Of Voodoo Beer and Cemetery Travels~~~~~~

Hello Darklings,

I know, I haven't posted for a while.

Well as usual I got called into work while some of my former colleagues took vacations.   And of course their children's graudations.

I've really retired but I'm on call when needed, but I do have to let the bosses know when I'll be out of town so they can plan accordingly.   I have to say the extra cash helps nicely, but eventually I'll be needing to say that I am officially "gone" .

I've also been having some maintenance work done on the house, an upper bedroom window got accidentally broken when Doyle was installing the screens, at least he didn't get hurt, and we've been putting in stuff to make sure that there are no mosquitos developing in the cisterns.

And adding a few more orchids to the green house,  the indoor Koi pond looks beautiful I find it fascinating how they come up to feed right out of my hand.

My brother and his family took their RV to Pleasanton for the County Fair and they timed it just right when the major part of another heat wave had passed, Coralline can walk a bit she's on a figure 8 elastic cross brace but after 3 hours she has to remove it so my brother arranged for an electric wheelchair to help her get around,  she can walk around the RV carefully without the brace, but she uses a cane to steady herself.   She still is afraid of walking up the stairs inside the house, but can manage the few steps outside, with someone's help holding her hand. 

I did have a chance to visit them at their RV at the Campground near the Fair I stayed overnight and got to see the All Alaskan Pig Races,  those little porkers have their own air-conditioned trailer where they retreat to between races.  And the Funnel Cakes!!  I have to admit even being Goth you do have to indulge in a little old fashion fun.  They also made arrangements to go back this weekend to see the demolition Derby's.   Sort of like seeing the Car "Christine" getting crushed by a Caterpillar Tractor.

They had Brian, Sis's room mate house sit for them and I would check on him from time to time to see how he's doing.   They've made arrangements with him to house sit while they travel up north to the Trees of Mystery and they are hoping that by the end of August they can go to Santa Cruz and do the Boardwalk Amusement Park.  But it not then they will cruise around and camp at Big Bear Lake and just relax and if need be scamper around in their Jeep to see what there is to see.

A lot of it is based on how well Coralline can walk and what her Doctor will allow her to do. 

I have been looking for "Darkish", Gothic things to talk about but for some reason things seem to be barren at least for now,  but I did ask Doyle that since the 4th of July is over can we go ahead and put up the Halloween decorations.   He of course rolled his eyes.

But all is not lost I found an e-mail news letter and blog called "Cemetery Travels"  the author Loren Rhodes goes around or her fans seek out interesting Cemeteries to tour,  and of course what can be more interesting than touring Cemeteries, I would call that the Perfect Goth Vacation.  And her web site accepts submissions for others to read,  if you have not signed up to receive her e-mail news letter or have read her blog here is its link:  https://cemeterytravel.com/    

Another thing during the Summer time is to take the Ghost Walk tours that a number of cities offer, we have one here in the Bay Area called the San Francisco Ghost Walking Tour  this is their link   https://www.sfghosthunt.com/  and there is also the San Francisco Chinatown Ghost Walking Tour  their link is  http://www.sfchinatownghosttours.com/home.html    (if the links don't work just Google in the names and it will come up)  of course the various ones offered in New Orleans.

Doyle's boss gave him a case of Beer called Voodoo Ranger IPA---what a perfect beer to offer on a warm summer night!   I mean it's a skeleton wearing a ranger's outfit on the label.  

Oh yes I know how does it taste?   Well its
flavor has notes of pine, grapefruit, biscuit malt,, pears, lemongrass, cantaloupe melon, spices, toasted malts, resin and lots of tangerine followed by a dry and bitter aftertaste. It feels much lower than the announced 70 IBUs, though the bitterness grows with time.  It's lightly sweet at first with the perfect bitterness at the end.  Doyle says you can't really feel its alcohol but it's not overly sweet.

I suggest that you try out a 6 pack for a taste test and see how you and your friends like it for a Gothic beer.    And now its cool enough to take Belladonna and Wiener Dog for their walks.

Later Darklings

   This is called a Dracula Orchid,  I'm hoping to find one or two to add to my Greenhouse

Of Vampires and Grave Robbers~~~~

Dear Darklings,

I have a picture I want to show you ~~~~~

Now the person who posted this "claims" that this "cage" was to prevent the dead from rising as either a vampire or a zombie.

Well the concept of zombies really didn't take a more public view until the 1920's when Seabrooks book was published.   So one would think this would be more related to the idea of vampires, and considering the bars are made from cold iron one would think so, but the reason behind the cage is far more sinister than that.

Oh yes it is to prevent the dead from rising-----with the help of the feared "Resurrectionists"!

We know them by the more mundane label as "Body Snatchers".

According to Wikipedia~~~
Resurrectionists were commonly employed by anatomists in the United Kingdom during the 18th and 19th centuries to exhume the bodies of the recently dead. Between 1506 and 1752 only a very few cadavers were available each year for anatomical research.

The supply was increased when, in an attempt to intensify the deterrent effect of the death penalty, Parliament passed the Murder Act 1752.

By allowing judges to substitute the public display of executed criminals with dissection (a fate generally viewed with horror), the new law significantly increased the number of bodies anatomists could legally access. This proved insufficient to meet the needs of the hospitals and teaching centres that opened during the 18th century.

Corpses and their component parts became a commodity, but although the practice of disinterment was hated by the general public, bodies were not legally anyone's property. The resurrectionists therefore operated in a legal grey area.

Because of the Murder Act, when anatomists would come to collect the body there would be riots, but to make it worse because a dead body was considered not anyone's property the Resurrectionists could operate in gangs and dig up anyone newly dead, but if caught in the act those persons would be dealt with being violently beaten.

People were hired to be body guards in graveyards and cemeteries, the more wealthy would bury their dead using  secure coffins, and physical barriers such as mortsafes and heavy stone slabs made extraction of corpses more difficult.

The poor resorted to having to guard the bodies of their relations at night for a week or two thus making the body too far decayed for any anatomical use.

Until Burke and Hare started their scheme of provided extremely fresh bodies for dissection yes they were very fresh having been recently murdered by Burke and Hare, which resulted in the Anatomy Act  of  1832 in which bodies of the poor in workhouses were used for dissection.

Despite the passage of the Anatomy Act for a time there still wasn't enough bodies to meet demand so the Resurrectionists still plied their trade for some years until about 1844 when the act of digging up the dead finally ended.

Although there still is in modern times some people who for reasons of their own will desecrate a grave.  

But isn't that a horrible thought to think that your dead body after death is not anyone's property, not even your own?   Makes me shiver just to think of it.

Here is another picture of other caged graves ~~~~

Technically these are called Mortsafes,   and these are in a graveyard in England.

And now I Must return to my Dark Shadows marathon binge.  Coraline and Christopher have joined me to discover why Jonathan Frid's vampire became such a hit back in the late 1960's.

Later Darklings 

Of a meaning of a word~~~~

 Dear Darklings,

Even with all the heat I managed to find something that describes my inner Gothic  feelings.   It's not so strange to walk among the tombstones, to read the epitaths of lives long and short lived, to view the various carvings and markings to understand how the death of one is expressed in the grief of those who remain.   So to find a word that describes what one desires, is so helpful.

And now I wish for the heat to go, the Fog to return to drip its heaviness off of leaves and outline spider webs like diamonds from nature, to muffle one's tread and remind us of the coolness of the grave.  

No I'm not ready to drop dead, but I am so tired of this Barbie Bikini Heat!

Later Darklings

Of Mother's Day~~~~

Happy Mother's Day My Darklings,

Although I'm not a Mother I am an auntie and auntie's count too.

We are going over to my brother's house of a bar-b-que dinner, and taking a few things as well that Sis and I whipped up yesterday. 

Such a nice difference from the Court Room, and yes I'm still stuck with Jury Duty.

But oh it has been cold, cool and breezy, with a splash of rain here briefly, snow in the mountains and I think hail down in Fremont.   The last time I can remember weather this cold was back in the 70's and Snow was still on the ground at Lake Tahoe on Memorial Weekend.

So sweaters are still called for my summer clothes is sharing the closet with my winter clothes,  until the weather can make up it's mind.   And I get an automatic robo call from the Water District saying we are in drought conditions and to only use 35 gallons of water per person per day???   I know what 35 gallons looks like and it looks like the water district is asking us to take sponge baths, while the oil companies do fracking!   IDIOTS!!!

O.K. it's Mother's Day it's best I calm down.

Sis and I went to church this morning, it was full, then later we went over to the cemetery to leave flowers on Mom's, our Aunt's and Grandma's graves.  We were concerned about the calcium scale on the stone left by the hard well water.   As well as the tarnish on our Uncle's head stone that has his military plaque on it. 

Fortunately we were told at the Cemetery Office that the best thing that works for the metal is this product called "Mother's" it's used on automobiles, so on the military plaques to use that and to remove the calcium scale from stone to do a mixture of 1/3 cup white vinegar to 2/3 cup water and a lot of elbow grease with a rough sponge, no metal, it seems that CLR does not do the trick and is harmful to the stone.  Or maybe for a larger amount 1 cup white vinegar to 2 cups water and a lot of elbow grease, so I think during the warmer month's we'll be doing that.

I'm feeling sort of quiet and mellow today, but I'm looking forward to seeing the children, we're going to take the books we bought at the book sale and surprise them with it.  I know Chris and Coralline will like their books, the twins are harder to gauge.

So now it's time to go.   I wish all of you a Happy Mother's Day.

Later Darklings

Of Oh my aching feet and CANDY!!!~~~~

Hello Darklings,

Right now I'm resting with my feet up as I type this and I think Doyle has gone insane, but let me explain.

Sis insisted that we get up early and go to this new Target store that's opened up, it's much closer than the other one, and since we needed to go to a few other shops in the area we planned on it.

Well Darklings, the layout of all Target stores are pretty much the same, like the layout of "In n' Out Burgers" for those of you who live in California, but there was some layout differences, for instance the minute you go into the store the ladies are immediately hit with the latest Target fashions and----are you ready for this Darklings?  BLING!!!

I am not much into cheap costume jewerly but when it looks nice and stylish and has wearablity for the long haul, then look out I will dive in like a tiger leaping upon unwary prey, and there were pieces any Gothic Dark minded person would love to have, it seems that deep emerald green is the "go to" color paired with gold settings (not real gold, gold colored) and I found a few things that will go with some of my vintage clothing.  

And the clothing was very nice looking, stylish and inexpensive,  but I will not desert my favorite vintage stores or my tailor/seamstress, I'm speaking if you are on a tight budget and have fast growing children. 

We looked around the store to see what was offered, and to get familar with the lay of the land so to speak, toys, toys, toys in the back area and well Darklings I could not help it---the latest Monster High Dolls, two of them, I quickly called (via cell phone) my sister-in-law and asked to check Coralline's list, did she have Polterguesta and a particular version of Clawdeen Wolf?  The answer was No so I told her Guess what Coralline is going to find in her speical trick or treat bag.   And yes I relented I did also get something for the boys for Halloween.

We found the Candy, and it was good bargains, granted both CVS, Walgreens, and the grocery stores carry the same bags and the prices were easily comparable, but Target had the BIG mixes as well and I do get a lot of children, so to put it bluntly, we loaded up.  But then I saw IT, we just walked past the candy area and I said lets see what they have for outdoor decoration,  FORGET OUTDOOR, I was floored by INDOOR, yes Darklings I went crazy!

There were these bowls held up by claws perfect for mints or M & M's or nuts, and then large white bowls held up by skelton hands, and this was not cheap plastic this was substantial and re-useable, then the salad bowl tongs in either gold or silver in the shape of talons very solid, glass wear, and a large ceramic dispenser (much like the glass ones for ice tea or lemonaid) but there were labeled Toxic Brew and another that said Poison---need I say more Darklings?   And a candy bowl with bat's that talk and flap their wings.  Sis and I talked about the expense of these items but I told her that considering our (or at least my) outlook on things these items could be used year round.   She began to laugh when she took into consideration some of the outdoor bar-b-Que's we'd been having.   

Sis teased me and said that the large white bowls would be perfect for popcorn when Coralline stays over and her friend Marrisa comes over for a "fright night" movie watching.  We smiled and said "Why Not!"

It's a good thing we brought a lot of re-usable bags, we looked at other things in the store and I found my favorite mascara by Almay, I was out.  I wanted to check the other cosmetics but Sis tugged at me and said we needed to leave and go to the other stores that we had errands at before School lets out and the maddening hord swamps the mall. 

But I do confess Darklings, just behind the Halloween decorations there they were---CHRISTMAS!!  Just waiting to come to the fore front.   Oh Dear thought I, already?

And yes, a dash to the post office to mail bills, I said forget buying anything there so we went to the nearby UPS store for a few things, and much needed milk, bread and stamps at the grocery store. 

When we got home I was surprised to see on the front lawn area among the styrofoam tombstones a huge Grim Reaper, I thought that it was going to be towards the back of the walk way but Doyle moved it to the front and set up a fog devise behind it we had just come home to see him demonstrate how it would look, he attached to the fog machine a short hose that led to an ice chest that had the hose runing through it and out under the Grim Reaper's cloak, there was dry ice in the ice chest packed around the hose, and with turning on the fog machine the fog passed through the hose through the ice chest and creeped out under the Reaper's cloak and hugged the ground like ground fog in a cemetery,  I thought that Doyle had gone insane with bringing the Reaper forward but there was a method to the insanity and the effect was wonderful and frightening at the same time, some parents with their little ones came by and the shierk of their voices convinced me that it was perfect.  Even the adults were a bit frightened.

I looked at old Grim and wondered if it was possible to set up a permanet duplicate of him in the back garden, complete with fog and such, possibly in the Pet Cemetery,  I sort of muttered it out loud and my sister heard it and said to me "If it could be made to move as well it would certainly freak out any would be criminals"   I LIKE that idea.

And now with everything put away, our feet aching, Doyle has kindly announced that he will go and get take out chinese for dinner tonight, I certainly did not want to argue.

'Trisha when I called my sister-in-law she said that something went into the mail today for you, "Coralline" wanted to send something to you for the lovely card, I think its a card but Monica said that it had to go in a padded envelope.  Coralline hopes you will receive it by Halloween.

And now Darklings I'm going to take some Tylenol for me aching toes and put on Chanel's "Vamp" nail polish, I feel in a Vamping mood.

Later Darklings

I can hardly wait for my favorite holiday!

Of an update and a guest~~~

Hello Darklings,

Well my temporary work arrangment is working out just fine.   I communte in and my boss drives me home.

At least I missed the "naked acrobat" at one of the BART stations,  frankly if he came up to me I would have wacked him where it would hurt the most with my cane.   But then would I have been booked for assualt or would it have been considered self - defence.   Well I'll never know since they have arrested him.  And he may get deported back to Columbia, maybe that is what he wanted to have happen, it would save him the cost of a plane ticket.

Doyle is still out on assignment and may not be back until next week, pooh!  But he does call and keeps me updated and he's doing fine.

Sis has finally had her house tented to be fumigated and her house guest is now my house guest, Brian is a very nice person and has offered to  offset the cost of utlities and food, so we've worked out a nice little arrangement.   Because I never know when Coralline is sleeping over, Brian will stay in the down stairs "maid's room" it has it's own bath so that works out very well. 

But I did warn Brian about the work still being finished in the kitchen, right now some cabinet fixing but the apartment stove is now in place where the vintage stove will be going, once I find the one I want.  Sorry Darklings, I just have not had the chance to shop for one.  Soon though, soon.

Brian didn't seem to mind, and once the fumigation process is over, Sis is going to first have the kitchen re-done and then the bathroom downstairs so Brian can move back.  But that will take a little time.

It seems I'm always having a house guest or family, which is fine, it helps the house come alive.  Although he was a little surprised about the cemetery in the back part of the property, I told him to not worry about it, those pets stay put.   And I had to keepy "kitty Kat" quiet so to not give him appoleplexy.  But he seems to be enjoying the "off-beatness" of the house.

He commented to me about the difference between a cemetery and a graveyard----I had not realized that there was a difference but it seems that a graveyard it always attached to a religious building or church, but a cemetery is simply a piece of land set aside for burials.   The yard is always next to the church and is of grave importance and a serious condition of life.   So person to be buried just outside of a Grave Yard was considered an un-redemmed sinner.  Hmmm and then there is Boot Hill, Columbariums, Tombs, Masoleums, Crypts, and other words to describe where one is buried,  now I understand that if there are people buried near their homes, such as a plantation that is considered both as a graveyard and a cemetery.

I can only tell you Darklings we had a wonderful discussion about this.

Later Darklings

 Gloria Holden's Cemetery marker.