Author: Ellen Seaton

Ellen Seaton grew up in Memphis, Tennessee during the ’60s and ’70s until she graduated from college, jumped into her car and hit the road. Just like Davy Crockett so many years earlier, she told her friends and family that they could all go to hell, but she was going to Texas. It was a smart move. read more
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Pandemic Road: The Good, Bad, and Everything in Between

RoadBroads is Back! I took a brief hiatus to take care of some administrative details for this blog, but you no longer need to despair. I am back and ready to go again on this crazy pandemic road.

How about some good news.……I won First Place in the Authorology Anthology Contest!!! The anthology is called Journey Into The Fantastical. My short story is called Willow and the Cat. You can find it on Amazon and order either a print copy or eBook…or both. Many thanks to both Authorology and Inklings Publishing for making this contest happen. I get a medal and everything. Well, I don’t exactly have the medal yet. In these pandemic days those things are delivered in the mail. I must be patient. I will post a picture here as soon as it arrives! Also, let me know what you think of the story. Willow is a favorite character of mine. I hope to publish more stories about her many escapades as a Grim Reaper!

I have to admit that when we started with all of the shutting down a year ago, I was totally bummed. I was scheduled for an art opening where I had a piece of collage art scheduled for exhibit. Also, I wrote an essay that was scheduled for a museum exhibit opening. Everything went virtual which was nice, but I was disappointed just the same. It is really nice to have a good reason to celebrate even if the launch party took place on zoom.

So, you may wonder, other than getting stories out into the public, how is life on the Pandemic Road going? As good as it can. I am fully vaccinated and had very few side effects. I am still not going out to restaurants or movie theaters, but I have new ways of making life work while I wait on herd immunity. Case in point? Porch Cuts. Or in my case it is actually a “garage cut”. I have been a client of Carol Cooley for years when the pandemic happened and I could no longer go to see her in a trendy Montrose salon. Now she has rearranged her business so that she can take her skills to her clients. Hair is done outside either on a porch or in a garage with lots of ventilation. Everyone wears masks and stays safe. Doesn’t this look like fun? It is. My hairstyle has changed over the past year. I no longer have bangs. Many thanks to Carol for keeping my tresses trimmed and healthy!

Finally I have one sad note. The River Oaks Theatre is now closed. I won’t get into the whys or the reasons. Suffice it to say that I consider this to be an abomination. This movie theatre has been around since the 1930s. I have been going to movies there since I moved to this fair city in 1978. You may remember me posting blogs about going to the movies in the afternoon after I retired from my government job. Many happy hours were spent there. I am greatly saddened by this loss to Houston culture. I can only imagine that in the near future I will be buying the book that will tell the history of this wonderful art deco establishment with many pictures to remind me of the good times I had there.

My but it does feel good to blog again! Please join me as I travel down the next road.

Until later.….

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Pandemic Road: The Road Gets Bumpier!

My, My! What a strange couple of weeks it’s been! The pandemic continues and then we had  SNOWPOCALYPSE 2021!!!

Life kept moving along rather routinely for the new pandemic normal. Valentine’s Day 2021 was approaching. My Beloved and I were planning for a small and sweet celebration. Instead of going out to a crowded restaurant like we usually did, we determined which restaurant we would select for our takeout order. Of course we chose Govinda’s. Our now favorite vegetarian restaurant. On weekends and holidays their menu is vegan. What fun!!! This was our plan and a darn fine one it was. A romantic dinner, just the two of us, outside under the glow of a string of red heart lights.

Then as the time grew nearer we heard about the upcoming “cold snap” that was being forecast. The closer Valentine’s Day got, the warnings became more dire and specific. Sunday afternoon, evening and overnight all of Southeast Texas was to expect frozen rain, sleet, snow, and whatever else falls in the northern states during this time of year. Houston has received these types of forecasts before. Sometimes we got the wintry mix weather and sometimes not. I braced for 24 to 48 hours of cold weather.

Our romantic dinner turned into a romantic late lunch. Food was obtained from a very festively decorated Govinda’s. The balcony was decorated, but the meal was moved inside. It was very nice, but all festivities were over by 4:00 p.m.

That was when life began to get weird.….or at least weirder than before and that’s saying a lot during a global pandemic.

As afternoon moved into evening and into night, I listened to the freezing precipitation hitting the window. I was glad I was inside my warm home and didn’t have to worry about going anywhere on Monday. Then around 2:00 a.m. the lights went out.…everywhere. For the next 20 hours I huddled under blankets wearing several layers of clothes, socks, whatever I could find. Then after 20 hours, the nice electric utility put me on a rotation where I had electricity for 4 — 5 hours and then I didn’t have electricity for 4 — 5 hours. Rolling blackouts they called them.

In order to keep the tone of this blog on a positive note, I won’t go into the details of the electric emergency that ensued all around. Unless you are living under a rock, you either lived through it yourself or heard all about it on the news.

After several days, my electricity was back on for good, but then Houston went under a “boil water notice”. That was fun. At least I had electricity with which to boil the water. Many folks did not have this luxury. On February 21st, I once again had both water and electricity. While many people are still dealing with broken pipes and such, I am fortunate to once again stay in my nice comfortable home with clean running water.

A week later the city has warmed back up again. One week the temperature outside was 14 degrees. Seven days later and the temps are back in the 70s. Ice has all melted and I have resumed walking outside for exercise. But not before taking a tumble on the sidewalk and bruising my left hand and wrist. Which, of course, makes typing a blog all that more fun. I hope you appreciate my efforts and suffering for my craft.

Today, my Beloved and I went to the Houston Arboretum. We were curious how the trees, plants, turtles, crocodiles, birds and squirrels handled the wintry blast. I am happy to report that the animals seemed to have fared well. Turtles were resting on logs, birds were flying and squirrels were scampering. We did not see any crocodiles. Alas, several of the plants which had been green during our last visit are now brown.

Remember the good old days when we thought all we had to do was to survive 2020 and then things would get better? Good times.

Can’t wait to see what happens next.…or maybe I can. Stay safe!

Until next time.…..

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Pandemic Road: New Year and New Roads

Do you see the blue sky in this picture? I took this picture on January 1st. New Year’s Day. Not a cloud in the sky. I felt very relaxed on that day. I took the clear skies as a good omen for the new year. I survived 2020 with only a few more grey hairs and a few more miles on the body. Overall health is good and I have many creative projects I’m working on. So after a few days of this new year, I am still in good health and continuing to add on additional miles on a daily basis. However, Covid-19 is still running amok and don’t even get me started on Washington D.C.

However, I refuse to be swallowed up in gloom and doom. I am determined to forge a peaceful, happy and healthy pathway through 2021.

One thing I am going to do is continue on with the RoadBroads Blog. Yes, currently there is only one RoadBroad, but I continue to bond with Broads everywhere who hit the road in search of beauty and creativity. Of course, with the pandemic still raging in this country, I am not going as far as I used to on the road. I still do not travel and I still do not eat out in restaurants. But, I do get curbside take out at some of my favorite local restaurants. Yes, with my illustrious cooking skills, I would starve if it weren’t for ready made meals in the grocery stores and curbside pick up. Also, I drive and walk all over the city.

About a month ago I picked up the book, 111 Places in Houston That You Must Not Miss. I purchased my copy at the Brazos Bookstore which is my favorite independent bookstore here in Houston. Last fall I heard the book’s authors, Dana Duterroil and Joni Fincham, speak at a monthly meeting of the Women in the Visual and Literary Arts (WiVLA). Their presentation was very interesting and they spoke about many places in Houston I had already seen, but also discussed many places I hadn’t seen yet. This will be my new “Road” for 2021.

For the next year or so, I will visit as many of the sites as I can during pandemic conditions and tell you all about them. For instance, it may be a while before I can go down to Market Square and sip on a cool refreshment at La Carafe (it’s haunted!). However, I can visit places like the Menil Collection and Discovery Green. Wherever I go, I promise to take lots of pictures and take lots of notes. It’s almost like I have lined up a whole year’s worth of “artist dates” a la Julia Cameron (author of The Artist’s Way among other books).

I can’t wait to start this next leg of my journey. Many thanks to Melanie who worked with me on this blog for the past 3 years. I wish her the best of luck in her future journeys. But I am not ready to settle down yet. I hope all of you will continue to travel with me. If you are yourself a RoadBroad, let me know and we can talk about guest blogging.

I hope you are as determined as I am to make 2021 a good year. Let’s take this journey together and see where we land.

Until next week.….

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Pandemic Road: Holiday Hopes and Miracles

Did you take the time on Winter Solstice to observe the planetary conjunction? Jupiter and Saturn were freakishly close. Some folks thought this was a miracle. Then there were those who thought this was an omen of changing times. Others thought it was a cool scientific occurrence which happens approximately every 400ish years. I just thought it was fun to go out and watch. I considered it a miracle that I was able to take a picture of this with my cell phone. If I had taken the time to think about it, I would have used my real camera. Okay, a whole bunch of tech geeks just rolled their eyes, because I don’t consider my cell phone camera a “real camera”. My apologies.

To the naked eye it looked like the planets were touching. However, if that really happened, it would be quite the crisis. It would be one more “thing” to happen in 2020. On Facebook several people posted that Winter Solstice 2020 was the shortest day of the longest year. Can’t argue with that.

What was just as much fun as seeing a planetary conjunction? How about a green blowup dragon wearing a Santa hat. This is what counts for fun entertainment during these days of pandemic holidays. Since our outlets for entertainment are limited many of us are either walking or driving around and looking at pretty lights and creative lawn art. As you can imagine, I appreciate the more unusual displays of creativity.

On a positive note.….we now have a vaccine for Covid-19. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and it is not necessarily a train! We just need to be patient for a little while longer. Keep wearing your masks, continue to keep your distance and we will make it through this. Try to be like this little squirrel that I met at the arboretum the other day. He didn’t mind posing for a picture as long as I didn’t get too close. He doesn’t seem to be too caught up in all of the human drama. And, when he’s ready, he scampers off into the woods in search of food and frolic.

I am definitely ready for some socially distanced frolicking. How about you? I can’t wait to see what 2021 will have in store for us. Let’s stick together to make the journey easier.

Until next week.….

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Pandemic Road: When Negative Is Positive

This picture is so “Thanksgiving 2020”. I saw this poor turkey when I was out walking the other day. It was just laying there in the street surrounded by dead leaves and covered in dust. His poor face looks a little shell shocked. A little deer in the headlights. Don’t you agree? I think I can relate. How about you?

It was the Monday after Thanksgiving. I was behaving myself going to a routine medical appointment. Actually it was the last follow-up appointment from a brief hospitalization I had last September. I am doing fine! Couldn’t feel better. That was on Monday. On Wednesday, I received an email from Baylor stating that I may or may not have been exposed to someone during my doctor visit who has tested “positive” for Covid 19. I was given a list of symptoms to look out for and a phone number if I had questions. I called immediately.

Now please keep in mind that I have been so good throughout this pandemic. I wear a mask whenever I am out in public. My hand washing skills are at an all time peak! I have not eaten in a restaurant since last March.….which seems like a hundred years ago at this point. Social distance is a must. Even when I dash into the grocery store I try to go during times that are least busy or during senior hours. I haven’t seen any of my friends during this time except for phone calls, texts and zoom conversations.

I immediately called the number and got on the schedule for a tele-health visit with a doctor. During my video appointment, I explained that I wore a mask during my entire visit and used hand sanitizer three times while I was in the clinic. (Entering, during, and before exiting. Then again when I got into my car.) The doctor assured me I was at low risk, but that I should get tested just to be sure.

I had appointment for testing the next morning. I walked out of my home and out into my car by myself. I drove to the entrance of the parking garage. I had a number written on a big piece of paper on my dashboard. I pulled up to the security guard where I saw a sign to tune into a specific radio station. The security guard waved me into the garage and I listened to a soothing voice telling me to keep my mask on and my windows rolled up until I saw a nurse for testing.

As I approached the testing site a man signaled me to stop. He held up a sign that said, “Please stop your car while you are checked in.” The man looked at the number on my dash and walked over to a window. He came back and held up a sign that told me to put my identification on my dash. He looked at the driver’s license I presented and he returned to the window. Then he returned with a test kit in a plastic bag and placed it on my windshield. Then he held up a sign that said “C” which indicated the specific testing site where I would encounter a nurse in full PPE ready to administer the test.

The nurse motioned for me to roll down my car window. She looked at my test kit and verified my name and date of birth. She stuck a test stick up one nostril for five seconds. Then she stuck a stick up my other nostril. I swear I still have the marks where the sticks went through to the back of my head. Maybe I had a look on my face resembling the turkey in the picture.

It was all over in a matter of minutes. I drove back home. I realized that during that entire experience I had quasi interacted with three different people. I communicated with all three, but had only exchanged words with one and had touched no one. Now I play a game of seeing how many things I can do and how many places I can go without getting close or interacting with others. It’s a fun game to play and a way to creatively get through a global pandemic. And my test came back negative! My efforts are paying off in a very positive way.

Until next week.….

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Pandemic Road: Resilience

Self-isolation, Quarantine, Social Distancing and Global Pandemic. These words were not part of my daily vocabulary last February. By the end of March, they consumed my world. These are crazy difficult times. Have I ever survived difficult times before? You bet I have. That doesn’t mean this is not still difficult, but I know I have some survival skills that I can pull from. The most important for me is a sense of humor.

Can we talk about “handwashing”? Before February I always assumed that most people, at least most of the people I knew, were familiar with the concept of handwashing. I never would have guessed that Facebook, YouTube and television news programs would all feel the need to show tutorials about how to thoroughly wash your hands to keep from spreading disease. How did we keep from spreading disease before? Well, considering normal annual rates of colds and flu, maybe we didn’t.

I can remember seeing and sharing the post on Facebook that stated something to the effect of, “Now, if everyone has mastered handwashing, next week we will focus on turn signals!” Apparently, we are still working on handwashing and haven’t graduated to turn signals yet. Maybe that will be one of our New Year’s resolutions for 2021.

In addition to handwashing, I have become an expert on sanitizing everything I ever touch. I use bleach to clean counters, doors, door keys, light switches, you name it, if it is in my home, I have sanitized it with bleach. Except for my cat. My cat has assured me that she wants no part of this human drama and she will continue to keep herself clean as she has done for the last 15 years.

The most challenging word I have learned and incorporated this year: ZOOM. One of the many technological ways for people to stay connected. I’m learning it……slowly……really slowly. By the way, where did the word “zoom” come from. The definition means to move or travel quickly which is an oxymoron when it comes to me and zooming. But I do it, because I can stay in contact with some really wonderful people.

I am just willing to bet that when this pandemic is over and we start meeting together again in person, we will all complain about having to “actually travel” through “Houston traffic” to get somewhere. Yuk! We will think back and remember the “good old days” when we could just talk to people at home on our computers wearing sweat pants and pajamas. I mean people are wearing sweat pants and pajamas. Computers don’t generally feel required to put on clothes for zoom conversations.

Has any of this been easy? Heck no! Have there been times when I have become depressed, angry, sad, forlorn, and every other emotion I can name? Heck yes! What do I do? I look at history. Tough times do eventually come to an end. The Great Depression, The Pandemic of 1918, and World War II are just a few examples.

I love to read books about people who survived tough times. I have read historical fiction and many biographies by people who know what surviving hard times is all about.

Also, I keep in touch with friends even though this does involve a lot of zooming. A good social network goes far into helping me stay sane during these crazy times. That includes all of you who read this blog. Thanks for being there!

Until next week.….

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Pandemic Road: Post Halloween Malaise

Now that Halloween is over (I’m still in recovery from that!) I am on to the next distraction from the ongoing craziness of this pandemic ridden world. I began this morning by attempting to make plans for Thanksgiving which is just two weeks away. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not having to plan what meal I will be cooking. Remember, I don’t do anything as domestic as cook. However, for many years my Beloved and I have gone to a wonderful restaurant that knew how to do a Thanksgiving spread up right. However, this year we wanted a take-out dinner. We are both still big into isolating as Covid numbers are rising again.

When I contacted the restaurant to discuss a menu, things went strange quickly. I could get a turkey for $100+ and a batch of mashed potatoes for $75. I quickly realized that they were selling family style batches of food. Also, being a vegetarian, I did not know what I would do with all that Turkey! What was I to do? Luckily this pandemic, unlike the last, is in the 21st century. Google to the rescue! Now I have a choice between two wonderful local restaurants with lots of options and affordable prices. Don’t worry, I’ll go back to my former favorite Thanksgiving restaurant, hopefully next year. I have a week to decide between the two establishments. Check back to see which one I decide.

By this time, my mind was confused and blurry from trying to figure out a pandemic Thanksgiving. The cure? My beloved and I made our way to the Houston Arboretum. The skies were sunny and the trails inviting. We even found what appeared to be miniature flocked Christmas trees. I don’t know the real name of this plant. If you have any idea, please let me know. Anyway, we walked some of our favorite trails and at one point even we didn’t know which one we were traipsing down. I hugged some trees. Then we made our way to the pond and spoke with the turtles. We would have spoken with the alligator, but apparently he doesn’t live there any more. I was sane and centered once again.

Then for more adventure, we made our way to the grocery store for a few provisions. Of course, there were Christmas decorations everywhere. I gave up that fight at the beginning of November. But some things we did see confused me. For instance, why decorate with snow flakes or snow men in Houston? When was the last time we had snow in this area? As I was gazing at the snowflakes it was 80 degrees outside. I guess the air conditioning deflects the heat from the fluorescent lights and keeps the snow from melting.

Just when we thought it was safe to go home, we found these little gems. This is a bag of candy that is made to look like Legos. Children (and adults) are supposed to eat these sweet morsels and maintain enough sense not to eat the real Legos. Does anyone see a problem here? Notice the packaging states that this is “Candy you can play with” and “Build Holiday fun”. Needless to say, we didn’t purchase any of this candy. Probably because I don’t trust myself not to get confused and eat real Legos. This is clearly a sign of just how stressed I am during this time of year.

I will sign off now to go take a nap. Wish me luck!

Until next week.….

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Happy Halloween! Are You Scared? I’m Chillin’

It’s here! It’s finally here! Tomorrow is Halloween! Yes, I have been preparing for this day ever since November 1, 2019. I am currently sitting in my home listening to Halloween music and looking at my Halloween decorations. I found this little kitty in downtown Houston in a place called Market Square. Have you ever been there? If you haven’t, you should make plans to go. Even if you are one of those who still doesn’t want to go to restaurants or bars (like me) you can still view some of the spookiest spots in town.

If you wonder why this section of Houston is so haunted, it’s probably because it is one of the oldest parts of town. This particular building is called La Carafe. It is known as one of the most haunted spots in Texas. Over the years it has been any number of businesses, but now it is a famous local bar. It’s trying to reopen in light of Covid. It’s been a long time since I was in there, but it is a very friendly place. Even the ghosts that hang out there are supposed to be very friendly residents. Actually all of the ghosts that call Market Square home are supposed to be some of the friendliest critters around.

Then there is the Magnolia Ballroom. This one building used to be a compound of about 10 buildings that made up the Magnolia Brewery. Then during prohibition, they made ice. Now it is one spot on the second floor of a building where folks can rent space for parties, weddings, and such. Reportedly there are ghosts who like to dance around the ceiling of the large ballroom.

Market Square is not only the spookiest part of Houston, but it is also one of the oldest spots. It sits right next to Allen’s Landing. Houston was founded by the Allen Brothers and here where two bayous meet was the original port of Houston. The original Houston City Hall was located in Market Square.…all three of them. Each of them burned down before it was decided to find a new location.

During the late 1960s and early 1970s there were a few shops that sold merchandise for the growing group of hippies in Houston. Reportedly, one store sold cook books that instructed you how to make LSD in your kitchen. I’ve never found or talked to anyone who actually tried to do that. I hope whoever did is okay and survived to see the 1980s.

So those are my tales for this Halloween 2020. Isn’t this much more fun than listening to hours of news reports about the once again growing pandemic or the upcoming election. I think after I post this blog, I will turn off all screens and just relax and enjoy the ghosts and goblins. I only converse and make room for the friendly spirits just like Market Square. I will be wearing my lucky skeleton bracelet that I wear every year at this time. It must be lucky, because I have never faced any mean or ornery spirits while wearing it. I wouldn’t dare go out on Halloween without putting it on my wrist!

Enjoy your weekend and holiday! Stay safe!

Until next week.….

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Pandemic Road: Witch Holiday or Which Holiday?

Seriously? Really? I tried to warn everyone. I both begged and cajoled. I specifically said Do Not Do It! Did anyone listen? I don’t think that I am the only one who cares, but yet here we are. This picture was taken last week when I was out running errands. A big old red Christmas bow on the top of a building. Two or three weeks before Halloween! Before Halloween!!!

In the immortal words of Gomez Addams (Addams Family Values, 1993), “Has the world gone mad? I seek justice.….Denied!”

Also, you can see the tree limbs in this picture. Many of the leaves are still green. Some have just begun to turn brown. Here in Houston, we have barely begun with fall weather. Today, as I write this, it is a brisk and chilly 79 degrees outside. A cold front (or what passes here for a cold front) is due towards the end of the week. The temperature might drop into the low 50’s.…..maybe once. Check out this weather map:

Please note that this “cold front” brought snow to my friends in Colorado. Here in Houston we still don’t have any plans for putting the snow tires on our cars.

Also, please turn you attention to that big red thing in the lower right part of the picture. There is yet again a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. Let me repeat that. There is another hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. Zeta. Hurricane Zeta. For the umpteenth time this year, everyone in Houston is blowing real hard to make the storm go into Louisiana. It’s nothing personal to any of the nice folks in Louisiana. But it’s been a busy and disturbing year and we just don’t have time for the nonsense this year.

Well, because 2020 is such an unusual year, I conferred with my friend and we have come to a decision. If you really must start your Christmas shopping early.……Before Halloween.….we will allow it on one condition. You are allowed to shop either in person or online if you frequent locally owned businesses. No box stores and for sure no national department stores. Period. That is our last and final offer. I don’t want to say anything bad will happen to you if you purchase all of your holiday gifts from some corporate giant of the retail industry. But if you look closely at my friend, you might be able to figure out that this is one critter you don’t want to upset.

If that doesn’t do the trick for you, please note that my friend has many other friends in the neighborhood. I don’t know the humans who live with these skeletons, but I believe they are members of my soul tribe. Don’t you agree? Before this year, I had never seen a mermaid skeleton. I can only imagine the sea voyage where these two met. I can’t get either one of them to tell me their tales.….not even the “fishy tales”! Get it? Fish tales! Yes, I amuse myself. How else am I supposed to survive a global pandemic, murder hornets and Christmas shoppers in the middle of October?

I remember back when I was a young child (why yes, that was a long time ago. I am old. I believe we used feather quills for pens if I remember correctly). We weren’t allowed to even think about Christmas or any other winter holidays until Thanksgiving was over. That meant that after we drew ghosts and pumpkins in school art classes, then we had to draw those ridiculous turkey pictures by outlining our hands. Egad! Childhood was so weird back then. It took a lot of patience to be young that long ago.

Until next week.….

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Pandemic Road: Art and Compassion

Back in the good old days.….by which I mean the days before Covid 19.…I had two creative works accepted into different exhibitions around Houston. Originally there were going to be opening receptions with wine and hors d’oeuvres, patrons of the arts and various creative types. Alas, that was not to be. However, in this new day of virtual gatherings, the receptions and the exhibitions have been moved online.

The first of these is Compassion, a collaboration between Women in the Visual and Literary Arts (WiVLA) and the Holocaust Museum Houston. In this project pairs of visual artists and writers teamed up to bring forth their vision of compassion. I was chosen as one of the writers and I worked with visual artist, Josena Arquieta. Her painting is called Listen, which is a companion to my essay, It’s Time To Listen. The picture you see here is the exhibition book. You can see this exhibit by going to WiVLA.org and clicking on the exhibit link. If you want to see our work or purchase the book, you can go either to WiVLA.org or you can go to the website for the Holocaust Museum Houston. The online exhibition doesn’t always give the full text of the poems or essays. For the full literary version, you need to purchase one of the books.

My other exhibition, titled The Art of Attention, was a juried exhibition of art produced by students and teachers at the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies at Rice University. This is a work of art that I made while taking a class in collage from instructor Ellen Orseck. You can see the entire virtual exhibit at https://glasscock.rice.edu/sites/default/files/F20_CLE_Student_Art_Exhibit.pdf

Meanwhile, back here in my private oasis known as Halloweensville, my good friend Skellington has come to visit for a few days. He’s pictured below in his black traveling cloak. We’ve had several leisurely dinners out on the patio, because the weather has finally started feeling ever so slightly like fall. He travels the neighborhood at night to visit the other skeletons in the neighborhood. Below is a picture of one of my neighbors who likes to wave at people and other skeletons.

Between all of the virtual art and Halloween, I love this time of year!

Until next week.….