Of a horrible wind storm~~~

My Goodness Darklings,

We have been having heavy, strong winds blowing in wrenching gusts and long blasts, Thank Goodness no rain, but it makes it very difficult for the fire fighters down south.

Yesterday, I've been watching the leaves fly and roll down the street,  and the wind chill is just horrible.  I managed to persuade Mr. Rodgers to not walk the dogs today to just keep an eye on them in the back yard.  It didn't make sense for him to catch a cold or worse before he and his wife went to see their Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren.

Today it is still cold but the wind has died down a lot, so Mr. Rodgers insisted on walking the dogs, and putting on their over coats (on all three) he went off merrily with his charges, who were happy to leave doggie messages to their doggie friends.

Mrs. Rodgers informed me that once Mr. Rodgers gets into a routine, it's hard for him to change, it gives him a certain solidity in his life, I certainly can understand that.  

Doyle and I bundled up and went out into the back garden as well as the front yard to see what Damage had been done by the winds,  some Christmas lights had come loose which Doyle quickly re-hung and anchored,  lots of leaves and smaller tree branches but I'll leave that to my Gardener, but nothing broken which was fortunate considering the strength of the winds.  Upon reflection it was a good thing I did not put up T-Rex for Christmas.

This evening we are going to see "A Christmas Carol" performed at a local community theater, and tomorrow we are going back to the Dickens Fair, it pays to be flexible.  I invited the Rodgers but they preferred an early bed-time. 

Doyle and I had been talking about the Fireplaces,   and he suggested that I convert the one in the Family Parlor to be a gas log, that way I could have a fire but not have to worry about a spare the air day,  but leave the one in the Formal Parlor as wood burning. It made sense to me, the house is huge and the central heating can only do so much, I open the vents to the unused rooms twice a week to keep any "damp" out,  and in the Winter time the heating bill can be brutal, thank goodness for the Trust account my Great Aunt set up, for the maintenance of the house.  I told Doyle I needed to look into if putting in a gas fireplace would violate the Trust,  I don't think so because I'd preserve the Surround and Mantle, I'll talk with my lawyer, but it would be worth while.

I'm also looking into seeing what novels Barnes and Noble have re-printed in their "Victorian" style to give as gifts to the children in future as well as to add to my collection.

So much to do and take care of.

Later Darklings

Of dealing with the Winter Storm of 2017 or Is the drought over?~~~

Hello Darklings,

It’s been awhile since I last posted,  and I’ve been busy.   Mostly with house repairs.

We had a terrifying storm here, winds were whipping things up and knocking trees over, flooding, mudslides and the reservoirs filled to capacity and over flowing. 

But I’ll get to that in a minute. 

For New Years Doyle and I celebrated with dinner and dancing on the USS Hornet, I was surprised my leg held up so well but it did,  many people wore period clothing, including uniforms from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s,  Doyle is ex-Navy and had his dress whites, he looked so Humphry Bogart in them.   I had a chance to see old friends who love to celebrate the same way. 

So we made promises to get in touch and visit with each other,  one of them has a vintage car that Doyle maybe interested in.  Sis didn’t come with us this time, she had been dealing with a number of clients suffering from Holiday depression, she said the best thing she could do was a cup of hot chocolate and bed and get plenty of sleep.

The weather was clear enough that we could see the spectacular fireworks across the Bay, I was curled up in my vintage mink coat and trust me Darklings, I needed it, a wool or down parka coat would not have been enough to cut the breeze coming off the Bay, I would have needed several layers of thermal underwear to be warm enough.  Doyle also wrapped his arms around me for added warmth, either me or him I’m not sure.  And then after an hour it was “Good night Ladies”  time to go home.

I swear celebrating New Years on the Hornet is like going back in time, you hate to wake up to reality the next morning, but it did come.   Now I have to remember to write 2017 on checks and such.

The children are getting over their colds, now its dealing with the aftermath the dry persistent cough, which makes the chest ache so much.   Both Chris and Coralline hate the menthol cough drops but it’s the only thing that works while at school, but everything tastes like menthol to them, they do like the Ginger and Lemon Tea (decaffeinated) That seems to help them a lot.  Of course they got prescription cough medicine so they can sleep at night.   It’s going to take a while.

In the meantime we had horrible, terrifying rain storms here, with high winds, flooding, mudslides, power outages and everything.   We lost power on and off for a few days,  it’s a good thing my heating and cooking is gas, but I worry every time we lose powder because of the refrigerator and freezer, but fortunately no food spoilage.

But the winds did a number on the house,  a few roofing shingles came loose and we had a leak,  I called a roofer and he nailed down heavy tarps until we got some dry days,  it got fixed but now the ceilings in two rooms are going to have to be painted.

And the WIND!!  It was a good thing I had glass protective panels put up in front of the stain glass windows, some tree branches blew against one of them and broke the protective glass, but the stain glass is fine,  I called a glazer and he came out and fixed that one for me, but another window may have to be done later, its one that allows light into the basement that got broken as well so we have it boarded up for now and have that fixed for later.

My water cisterns are full to over flowing, the good thing is the way everything is set up when it overflows it goes down this pathway and out into the street, the outdoor fish pond over flowed but I only keep my fish in the indoor one in the greenhouse, I only keep the free mosquito fish in the outdoor one, and by now a lot of them are swimming in some storm sewer somewhere.   There are some minor things like the screens on the porch are shredded I’ll have to replace those, but that’s minor compared to some folks that has had trees fall into their homes.   One of the trees in my yard lost a large branch but nothing broken.  So we survived very well compared to others.

I keep thinking of that opening line from that cumbersome Edward Bulwer Lytton novel where it starts with “It was a dark and stormy night….”   Suddenly the power went out!!  And just go from there. 

In spite of the chancy rainy weather, Sis and I are going to indulge in the 2017 Film Noir Festival, in S.F.  we’ll be staying at the Hotel Rex with special rates and it’s on Union Square close to the stores, some good eateries, and an easy 20 minute (depending on traffic) ride to the Castro Theater, we have our “Passports” for the series and are looking forward to it, this time our clothing will be more 1950’s early 60’s, think Kim Novak in “Vertigo” or Grace Kelly in “North by Northwest” and you’ll get the idea.   It will give us a chance to shop, indulge, rest and have some wicked fun. 

To me as an Elder Goth if you love old movies then Film Noir is the way to go, although this time they’ll be serving up some more modern fare but it’s enough to wet one’s appetite.   Doyle did promise to record my favorite shows while I’m gone including “Sleepy Hollow” which is back and “Supernatural”.

I’m not sure if I’m going to go on a wine tour in the fall this year, it depends upon a number of things,  health (which is good), budget (depends upon repairs beyond what the trust will pay), availability (always a variable), and mood (sometimes I’m just not into it) and other plans the look like more fun (always an option).

But I am hoping that Doyle will buy this vintage car that was offered to him, the garage is big enough to hold 3 vintage cars, but we only have my Buick right now, so we’ll see.

The other night I recorded “Creature Features” on North Bay TV (out of Santa Rosa) because they were going to have an interview with Karen Lewis, the 2^nd wife of Al “Grandpa Munster” Lewis,  she wrote a biography about Al Lewis and her, titled “I married a Munster” (play on words) and skipping the parts of  the movie, that tired chestnut titled “The Screaming Skull” it was enough for me to decide to buy a copy.  I remember “The Munsters” as well as “The Adams Family” although I think I’m more Adams Family, but it seems that being with Al Lewis must have been a fascinating life. 

The next big event on my list is the Vintage Fashion Fair in the Spring at Michaans auctions usually in May,  but I’m always on the lookout for retro things that would appeal to me.  

And now my Sister says that dinner is on the table,  it’s been so cold that we are having homemade clam chowder in sourdough bread rounds,  with a green salad with mandarin orange slices,  to get our vitamin Sea ( C) ok poor play on words. 

Stay warm my dark ones.

Later Darklings

Of Puxataney Phil and Six more weeks of winter?~~~~~

Dear Darklings,

Puxataney Phil the famous groundhog yesterday predicted that we will have six more weeks of winter.

A cousin of his in another city was so frustrated by this fact that he bit the Mayor's ear.

Frankly six weeks of winter or not I am looking forward to much needed rain.

But in celebration of Groundhog Day I've posted this image....Enjoy!

However if you love to ski I'm sure that is not so bad.

Later Darklings

Of what to wear when lounging and it's freezing cold~~~

Yes My Darklings,

It is COLD!!  Freezing cold!!  Or as Dad would say coming in from the outside "It's colder than a Well-diggers backside!!"   He was always polite around Mom and us children.

But yes how does one look glamorous and be warm.  Well I do have a few suggestions, taking into account the limitations offered out there that is affordable.

I love looking at items offered by Dress Barn, Jessica London, Roman's, Woman With-in, even the J. Peterman Catalogue, and of course Victorian Trading Company. 

And although the later offers lovely items to relax in, one has to be practical as well.  Which goes against my saying to also be glamorous but it is Cold outside and its no fun coming down with a cold or the flu.

So I perused though a few of the affordable items from some of the aforementioned websites and I'm come up with a few suggestions. 

This is a chinelle bed jacket which you can wear even over a long lounge robe or wear in bed while watching T.V. or reading

a lovely long embroidered lounge caftan

A velour bed jacket, I like this one with the satin trimming.

This is a lovely light weight 2 piece but not quite warm enough

This is certainly fetching to wear under the lounge robe

But always wear lovely yet warm slippers, it's important to keep the feet warm as well

and a lovely lounge robe velour in red

Well my Darklings this is just a few items that I can suggest for looking lovely on a cold winter's night, and you can always add a nice warm fleece blanket to add to your comfort. 

Later Darklings.



 

Of Confusing names and getting mixed up~~~

Dear Darklings,

Well today I don't have to go in until 1 p.m. and just work till 5, I'll be taking the Ferry home and Doyle will pick me up at the dock.  I have need to be on the Bay, I just didn't feel like taking the BART and Bus home with all the jigging and jogging of the spine.

Yes, my back has acted up a little, and I was taking a stronger pain med, its better now with just taking over the counter meds, which in the long run I prefer to do.

But in the taking the strong meds, I found myself confusing names,  if I am not focused I do get things mixed up and instead say "Oh that do-hicky" or "Thingamabob" or "Whatchamacall it" or "Thingamajig" or "Do-Dad" and the final one that I'd say in complete exasperation "Oh YOU know what I mean".   To wit they really don't and give me that puzzled Twenty Questions look "ahh is it bigger than a Bread-Box?"

The other day I was talking on the phone to my sister-in-law Monica and calling her Carol, as a matter of fact I referred to her as Carol in one or two of my posts (I guess I'll have to go back and edit it) and Monica said to me "Ahhh are you sure you know who you're talking to?"  and I replied slightly exasperated "Of course I do, Your Carol, Coralline's Mother."  and she replied "No I'm Monica, Coralline's Mother"  well the stunned silence was longer than the longest laugh on the "Jack Benny Show"  until Monica asked me "Are you alright" and I became so apologetic, and told her I had taken a strong pain med for my back, which helped her to understand my confusion. 

She asked me if I was planning on driving my car and I re-assured her that I wasn't, because when I take a strong med I stay home or take public transportation or have someone drive me.   In this case it was my sister.  Oh I just hate it when I become be-fuddled.

But today I am in my "right mind", thank goodness.

This weekend Sis and I did a lot of shopping, we even went to a Farmer's Market not only for fresh goodies but also for preserves and packaged goodies that we love.   And we are also prepared for power outtages,  Sis and I happened to go into our local CVS drug store to re-supply our first aid cabinet and our car kits, when she spotted them, the "Old Boston Lanterns"  these look like old-fashion lanters but have LED lights and batteries,  we already had a couple but we decided to buy 3 more, to have for several areas of the house, and of course we bought batteries as well.  Sis also bought a couple for her house for Brian to use, just in case.

Doyle suggested that we might want to look into a gasoline generator to keep the refrigerator and freezer going during a black out, or if we have to for any reason cut off the electricity to the house.  I wondered about the expense of that, because we really don't have that long or bad an outage but could see the wisdom of it,  so I said "Lets talk about this at length the 3 of us to consider this, it sounds good but we'd have to justify the expense"   Doyle was resonable about my request, so we'll discuss this in the next day or two.

He also suggested that we may want to look into a couple of ladders and strong saw horses for the house as well, something we'll also discuss.

I have a feeling that the next few weeks is going to be "preparedness time" which isn't a bad thing.

I have a chimney person lined up to inspect and clean the chimneys and flues so we'll be fire safe for the winter, my gutter man is coming in on Thursday to inspect and clean the gutters but he also said it would be good to do the cleaning  again in Novemember when most of the leaves are gone from the trees.

So between myself, Sis and Doyle taking a day here and a day there to deal with all of this, we'll get it done and then relax for the winter.

And I am still looking forward to our mini-vacation on the Delta King and Old Town Sacramento.

Now to put some things together and head for work.

Later Darklings

 

Of rain and vampires~~~~

Hello Darklings,

Well I'm taking a break and having my 3rd cup of coffee,  I must live on coffee I think.   I have one at home, one on the ferry and then one on my break.  

At lunch I drink bottled water, I prefer Dasani, and then in the afternoon 1 cup of tea and more water.  Riding home on the ferry I drink more water.   And at dinner I have water followed by later either a small glass of wine or a cup of chamomile tea.   It is strange but I've never thought of that ritual of what I drink before, habit I guess.

I had hope to leave the office on my lunch hour but it rained and I forgot my umbrella, not that it mattered when I went home but it was heavier on the lunch hour,  for some reason although the rain was cool it wasn't freezing, and it felt refreshing,  if I hadn't just recovered from a cold I'd have danced in it.  It just felt right to dance in it.   Strange in a way.

And this morning, even with everything damp from the rain the air felt fresher, cleaner, I enjoyed taking deep breathes of it. 

A little rain is a good thing, but too much can be very depressing.

I set up my radio to record Coast to Coast, the AM radio program that has people on to talk about strange things or conspiracies or off beat historical discoveries.  Last night it was about vampires, the speaker did both historical, medical and forensic research on the vampire legends how it came about,  much had to do with disease and superstition, possibly pre-mature burial but also with several medical conditions,  I found it fascinating as I listened to my recording on it and I will go to the Coast to Coast web site to get the speaker's web site for more information. 

And considering the conditions last night and to day it just seemed a perfect subject to listen to.  For those of you who are into the strange and bizarre I will post the Coast to Coast web site on my links section as soon as possible. 

My co-worker is again temping me with another cup of coffee,  sweet young man.   I wonder if he has a crush on me or is just playing up to me for a special request?  Hmmm I'll have to find out.

Later Darklings---break time is over.

Watch out for e-mail Scam, and an Update~~~~

Dear Darklings,

I must warn all of you who read my Blog, of a new e-mail scam that is being done.

If you receive an e-mail from the Federal Bureau of Investigation saying that you will be arrested for  "money Laundering"  if you do not respond within 72 hours, it is a Scam, the e-mail is a fake.

I received one and so did some of my co-workers who called me last night who were upset and concerned about this. 

This e-mail is supposedly from an "Agent John Gale" or another American Sounding name.   At first it looks like it might be legitimate but upon further inspection there is something wrong with the e-mail address listed.

I went to the legitimate web site for the F.B.I. and they do not send out such e-mails, No.  If you are being investigated they will come to your door. 

So if you do receive such an e-mail it is a FAKE,  forward it either by e-mail or send a copy of it to your local FBI office,  there are Regional Offices and then smaller field offices and you can find the snail mail addresses for them on their web site,  there is also an e-mail address that you can forward an e-mail to the FBI for such e-mail fraud.

This will most likely happen here in the United States, but for those of you from other countries please be on the watch for such fraud there maybe a variation designed to represent your countries investigation bureau as well.  

It is just another variation of what we here call "The Nigerian Scam",   no offense to the people of Nigeria, but that is what it is called because much of these e-mail scams seem to originate from Nigeria.

Since I have such a large blog following I wanted to let you Darklings be aware of this.

I am getting better from my cold, but the weather conditions here are simply chilling.  The flu that is going through the United States is reaching epidemic portions, it is a nasty one and now I've heard that 20 children have died from it.  That saddens me and yet there are people who will not get the flu shot vaccine, I can understand it if you maybe allergic to some of the properties in the vaccine, but just to refuse to take it as a matter of principle is foolish.  

We had to protect some plants from the frost and Doyle had to break the ice again in the pond, we've since put a plastic sheeting over it to see if that will help insulate it a bit,  a neighbors car radiator burst from the cold because he had been putting in water instead of antifreeze, now it's going to cost him a repair bill, it was such a loud bang that we thought someone was shooting in the neighborhood, until we heard the cursing and all we could do was commiserate.

I've been keeping my vintage car in the garage, but we've been covering the engine compartment with old heavy duty moving blankets to further insulate it.  And when I come home from work I open the garage door and turn over the engine and let it run for 10 minutes to keep the engine fluids moving.  The heating bill is going to a bit high as I've been running it at 68 degrees when we go to bed, so at least the house will be bearable in the morning. 

And although wearing a silk nightgown maybe sexy, flannel pajama's keep you warm.  Belladonna has been wearing her warmest doggie coat and we have an electric blanket throw set at the lowest setting, that she can curl up on.
 
I and some of my co-workers have been taking extra blankets and comforters to homeless shelters, so many people have been crowding them,  and we've been donating funds to the various charitable "Soup Kitchens", so many people, so cold and hungry.  It is after the Holidays that the gift of giving needs to continue, this is when the coldest months arrive, when those in need, need our help the most.

Doyle has heard of a number of homeless men being found suffering from hypothermia, or dead from the freezing cold weather.   We cannot save the entire world, but we can do our best to save a portion of it.

Now I must go, my sister and I are going to do a little shopping  get some fresh vegetables and make a nice pot of hot  filling soup to warm us up for dinner, during this time of year soups and stews are the best.

I know Darklings, not so glamorous a post but then when its this cold, glamour goes "out the window".

Later Darklings

Christmas Season is upon us~~~"Stir up we beeche Thee..."

Well Darklings the Christmas Season is upon us.




Here is where I as an Elder/Elderly Goth must stand her ground.



I do recognize this time of year as a Holiday Season where several ceremonies of light occur, if one is Pagan then it is Yule, the time of the year when darkness is at its greatest, where all things dark and despairing fly and reek havoc upon body and soul, and then bonfires must be lit to dispel the darkness and bring back the light.



If one is Jewish then this is the season of lights when the great temple was defiled but regained by the Hebrew people who cleansed the temple but found that they only had enough holy oil for the lamp for one night, but used it anyway and much to their surprised the lamp burned for 8 nights instead of one, a sign of a Great and Holy presence.



If one is Christian then this is the time of year when all is dark and a displaced family must try and find shelter for the woman is about to give birth and all they could find was a stable because there was no room in the inn (there’s a certain amount of symbolism here my Darklings), but in that lowly stable a great light came into the world to give hope. That old Christmas Carol “Silent Night” in the last verse says it very purely “…Love’s Pure Light…”



There are other religious beliefs that also either around this time of year or near to it, celebrate a season of lights for the same reason.



But Doyle takes it one step further and I won’t argue with him on this because in many ways I felt the same----Doyle says “for all you atheists—you can stay in the dark”.



For as an Elder/Elderly Goth that is part of the beauty of Darkness, the light that shines within, as the old saying goes “it is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness”, as an Elder/Elderly Goth we look into the darkness with eyes to see in the dark, blazing to find the beauty and the truth, and yes, even if we cloak it with fantasy, we never leave the reality of life.



We know that Santa Claus is a legend, but we will not dispel a small child’s belief in that ‘spirit’ of unselfish giving, we are not sure about when Jesus was born but we will not dispel the simplicity and sense of hope in the Christmas Story.



Just recently a New York City police officer saw a homeless man who had no shoes, the homeless man may be mentally incapacitated but the police officer saw he had blisters on his feet, in stead of rousting him to move on, he went and with his own money bought all weather boots, and thermal socks, when he went into the store to buy the boots and told the sales staff what he was going to do, they gave him the employees discount, and he went back to the man put the socks and boots on the man’s feet, did he expect anything?



No, he did what he felt was right, he could not pass this man by, and like the good Samaritan, did it because it was right, he saw the darkness and put beauty into it.

His simple act of kindness was captured by a tourist and it went viral, this officer is an example of what anyone working and living in a dark Gothic environment can do. This is the true spirit of the Christmas Season and for all year round. The officer says he keeps that receipt for those boots with him as a reminder, “what good you can do, do it now, for you may not have that same chance again”.



And that is also what being an Elder/Elderly Goth is all about during this time of year, seeing into the darkness a shining a light.



When I and my sister were little there was an elderly lady by the name of Renee, Mrs. Renee, and she told marvelous stories, legends, folk tales, fairy tales and ghost stories of all kinds and she’d give various characters voices, and acted it out.



When Mother and Dad wanted a little alone time or had to go somewhere Mrs. Renee would baby sit us girls, while Grandma would take care of our brother because he was just a baby. Especially at Christmas time it would be wonderful to be at Mrs. Renee’s home, which we called the Mansion, her house seems to be always filled with a warm gold color at winter time I really don’t know how she did it, and it always smelled of spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, and other wonderful exotic scents.



She would baby sit for various families and we loved going to her house, but the stories, oh the stories. She would have a fire going in the fire place, and light candles in glass containers, some in gold and some in ruby, the electric light would be turned off and she’d tell us these wonderful stories.



But wintertime she’d tell us of Hern the Hunter and the wild hunt and how the unjust would be punished if found at midnight on Christmas Eve if they were found by Hern, although later I’ve found other variations of the legend.



But she’d also would tell us the Christmas Story starting with the words “Once upon a time in David’s Royal City….”



I’ve found that if the rains come with wild winds during the Christmas season I’d be reminded of Hern and on Christmas Eve I’d hear Mrs. Renee’s voice saying softly “Once upon a time in David’s Royal City…”



And once again I am a child of 8 or 9 enjoying the fantasy and magic of Christmas with it’s legends and ghosts, and being Catholic doing the ritual of the Advent wreath, I have for Coralline an Advent Calendar, her parents are Catholic (sort of) they do go to church unless there is a game their boys have to be at, but my Sister and I want Coralline to experience the fun, joy and mystical ritual wonder of the season. From “Stir Up Sunday” which is the Sunday of the Advent season to Epiphany or Three Kings Day.



I and my sister always remember how Mother would have Dad bring down the Christmas decorations and go through everything to plan on the Christmas dinner.



Among the Christmas decorations my sister found the frame for the Advent wreath, and managed to buy the candles to go with it, so with some decorations from a Hobby shop she re-decorated it and we will light it saying “Stir Up, oh Lord, Thy Might, we beg thee and come, that by Thy protection we be rescued from the threatening dangers and saved by Thy deliverance.”



There is something about the ritual of the Advent wreath that stirs within an Elder/Elderly Goth’s soul, to give strength for the year of the trials to come and to continue to live the life we want to live.



Now back to current reality~~~~



Doyle surprised Coralline and I Friday afternoon by calling to say he would pick us up at my work, no taking public transportation in this rain he says. And where does he take us?



To a Christmas Tree Lot---and not just any Christmas Tree Lot----one that is run by one of the nearby churches as a fund raiser for their child care programs for single mother’s who have to work. And it was a good thing it was still day light in spite of the rain, Doyle insisted we buy two real trees, one for the Family Parlor and one for the Formal Parlor, I wasn’t going to argue.



But there was something, the smell of the trees, the careful assessment of which one’s would fit the spots in the home, determining the size of their trunk ends to fit into the water holders, then the purchase and bundling and tying down on the top of the van (Doyle came prepared).



But we could not leave just yet.



Coralline spotted a small, tiny Christmas tree, a very small, tiny Christmas tree.



She asked me what happens to cut trees after Christmas, I told her that we plan on having the Boy Scout’s do a pick up and then the trees are made into mulch to help other plants grow. That way the trees are never wasted, but are re-cycled.



She wanted the tiny Christmas Tree. She thought it would look nice in the entrance hall when people came into the house. I thought about how it would be mounted and where it would be placed and remembered an old small battered table in the basement which could be covered with a nice cloth and also remembered these things called “frogs” to hold woody type flowers and plants in an arrangement so it could be kept watered.



We bought the tiny tree.



So Friday evening was spent setting up the trees, with Doyle outside cutting the bottoms so the trees could get fresh water, and us vacuuming and sweeping the needles and moving things around.



Saturday we went to buy new lights for the trees and strung them up, later we went to the Tree Lighting ceremony at a local community, enjoying the entertainment and listening to the words officials had to say, watching the skaters on the portable ice rink, and getting a bit to eat at one of the local eateries, and just enjoying ourselves in general.



Today is being spent putting up the decorations, and staying warm, Belladonna has decided to camp on one of the overstuffed chairs and stay out of the way.



It’s already wonderful seeing all the old-fashioned decorations going up, I was glad that I managed to get more decorations, Coralline and my sister and I are having fun and I’m glad I managed to get the bulk of this typed the night before and save to a flash drive to post this morning.



Seeing the red, greens and gold’s shimmering in the lights brings a smile to my face and tons of memories of Family Christmases gone by, Coralline is building up her own special memories. She hugged my sister, Doyle and I last night for making this so special.



Later Darklings

Rain and Thanksgiving~~~~

Dear Darklings,

We’ve had rain, glorious wet, soggy, bone chilling  rain for the past few days and on and off for the past few weeks, enough to encourage grass and weeds to make their appearance while the trees are bare of leaves.



For us here in our West Coast location this is a sign of winter and winter to come as well as the bone chilling cold. Snow is appearing in the Sierras’ and if it gets cold enough will come down to the 3 thousand foot level, and if it gets really cold down to almost sea level.

For an Elder/Elderly Goth the sign of rain adds something the the Gothic ambiance of my home and garden, lots of time I enjoy a cemetery or historic home after a good rain, it adds to the mood.  The nights are longer, the evenings are chillier, time for candlelight and fireplaces (unless its a spare the air day), the shadows that are cast are longer, deeper, darker.  And every squeak and creak could herald something ..... or it could just be Doyle complaining about a loose stair tread. 
My contractor said this is a good time to spot leaks in the roof although it had been replaced several years ago, but always a shingle can work itself loose. 

But I look forward to that, to me the winter season arrives right at Thanksgiving, when the Macy’s Day Parade shows all those commercially sponsored floats, and huge balloons, when Macy staffers volunteer to be in the parade and then when Santa arrives at the end of the parade you know winter has also arrived. And the next day you can go shopping for Christmas presents.

My sister woke early to watch the Macy’s Day Parade, while I lingered in bed reluctant to leave its warmth. But up I got, cleaned up, bundled warm and took Belladonna for her walk.

The little darling will be staying at our elderly neighbors’ home, she said she was having only a few old friends coming over for a simple pot luck dinner, since all their family live far away and they too enjoy Belladonna’s company. I did warn her to not give Belladonna too much turkey.

My sister and I will be going to my brother’s house this afternoon for Thanksgiving, and then bringing Coralline back with us for the long weekend.  My sister's daughters live out of town and with her oldest expecting their 2nd child she doesn't want them to travel for now.  So Marie will stay with me for this Holiday weekend, the beauty is that there are phone lines to be in contact.


My sister in law, Monica, said that Coralline’s attitude has changed a lot since we’ve made this arrangement to have her spend occasional long weekends at my house, she said that it has made the rest of the week more bearable without all the howling and arguing and her teachers have noticed an improvement in her attitude as well, she is not so “downcast” is the best word to describe it.



And she’d like to talk to my sister and I more on this, she has gone to a consuler to discuss this and has realized that her focus on her boys and their activities had contributed to the difficulties. It will be work for Monica because she admitted that she is going into areas she is not familiar with.



My sister and I said we’d be happy to help out, but we’d all have to look at our work schedules and social lives to achieve a balance.



Monica said that when the family watched “The Addams Family” she was watching Coralline and had a “wake up” moment about her daughter. My sister in law is not dumb; she just had to have an epiphany.



I told her about the Dickens Fair and asked if Coralline would be interested in going, did not need to ask the child twice.



So this afternoon we will go to Thanksgiving dinner at my Brother’s and sister-in-laws house, endure having the T.V. set (big plasma screen T.V.) tuned in to what ever bowl game is on, you know the Rose Bowl, the Hula Bowl, the Super Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, the Turkey Bowl, the Toilet Bowl or what ever bowl is being played, enjoy good food, chat a bit (if possible over the yelling about the game), then come home to enjoy the after Turkey snooze.



I have much to be Thankful for, the only down side is Doyle has to work but I did cook a Turkey Breast last night so he’ll have his Turkey as well.



Even for an Elder/Elderly Goth, once in a while one has to see the light and humor on special days like this and enjoy its dysfunctional gathering.



Happy Thanksgiving to all you Darklings and Baby Bats.



Later.

The Chilling Cold has arrived~~~~

Well Darklings,

The chilling cold has finally arrived, announcing the anticipation of Winter, and its attendant colds, sneezes, sniffles etc.   last night it got down to the upper 30's here in the Bay Area.

But for you Darklings that live in Really cold countries, that is nothing,  but I am not a polar bear,  and for an Elder/Elderly Goth, the cold can bring upon the aches and joint pain one really can't stand.

So now its increased heating costs, checking for spare the air days if I want a fire in the fireplace, stacking up Duraflame logs,  and least I had my fireplaces checked and cleaned,  and if we cannot burn a fire I do have candles,  one can have a lot of fun stocking up on tea lights by the bag fulls (thank you IKEA and CostCo).  

Yes Darklings, if you are lucky to have a fire place but it's a "spare the air"day then burn candles in the safety of your fireplace instead,  trust me it does put out it's own kind of warmth as well.   Now I know that there are tea lights and candles made from petroleum products and so many people recommend soy candles but they can be expensive, but if you are having a romantic get-together then by all means do use soy candles.

For those of you who want the ambiance of a fireplace but live in an apartment where having one is not possible,  check out the Victorian Trading Company,  they have electric fireplaces, with wonderful old-fashioned fireplace mantles, and you have the beauty of taking it with you when you decide to move.

And if you want to burn tea lights I also suggest that you place them in the safety of glass containers and keep them well away from anything flammable, like curtains, drapes, lampshades, or cloth mantle pieces and do not discount anything plastic either.  Plastic is just as dangerous.   And do not leave them burning unattended or over night while you are sleeping.

Candles burning  in those wonderful Gothic style candle holders from Spirit or the Fright catalogue can look so positively macabre, but again you have to remember safety.

So now with the chilly sun out lighting the sky and burning off the dampness from the night before I am going to buy my supply of both tea lights and Duraflame logs and plan on how I'm going to do spring cleaning to remove the winter dust next year.

Later Darklings