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 a quiet family evening during the Holidays~~~

Hello Dear Darklings,

We have having tonight a quiet evening,  the crock-pot is almost finished with the Beef Stew and the rice cooker has just been turned on, coupled with salad followed later by Peach cobbler and decaffeinated coffee.   Sorry Darklings but after 3 p.m. I do not dare drink any caffeine,  at my age I need my "beauty sleep".

Doyle is finishing reading the S.F. Chronicle which is filled with news about the late Mayor Ed Lee,  Doyle admired what Lee was trying to do for the people of San Francisco even if some things Doyle didn't quite agree with, but being Mayor of a Large Metropolitan City is not easy.

Mr. Rodgers is napping in one of the easy chairs with Belladonna and Wiener Dog snuggled on either side of him, they get so tired after their late afternoon walk.   Mrs. Rodgers is knitting a baby jacket with matching hat and stockings in pale yellow for one of her Grandchildren who is expecting a baby any day now, she has no idea if it will be a boy or girl so either soft yellow or soft green is perfectly neutral.    She also knitted for me slippers in purple with pink trim  to keep my feet warm.

The Rodgers will be going out of town to visit family next week and won't be back until after New Years, the good thing is that their relatives live in San Luis Obispo far away from the fires, but the smoke is causing haze and spare the air days,  I've been burning tea lights in the fire places to give some semblance of a fire to give the warm, cozy feeling.

Tomorrow evening we are going to take in the Oakland Zoo Lights, it is traditional as well as going to our local Christmas Tree  Lane, then back to my brother's house for hot chocolate and dessert, we've been to the Dickens Fair twice now but the children want to go back, my sister-in-law can't go but my brother and I will take them, now the twins want to know what is all this "fuss" over the Dickens Fair so they are coming with us with promises to be very, Very good---as they say in that commercial "Naughty is not an option!" 

Melissa my sister in law is a bit worried, well more than a bit and I can understand her feelings, she was informed that her mother has colon cancer, her mother didn't have any symptoms at all, but when a stool sample came back looking suspicious, a colonoscopy was done and a cancerous growth was found,  her mother is going in next Tuesday for surgery and if all goes well she'll be home for Christmas, the hope is that it was caught well enough in advance,  I understand that there is an 85% chance of being cured from this type of cancer so the odds are good. 

One good thing is that her mother will be staying at her brother Bob's house while she's recovering further from the surgery and if Chemo is involved Bob's wife Marge was a nurse and can help during the Chemo.   Her Mother is considering giving up her apartment and moving in with her son, they have the room, she had sold her house some time ago downsizing, so this maybe a good option.

I told Melissa that at least a general game plan is in place, just need to deal with it day by day.   But I know she won't really relax until her mother is home and they know what stage the cancer is in.

But at least the Zoo Lights can be a mild temporary distraction.

And now I think I can smell the scent of Hot Apple Cider----Doyle is making a large pot of it, well maybe the cider instead of decaffeinated coffee.   And the timer went off so time for dinner.

Later Darklings

  I think for Christmas Dinner I'll let Doyle carve the Turkey, he's so good at it.

Of the approaching Christmas Holidays~~~~~

Hello Darklings,

Well the frost is on the rooftops and the cars only to be melted by the sun.  

The house is now decorated for Christmas and I know we’ll be finding the needles from the trees well into July,  we had fun selecting the trees at this tree lot run by one of our local churches for their school programs so it works out very well.

My brother and sister in law decided to go with a smaller tree to sit on top of a table,  Melissa my sister in law said that with two very active boys in the house it was wiser to go that way.  Coralline and Christopher were helping with the selecting,   I bought two trees, a larger one for the formal parlor and a smaller one for the family parlor.  Later that evening I had a tree decorating party with family and friends,  with nibbles and refreshments it was good fun.   And now they stand in all their glory for the Holidays,  we also got wreathes for our front doors as well.

And afterwards everyone relaxed and I could let the dogs out of their holding place in the kitchen so they would not be underfoot, but I did see Mr. Rodgers giving them treats (doggie treats) every so often.

It was a very good and happy evening.

This last weekend we went back to the Dickens Faire to keep us in the Christmas Spirit,  but I have to admit both my brother, sister in law and I got very tired but the children had fun looking at one exhibit or display or performance to another.  My brother got into the swing of it having cobbled together a Dickens type outfit but I wasn’t too sure about the cloth hat (newsboy style), that was remedied when we stepped into one of the men’s clothiers and he bought a proper top hat and spats, then it was perfect.    The food, the entertainment, the pretties, such an assault to the senses, but like memories of sugar plums leave a lovely lasting impression.

The family was over the other night for a simple dinner,  afterwards Chris asked if we could watch a PBS program about Sherlock Holmes and how this fictional character helped create or inspire modern forensic  science,  Christopher is very strong in science and is thinking of majoring in it at college but he wasn’t sure what classes he’d need to take.   I think I’ll introduce him to a friend of mine to help give him an idea.   

 Coralline was writing down the book titles that some of the interviewees’ had written, but what made such an impression on them was the film recording of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, hearing his voice and comments on Sherlock,  both of them said they’d like to go to London just to go to the Sherlock Holmes museum,  my brother said there’s more to London than that and they said “Of Course!” and Christopher immediately ran off a list of sights to see and tours to take.    I was pleased.

One remark that impressed me was the idea that Sherlock Holmes is very gothic in style, and outlook, I had not thought of that only that I enjoyed the stories,  I had only thought of “the Hound of the Baskerville’s” as being gothic but when one takes it in they all are. 

We have other Christmas events planned, and we all agreed to not exchange presents, what with the price of goods going up, but I think I’ll surprise the children with a few gifts on New Year’s.

I’ve come across  a wonderfully delightful program on PBS and I believe the series is available on DVD, it’s call “Dickensian”  these writers managed to put together some of the characters in the different Charles Dickens stories such as A Christmas Carol, Bleak House, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, The Old Curiosity Shop etc. into what appears to be a Prequel to the individual stories using the death of Jacob Marley as the event to start it---he gets murdered,  the time line seems to go from one Christmas to the next.   And in some way the characters have a connection to Jacob Marley so they come under suspicion.    I love it so far, and want to see how it develops.    In it’s own way it’s dark and Gothic.

But I’ve found a perfect gift that is also Gothic and morbid, it’s Chris Woodyard’s book “The Victorian Book of the Dead”

This is how the description of the Book goes:

Chris Woodyard, author of the The Ghosts of the Past series, digs through long-buried newspapers and journals, for this fascinating look at the 19th-century obsession with the culture of death. The Victorian Book of the Dead unearths extraordinary tales of Victorian funeral fads and fancies, ghost stories, bizarre deaths, mourning novelties, gallows humor, premature burial, post-mortem photographs, death omens, and funeral disasters. Resurrected from original sources, these accounts reveal the oddities and eccentricities of Victorian mourning. Packed with macabre anecdotes, this diverting, yet gruesome collection presents tales ranging from the paranormal and shocking to the heartbreaking. Some of the stories in The Victorian Book of the Dead *mourning bicycles, black boudoirs, and sable cigarettes for the up-to-date widow *a child ghost who beckoned for her father to follow her into death *black dogs and shrieking banshee who foretold death and disaster *the widow who fired the undertaker who would not give her trading stamps. *a corpse that spontaneously combusted in the coffin *the fiendish parrot who murdered his mistress *The petrified corpse furniture created by Professor Segato *visions of the Grim Reaper and the Angel of Death *the man who lived in the tomb of his wife *A mourning wreath made from the hair of a murdered family *interviews with undertakers, post-mortem photographers and morgue attendants And many more tales from the crypts

Well I am certainly going to get my own copy, and look into the other books that Mr. Woodyard has in this series, Ahhh the beauty of ordering on-line.

In the meantime My Darklings, you enjoy the Holidays with all the joys and headaches it offers.

Later Darklings

Going back to School~~~

Hello Darklings,

No not me, Thank Goodness.

My brother and sister in law asked if I would be kind enough to purchase the school materials the children would need when School goes back in session.

And they gave me the list of what they do have and what needs to be replenished and the money to buy it with (Thank You very much).

Stuff for the boys is easy enough, although Christopher asked if I could find a magnetic mirror for him to put into the inside of his locker,  the twins teased him and said he has a girl friend, well more like several girls have a crush on him, he says he wants to look presentable around his friends.

Coralline just rolled her eyes but did confide to me that while she was recovering at home several girls that know Chris came by the house,  supposedly to study.  And they commiserated with her about her broken ankle,  but she said that she could see they were there to flirt with her older brother.

He still keeps an eye on her and helps her, but she is getting better, but the way she told me about this was funny.  

I did find the magnetic mirror, plus a magnetic shelf to hold a comb and Tic-Tacs and anything else he might need,  It came in a pewter color,  I also got a set for Coralline in gold for her locker as well,  and a replacement battery operated chandler, her old one got broke when those thieves stole stuff from their house.   And a few other gold accented things for her for school, to cheer her up, no sense having school be drab for her.

They left a few days ago and fortunately where they are going there are no wildfires,  I was on pins and needles about the one burning near Mariposa, near Yosemite.   But I heard on the news that the mandatory evacuation of the historic town has been lifted, the town was safe but people did lose their homes.   Some friends of mine who live in that area called me a few hours ago and said they were one of the lucky ones, their home was spared.

I am planning a trip towards the beginning of October, to the wine country again, I'm hoping Doyle can come with me, but if not, well I'm use to traveling alone.   Although I don't think I'll buy as many varieties as the other time.  I've seemed to settle in with a few that I like.  But one never can tell.

Or I may go to Columbia State Park, in time for one of their Ghost Tours, and considering bookings I think I better start planning now.

And now I'm preparing for another heat wave,  fans are out, plenty of water bowls for the dogs.  And now Sis has come by for a late dinner, she's been working hard, but I think I'm going to try and persuade her to take a mini-spa vacation with me.  Just have to think where to go.

Later Darklings.

Of Summer's heat and little girl lost now found~~~~

Hello Darklings,

Well we are finally being blasted by the first really hot day of the year,  I just came back from walking Belladonna and Wiener Dog,  Got up at 6 a.m. Showered, Dressed, slathered Neutrogena Sun Block at 110 level on my face and neck, got my hat and parasol and we were out to door by 7.

A good long walk allowing them to check out the fresh early morning smells and picking up their deposits,  Doyle and I will walk them again at 7:30 tonight when all is cooled down, of course they have the garden as well to check on things.

I had the handyman put up the window screens two weeks ago, and I had the antique screen front door re-screened.   On the back porch door I do have a regular screen door but the dogs like that magic mesh panels they can go in and out when they want,  and my handy man is replacing the cloth mesh that screens the back porch.

Yes it looks like Summer is trying to come to our location,  allergies are flaring,  people wearing skimpy clothing,  watering either very early morning or late evening (late evening best),  and yesterday I could smell the scent of Bar-Be-Que wafting in the air.  

Last night Doyle and I had fun going to the local Vintage Fashion Fair, "an evening in Paris"  it was fun and I found a few things to add to my wardrobe,  there was one velvet evening dress that was just beautiful and it had  a matching hat and purse to go with it, so much to look at so much to choose.  When one is at one of these events one can go just wild and I need to avoid impulse buying. 

But on the way home we stopped by my brother's house to see how Coralline is doing, and got some sad news,  it seems because Coralline could not do some of the projects for several classes because of her broken ankle the school admin is recommending that Coralline repeat her year come next fall,  they don't want to fail her as this was an unfortunate event but these projects are required.  Coralline was a bit upset but said that talking over with her English teacher it means that next Fall she can also work on the school paper as well as extra credit which would be very helpful.   Her parents said that the Principal was not being harsh, just wanting for Coralline to have the best educational advantage.

Privately her mother told me that she  felt it would be good for Coralline to gain more confidence and maturity by holding her back, in a way I could agree, sometimes I feel that we push children out of school far too fast when they may not be ready for some things. Sis feels the same way, too much pressure on children is not a good thing, she's been seeing too much of the after effects from such tactics.

Christopher is already focusing on college and may major in electronic engineering at San Jose U. so they are looking forward to that.     So we celebrated the mixed news with homemade ice cream sundae's.

Sometime ago I wrote about a child's coffin being found under the floor of a basement in a house in San Francisco,  it seems where the homes that were built the land originally was an Odd Fellows cemetery, the mystery was "who was the little 3 year old child" who laid beautifully preserved in her glass topped coffin.

After a lot of research and DNA  her name is Edith Howard Cook who died on Oct 13, 1876 at the age of 3.   And there is a surviving close relative who lives near by, a many times great nephew who had been putting together his family history but that Edith was a missing part.   She is now interred in a Colma cemetery with a headstone with her name on it, no longer lost but now found.

Because of the heat and sun, I'm going to be researching articles about how to keep one's goth skin as pale as possible, some folks like to do a natural "bleaching" or exfoliating but I want to look more into it,  Sun Block of course at it's highest level, wide brim hats, parasols of course, but more is involved so stay tuned.

Later Darklings  

Of World Goth Day~~~~

Hello Dear Darklings,

Well with Coralline able to get around a bit with her walking boot and my brother finally buying a computer for the family to get everyone started, things are starting to begin to move to what passes for normal, but it will take time,  my brother still has to get a few more electronic things.

I was concerned that Coralline was unhappy that a couple of her Monster High Dolls were stolen that day but she is being philosophical about it, saying that they were one's she bought with her allowance and not one's given to her and she can replace them, especially her favorite "Draculaura",   the costume jewellery was another matter because they broke her jewellery box that was given by my mother before she died.   I took the box to a craftsman that I know and he beautifully repaired it so that you couldn't tell it was damaged, so I'm going to surprise her with it this coming weekend.  

Well I want to give all of you a “Heads Up!”   Next Monday is Goth Day aka World Goth Day on May 22, so time to start getting your Goth on.

Oh for some of you who ask what is “World Goth Day” well let me quote from the Days Of The Year website……

“History of Goth Day

(”It was so close to October that Halloween was knocking at his heart.”

~Barry Eysman, Candles for November)

The history of Goth Day stretches back in odd and meandering paths to history. Musically it can be traced back to 1967 when someone referred to the music of the Doors as “Gothic Rock.” This term was soon being bandied about, used to describe music like Velvet Underground’s “All Tomorrow’s Parties”, and Siouxsie and the Banshee’s described as one of “Goth Rocks Architects”.

But why “Gothic”? It’s an odd term considering that it originally referred to the Visigoths whose claim to fame was sacking Rome. So how did Goths become Goths? Well, we can trace the term back a bit further to 1764, where Horace Walpole wrote a story called “The Castle of Otranto”, granted the subtitled “A Gothic Story” during its second printing. So what is Gothic in this context? It describes a “pleasing sort of horror”, and was seen to be a natural extension of Romantic literature. This, of course, implies a sort of romance with the darker side of life, something that can be said to describe the little blossoms of gloom described at the beginning. 

Goth Day celebrates all these souls, and the part of them that celebrates the darkness within us all through music, art, and media.

How To Celebrate Goth Day

Goth Day is a great time to explore the question that plagues those who do not understand the Goth sub-culture. Who are they and what beauty do they find in the dark? Take some time to explore it on your own, research the history of Goth Culture and the songs, music, movies, and literature that are its hallmarks. You won’t be disappointed, and maybe the next time you see these dark souls, you’ll understand just a little of what they see.

We’ve all seen them, those strange characters that wander our city streets dressed as though they’re on their way to a funeral, or a punk rock show… Or quite possibly both. Their very presence exudes a sort of darkness, steeped in the love of all things morbid, and a seeming love affair with death. Their anthems come from the likes of Siouxsie and the Banshees, Type O Negative, and Bauhaus, bands who seem to be able to perfectly encompass all the things strange. Goth Day encourages us to celebrate these fine fellows, and maybe take a dip into their world ourselves, after all, while the light is lovely, can it not also be blinding?”

The whole idea of being an elder Goth such as myself who is up there in years, is to understand and accept the macabre, to know that there is strangeness out there and that death is just a short dance away.

But it does not mean that we condone abuse, bullying, violence and those things that are morally and spiritually degrading or harmful to oneself, but to be able to balance both the light and the dark, to understand why people are the way they are, to look beyond the surface and know that within the depths of life there are things that are vicious in a way that elder goths like myself learned as a child what to watch for and protect ourselves from.

One of the most gothic lines I’ve ever read or heard came from the mouth of a seemly sweet old lady “It’s dangerous to believe what a person says.  I haven’t for years”  I’m quoting Agatha Christie’s Miss Jane Marple, and this character although fiction, is one of the most gothic and yet operates in the light, yet she knows the darkness.  My parents taught that phrase to my brothers, Sis and me years ago.   And over the years it has proven true time and time again.

But World Goth Day also leads into the 3 major Birthdays of 3 of our Titans of Horror Peter Cushing, Vincent Price and Christopher Lee.

Peter Cushing’s Birthday is May 26 and Vincent Price and Christopher Lee’s Birthdays  are May 27, and to honor those stalwarts of Horror and their Older companions Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney Jr.  

I talked it over with family and friends and we've decided to celebrate by having a film fest, showing movies and having food and drink for a one week period, then on Saturday evening singing Happy Birthday with a black frosted cake made with chocolate and raspberry filling.

So we'll start the horror  film fest on Monday night Starting with Lugosi’s Dracula and the Cushing and Lee version of Dracula.

 Then on Tuesday night it will be Bela and Boris in The Black Cat and A Comedy of Terror with Boris, Vincent, Peter Lorre and Basil Rathbone.

 Wednesday It will be The Oblong Box with Vincent and Christopher and Scream and Scream again with Vincent, Christopher and Peter. 

Thursday it will be the Mummy with Boris and the Mummy with Christopher.

Friday is going to be an odd mixed bag starting with Mark of the Vampire, and the Return of the Vampire with Bela Lugosi, then to Dracula, Prince of Darkness (love that title) with Christopher Lee, and Frankenstein with Peter and Christopher.

 Saturday is going to be an all-day fest with The Invisible Ray, Frankenstein (Boris) Son of Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, Frankenstein meets the Wolf Man, and House of Frankenstein.

On Sunday to lighten the mood we will start with Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein, The Raven(1963) with Boris and Vincent, The House of Long Shadows and completely out of bounds finishing with Young Frankenstein.

It will be having a sort of open house for my family and friends to bring food and drink and it will start early to accommodate the length of the films and on Saturday and Sunday we’ll start it at 12 noon going well into the evening since it does lead into Memorial Weekend.

The whole idea is to comment on the films, the style, the performances, and also about our own inner darkness, although I know with the children who will come on the weekend it will be to watch movies and have fun.

Other folks might want to do it on the weekend with music by those groups mentioned above or do readings of Poe or other macabre authors.  Or do readings of articles that attempt to analyze the Goth sub-culture. 

In a way it would be a fun kick-off to the summer, a chance to do one last time to explore the darkness, before we plunge ourselves to the light of summer of beach parties and picnics,  of water slides and water balloon fights, of skimpy clothing and sun burn.    But in the night it can be of campfires and ghost stories about the Wendigo or the Ghost with one black eye and other things that go bump in the night.   In a way it’s like celebrating Halloween twice a year, or all year round.

If one looks one can find Gothic elements all around us, such as exploring cemeteries or old Ghost Towns,  photographing abandon buildings in black and white, the possibilities are endless you just have to use your imagination to explore that creative darkness.

So I will leave you dear darklings to your own planning.

Later Darklings