Lately the Gulf of Mexico reminds me of a witch’s cauldron. As I watched the news coverage of Hurricane Idalia this week, I could just see the waters getting churned up. Then late at night when I listened very carefully, I could hear the faint strains of Shakespeare’s witches as they chanted: Double, double. Toil and trouble. Fire burn and cauldron bubble. As I reflected on this I realized that there were forces on the loose in the Gulf that were indeed doubling our toil and trouble. Then I realized that not only is climate change messing with our weather, but it is also causing much confusion with our holidays.
Every year around this time, I pay close attention during my shopping trips, looking for my first sighting of Halloween decorations. Of course, I would always purchase something to add to my already busy collection. My personal rule is that once Halloween decorations hit the store shelves, then summer is all but over, and it is time to decorate with my favorite witches and skeletons. This usually happens around the month of September.
I had my annual first sighting this year, but it happened in July. It was over 100 degrees outside. Yes, I made my first yearly Halloween purchase, but something felt off. I sweated entirely too much taking my new purchase out to my car and then when I arrived at home, it was too hot to start decorating outside. I know that last statement to be a fact, because I tried it and it didn’t work.
Now it is the last of August and turning into September. The situation gets worse. The last time I went shopping, I not only found more Halloween decorations (which I didn’t mind, because I can always use more!) I also found a display of Christmas decorations. Please let me repeat this, because this is newsworthy and worth repeating. In AUGUST, stores were displaying both Halloween and Christmas decorations right next to each other. It wasn’t like one holiday was over and items were marked half off. No, this was more like Santa’s sleigh was going to be pulled by both reindeer and goblins! Santa’s elves will walk around in the dark and try to scare children while skeletons will help to create exciting toys for the good little girls and boys.
The holidays are now all higgledy-piggledy. Can I blame this on climate change? There seems to be a direct correlation here. Maybe if I contact Neil deGrasse Tyson he can explain this with better scientific reasoning. I’ll let you know what he says. In the meantime, please only purchase Halloween supplies in September and Christmas decorations in November. A little decorum if you please.
Think back to your childhood. Do you remember how excited everyone around you got when you said your first word or took your first tedious steps? People around us would clap and tell us how wonderful we were. Then we all started going to school and the competition got a bit stiffer and there were always more people who wanted to compete against you. As we all got older, the competitions became harder. There was still applause and adulation for the winners, but the ratio of winner to not-winner shrank it seemed every year. Then you finally finished with school and most of us entered the work world and the cycle of achievement and adulation started up once again and yes, the number and talent of competitors increased.
In the middle of all this, I realize that I am now going to make strange noises while I sleep and I might look like an alien. I guess you could say that my snoring was also noisy, but at least that was an organic noise. This is more of there’s a monster in my bed sounding like Darth Vader or something. I have attempted to prepare my elderly cat for this adjustment to our sleep environment. To date, she is not too excited about the whole new arrangement. So far she has responded by sticking her tongue out at me and shedding extra fluffy white hair on my black bed sheets and comforter. I’ll keep you posted on how this progresses.
When I’m not looking for more alien devices to attach to my face, I have been settling into my new apartment. I have one long wall that I am converting into the likes of a French Salon. Pictures will be hung as they fit rather than by topic or color. It helps to receive Hannah’s input and opinion on some of the tough decisions that must be made. Several of the pieces are works completed by other artists. Some are my own creations. I love the “hodge-podgieness” of the whole experience. Yes, of course I will send you pictures when all is done. And yes, skulls and witches alike are given equal amounts of space.
Greetings and Happy 4th of July! I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday. While most folks were enjoying their time at the beach or snarfing up lots of barbecued dead animals, I was moving into a new home. I even hired the movers that supposedly pack and unpack everything for you. After three days, we sent them on their way. Jim and I are finishing the rest of the job by ourselves. We’re not quite finished yet, but things are coming along. The biggest issue with moving is the amount of books and art that I move around with me. The books are currently back on the bookshelves, but not in any correct order. I may be working on organizing them through the end of the year.
One of the really nice features about my new home is the variety of flowers and water features. I especially like the koi fish. They seem to be really happy critters that come up to greet you when you draw near their home. No, I don’t feed them. There are very strict instructions about not feeding the wildlife around here. And speaking of wildlife, there is quite a bit to observe. The first few days I’ve been here I have seen squirrels, frogs, squirrels, lizards, squirrels, cats, squirrels and even an egret! We’re asked not to feed the squirrels, but from the chubby looks of them, I think someone is providing some tasty snacks. Or maybe they’re stealing some of the cat goodies that some nice people leave out.
Of course, as a writer, I keep copious notes on everything. Everyone and everything that I meet and see become potential characters for my next story. My skeleton friends were in a hurry for me to set up the writing table so we could get back to work. We have lots of stories we are working on. I especially enjoy the scary stories that are being prepared for Halloween!
Happy Birthday to RoadBroads! It was just six years ago when another writer and I had the crazy idea to drive all the way to Boulder, Colorado. It’s only an 18-hour drive. Easy! Once we arrived at Boulder we attended an annual Writing Retreat that was taught by Max Regan. He actually led two different retreats for 10 days each during the month of June. I had heard about these retreats for years, but this was the first time for me to attend one.
I had never been to Boulder before. Pearl Street Mall was great fun. On the weekend there were any number of street performers when you weren’t browsing at the local shops. This is a picture of the Boulder Bookstore where all of our writing classes were held. I felt like I had finally made it into the “in” crowd. In addition to the classes, there were salons where each of us had to read samples of our writing. Out loud. In front of everybody! I survived that and both gave and received good feedback.
Unfortunately, the question was answered for me when the Pandemic struck in 2020. The June Writing Retreats continued, but not in person. Ever since 2020 I have attended this retreat via Zoom. The good news is that without travel and lodging costs, I have been able to attend both 10-day sessions. Instead of seeing the sights in Colorado, I get to see my desk and look out my own window for my everyday view. My work desk is not nearly as exciting to look at as the Flatiron Mountains, but I keep writing.
I have heard that there are some people who think that I go a little over the top when it comes to Halloween. However, I can assure you that I do not. It is not possible. I have spent years cultivating Halloween Culture that is good 365 days a year. Yes, I have decorations up all year. There is my large collection of witches, skeletons, and grim reapers. Of course if I am going to have a large selection of skeletons, then they must have a wardrobe that can adjust to the various holidays and weather conditions. As you can see in this picture, sometimes the skeletons just like to relax and chill out indoors. The witches have their own hutch and an ample supply of books and grimoires. They don’t go out much preferring to spend their time developing spells and potions.
Yet, every so often, I cross paths with another creative person who gives me exciting ideas for taking my Halloween lore to another level. Have you ever heard of Urban Fairy Doors? While attending the monthly WiVLA (Women in the Visual and Literary Arts) meeting this week, I heard a fascinating presentation by Elissa Davis. Apparently there are fairies that set up shop around the city. Sometimes they are accessible from a public street and sometimes they are located inside businesses. This door was made by Elissa and remains in the neighborhood where she lives. The fairy who lives here is seldom seen, but does communicate with folks by exchanging notes and trinkets.
After reviewing several pictures on this topic, I realized that I had walked past an Urban Fairy Village right in my own neighborhood. Every time I strolled past, I was fascinated at how the different aspects of the Village would change. Sometimes little creatures were added and sometimes another door appeared.
During my last blog post, I wrote about the quick trip I took down to Brownsville with my parents. The weekend after that visit, I returned having booked a nice Airbnb to stay there for a long weekend. It was a time of refreshing, healing, and writing.
Back on the highway, I drove along singing loudly in my car. You absolutely must have a good playlist when on a road trip. I have one I labeled as Karaoke and it is great for in car singing. The trip from Houston to Brownsville takes almost six hours without stops.
Here is your first warning sign that you should notice when going to Hermann Park in the second half of April. It’s close enough to Earth Day that all the schools from all over everywhere bring gaggles of children to appreciate nature. Yellow buses line the streets.
It appears as though the children gather in packs. Each group is identified by their colors. Is this similar to a bunch of gangs? I did not get close enough to find out. The group in this picture is heading for Miller Theater. I could hear music playing until all the munchkins got seated for some type of program.
Another batch of gaggles also were observed heading into the Museum of Natural Science. This picture was taken from the top of a hill in the park. I made sure to keep my distance, in order to ensure my safety. I did not venture anywhere near either the theater or museum. Fearless adults communicated with all of the multicolored T‑shirts by bullhorns. That was very brave of them and I think worthy of combat medals.
This is the mountain I climbed up to view the hordes while staying out of harm’s way. There were even safety rules for this vantage point. They included: No bicycles. No swinging from the rails. Please stay off the plants, and most important for today situation: Mind children and dogs. On the way up, I did not see many other people so when I reached the top, I could bask in the fact that it was a cloudy day, and did not swelter in bright sunshine. I didn’t even need to wear my sunglasses.
Walking the trail that wound around this mountain was quite pleasant and since there was a waterfall on one side, much of the noise of the school-age gremlins was literally “drowned out”. This worked for some time until some other grownups discovered my sanctuary. It was at that point that lots of people showed up who actually had the audacity to enjoy a fun-filled conversation amongst themselves. How rude. My silent haven then turned into a party venue and I decided it was time to move on back down the hill. More and more people were heading up to the top of the hill and I apparently made my escape just in time.
There was one last sign that should have clued me in. Even the ducks were aware of what was going on today. These two are far from their normal pond habitat. I found them trying to hide amongst the bushes and trees so the children would not find them and chase them.