area. Fifteen minutes later he was back, and happy to return to his carrier. The trip back to the shelter was uneventful. 

When David gets a clean bill of health he will get to go to a foster house, and (fingers crossed) eventually to a forever home. He deserves it.

Five years ago today: He Done Her Wrong

Serving Supper For A Slew

Last year Hubby Tony and I headed up the kitchen at our church's Sausage Supper. When it was finished the chair asked us if we would consider doing the job again this year with an eye to finding and mentoring someone to take the job over in 2025. We agreed.

There were multiple planning meetings over the summer and early fall, and the event was yesterday. Some things (like the menu) were the same. Some things were quite different. The biggest change was the assistance of a new church employee. He's the head janitor, but also a caterer with years of experience who operates out of the school kitchen. Early on Tony and I met with him and got some great ideas for simplifying the cooking process. Based on our conversation I typed up recipes, and made copies to tape to a shelf over the kitchen countertop.

Last year our kitchen crew prepared the sauerkraut and green beans. A group of volunteers grilled the sausage. The chicken, mashed potatoes, and gravy were outsourced to a restaurant. Over the course of the 2023 event there were some issues keeping the serving trays filled with outsourced dishes, so this year we cooked the mashed potatoes and gravy in house.

There was nothing gourmet or fancy about the food. The sauerkraut and green beans came from a can. The potatoes and gravy started off dried, but each dish was enhanced with extra ingredients. We heard several compliments from diners, and no complaints.

The final numbers won't come in for a couple of weeks, but it will be interesting to see how many people ate. The caterer did all the purchasing, so I don't know how many commercial sized cans and containers we went through, but we cooked more than last year when we used 56 cans of green beans and 27 cans of sauerkraut.

And most interestingly, one of the kitchen workers indicated he might be interested in heading up the kitchen team next year. If he commits, Tony and I will take a step back and act as consultants.

Five years ago: Come See It!

What A Difference A Little Nature Makes

It takes me a while to get going in the morning (ideally, at least an hour at the kitchen table for breakfast/reading the newspaper/checking in on email, social media, and blogs) but after that I find the AM hours are the most productive. After lunch I lose my drive.

Today a fellowship member needed some supplies that I had. She lives an hour west of my house so we arranged to meet halfway. However, when she threw out a meeting time of 3:30 pm I was annoyed; that's right in the middle of my least productive part of the day. However, she really needed the supplies so I agreed.

My route to the meeting location took me west on Interstate 44. Because I'm never out at that time I didn't realize that it was the beginning of rush hour traffic. Another annoyance. Traffic going eastbound was gridlocked for several miles, and decided I would not go home that way.

I gritted my teeth as I navigated around multiple semi trucks and a pickup that was weaving in and out of traffic. The first four miles going west on 44 is lined with development, but all of a sudden you enter the Forest 44 Corridor and there is a dramatic change in the scenery, with rolling hills lined with heavy greenery and no development. That change completely changed my attitude.

Continuing several miles down the highway I passed over the Meramec River, which is straddled by the former city of Times Beach (the site of a major environmental disaster and now a state park). No development here!

In two more miles I was at Eureka and exited the interstate. 

My destination was a strip mall just off the highway. The acquaintance was waiting for me, the supply hand off only took a few minutes, and then it was time to start home.

I had made the decision not to get back on the highway. Fortunately I knew the area well enough to take surface streets-first going north and then east. The trip ended up being just what I needed. The first half consisted of two lane roads that wound up, down, and around the rolling hills. Even though there was very little traffic I didn't feel safe stopping for a photo, it was very similar to this:

Pxhere

After a turn that took me down a subdivision-lined street, the next portion of the drive skirted the perimeter of a state park. Once again there was nature to the right and left of me. I was bummed when the park ended, because the next two turns were onto heavily traveled, four lane roads. Instead of looking at the wonders of nature around me I had to concentrate on the traffic.

Five years ago today: Polite, Pleasant, Personable

Weight Walking

This week I crossed getting a screening mammogram and a bone density scan off my list of things to do. The tests were back-to-back, and the technician told me I would get the results quickly. She was right; before the end of the day the information was in my patient portal.

The mammogram was normal. The bone density showed that my bones needed some improvement. I was sad but not surprised; I'm Caucasian, female, old-ish, with a thin build - all risk factors for osteoporosis. The best way to improve bone strength is with weight bearing exercises. However, when I try to do any type of weights at the gym my left shoulder lets me know that's not a good idea. Time to find a different solution.

I don't know about you, but my mind remembers things and spits them back at random times. Weeks ago I read an article about rucking, which is the act of walking while carrying a weighted backpack. I suspected that would help build bones, and an internet search confirmed my suspicion. I also found out that a good starting point for rucking would be 3-5% of my body weight for either one mile or 20 minutes, whichever is shorter.

I dug around in the coat closet and found a backpack. I dug around in Hubby Tony's pile of hand weights and put an appropriate-sized one in the backpack. Then we went for a walk. The weight on my back was obvious but not particularly pronounced. It was easy to carry, even up the hills.

My friend Google said I should aim to ruck two or three times a week and eventually increase my weight or walking speed. I suppose doing both wouldn't hurt either.

Five years ago today: Flip Flops Lost And Found

Please Do Your Research Before Sharing!

Several Facebook friends have shared this. However, mixing hydrogen peroxide and vinegar can create peracetic acid, which is toxic.

No one takes the time to figure out if things are true or false before the pass them on.

AARGH!

Five years ago today: "I'm Ready For My Closeup, Mr. DeMille"

My Bad

The local district of a fellowship I belong to puts together a page-a-day calendar as a fundraiser.

The orders are placed online. I volunteered to coordinate the order distribution. That means I pick up the calendars at the printer, print out the invoice, and put the orders into an appropriate size bag/mailing envelope/box. The local orders get picked up, and the others are mailed.

Since the beginning of September I have fulfilled dozens of orders with only one problem. It was a doozie.

The errant order was for both shipped and local calendars. When I was packaging them I flip-flopped the numbers, and instead of mailing one I mailed ten! I didn't realized my mistake until the woman who was picking up the local order contacted me to ask why there was only one small package instead of the larger one she was expecting. I was embarrassed, but the woman was considerate about my faux pas.

Ultimately, she took the correct number of calendars from my inventory, and asked her out-of-town friend to refuse the large package so it would come back to me. I put the friend's mailing information on the singleton package and sent it on its way.

Today the postal carrier dropped off the incorrectly mailed package, which looked like it had been through a lot. The plastic envelope had ripped, so the Post Office placed everything in a Damaged Mail plastic bag and used quite a bit of tape to close everything up. When I took the calendars out of the packaging I noticed that a couple had come apart at the top where they were glued together, but I think that can be fixed.

I can guarantee I won't make the same mistake a second time!

Five years ago: Just Me, Myself, And I

Cosmopolitan Caffeine

I don't know who is in charge of coming up with 'days', but it seems like they could coordinate better. Sunday was National Coffee Day. Today is International Coffee Day

The day was very well publicized. My morning cup of coffee hadn't even kicked in when I saw this comic in the newspaper. After finishing the paper I moved over to my email, where Starbucks touted their commitment to "farmers, roasters and baristas who work relentlessly to craft the perfect cup". My next stop was Facebook, where the Nathaniel Reed Bakery invited me to come celebrate the day with them. When I shared the information with Hubby Tony he thought that was a great idea.

We combined our trip to the bakery with some other errands. It was a beautiful day, so after the last stop we left the car and walked the rest of the way. Earlier in the day Tony had wondered out loud what the most popular coffee drink was. I asked my friend Google, who suggested an article called "The Most Popular Coffee Drinks: Comparing Data for Countries Worldwide" on the Coffeeness website. In the interest of international affairs, instead of getting a cup of black coffee we both ordered a cappuccino (which is the most popular coffee drink in 24 countries).

It didn't take long for the associate to have our drinks ready. I enjoyed the perfect combination of espresso and steamed milk with a thick layer of milk form on top, and thanks to the caffeine I was extra energetic on the walk back to the car.