Wednesday, September 26, 2012
"Do Do That Voodoo That You Do So Well"
Darklings,
I’ve received several comments while I was on vacation, that I need to address, I didn’t post the comments because they seemed to repeat themselves so I wasn’t sure if they were from one person or several---BUT~~~~
I’ve had several people ask me why I do not remark about the events that are happening in the Middle East and the world, as well as the progress and statements by our two presidential candidates.
I know I have followers from as far away as Hong Kong, Malaysia, Australia, Pakistan, Russia, the Ukraine, Israel and parts of Europe as well as the United States, Canada and in South America and Mexico. With the internet we have truly become a global society.
And as an Elder/Elderly Goth and a human being, in a way I think I might need to explain myself as a sort of apology, well not quiet an apology but definitely as an explanation.
In regards to the Presidential Campaign and our two candidates~~~~~
Here in my local community, on television, in the newspapers, magazines and radio I am so swamped with all these promises of “vote for me I can do better” that I begin to tune them out.
Not until October will I look over the record of both candidates and the parties as well as anyone else that maybe running will I make any sort of personal decision and that my Darklings is the key word “personal”.
I refuse to get involved in any debate regarding politics, to me it can destroy friendships, create a dividing line between family members and disrupt good feelings between neighbors, I will not put any sort of political sign on my front lawn nor “wear my personal thoughts” on my sleeve or on my blog. (Although this is about as close to personal as it can get)
I will attend any “town hall meetings” that I feel will be informative just so I can get a better idea of our local candidates for our state, county and city positions as well as to have a better understanding of the various initiatives, propositions and bond issues.
But talk about it on my blog? No I will not---I want my blog to be free of any of those things, I want it to be an escape into other things, far, far, far away from politics and religious fundamentalism, they are banned from my blog.
Is that harsh? No Darklings it is not… I do not turn a deaf ear nor a blind eye to what is happening around the world. As a matter of fact I am very aware of it; I follow it and do what I can to keep updated on it.
Yes I am and was horrified by what has happened and is happening, but if there is one thing I learned becoming an Elder/Elderly Goth, is that there is always more than what one sees and it is always best to step back and analyze before forming an opinion and then speaking it out loud.
Do I have thoughts and opinions about what has happened --- yes I do, Very Strong opinions, far, far stronger than what I have just mentioned but I will not post it here.
I will not say “vote for this person or this bond” or nor will I say anything inflammatory.
It is a wise Elder/Elderly Goth who will step back away from the fray and examine the bigger picture and wait for all the information to come in, for as each day passes more and more is revealed until eventually one can see what has and is happening.
In my youth, an elderly priest once told me “TRUTH LIES AT THE BOTTOM OF A WELL, one has to drag it up through the muck and mire, and then carefully wash it off, but when one does that, it can burn so bright as to be blinding, burning away one’s eyes when they see the falseness they have been hiding behind and the truth is revealed.” and he was not referring to an islamic prophecy but to TRUTH.
He said it’s much like that scene in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” when the Nazi’s open the Ark of the Covenant and all these beings come out and are at first beautiful but because it’s truthful beauty it is so horrendous it blinds you and can destroy you, unless you are willing to open your heart to it, Indiana Jones and his female cohort realized this and knowing how terrible the beauty can be and knowing they are sinners, closed their eyes not because they wanted to see the truth, but having respect for it they closed their eyes and thereby opened their hearts.
I asked him, how can he, a priest be so content in his last days; he said he had seen horror when he was doing missionary work in his younger days, and he asked over and over again of God Why? Why? It was such a test of his faith that at times he was almost ready to toss it away, but then a child or someone sick, lame, in need of help would come to him, sometimes he could heal or help them, and there were times he couldn’t but only give them dignity and peace in their dying, to let them know they were not alone or forsaken.
And then one day he discovered that the answer was ‘it must be to learn, to learn goodness, compassion, pity and to balance one’s love of God and human kind against the dogma of religion and to keep Faith with God’ he told me that the greatest of God’s commandments is to Love One Another and in doing that to accept each other and respect and work with each other in Peace and Harmony, with that, even facing adversity he regained his faith.
He said it’s like a baby learning to walk, first you have to roll over, then you have to learn the function of crawling, then to gain the balance to be able to walk, first with one step and then another and BALANCE is the most important of the function of walking, WE, meaning the entire planet, have not learn to be in Balance, but we will, we’ve come along way from the Apes, but we have so much further to go.
He told me that when he felt sad about things, something comes along and reminds him that we must keep Faith; he said it can be as simple as a butterfly, a child’s laughter, a hummingbird sipping nectar, a sparrows song, the tiniest things. But that the worst he said is to inflame people and lead them down destructions path, or to follow blindly without reason or information. To be as sheep following the Judas Goat to destruction, he advised me to never be a sheep and I have never been one.
He reminded me of the two scenes in “Bride of Frankenstein” where first the Monster is hunted down like an animal, and then in the second scene a blind hermit takes him in and teaches him. Granted the scene is played in saccharin sentimentality but its truthfulness is there.
As an Elder/Elderly Goth I have and will donate to charities that can help the helpless, I will support those actions that will do the greatest good. I will help my neighbors, family and co-workers, be kind to animals, and avoid making judgments until I know everything to form an informed opinion.
For you younger Goths you can help with food drives, clothing drives, blood drives, soup kitchens, para-transit, help those who are weaker than yourself, do fund raising, get the word out on what needs to be done, work with habitat for humanity, raise food in community gardens to be shared and other charities.
Be informed; do not say “I’m democrat or republican or an independent or a libertarian or a member of Occupy” instead you should say “I am for keeping the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and all the amendments in the Bill of Rights and for helping my fellow human being and those creatures that do not have a voice.”
But my posting comments or thoughts on my blog about the situations in the world or the political arena? No, I’ll leave that to Associated Press and CNN, my blog is about what I’m doing in this world and to provide a bit of escape and thoughts for those who wish to come here, read and forget about other things that are horrible.
If what I post sounds selfish, self-centered, hedonistic I can assure you it is not, I do work that helps a lot of people and is both mentally and physically draining and if I didn’t take time to “heal myself” then I could not function in society, I would not be able to find the little fun Gothicy things in life. I would not be able to see the beauty in the dark, or with old and crumbling things, nor would I be able to see things in the light as well.
So what I do, I do to heal myself so I can help others. Am I wealthy? For a long time I was not, I had to work two jobs to save and achieve what I wanted; it is only in the last few years that my finances are where I can live a comfortable life, not large but comfortable.
Now My Darklings and Baby Bats, I have said the only nearly political or religious thing that I am going to say on my blog. (I think)
And I say to all of you, to quote Harvey Korman as Hedly LaMarr in “Blazing Saddles” (a politically incorrect movie you really should see), get out there and “Do do that Voodoo that you do so well.”
In the next few weeks, I’ll be looking into local murder mysteries, vampires, Halloween, ghost hunting and other things, that is if I have time as I am still doing construction and repair work on my home and Doyle has those October travel plans ***sigh*** it never stops.
Later Darklings.
13 Goals that an Elder/Elderly Goth should follow~~~
Darklings,
I’ve discovered something while I was on my vacation, first, and it is so obvious----I missed my little 4 legged darling, Belladonna intensely, so much so that I was calling her babysitter every other day, which fortunately her babysitter didn’t mind, but I fully intend to take her with me as much as possible from now on.
Secondly, while going through some things and also being on vacation I re-discovered things that I had jotted down many years ago, goals that one should achieve, things that were told/taught to me by my family, some of which I’ve mentioned before but I think bears repeating.
We must conserve our resources, our parents, grand-parents and great-grand-parents knew this, but it is something that we forgot in the vast consumerism of 1970’s to now in the 21st century.
We must remember to:
USE IT UP
FIX IT UP
FIND ANOTHER WAY OF USING IT
MAKE DO
SAVE UP FOR IT
OR DO WITHOUT
What the youngsters or Baby Bats, now call re-cycling and re-purposing, the Elders knew long, long before.
And these things that I re-discovered---fortunately I’ve managed to achieve most of it, but even for myself, an Elder/Elderly Goth, one should never stop learning.
I’ve also looked into the shelf and freezer life of products as well for my pantry and I’ve discovered it is so important to date things, that way you can be sure to use it in time and rotate out without waste, a large indelible ink marker is very handy for that.
But Something else I’ve discovered and have updated and augmented.
These are:
Goals that an Elder/Elderly Goth should achieved
And what younger Goths or Baby Bats should aspire to….
1. Know Yourself, to truly know yourself you must be prepared to change your opinions as you learn and grow older. For if you are not willing to know yourself, to be willing to learn and with learning change, then instead you will stagnate and never achieve anything.
2. Know your Job and Skills, learn from the masters who have done this before, sometimes the old skills are the best. Remember Scotty from Star Trek who said "The more they over think the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain.” And remember what he also told a young La Forge who said "The tank can't handle that much pressure."
"Where'd you get that idea?"
"It's in the impulse specifications."
"Regulation 42/15: 'Pressure Variances in IRC Tank Storage'?"
"Right."
"Oh, that. Forget it. I WROTE it”
3. Learn and Grow, never be afraid to expand your abilities by continuously learning, that way life never grows dull or stale and it makes things interesting.
4. Apply knowledge with Wisdom, never ever think you know everything or have all the answers because YOU DON’T, be willing to admit that there are times when you could be wrong.
5. Achieve Balance, remember there are always two sides to every question, argument, situation and truth
6. Keep your Words in Good Order, it is always easy to use profane and foul language it is much harder to say things carefully without increasing the tension.
7. Keep you Thoughts in Good Order, it is always easy to jump to conclusions or to judge and condemn without looking carefully at the situation, remember the Indian prayer “Great Spirit, Grant That I May Not Criticize My Neighbor Until I Have Walked A Mile In His Moccasins"
8. Celebrate Life, in Life there is Death, in Death there is Life, it should always be a celebration, if you hear the tiniest squeak of a Hummingbird, see the flutter of a Butterfly, the inquisitiveness of a squirrels, the playful happiness of a dog, the relaxed attitude of a cat, the gracefulness of a fish, the soaring loftiness of a sparrow, then celebrate it, even if its just in your heart.
9. Attune with the Cycles of the Earth, we forget that to every Season there is a time for it, to ignore it is to throw your body and senses out of time and out of tune with the music of the spheres, celebrate everything and attune with it, from New Years to Valentine’s Day to Easter, to Mother’s and Father’s Day, Memorial Day to 4th of July, to Fall, to Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas, celebrate it, to ignore it is to bankrupt your soul and your self.
10. Breathe and Eat Correctly, slow down, simplify your life, enjoy the air that is out there, enjoy the sun, the moon, the stars, the day and the night, the rain, the wind, you do not need 100 pairs of shoes, nor all those apps on your Iphone or Ipad, sometimes it is good to disconnect from everything and just slow down, BREATHE and live life, to eating correctly we make the mistake of gobbling our food, we don’t savor it, we eat too many big Macs but forget the delightful crunch of a fresh apple, eating should be slowed down and enjoyed, from the taste to the smell, to the texture and flavor.
11. Exercise the Body, too long we sit at a computer ‘surfing the internet’ and denying the joys of the outdoors, even at night; we watch sports on T.V. but do not enjoy the physical interaction with friends and/or family, even if it’s a slow walk in the neighborhood you’ll get to meet people, discover little hidden treasures of shops and places, and missing the beauty of life around us.
12.Meditate, this is where you learn to listen to the stillness within, to bring the energies of the body into harmony to close your eyes and quiet the “monkey chatter” in the brain and in doing so achieve a blissful serenity that most people seek through drugs or over activity but really it is the stillness that brings it to you.
13.Honor the Higher Spiritual Power, yes there is something profound that is greater than ourselves, whatever your religious beliefs are, take time to say thank you to this Higher Power, if it was through the intervention by a parent, friend, co-worker, acquaintance or just someone in customer service who assists you to their best of their ability say “Thank You”, by doing that you honor them and you Honor the Higher Spiritual Power.
Some times it might be best to go on a Spiritual Retreat at an abbey or monastery to get yourself to learn to Slow Down and discover yourself and the simple joys of life, to go against the stream of “go, go, go!” and instead say “Why?”
Sometimes it can be the pleasure of doing childlike things, of blowing bubbles, of cutting snowflakes out of paper, of dancing with your dog, or gathering sea shells, for to quote Captain Kirk "The more complex the mind, the greater the need for the simplicity of play." And we should all learn to play.
Later Darklings.
I’ve discovered something while I was on my vacation, first, and it is so obvious----I missed my little 4 legged darling, Belladonna intensely, so much so that I was calling her babysitter every other day, which fortunately her babysitter didn’t mind, but I fully intend to take her with me as much as possible from now on.
Secondly, while going through some things and also being on vacation I re-discovered things that I had jotted down many years ago, goals that one should achieve, things that were told/taught to me by my family, some of which I’ve mentioned before but I think bears repeating.
We must conserve our resources, our parents, grand-parents and great-grand-parents knew this, but it is something that we forgot in the vast consumerism of 1970’s to now in the 21st century.
We must remember to:
USE IT UP
FIX IT UP
FIND ANOTHER WAY OF USING IT
MAKE DO
SAVE UP FOR IT
OR DO WITHOUT
What the youngsters or Baby Bats, now call re-cycling and re-purposing, the Elders knew long, long before.
And these things that I re-discovered---fortunately I’ve managed to achieve most of it, but even for myself, an Elder/Elderly Goth, one should never stop learning.
I’ve also looked into the shelf and freezer life of products as well for my pantry and I’ve discovered it is so important to date things, that way you can be sure to use it in time and rotate out without waste, a large indelible ink marker is very handy for that.
But Something else I’ve discovered and have updated and augmented.
These are:
Goals that an Elder/Elderly Goth should achieved
And what younger Goths or Baby Bats should aspire to….
1. Know Yourself, to truly know yourself you must be prepared to change your opinions as you learn and grow older. For if you are not willing to know yourself, to be willing to learn and with learning change, then instead you will stagnate and never achieve anything.
2. Know your Job and Skills, learn from the masters who have done this before, sometimes the old skills are the best. Remember Scotty from Star Trek who said "The more they over think the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain.” And remember what he also told a young La Forge who said "The tank can't handle that much pressure."
"Where'd you get that idea?"
"It's in the impulse specifications."
"Regulation 42/15: 'Pressure Variances in IRC Tank Storage'?"
"Right."
"Oh, that. Forget it. I WROTE it”
3. Learn and Grow, never be afraid to expand your abilities by continuously learning, that way life never grows dull or stale and it makes things interesting.
4. Apply knowledge with Wisdom, never ever think you know everything or have all the answers because YOU DON’T, be willing to admit that there are times when you could be wrong.
5. Achieve Balance, remember there are always two sides to every question, argument, situation and truth
6. Keep your Words in Good Order, it is always easy to use profane and foul language it is much harder to say things carefully without increasing the tension.
7. Keep you Thoughts in Good Order, it is always easy to jump to conclusions or to judge and condemn without looking carefully at the situation, remember the Indian prayer “Great Spirit, Grant That I May Not Criticize My Neighbor Until I Have Walked A Mile In His Moccasins"
8. Celebrate Life, in Life there is Death, in Death there is Life, it should always be a celebration, if you hear the tiniest squeak of a Hummingbird, see the flutter of a Butterfly, the inquisitiveness of a squirrels, the playful happiness of a dog, the relaxed attitude of a cat, the gracefulness of a fish, the soaring loftiness of a sparrow, then celebrate it, even if its just in your heart.
9. Attune with the Cycles of the Earth, we forget that to every Season there is a time for it, to ignore it is to throw your body and senses out of time and out of tune with the music of the spheres, celebrate everything and attune with it, from New Years to Valentine’s Day to Easter, to Mother’s and Father’s Day, Memorial Day to 4th of July, to Fall, to Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas, celebrate it, to ignore it is to bankrupt your soul and your self.
10. Breathe and Eat Correctly, slow down, simplify your life, enjoy the air that is out there, enjoy the sun, the moon, the stars, the day and the night, the rain, the wind, you do not need 100 pairs of shoes, nor all those apps on your Iphone or Ipad, sometimes it is good to disconnect from everything and just slow down, BREATHE and live life, to eating correctly we make the mistake of gobbling our food, we don’t savor it, we eat too many big Macs but forget the delightful crunch of a fresh apple, eating should be slowed down and enjoyed, from the taste to the smell, to the texture and flavor.
11. Exercise the Body, too long we sit at a computer ‘surfing the internet’ and denying the joys of the outdoors, even at night; we watch sports on T.V. but do not enjoy the physical interaction with friends and/or family, even if it’s a slow walk in the neighborhood you’ll get to meet people, discover little hidden treasures of shops and places, and missing the beauty of life around us.
12.Meditate, this is where you learn to listen to the stillness within, to bring the energies of the body into harmony to close your eyes and quiet the “monkey chatter” in the brain and in doing so achieve a blissful serenity that most people seek through drugs or over activity but really it is the stillness that brings it to you.
13.Honor the Higher Spiritual Power, yes there is something profound that is greater than ourselves, whatever your religious beliefs are, take time to say thank you to this Higher Power, if it was through the intervention by a parent, friend, co-worker, acquaintance or just someone in customer service who assists you to their best of their ability say “Thank You”, by doing that you honor them and you Honor the Higher Spiritual Power.
Some times it might be best to go on a Spiritual Retreat at an abbey or monastery to get yourself to learn to Slow Down and discover yourself and the simple joys of life, to go against the stream of “go, go, go!” and instead say “Why?”
Sometimes it can be the pleasure of doing childlike things, of blowing bubbles, of cutting snowflakes out of paper, of dancing with your dog, or gathering sea shells, for to quote Captain Kirk "The more complex the mind, the greater the need for the simplicity of play." And we should all learn to play.
Later Darklings.
Ghosts and Blood~~~~
A Ghost Walk and Blood, Darklings???
Well Doyle has surprised me, with not one but two, yes, two ghostly events and the Oktoberfest.
He managed to book a cabin for two different weekends at the Marble Quarry RV Park just a 10 minute walk from Columbia State Historic Park. He did this months in advance knowing how quickly things can get booked.
So somehow we will manage to squeeze in an Oktoberfest, a Columbia Ghost Walk Oct 13 & 14, and a paranormal Urban legends weekends for October, and I have to make arrangements to get off on Fridays and I can take little Belladonna with us, as the Marble Quarry RV park permits pets but with a small fee of $5.00 a night, well worth it.
I am looking forward to it as it will make October and Fall so enticing and enchanting in a ghostly way. Already my bags are open and being packed bit by bit, with several warm sweaters for Belladonna.
I was relaxing last night with a glass of Zinfandel from the D’art winery and it’s rather good, all just right, the fire was burning in the fireplace, I was so glad to have one the first things worked on was the fireplace and it’s chimney, redid the firebox and ran a fireproof flue up the chimney to reinforce it and improve it’s drawing capabilities, the comfortable chair and foot stool, the fireplace, the zinfandel, Doyle reading, the CD disc of Angel Romero on the guitar playing on the stereo on a Fall evening, Belladonna napping on my lap occasionally uttering sighs of contentment.
So different from the hecticness of the day, I had a doctor’s appointment and she wasn’t going to waste a single minute of it, we talked over medications, diet and exercise, and she scheduled me for a mammogram, lab work which included blood plus several shots that I needed Tetanus, Whooping Cough, Shingles vaccine, Flu shot will be next week as well as a bone density scan….ahhh the travails of getting older and becoming and Elder/Elderly Goth.
But it wasn’t without some amusement, I was having blood drawn by a young man who loves his job and understands blood.
He saw it flow very nicely and remarked “You must drink a lot of water, your blood is flowing beautifully and cleanly” I told him I did drink a lot of water to keep hydrated but I had been concerned about the availability of my veins.
He said “Your veins are very small but well formed and plump, again the water. We have people come in and they could have nice large veins but they hardly drink any water and the blood does not flow very well, it keeps clotting or moving like sludge, so I have to advise them to drink a lot of water. The Elderly are notorious for not drinking enough water, they are so afraid of bladder accidents, but if they would drink a good amount of water at least two or three weeks before a lab test then it helps us and it plumbs up the veins. We have to be careful on the needle size, with small veins and for the elderly I like to use the smallest needle, it hurts less, and with being hydrated it hurts less when I inject the needle to draw the blood. The color is very good too.”
I turned and looked at him, smiled and said “Thank you, Count Dracula”, he smiled and blushed a little and said “I usually work nights but they were short handed today.” And with a deft flick of the wrist he put a Band-Aid where he had removed my blood. “Keep drinking that water.” He said as I left and I assured him I would.
So water helps plump up the veins and the blood so it flows through our veins better. I was not aware of that, so both water and blood is the life, I contemplated that as I idly stared into my glass of Zinfandel, how vital to our lives, and how easily we waste it.
With that thought I decided that I would look into the best way to irrigate my garden with the least amount of wasted water. About blood? I am not a good candidate for a blood drive, but I can donate to it. And with that thought in mind I relaxed as Belladonna shifted in my lap to get more comfortable and Doyle remarked about an article he read in the paper.
Later Darklings
Well Doyle has surprised me, with not one but two, yes, two ghostly events and the Oktoberfest.
He managed to book a cabin for two different weekends at the Marble Quarry RV Park just a 10 minute walk from Columbia State Historic Park. He did this months in advance knowing how quickly things can get booked.
So somehow we will manage to squeeze in an Oktoberfest, a Columbia Ghost Walk Oct 13 & 14, and a paranormal Urban legends weekends for October, and I have to make arrangements to get off on Fridays and I can take little Belladonna with us, as the Marble Quarry RV park permits pets but with a small fee of $5.00 a night, well worth it.
I am looking forward to it as it will make October and Fall so enticing and enchanting in a ghostly way. Already my bags are open and being packed bit by bit, with several warm sweaters for Belladonna.
I was relaxing last night with a glass of Zinfandel from the D’art winery and it’s rather good, all just right, the fire was burning in the fireplace, I was so glad to have one the first things worked on was the fireplace and it’s chimney, redid the firebox and ran a fireproof flue up the chimney to reinforce it and improve it’s drawing capabilities, the comfortable chair and foot stool, the fireplace, the zinfandel, Doyle reading, the CD disc of Angel Romero on the guitar playing on the stereo on a Fall evening, Belladonna napping on my lap occasionally uttering sighs of contentment.
So different from the hecticness of the day, I had a doctor’s appointment and she wasn’t going to waste a single minute of it, we talked over medications, diet and exercise, and she scheduled me for a mammogram, lab work which included blood plus several shots that I needed Tetanus, Whooping Cough, Shingles vaccine, Flu shot will be next week as well as a bone density scan….ahhh the travails of getting older and becoming and Elder/Elderly Goth.
But it wasn’t without some amusement, I was having blood drawn by a young man who loves his job and understands blood.
He saw it flow very nicely and remarked “You must drink a lot of water, your blood is flowing beautifully and cleanly” I told him I did drink a lot of water to keep hydrated but I had been concerned about the availability of my veins.
He said “Your veins are very small but well formed and plump, again the water. We have people come in and they could have nice large veins but they hardly drink any water and the blood does not flow very well, it keeps clotting or moving like sludge, so I have to advise them to drink a lot of water. The Elderly are notorious for not drinking enough water, they are so afraid of bladder accidents, but if they would drink a good amount of water at least two or three weeks before a lab test then it helps us and it plumbs up the veins. We have to be careful on the needle size, with small veins and for the elderly I like to use the smallest needle, it hurts less, and with being hydrated it hurts less when I inject the needle to draw the blood. The color is very good too.”
I turned and looked at him, smiled and said “Thank you, Count Dracula”, he smiled and blushed a little and said “I usually work nights but they were short handed today.” And with a deft flick of the wrist he put a Band-Aid where he had removed my blood. “Keep drinking that water.” He said as I left and I assured him I would.
So water helps plump up the veins and the blood so it flows through our veins better. I was not aware of that, so both water and blood is the life, I contemplated that as I idly stared into my glass of Zinfandel, how vital to our lives, and how easily we waste it.
With that thought I decided that I would look into the best way to irrigate my garden with the least amount of wasted water. About blood? I am not a good candidate for a blood drive, but I can donate to it. And with that thought in mind I relaxed as Belladonna shifted in my lap to get more comfortable and Doyle remarked about an article he read in the paper.
Later Darklings
Vampire Wine and other dark things~~~~
Darklings~~~
I’ve been having fun searching on the internet for Gothic indulgences and if you really want to go all vampy then check out Vampire Wine at www.vampire.com, not only Vampire Wine, but vampire coffee and vampire chocolate, well chocolate is considered the “food of the gods”.
And I never thought one could find a gothic/vampire web site to cover these “little” things like dishes, glass wear and such but sometimes it’s nice to be surprised and the web site for items from books to plates to furniture is www.vampirerave.com, when you get there go to the “database” for those subcategories for food, drink, furniture and such.
You can have tons of fun checking things out, however there are some “dead” links but on the whole I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
And now to go off topic----I’m back to cosmetics and fashion again Darklings, it seems that the dark cranberry and burgundy colors for lipstick seems to be a bit of a rage, and Chanel has come out with a new perfume “Coco Noir”. I have not smelled it yet, when I come across it I will let you know.
In the latest In Style makeover magazine it seems that these 4 colors are in for Fall and frankly perfectly wonderful for Goth beauty---Burgundy, Gold, Emerald and White, yes White Darklings is the new “black”, of course Gold looks wonderful with black, wine, creamy white or emerald.
As I said Burgundy is the new lip and nail color but avoid the browner tones of it. Nars lip gloss in “Rouge Tribal” and Maybelline’s nail lacquer in “Dressed to Kill” are very wicked looking, for gold look to Yves Saint Laurent nail color in “No. 29” and Guelain’s “Radiance” with 24kt gold as a perfume, a bit expensive but Darklings you are worth it in all your Dark, Dark Glory.
Estee Lauder’ nail color in “Viper”, a wonderful snaky green shimmer has me thrilled and will look smashing with my emerald green velvet dress and matching cape with purple velvet lining (yes a bit much but perfect for going out). If you are going for the whites either creamy or dead winter white go with Dior’s nail polish in “No. 115” but be careful to not make yourself look like a corpse, just ethereal, this is where you have to be careful with your facial makeup Darklings.
I have to admit I fell in love with the emerald green embossed leather bag with the resin tortoise shell top accents by Tory Burch, you can find it at Bloomingdale’s, but be sure you plan to keep it for a long time, frankly with it’s classic styling it will never become dated and I know for sure it will become a mainstay in my purse collection. (yes, I managed to buy it)
I had grabbed my August 19, 2012 New York Times magazine the “In Style” section from the Sunday New York Times to read and “devour” during my vacation and I was pleased to see, as in the September Vogue magazine, more corporate Goth styles, so my wardrobe will never be out of style. Frankly it never is, but those filmy Edwardian styles from Victorian Trading Company I just adore, including the Black Velvet Opera Coat which I ordered, perfect for a chilly winter evening.
But there is one other catalogue worth ordering or even going on line and that is the Pyramid collection at www.pyramidcollection.com I was so excited to get it and I have to be very, Very careful Darklings or I’ll max out my credit cards. So much to choose from ***sigh*** So I will add these three web sites to my links page and you can have the fun of being pulled in this direction or that direction of decisions, decisions.
I have to admit I managed to plan to return from the first half of my vacation right when our local community had a Vintage Fashion Fair, and I found some lovely little things just right for an Elder/Elderly Goth, like a box of black handkerchiefs with white flower edging, just perfect for a funeral. And beautifully embroidered black gloves that go up half way toward the elbow, perfect for my ¾ sleeve leopard print coat (faux fur Darklings, faux fur), and another darling hat in gray with a darker gray trim. I am still looking for the perfect hat to go with my 1950’s faux fur leopard print coat.
But now Darklings my little Belladonna is demanding my attention, Mommy has been away too, too long, two times too many, and I have to admit I missed her too, so the next time I plan on a vacation I will look for pet friendly places, as it is only right, perhaps I can look into those “pet companion” vests, then she can never be denied her right to be with me.
Leaving you will all my ideas and links, remember when you plan for a vacation be sure to save, save, save, that way you will not break your budget, even though I have a good income with these difficult times, I am careful with my spending. And although it sounded like I spent a lot of money I had saved up for it for nearly two years to be able to have this indulgent time. And it was worth it.
Just as it was wonderful to return home although being on vacation for over 3 weeks was very, very special. Sometimes one really needs just to get away from things. I think I don’t need to mention what I’m referring to.
I have no need to talk about politics or the ways of the world my Darklings, having seen it all I am not a bit surprised. So if my trip seemed hedonistic, selfish, and self serving it is because in my work I have seen a lot of unhappiness and dealing with stresses.
I have discovered that I can only control what I can immediately control, I cannot control the world, but with what I can control I will do my best to make my part of the world a little better. I rescued Belladonna from a horrible starving death. I will make my voice heard at the voting booth. I will donate to those charities that help others, and on Halloween I will give out candy and make my front yard suitably frightening to children especially to those for whom that is the only free entertainment they can get. I check on my elderly neighbor and help her out, even if she did think my Great Aunt was odd and that I am just as odd, but we do get along.
But in doing that and more, one needs to decompress, and for that I saved up my money to do it. Do I feel guilty? Except for having to leave Belladonna with her sitter, otherwise---NO, I deserved it. And for an Elder/Elderly Goth that is quiet alright.
So remember, save you money for those fantastic memories, Darklings. I wish you to Have Fun.
Later Darklings.
I’ve been having fun searching on the internet for Gothic indulgences and if you really want to go all vampy then check out Vampire Wine at www.vampire.com, not only Vampire Wine, but vampire coffee and vampire chocolate, well chocolate is considered the “food of the gods”.
And I never thought one could find a gothic/vampire web site to cover these “little” things like dishes, glass wear and such but sometimes it’s nice to be surprised and the web site for items from books to plates to furniture is www.vampirerave.com, when you get there go to the “database” for those subcategories for food, drink, furniture and such.
You can have tons of fun checking things out, however there are some “dead” links but on the whole I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
And now to go off topic----I’m back to cosmetics and fashion again Darklings, it seems that the dark cranberry and burgundy colors for lipstick seems to be a bit of a rage, and Chanel has come out with a new perfume “Coco Noir”. I have not smelled it yet, when I come across it I will let you know.
In the latest In Style makeover magazine it seems that these 4 colors are in for Fall and frankly perfectly wonderful for Goth beauty---Burgundy, Gold, Emerald and White, yes White Darklings is the new “black”, of course Gold looks wonderful with black, wine, creamy white or emerald.
As I said Burgundy is the new lip and nail color but avoid the browner tones of it. Nars lip gloss in “Rouge Tribal” and Maybelline’s nail lacquer in “Dressed to Kill” are very wicked looking, for gold look to Yves Saint Laurent nail color in “No. 29” and Guelain’s “Radiance” with 24kt gold as a perfume, a bit expensive but Darklings you are worth it in all your Dark, Dark Glory.
Estee Lauder’ nail color in “Viper”, a wonderful snaky green shimmer has me thrilled and will look smashing with my emerald green velvet dress and matching cape with purple velvet lining (yes a bit much but perfect for going out). If you are going for the whites either creamy or dead winter white go with Dior’s nail polish in “No. 115” but be careful to not make yourself look like a corpse, just ethereal, this is where you have to be careful with your facial makeup Darklings.
I have to admit I fell in love with the emerald green embossed leather bag with the resin tortoise shell top accents by Tory Burch, you can find it at Bloomingdale’s, but be sure you plan to keep it for a long time, frankly with it’s classic styling it will never become dated and I know for sure it will become a mainstay in my purse collection. (yes, I managed to buy it)
I had grabbed my August 19, 2012 New York Times magazine the “In Style” section from the Sunday New York Times to read and “devour” during my vacation and I was pleased to see, as in the September Vogue magazine, more corporate Goth styles, so my wardrobe will never be out of style. Frankly it never is, but those filmy Edwardian styles from Victorian Trading Company I just adore, including the Black Velvet Opera Coat which I ordered, perfect for a chilly winter evening.
But there is one other catalogue worth ordering or even going on line and that is the Pyramid collection at www.pyramidcollection.com I was so excited to get it and I have to be very, Very careful Darklings or I’ll max out my credit cards. So much to choose from ***sigh*** So I will add these three web sites to my links page and you can have the fun of being pulled in this direction or that direction of decisions, decisions.
I have to admit I managed to plan to return from the first half of my vacation right when our local community had a Vintage Fashion Fair, and I found some lovely little things just right for an Elder/Elderly Goth, like a box of black handkerchiefs with white flower edging, just perfect for a funeral. And beautifully embroidered black gloves that go up half way toward the elbow, perfect for my ¾ sleeve leopard print coat (faux fur Darklings, faux fur), and another darling hat in gray with a darker gray trim. I am still looking for the perfect hat to go with my 1950’s faux fur leopard print coat.
But now Darklings my little Belladonna is demanding my attention, Mommy has been away too, too long, two times too many, and I have to admit I missed her too, so the next time I plan on a vacation I will look for pet friendly places, as it is only right, perhaps I can look into those “pet companion” vests, then she can never be denied her right to be with me.
Leaving you will all my ideas and links, remember when you plan for a vacation be sure to save, save, save, that way you will not break your budget, even though I have a good income with these difficult times, I am careful with my spending. And although it sounded like I spent a lot of money I had saved up for it for nearly two years to be able to have this indulgent time. And it was worth it.
Just as it was wonderful to return home although being on vacation for over 3 weeks was very, very special. Sometimes one really needs just to get away from things. I think I don’t need to mention what I’m referring to.
I have no need to talk about politics or the ways of the world my Darklings, having seen it all I am not a bit surprised. So if my trip seemed hedonistic, selfish, and self serving it is because in my work I have seen a lot of unhappiness and dealing with stresses.
I have discovered that I can only control what I can immediately control, I cannot control the world, but with what I can control I will do my best to make my part of the world a little better. I rescued Belladonna from a horrible starving death. I will make my voice heard at the voting booth. I will donate to those charities that help others, and on Halloween I will give out candy and make my front yard suitably frightening to children especially to those for whom that is the only free entertainment they can get. I check on my elderly neighbor and help her out, even if she did think my Great Aunt was odd and that I am just as odd, but we do get along.
But in doing that and more, one needs to decompress, and for that I saved up my money to do it. Do I feel guilty? Except for having to leave Belladonna with her sitter, otherwise---NO, I deserved it. And for an Elder/Elderly Goth that is quiet alright.
So remember, save you money for those fantastic memories, Darklings. I wish you to Have Fun.
Later Darklings.
Vacation update~~Lodi Review, wine and yard sales~~~
Well Darklings, I have a lot to post~~~
The beauty about laptops is they are much like a portable typewriter that the war correspondents used during World War II, Korea and Vietnam, now with a laptop and flash drives you can get the story out quicker or save it till one returns to home base.
So while I have a chance this morning I’m going to post a lot of “posts.”
Starting with this one~~~~
If you live in the Bay Area, do not discount Lodi as a place to get wines, I was very pleasantly surprised by the variety and quality of their wines. Of course if you go down the main drag all you see are just box stores and strip malls, but I did some serious research and found that they have an “Old Town Lodi” and wonderful one of a kind shops.
I love cheeses, but I have to be careful as sometimes too much cheese can cause problems, and as an Elder/Elderly Goth I know that problem all too well, but if you can go to Cheese Central on School Street you will not be disappointed. Now I happen to purchase some of their cheeses at the Thursday evening Farmers Market and they have fabulous jams and jellies. Another Shop in Lodi that I heard mentioned on “Eye on the Bay” is the Sea Salt Cottage, and it is as fabulous as they said.
I enjoyed lunch at the Dancing Fox Winery and Bakery, and went back on my last day before I returned home to get some bakery goods, which I know will last for several days. Just Heaven is the best way to describe it. Although some people said that their lunch was a “mixed-bag” in quality I felt that my lunch was quite good.
On the wines, I’ll leave that to your own choosing but I have to say I was not disappointed with the selection from D’Art Wines. Just excellent. There are many wineries in the area, and I recommend that you take just a week at least to enjoy the wine tasting rooms, but be prepared to have a very nice place to stay so you are not driving in an inebriated state.
I splurged and stayed for 4 nights at the Wine & Roses Hotel, it is a Hotel, Spa and Restaurant, a lovely romantic place for romantic couples, but not good for children---in that case take the kiddies to Disneyland. It was relaxing, pampering and well worth the big bucks that I spent there. On the Spa I went for the Wine & Roses Ultimate Treatment, the only thing that could equal it are the treatments at the Claremont Hotel and Spa…Ahhhhh Heaven.
For the remaining 3 nights I spent in Lodi I stayed at the Hampton Inn on Beckman Rd, don’t let the location put you off, it was very nice there, and priced very reasonably. And if you have children it is child friendly. Check out Trip Advisor for other places to stay.
There are in Lodi at least two child fun places, one of them is a science museum and the other is a small children’s amusement park perfect for the really little ones, check Lodi’s web site for more information.
While I was in Lodi at one of the wine tastings I met up with a young lady (well anyone under the age of 50 is young to me, but she was in her early 30’s) who is studying to be a Sommelier, not an easy thing to do as I understand it, having read a news article in a local paper. Her knowledge of wines was, in my opinion, amazing, but she said that she is not yet good enough to be considered a master at it.
I told her about my “middle class” wine purchases and she said that for California wines in my price range they were good choices, she did recommend a few to me that although more expensive I should treat myself to at least once in my life. Something I’m going to have to save up for.
I asked her what she was partial to and she said she had a weakness for the Portuguese Dry red wines and the Southern Italian Reds as well, she felt that the French wines could be “finicky” which was her word for it, but she was still tracking down a French red wine she felt good with. She still had not determined which of the white wines would be her favorite.
She was very into the history of the different wineries both here and in Europe and told me that if California had not rescued the French vines when France had that dreaded moth invasion many of our fine varietals would have been lost forever, she felt that France really doesn’t give California enough credit for having saved the wine industry. She also is studying California and other wines made here in the United States and said that we can sometimes be surprised by what can turn up.
Because we wanted to continue our conversation she joined me as my guest back at Wine & Roses for Dinner and we had a marvelous conversation over the wonderful food that was served, about the twists and turns in our lives, she agreed with me that we may not live the life that we want but we do live the life that we need to live.
We exchanged business cards and e-mails and made plans to get together in the latter part of October at an Oktoberfest she recommended and told me to bring Doyle as well.
I had so much fun at the Thursday Farmer’s Market in Lodi, and it is so interesting to see the differences in produce that each Farmer’s Market carries in various areas. I had fun making what I call “pantry purchases” of spices, jams, preserves and such that I will enjoy stocking my pantry with.
But home again, home again on Saturday so I would have had at least Sunday to do my laundry and get everything ready for work on Monday. But even on Saturday I had a chance to stop at a Yard Sale---yes Darklings, maybe I should put a banner on the back of my car that says “I brake for all funerals, cemeteries and Yard Sales”, and this one was a delight to check out.
I found a wonderful incense burner in a type of bronze of an Indian chief with a peace pipe, sitting on a blanket, the chief and the blanket are two parts with the blanket (also made of metal) to hold cone incense and then you place the chief over it and it looks like he’s blowing smoke and smoke coming out of the pipe as well. I determined that the style was from the late ‘teens to 1920’s when such things were very popular.
I also found several 1920’s fortune telling decks, and a peculiar looking tarot deck, it was only the major arcana but the designs were from the 1920’s but with the faces of skulls. I thought these decks would look good in my cabinet of curiosities in my library.
It turned out that the yard sale was really an estate sale, an elderly relative had died and I found a darling sugar and creamer in the darkest blue color I have ever seen right from the 1940’s, and a dark grey handbag from I. Magnin’s of San Francisco from the 1950’s which will go very well with my hat that I bought at the Vintage Fashion Fair a few days before I left for Lodi.
There were other things as well that I purchased, some period costume jewelry, and other things, and then I had to leave, since I knew I would be driving west and towards the setting sun, I wanted to leave before the sun was so low that it would be in my eyes while driving, not a good thing really, especially as one gets closer to the insanity of driving in the Bay Area.
If there is one thing I learned Darklings is this, if you are driving East in the early morning the Morning Sun will be in your eyes but will rise higher and get out of your way, but driving east in the late afternoon is fine, but if you are driving West it’s better to do it in the early morning with the sun behind you as the late afternoon sun can be blinding. North or South is not a problem.
But I always make it a policy to never drive after 3 p.m. when I’m on a trip, it’s always better to find a place to stay, otherwise you’re heading into commute traffic or evening can quickly come upon you during the late fall and winter months especially in the mountains.
And then I was home, happily greeted by Doyle who helped me unpack my car, and put away my wines and panty supplies as I loaded a load of clothes into the washing machine and finished unpacked my bags and putting things away, Doyle later stored the suitcases away with cedar blocks in them to keep out moths and such.
We went to pick up my little Belladonna who was delirious to see me, with barks of “Mommy you found me, don’t leave me again”. My sitter told me that she and Belladonna got along fine but she did miss me. With that in mind I am more determined than ever to not leave Belladonna behind if at all possible.
Fortunately I did not have to make dinner either Saturday or Sunday as Doyle wanted to stretch out my vacation just a little more without having to worry about dinner preparations, also he wanted to celebrate as he had successfully concluded his part in the investigation and it was all turned over to lawyers. I told him about the Oktoberfest in October and he said he would make sure to have that time free.
So now I am putting together my lists of places and events, things to see and plan on. Already I’m feeling a tug to explore something strange and new but I’m going to have to wait and save up my money and plan. I know I want to go North again but this time further North, to drive through huge trees and see if I can spot Sasquatch, to see bizarre things and hear the roar of the ocean on the Northern Coast, sort of a touch of “Dark Shadows” in a way, find my own “Collinswood”. Who knows…..maybe find Barnabas Collins…..???
Later Darklings.
The beauty about laptops is they are much like a portable typewriter that the war correspondents used during World War II, Korea and Vietnam, now with a laptop and flash drives you can get the story out quicker or save it till one returns to home base.
So while I have a chance this morning I’m going to post a lot of “posts.”
Starting with this one~~~~
If you live in the Bay Area, do not discount Lodi as a place to get wines, I was very pleasantly surprised by the variety and quality of their wines. Of course if you go down the main drag all you see are just box stores and strip malls, but I did some serious research and found that they have an “Old Town Lodi” and wonderful one of a kind shops.
I love cheeses, but I have to be careful as sometimes too much cheese can cause problems, and as an Elder/Elderly Goth I know that problem all too well, but if you can go to Cheese Central on School Street you will not be disappointed. Now I happen to purchase some of their cheeses at the Thursday evening Farmers Market and they have fabulous jams and jellies. Another Shop in Lodi that I heard mentioned on “Eye on the Bay” is the Sea Salt Cottage, and it is as fabulous as they said.
I enjoyed lunch at the Dancing Fox Winery and Bakery, and went back on my last day before I returned home to get some bakery goods, which I know will last for several days. Just Heaven is the best way to describe it. Although some people said that their lunch was a “mixed-bag” in quality I felt that my lunch was quite good.
On the wines, I’ll leave that to your own choosing but I have to say I was not disappointed with the selection from D’Art Wines. Just excellent. There are many wineries in the area, and I recommend that you take just a week at least to enjoy the wine tasting rooms, but be prepared to have a very nice place to stay so you are not driving in an inebriated state.
I splurged and stayed for 4 nights at the Wine & Roses Hotel, it is a Hotel, Spa and Restaurant, a lovely romantic place for romantic couples, but not good for children---in that case take the kiddies to Disneyland. It was relaxing, pampering and well worth the big bucks that I spent there. On the Spa I went for the Wine & Roses Ultimate Treatment, the only thing that could equal it are the treatments at the Claremont Hotel and Spa…Ahhhhh Heaven.
For the remaining 3 nights I spent in Lodi I stayed at the Hampton Inn on Beckman Rd, don’t let the location put you off, it was very nice there, and priced very reasonably. And if you have children it is child friendly. Check out Trip Advisor for other places to stay.
There are in Lodi at least two child fun places, one of them is a science museum and the other is a small children’s amusement park perfect for the really little ones, check Lodi’s web site for more information.
While I was in Lodi at one of the wine tastings I met up with a young lady (well anyone under the age of 50 is young to me, but she was in her early 30’s) who is studying to be a Sommelier, not an easy thing to do as I understand it, having read a news article in a local paper. Her knowledge of wines was, in my opinion, amazing, but she said that she is not yet good enough to be considered a master at it.
I told her about my “middle class” wine purchases and she said that for California wines in my price range they were good choices, she did recommend a few to me that although more expensive I should treat myself to at least once in my life. Something I’m going to have to save up for.
I asked her what she was partial to and she said she had a weakness for the Portuguese Dry red wines and the Southern Italian Reds as well, she felt that the French wines could be “finicky” which was her word for it, but she was still tracking down a French red wine she felt good with. She still had not determined which of the white wines would be her favorite.
She was very into the history of the different wineries both here and in Europe and told me that if California had not rescued the French vines when France had that dreaded moth invasion many of our fine varietals would have been lost forever, she felt that France really doesn’t give California enough credit for having saved the wine industry. She also is studying California and other wines made here in the United States and said that we can sometimes be surprised by what can turn up.
Because we wanted to continue our conversation she joined me as my guest back at Wine & Roses for Dinner and we had a marvelous conversation over the wonderful food that was served, about the twists and turns in our lives, she agreed with me that we may not live the life that we want but we do live the life that we need to live.
We exchanged business cards and e-mails and made plans to get together in the latter part of October at an Oktoberfest she recommended and told me to bring Doyle as well.
I had so much fun at the Thursday Farmer’s Market in Lodi, and it is so interesting to see the differences in produce that each Farmer’s Market carries in various areas. I had fun making what I call “pantry purchases” of spices, jams, preserves and such that I will enjoy stocking my pantry with.
But home again, home again on Saturday so I would have had at least Sunday to do my laundry and get everything ready for work on Monday. But even on Saturday I had a chance to stop at a Yard Sale---yes Darklings, maybe I should put a banner on the back of my car that says “I brake for all funerals, cemeteries and Yard Sales”, and this one was a delight to check out.
I found a wonderful incense burner in a type of bronze of an Indian chief with a peace pipe, sitting on a blanket, the chief and the blanket are two parts with the blanket (also made of metal) to hold cone incense and then you place the chief over it and it looks like he’s blowing smoke and smoke coming out of the pipe as well. I determined that the style was from the late ‘teens to 1920’s when such things were very popular.
I also found several 1920’s fortune telling decks, and a peculiar looking tarot deck, it was only the major arcana but the designs were from the 1920’s but with the faces of skulls. I thought these decks would look good in my cabinet of curiosities in my library.
It turned out that the yard sale was really an estate sale, an elderly relative had died and I found a darling sugar and creamer in the darkest blue color I have ever seen right from the 1940’s, and a dark grey handbag from I. Magnin’s of San Francisco from the 1950’s which will go very well with my hat that I bought at the Vintage Fashion Fair a few days before I left for Lodi.
There were other things as well that I purchased, some period costume jewelry, and other things, and then I had to leave, since I knew I would be driving west and towards the setting sun, I wanted to leave before the sun was so low that it would be in my eyes while driving, not a good thing really, especially as one gets closer to the insanity of driving in the Bay Area.
If there is one thing I learned Darklings is this, if you are driving East in the early morning the Morning Sun will be in your eyes but will rise higher and get out of your way, but driving east in the late afternoon is fine, but if you are driving West it’s better to do it in the early morning with the sun behind you as the late afternoon sun can be blinding. North or South is not a problem.
But I always make it a policy to never drive after 3 p.m. when I’m on a trip, it’s always better to find a place to stay, otherwise you’re heading into commute traffic or evening can quickly come upon you during the late fall and winter months especially in the mountains.
And then I was home, happily greeted by Doyle who helped me unpack my car, and put away my wines and panty supplies as I loaded a load of clothes into the washing machine and finished unpacked my bags and putting things away, Doyle later stored the suitcases away with cedar blocks in them to keep out moths and such.
We went to pick up my little Belladonna who was delirious to see me, with barks of “Mommy you found me, don’t leave me again”. My sitter told me that she and Belladonna got along fine but she did miss me. With that in mind I am more determined than ever to not leave Belladonna behind if at all possible.
Fortunately I did not have to make dinner either Saturday or Sunday as Doyle wanted to stretch out my vacation just a little more without having to worry about dinner preparations, also he wanted to celebrate as he had successfully concluded his part in the investigation and it was all turned over to lawyers. I told him about the Oktoberfest in October and he said he would make sure to have that time free.
So now I am putting together my lists of places and events, things to see and plan on. Already I’m feeling a tug to explore something strange and new but I’m going to have to wait and save up my money and plan. I know I want to go North again but this time further North, to drive through huge trees and see if I can spot Sasquatch, to see bizarre things and hear the roar of the ocean on the Northern Coast, sort of a touch of “Dark Shadows” in a way, find my own “Collinswood”. Who knows…..maybe find Barnabas Collins…..???
Later Darklings.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
The End of a Vacation~~& the Shuttlecraft
Hello My Darklings,
I am home.
I returned later yesterday afternoon, first un-packing my car and putting things away, with Doyle's help.
Started a run of laundry and picked up my Belladonna who was happy to see me. I have so much to post, but I'm going to save it for another time as I am still getting myself together to be able to return to the work force tomorrow.
Oh how I will hate to have to return to the mundane world, but I must.
On my return home I could feel Fall had arrived, the scent in the air, the change in the atmosphere, the landscape turning brown and going to dust, but the excitement of traveling and discovery was such a tingling experience that I want to do it again and again.
I am reminded of an episode of the T.V. program "Thriller" titled "Masquerade" where this young couple who are traveling around the country with a trailer and looking for places to explore are trapping in this house of demented people, they somehow manage to excape and we think they are such heros, only to discover as they go into the sleeping area of their trailer that it contains a double coffin for them to sleep in.
Doyle has suggested that perhaps we should look into an RV to travel in. But I love my home, but it is a thought.
Doyle has saved me the trouble of dinner, thank goodness. So we will go out, with little Belladonna in tow in her carry all.
Doyle also managed to video tape the Shuttle's Fly-over the Bay Area espeically over the Golden Gate Bridge, as I watched it I felt a sense of pride and accomplishment, and yes, patriotism. Such old fashioned feelings but this fleet of Shuttles' taking us a step further into space, and now with Curiosity on Mars...I do not have the words for it. Although I have not built the craft nor was in anyway directly involved, the feeling of what we can do is amazing and that is where I get my feelings from.
Doyle told me that a little girl was asking her Mommie "Why is the Shuttle pulling the airplane?" The Mother looked at Doyle and he said, "Let her think that." When he told me that I laughed in amusement, the child's focus was in its own way correct, and that would be a moment for the Mommy to remember for a life time. Doyle noticed the Mommy was confused so he said "It's to help the Shuttle land, when it get's to Los Angeles" and that seemed to satisfy the child.
In the next few days I will post the wined up of my trip. But for now my Darklings, check the stores, the Halloween goodies are out!
Later Darklings
I am home.
I returned later yesterday afternoon, first un-packing my car and putting things away, with Doyle's help.
Started a run of laundry and picked up my Belladonna who was happy to see me. I have so much to post, but I'm going to save it for another time as I am still getting myself together to be able to return to the work force tomorrow.
Oh how I will hate to have to return to the mundane world, but I must.
On my return home I could feel Fall had arrived, the scent in the air, the change in the atmosphere, the landscape turning brown and going to dust, but the excitement of traveling and discovery was such a tingling experience that I want to do it again and again.
I am reminded of an episode of the T.V. program "Thriller" titled "Masquerade" where this young couple who are traveling around the country with a trailer and looking for places to explore are trapping in this house of demented people, they somehow manage to excape and we think they are such heros, only to discover as they go into the sleeping area of their trailer that it contains a double coffin for them to sleep in.
Doyle has suggested that perhaps we should look into an RV to travel in. But I love my home, but it is a thought.
Doyle has saved me the trouble of dinner, thank goodness. So we will go out, with little Belladonna in tow in her carry all.
Doyle also managed to video tape the Shuttle's Fly-over the Bay Area espeically over the Golden Gate Bridge, as I watched it I felt a sense of pride and accomplishment, and yes, patriotism. Such old fashioned feelings but this fleet of Shuttles' taking us a step further into space, and now with Curiosity on Mars...I do not have the words for it. Although I have not built the craft nor was in anyway directly involved, the feeling of what we can do is amazing and that is where I get my feelings from.
Doyle told me that a little girl was asking her Mommie "Why is the Shuttle pulling the airplane?" The Mother looked at Doyle and he said, "Let her think that." When he told me that I laughed in amusement, the child's focus was in its own way correct, and that would be a moment for the Mommy to remember for a life time. Doyle noticed the Mommy was confused so he said "It's to help the Shuttle land, when it get's to Los Angeles" and that seemed to satisfy the child.
In the next few days I will post the wined up of my trip. But for now my Darklings, check the stores, the Halloween goodies are out!
Later Darklings
Friday, September 21, 2012
Vacation Diary 6A~~~a Dancing Fox and JLo
I know Darklings what a combination,
I didn't think I'd post so soon but right now I'm unwinding after a busy day, then I will freshen up and go to dinner.
I've had the most fun in my wine tour, meeting people and discovering things. Lodi appears to be the Zinfandel capital of the world and by going to the Chamber of Commerce it's like being at a huge wine tasting, so many varieties on display. They really push it.
The Thursday Farmer's Market occurs in the evening, when things cool down and it was a wonderful experience with food, handcrafted items, entertainment, quite the event. But Lodi in the San Joaquin County has like Napa, Calistoga and Sonoma and parts of San Jose, the perfect conditions for wine growing, but the evenings tend to be very cool after the hot days in Fall, so having a heavy sweater does pay off.
I bought so many things that I had to buy another suitcase, I didn't bring my Samsonite as I wasn't planning to use an evening gown, but Lodi is not very back watered either---my concierge directed me to a Kohl's Department store in town where I found a roller weekend duffel bag in the Jennifer Lopez collection in Cheetah Print---growl! Just perfect for all you Gothic animals out there.
Now I'm going to get into the shower and head out for dinner, I'm going to indulge at the Wine and Roses Restaurant one last time, and then tomorrow home again. But Doyle will spoil me a little when I get home and I'll be happy to see Belladonna, I bought her a sweater that's black with skulls and cross bones knitted into it perfect for Halloween or a Goth dog.
Later Darklings
I didn't think I'd post so soon but right now I'm unwinding after a busy day, then I will freshen up and go to dinner.
I've had the most fun in my wine tour, meeting people and discovering things. Lodi appears to be the Zinfandel capital of the world and by going to the Chamber of Commerce it's like being at a huge wine tasting, so many varieties on display. They really push it.
The Thursday Farmer's Market occurs in the evening, when things cool down and it was a wonderful experience with food, handcrafted items, entertainment, quite the event. But Lodi in the San Joaquin County has like Napa, Calistoga and Sonoma and parts of San Jose, the perfect conditions for wine growing, but the evenings tend to be very cool after the hot days in Fall, so having a heavy sweater does pay off.
I bought so many things that I had to buy another suitcase, I didn't bring my Samsonite as I wasn't planning to use an evening gown, but Lodi is not very back watered either---my concierge directed me to a Kohl's Department store in town where I found a roller weekend duffel bag in the Jennifer Lopez collection in Cheetah Print---growl! Just perfect for all you Gothic animals out there.
And perfect for me if I plan to use just a weekender, I've been in touch with Doyle and he says he has several weekends planned for us in October so for me to be prepared to travel some more, which I'm looking forward to.
Several times for lunch I went to the Dancing Fox Deli, I know Darklings, what an unusual name, but evidently its after the fable of the "Fox and the Grapes" and I remember as a child when I and the family was camping, one twilight evening my father and I went to a meadow and we saw a pair of foxes and they were hopping around like they were dancing, it was a special magical moment that I and my father shared
But getting back to the Deli I have to say that each time I have had an excellent lunch, I was told by a regular that sometimes it varies depending upon who is the cook or food preparer, but I have not been disappointed, their cranberry salad has become my weakness.
And I have found several brands of Zinfandel to add to my growing wine collection. Doyle has also told me that my other weakness, Pumpkin Spice Latte is now being offered at Starbucks---the timing seems so perfect I think I died and went to heaven.
I know Darklings it may not seem so Gothic but wine and knowing good wine is an experience one should have, it is the "blood of the earth" as some people have referred to it and the pressing of the grapes signals the beginning of the end of the growing season, to be followed by the culling or slaughter of the herds and the preserving of the fruits, vegetables and meats for the hard dark winter that comes, it signals the dark period to come. And for us to survive we must drink the "blood of the Earth".
Later Darklings
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
