it's that moment

that most people avoid.  There is one cold Coke in the refrigerator and it's raining so the trip to the store to buy more is dreaded and the only thing to do is hold off and try to plan out the perfect moment to pop open that last can.  UGH.  Sure, I could drink water but where's the fun and enjoyment in that?  That's easy: there is none.  I've said it before that most people enjoy coffee in the morning but I don't like coffee.  I have a whole cold 12 pack of Diet Dr. Pepper but it's not the same, people.  Would I ask a coffee drinker to settle for a hot tea?  I don't think so.

Another dilemma: I was opening the Halloween candy and realized I only bought stuff we like.  You know how you're supposed to buy good stuff and bad stuff to hand out all the bad stuff (like Dum Dums, Smarties and SweetTarts) and turn the lights off when that's gone and you're only left with your good stuff (like peanut M&M's, KitKats, Snickers and Reece's).  It's come to that.

It looks like a trip to the store is inevitable.  I don't know why I put myself in these do or die situations.  Oh, the humanity.

In other, more uplifting news, last night was the first of our two night haunted house.  It's so much fun.  I love scaring people and it makes all the hard work worth it when we can make them start to cry.  There were a couple of times I was having to look down and follow the people in a creepy way just because I knew I would start laughing.  I'm at the beginning of the haunted house and there's a girl with a mask about 10 feet away.  I started following a group of three girls and it was perfect.

Me: [following and growling and hissing] Don't go in there...
One of the three girls: Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! [squealing with panic]
Another one: turn on your light so we can see!!!
The third one: NO!  Then she will see us!!!
The masked girl 10 feet down: [growling] But I see you now... ROAR!
Three girls: [SCREAM!!!!]
Masked girl and me: blood curling screams as the three girls run away leaving us with a well deserved double handed high five

That's what I'm talking about.  I heard the exorcism room with Cosme was a hit.  The priest gave him a few things to say in Latin as the girl on the bed screamed and shook while he also threw holy water.  How could that not be awesome?  He won't be there tonight so we have a few hours to find a replacement.

Anyway, here's a picture from last night.  It's me with my "crystal ball".  The only reason you can see me so well is because the masked girl held her phone up for some light.  Before that I was just in front of my glowing crystal ball with a black light up above.

a while back we

heard Maggie scratching at our bedroom window screens.  She ended up tearing a little hole in one.  We figured she was being bad and trying to get in.  Yesterday I heard her doing it so I grabbed my phone to catch it.  (Sorry it's sideways.  Tilt your head... it doesn't last long.)  She wasn't trying to get in but she was actually trying to catch bugs.



So she's not bad, she's just a killer.

Speaking of Maggie, I need to get her a bed.  (By the way, I took these pictures right before I went out to clean up the water hose she attacked.)

Now I'm off to what will be a very long and tiring day.  First I'm headed to finish the haunted house and then it's back at 5:30 for our awesome production.  In case you don't remember, here's the short clip I shared from last year's haunted house.

and for right

now, all is well.  The picture on the left was either the morning I went to the doctor or the day before.  Either way, it was at a really miserable point.  The picture on the right is today, a week and a day after the steroid shot.

And guess what's happening today.  For the first time in two weeks I'm going to wear short sleeves!

We have the haunted house tomorrow and Thursday and I'm so excited.  It seems to be coming along pretty well.  The run-through is tonight.

So like I said, for right now, all is well.  (I do have a dentist appointment on Tuesday and well, we all know how my dentist appointments turn out.  Cleaning = crown.  Cavity = root canal.)  So I'm appreciating well right now.  Let's all just hope, pray and cross our fingers that come Tuesday, all will still be well.

See this?  I don't need anyone else's drama and problems.  I've got my own, thanks.

the poison ivy is on

its way out!  I'm thrilled and relieved.  It's settled.  The next time I get it, I'm going for a shot.  Although, I felt a little weird getting it.  The nurse asked me if I'd ever had a steroid injection.  For a split second I thought that maybe I should get pills.  I felt so Lance Armstrong and wrong.  When she told me to stick around for about 15 minutes to make sure I didn't have a reaction, I took another few seconds to think about the pills.  Bottom line: I was miserable and if a shot would make it go away faster, give me two.  So that was Tuesday and here we are on Friday.  I'm a little itchy but I'm almost to the point of feeling like I might be getting close to wearing short sleeves.  Not today and probably not tomorrow but close.  Put it this way, if I were somebody standing next to me, I'd want me wearing long sleeves.  It isn't pretty.

Speaking of not being pretty, today we start assembling the haunted house at church.  It's grown and is kind of a big deal.  It should be pretty good.  We were planning and drawing out what would go where yesterday and of course, some laughs would come out when we thought of something really good and scary.  I brought up the fact that it's a little messed up how much joy we get from that.  So anyway, I'll go up today and we'll start covering everything and setting up for next week... but first I have to wait for Antonio to come and remove any poison ivy from my yard.

I guess, for now, I could get busy on any of the chores around the house that need to be done or I could continue working on props for the haunted cemetery... even though I'd rather take a nap.  One thing's for sure.  If I don't put a can of Coke in the refrigerator for later, I'll regret it.

it's always something

and now it's poison ivy.  And it sucks.  It showed up a week ago and I went to the doctor yesterday for a shot.  I'm not near as itchy as I was at this time yesterday but I'm still itchy.  But really though, it does look better.

In other news, the trainer came out for Maggie yesterday.  First of all, before the trainer got here, I went out back to pick up the water hose that Maggie finally pulled off its rack and attacked.  I was stuffing pieces of hose into the trash bag when I went to grab the last section from in front of the door.  There was a snake right there.  UGH.  I hate snakes.  When I see a snake, I prefer to scream and run rather than kill it.  Lucky for me though, this snake was dead.  At least I thought it was until its little head raised up and he hissed at me.  So I grabbed Maggie's beloved shovel and killed it.  Since the grass was wet and a shovel's distance between me and the snake was not long enough, I threw the snake in the grass.  (I figured Cosme needed something to do when he got home... if another animal didn't run off with it before then.)  Anyway, I picked up the hose, figuring I'd tell the trainer instead of leaving evidence of Maggie's destruction.  The trainer came and we were using a clicker to work with Maggie. She was doing really well.  Then I noticed the snake back on the porch.  About that time, Maggie picked it up and started walking around with it.  Somehow the trainer got it away from her and it went back into the yard.  Everything went fine and a couple of hours later I wanted to try the clicker approach with her again.  She was a little hyper but went along with it.  And guess what.  That snake was back on the porch.  To top it all off, I forgot to have Cosme get rid of it last night.  Between all the talk of training and doctor visits, it didn't get done.  I'm sure when I go out there to work with Maggie this morning, there will be even less of that snake on the back porch and hopefully no new ones.

On that note, it's about time for me to get out there and start clicking.  Maybe that'll take my mind off the fact that I'm starting to itch.

i really wish

I had a hidden camera in the backyard to catch Maggie.  I heard banging this morning.  It was against the house, near my bedroom window.  I looked out and she was there with her shovel.  Who knows what she was trying to do.  She's goofy like that.  Oh, I'm so excited about tomorrow morning!  It's our meeting with the trainer.  I guess I also need to start planning on getting her fixed.  (Maggie, not the trainer.)  Once that happens, I could start taking her to the dog park in town.

Has anyone heard of any photo walks?  Me neither.  If I had a photo walk to think about and plan on, my mind wouldn't be so focused on this poison ivy I've got going on.  On the plus side, a cool front came through so I'm not as miserable walking around in long sleeves.

So I went to the art gallery with Eric yesterday.  Yeah.  We're still trying to figure that one out.  But, I guess that's the good thing about art... to each his own.  While this is the last day of that exhibit, it looked like they were pulling out pieces for what I assumed to be the next showing.  One of those actually caught my eye.  I'll have to watch out for that one.  But back to the contemporary art inspired by the artist's Indian upbringing and all, not that there's anything wrong with that, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

I guess it's time to get ready for my hair appointment.  I'll leave you with another Lake Jackson photo walk image.

deep breath in

... and release.  Now that's what I'm talking about.

Let's see:
Hand wedding pictures over to Brittany
Deliver food for Jake
Have new dishwasher installed
Pick up heart worm pill for Maggie
Go to art gallery with Eric
Hair appointment
Appointment with the dog trainer

Could it be that I'm almost caught up?  I think so!  Did you catch that last one?  Yeah, a trainer is coming by Friday morning for an evaluation.  I picked up a card from the vet's office because it's gotten to that point.  Honestly, I need the training as much as Maggie.  The rocks I had Antonio put down haven't stopped her from digging.  She moves the rocks out of the way and digs.  (My back porch is now turning into a rock garden.)  Oh, and the water hose she's been terrified of?  She chewed off about four feet of the end.  So I'm hoping the trainer will help me help her.

Looking at my calendar, I also realized the set up for our haunted house begins a week from tomorrow. I guess I need to get busy on some props.  It's not that we need them but I just want to make a few things to add to it.

Unfortunately, I don't have any photo walks penciled in.  Bummer.  Here's one from the Lake Jackson photo walk.

Oh well, now I'm off to get ready for the art gallery.  (He's 19 and in college.  Is it okay to refer to it as a field trip?)

boo! did i

scare you?

Were you starting to think this blog was part of the government shutdown?  Seriously, I hope to be back to regular posting soon.  I'm not just saying that, I sincerely mean it.  I've been trying to finish a few things here and there so my mind won't constantly be focused on what I should be doing instead of sitting here.  Really though, there's been a lot going on.  I think I might need a vacation.  Yeah, yeah... I don't work outside the home.  Why would I need a vacation?  Assuming I don't need a vacation is as bad as assuming I don't have anything to do.  Seriously, JUST because someone doesn't have a job outside the home doesn't mean they need anyone sitting there thinking of things for them to do.  Wow.  I'm 41 years old and finally starting to stand up for myself.  These backbone things are kind of nice.  I  should have looked into one years ago.

I did take two Saturdays in a row and do photo walks.  Have I mentioned that I loved it?  I can't believe  it took me years to finally do it.  (It must have something to do with that whole backbone thing.)  I didn't have a walk this weekend and guess what, I don't see one happening anytime soon.  There needs to be more photo walks.  I would do it on my own but walking around with a group is so much safer than walking around alone with camera gear.  Alone, I'm constantly watching out for what's around me but in a different way.  It's less of a "let's create great art" watch and more of a "let's not get mugged" watch.

For your continued patience during my times of preoccupation, I will share a picture from one of the photo walks.  This was another from Houston, before I was limited to my phone.  By the way, another first, I went up and to a stranger who was sitting on a bench behind the Wortham Theater, just taking a break, and asked if I could take his picture.