Of the cold and "Mr. Teeth"~~~~

Hello Darklings,

I'm having a late lunch and it looks like I'll be working late tonight.

I'm still suffering the after effects of this cold, stayed in bed for two more days and it looks like bed rest this weekend. 

We are having a terribly cold day, frankly a terribly cold period right now, of course those of you back east, in Canada and Russia, this weather would be considered mild I'm sure.  Sorry Darklings, I was not born in Fargo, Minnesota or North Dakota or where ever Fargo is located.

I love the milder Mediterranean climates.  My sister and Doyle have picked up the slack and have been doing dinner and such although all I can stomach is soup.  I know I need to diet to lose the 3 pounds I gained during the holidays, but this is not the way to do it.  Pooh!!

No Coralline this weekend, my sister-in-law wants me to get well, but we may have her for Martin Luther King Jr. weekend.  And Miranda's parents informed us that Miranda has a lot of assignments that she has to develop, each one has a different completion date, so she is going to be very busy.  We do miss the girls, their energy really enlivens the house, although the house has a nice quiet elegance, when they are around it takes on an energy that is indescribable.

The trees are out on the curb waiting for the re-cycling pick up and all the boxes of decorations, lights and ornaments are in the hall waiting to be stored upstairs,  Doyle bought some restaurant style metal racks that will hold them very well, without us having to worry about them being crushed or shifting. 

I heard an unusual story on the news last night.  It seems a parolee was arrested and a large amount of drugs (34 pounds of marijuana)  was found at his home,  it was being guarded by his pet named "Mr. Teeth",  Mr. Teeth was a very large alligator.  The alligator (actually a 5 foot Camian) was rescued and taken to our local zoo where it was being treated for infections and some aliments, the zoo might have adopted the poor creature but the zoo's vet's said it was in very poor condition even for its size, the poor thing died this morning, but they (the vet's)tried.   It only goes to show criminals really don't know how to take care of their pets. As for the criminal, throw the book at him for animal cruelty.  Guarding drugs indeed!

Doyle was wondering if we could get an alligator for the Koi pond, I raised an eyebrow at him and he said "Like the ones in Disneyland on the Jungle cruise ride"  Some times Doyle's humor can take an unusual turn, but then we do have "Kitty Kat". I'll talk to my sister about her friend who does special effects, who knows what could develop.  Several mornings this week, Doyle had to break the ice that formed on the pond, it had gotten very cold.

We got a low energy electric throw blanket for Belladonna for these cold days, sometimes I think her sweater doesn't keep her warm enough.

On Nail Polish, I've developed a liking for the Wet and Wild division of polish called Megalast, it goes on very well, dries quickly and holds up well, right now I'm using a neutral polish called "Cement" a deep taupe polish, very neutral and goes well with most working clothing without standing out.

I've received my booklet from my tax preparer and I'll need to make an appointment with him to do my income taxes,  once I feel a bit better I'll pull together all the paperwork he'll need. 

After all the holiday excitement things seem very dull indeed, nothing really strange or bizarre is happening and I haven't come across anything to get me excited, of course it could be this cold.  One very sad fact, so far with the flu season 18 children died from the flu here in the States, of course many people could say, "with all the millions of people in the States you're focusing on 18 children?"  Well the reason is that the parents didn't want to vaccinate them against the flu, and now they have to deal with their loss, frankly for the low cost or in some cases free flu shots one can obtain for one's children, that is 18 lives too many.  

Because of Miranda and Coralline being around I am more aware of illness, and I say to all of you, it is not too late to vaccinate your child,  please do so and get the shot for yourself too.

Ahh my lunch hour has come to an end, already I'm being asked questions.

Later Darklings

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