Of Thanksgiving and Christmas and a tragic Fire~~~

Hello Darklings,

Well I have been out of the loop but a lot has been happening, so where do I start.

Well we slowly took down the Halloween decorations and carefully packed them away, but then I had a leak in the hot water heater!  A good thing I don't keep anything at floor level, so the water was shut off to it.  

I called my plumber and he quickly came out, for some reason there was a defect in the bottom of the tank, still under warranty,  so had that replaced at no cost. 

Then the Washing Machine broke a belt,  now try and get wet clothing out of a tub full of water and hand wring it out and bail the water out of the tub,  called my appliance repair man,  he replaced the belt, tested the machine,  only just over $100.00.   And we finished wringing the clothing,  Thank Goodness the dryer was working.

Then the original refrigerator that I moved from the kitchen into the large walk in pantry died,  I was a nice large side by side refrigerator freezer, but nothing was going to resurrect it, so moved most of the stuff in the freezer to my sister's and the chilled beer was left out.  

The good thing is my much newer refrigerator works beautifully, so I was deciding, do I move the one in the kitchen into the pantry or install a new one in the pantry,  I mean how hard is it to move a refrigerator?

Well Doyle said "Nope ain't moving it, buy a new one for the pantry and have the delivery guys handle it"  so did that.   Nothing fancy, a good dependable Maytag refrigerator, plain white,  and energy efficient.

With all this happening my brother and sister-in-law said "Thanksgiving at our house!"   What a relief!    So Sis and I brought side dishes while the main feast was cooked at my brother's house,  and relatives and children all over the place,  Thank goodness my brother has a "Man Cave" for the children,  that way we could cook and set up without worry.   And everything was delicious.

My brother yelled up from below that Santa Had Arrived so Christmas is now officially here.   A flash of memory went through my mind of all those Thanksgivings when Dad and my Uncles would watch the Macy's parade with my brother and a couple of nephews, and Mom, Grandma, a couple of Aunts, Sis and I would set up the table and then Dad would call out "Santa arrived!!! You ladies can go Christmas shopping!!"   And Mom and Grandma would roll their eyes.   But it never gets old.

The next day, my sister in law, Coraline, Christopher, Sis and myself we went to the Dickens Fair, I had to use a cane and rest a lot because my leg muscle is still weak but still it was so enjoyable, seeing all the Dickens characters, and the entertainments, and all the lovely things to buy,  Coraline and Chris were wearing Dickens finery thanks to an on line shop called "Recollections"  and the children were having fun researching how to behave in a proper Victorian manner.   We are going back for one more weekend to see what we've might have missed.  But the scent of spices and baking and cinnamon buns,  and hot tea,  and watching scenes from some of the Dickens novels.   It does add magic to the season.

Christmas dinner will be at my house,  we bought the trees today,  a large one for the formal parlor and a smaller one in the family parlor,  bit by bit Christmas decorations have been put up,  I've hired Betty full time to help me,  of course the Maid Service will do the house cleaning,  it's far too much for Betty to handle, but with her and I and occasionally her daughter to assist, along with the Cleaning service it's not so bad.  

But last night was very difficult for me and for some of my friends and I was glad that Sis was at my house to help.

We've had a very tragic fire in town,  if you Google "Oakland Ghost Ship Warehouse Fire" that will give you all the news,  it seems in this Artist Collective Warehouse, where people were illegally living in, a party, some people call it a Rave, was held and a fire broke out and people were trapped, the place was a "fire ready to happen".

My artist friends, the ones I call very Ghostly, had been planning to go to this party to meet someone there but for them luck was on their side, they didn't get there til nearly midnight when the fire was at it's height,  their friend was fine but she couldn't find someone that she met there that my artist friends knew,  only today did they find out this person had died in the fire.  They were grief stricken.

My artist friends didn't know for the last few days, where to go or who to talk to to process their grief, the memorials and areas of prayer didn't seem to assuage their feelings,  so they came to my house,  I think the warmth of the house, the candles burning in the fireplace, the Christmas decorations and the hot lemon ginger tea helped them, I let them talk and talk, even if they were going over it again and again it helped them process it.

They told me that a few weeks ago they were looking for cheap space to rent to do some of their larger works and had checked it out,  at first it appeared enchanting but then when they looked closer, well as she told it to me it was like seeing something that's beautiful on the surface but it hides the decay and rot underneath.   They didn't feel comfortable about it.   They weren't even sure about going to this party so they kept putting off going there and it seems their feeling was right.

He kept saying it was a monster of flame, devouring all that was inside, people crying and calling out if someone had seen someone,  I cannot even write down how they described what they saw.   They were so upset that I put them up for the night saying they should not be alone right now.

This morning they thanked me and said they were going home to change clothing and go out among people and have breakfast,  I said they were welcome to come by again if they needed to talk.   I feel they will take me up on that. 

I listened to them, and Belladonna and Wiener Dog cuddled next to them, I watched as they absentmindedly petted the dogs and scratched their heads,  doing that seemed to relax my visitors, making them drowsy, and helped them to unwind their tensions.

Doyle was very up on the events, and would encourage them to talk, while Sis helped them go through and process the emotions they were feeling. 

This morning they told me that they have idea's for their next series of art work, dealing with tragedy and monsters.   I sort of questioned about it with Sis but she said it will be their way of processing their grief, and I could understand that. 

We watch horror movies to be terrified but then when one sees it, in real life and know that they've lost someone in such a horrible tragedy,  it is a totally different.   I am going to check in with them in a few days to see how they are doing,  something like this one does not get over instantly.  

I'm going to have a Christmas Evening tea, I think I'll invite them, during this time of the year one should not be alone.

I have not posted about wonderfully gothic things,  I did see the Dr. Strange movie and I'll talk about it in my next post.

Later Darklings

Of Easter and Families and other things~~~

Hello My Darklings,

Well I'm finally posting on my blog again.

I have to admit it has been a hectic crazy period, and I'm finally coming up for air.

Poor Coralline she didn't do too well with her wisdom teeth being removed, the first weekend to remove the lower ones wasn't too bad.  

But the next week to remove her uppers was just awful,  she was out of school not only for the weekend but for a few days after as well.   And it appears that she has an enzyme problem, she lacks enough of a particular enzyme to throw off depressants efficiently.   They had a hard time waking her up.

So while she was recovering we periodically had to shake her awake to make sure she would be o.k. 

My sister suggested that she be tested and it was confirmed that she has this deficiency, so now she has to wear a medic alert bracelet and its on her medical records.  And she missed a few school days so she has to use her Spring break to make up her assignments.

Needless to say it was rough on her, she doing fine now, she just grumbles a bit about the home work.

I've been busy too, because of the holidays and at my old place of employment they are short staffed, so I've been called in alot to cover "holes in the schedule"  I don't mind really, but when the BART trains started short circuiting and we had to take bus bridges, well I had to take the Bus to work, not easy really, but if I had to work late Doyle could pick me up. 

And while the sun shines I've been having repair work done on the house to replace some important filigree work and such, but the painting is going to have to wait until we have a very clear window of sun.

Easter dinner will be at my brother's house, but it's a bit of pot luck, everyone bringing something to the table, in a way it reminds me of the story of "Stone Soup", a lovely fun tale about how everyone can work together to not go hungry.

I am looking forward to it.  

I've not had much chance to see any new and delightful Gothic things but I have to admit I'm hooked on "Lucifer"  and Tom Ellis well I wouldn't mind seeing him striped to his tidy whities,  but don't tell Doyle.   But I think the latest episode "A priest walks into a bar..." did give some thought on spirituality and faith,  and the fallen angel burning his wings?   I do hope the series gets renewed.

I'm still having fun with "Sleepy Hollow" and all the Revolutionary War references and Crane still getting use to the 21st century, Tom Mison does a wonderful job as the 18th century man in a 21st century world and the entire cast works wonderfully together.

Believe it or not my Darklings I'm finally catching up to "American Horror Story" and I started with the first season, yes I had to buy it, no I do not down load HULU or NET Flicks, I'm still an "old-fashioned girl" but the writers do not leave you bored that you almost have to deliberately tear yourself away from putting another disc in to see the next chapter, otherwise you'll never get to sleep.

Will I be going on my wine tour come this Fall?  I'm not sure, with so much work to do on the house I don't think so, but then we'll see.

There has been some bizarre things happening of late in the Bay Area, long dead bodies or skulls turning up here and there as well as body parts in the marshes at the southern end of the bay, I think El Nino rains have been uncovering that which has been hidden too long.

And I'm afraid that the shifting to Daylight Savings time has not translated well to Belladonna and Wiener Dog,  their time schedule is all mixed up because I think they really go by the sun so they think we are in bed too long,  and we really can't argue with them, especially if we don't want accidents in the house.

Christopher my nephew has told me that there are a couple of boys in his class, who want to do the all dress in black and do the "Goth thing" during the Summer months, in a way he likes them because they are excellent creative writers and get good grades, they are not anti-social but he's puzzled by this wanting to "try out" the "Goth Thing"  he thinks they haven't a clue what it's all about, when he told me I just sighed and said "baby bats" he said he like to bring them around to my house when I'm home just to talk about literature and such, oh if they only knew what they are in for.

So I said if their parents don't mind and Chris's parents don't mind fine, we'll set up a time.  Well I'm curious anyway as to what these young minds think is Goth, and most likely do not have a clue.

Well need to go, my sister is here and is going to treat me to dinner, Doyle says he'll stay home with the dogs, he senses that it's a girls night out anyway. 

Later Darklings

  

Of my first post for the new year!!~~~

Hello My Darklings,

The new year is starting off very wet, so far we've had seven rain storms in our area, with numbers 8 and 9 still to come,  it's improving the snowpack, the ski resorts and the reservoirs but we are not out of the woods yet, not by a long shot as they say.

Everything in the back yard is soaked, soaked, soaked, and the fence in the back started to fall down, Doyle and my brother have braced it but it's going to have to be replaced.  My gardener has recommend an excellent fencing company, family owned and with good references. 

My cisterns are full of water, so there will not be an extreme need to worry about watering in the summer, but because of so much rain and the extreme cold and we had some very bad frost conditions, I've lost some of my more tender plants, even with protection. 

It had gotten so cold there was like a heavy snow like frost on the roofs of houses and cars and even the Christmas decorations, and I burned a fire in the fire places.  

I had to, something went wrong with the central heating system and I had to call in the repair man, some sort of "doohicky" or thingamabob which was a little hard to get to but was repaired.

On the more Gothic side of life, a severed foot was found on the BART tracks a week or so ago, and in several different places human remains have been found. 

I think I'll be making some adjustments on the garden to see what to plant,  the pet cemetery is doing fine in the back, and so are the orchids in the hothouse, as well as the koi in the indoor pond, poor Belladonna and Weiner Dog are feeling the cold, they have thick sweaters on but still insist on snuggling under the throw blankets on the couch, not that I blame them.

Sis has gone to visit her children in Sacramento she finally was able to line up a colleague to take care of her clients while she's gone,  Doyle is planning to visit his down in San Diego but wants to wait until Sis gets back before he goes.

The children are back in school much to their groaning unhappiness,  sorry my dears, life is not all Holidays.

And I am slowly getting better, the cough has improved, and Betty is just wonderful helping me, and freeing me up for other things.  Like lining up a house painter, yes, the house is going to need to be painted outside, and a few decorative wood pieces look like they have to be replaced, so finding a craftsman for that will be my first priority and then painting the 2nd.   One of my artist friends has also given me the name of a woman who can restore some of the lead framing on some of the stain glass windows so I think this year will be a year that the house will need a "face lift".

But first----- TAXES!   Yes I got my forms from my tax preparer and I am in the process of putting the paperwork together---so thank goodness for Betty to take the other duties off of my shoulders.

And now she is telling me that lunch is ready and she won't take "no" for an answer, well it's a good thing.

I hope to have more interesting and Gothic things for you later on,  I need to see what is out there.

Later Darklings

Of an Update on my Brother's new/old home~~~~

Dear Darklings,

Well last evening I had a chance to go over to my brother's new/old home.

The reason why I say that it's new/old is that it's new for my brother and sister-in-law but it is an old Victorian.

In touring their home my brother remarked that for its age it has been kept up very well, and since they will be living in it when the storm comes they will see if there are any leaks, but from what he's seen there doesn't appear to be any but it does have a 3rd roof, so time to take it down to basic's and have a new one installed.

Most of the previous owner's furniture has been left behind, she didn't want it nor did her children want it except for some pieces of it as well as valuable dinner and silverware and some paintings.   My brother had to move in their old bedroom furniture from their old house since the previous owner took hers, so it looks a bit strange in their bedroom but Monica said she plans to eventually get period furniture but they will need a queen size bed.  My brother has a tendency to spread out while sleeping. LOL.

The other things that they've done is move the mattresses from Corallines room into her new bedroom, but they had to buy new mattresses and box springs for the boys since each have now their own rooms and beds, well the twins are in one bedroom and Chris has his own, which I've been told he is very happy with.

Coralline is extremely happy with her new and much larger bedroom, she doesn't want to change a thing in it, and both she and Chris appear to be very happy with the arrangements.

The twins complain because new rules have been imposed upon them, the antics they use to do can no longer be done except down below in the "Club Room" as it's been called, my brother has taken over decorating it along with Chris but I noticed a lot of the sports memorabilia has been toned down and doesn't looks so garish.   Their former living room couch and chairs have found their way down there as well.  Monica said "They can do what they want except bounce on it like a trampoline".

The children still stay the week at their grandmother's and great grandmother's house and on the weekends stay in the parents house Friday through Sunday evening.  The gasoline bill will be high because of this commute,  but with both parents working they can take care of it.

The sale of their house is completed and quickly too, everything except what is immediately needed is in storage but in the "maid's room" off of their kitchen I've seen boxes opened and things sorted and boxes labeled "yard sale", "toss", "donate", and also labeled which room to go in if they are keeping it.

Monica told me that a lot of the boys toys are being donated "they've out grown them and a lot of their clothing as well, so might as well give it where it will do the most good" she said.

The maid's room is also going to be a work area for the kids to do their homework, since it's right off the kitchen Monica can keep an eye and ear out for any trouble.  

But the children are working hard to keep their grades up, and their new school is lined up as well. 

Coralline is a little apprehensive about the new school and is concerned about making friends, I told her to focus on school work, the friends will come later and to not be to quick about that part, get to know them first.  Chris will be in his first year in high school and fortunately the grammar school and high school are on the same grounds but separated by fences, it all being part of the Church's total facility. 

But both my brother and Monica want to keep Coralline back a year in school, I asked why and they felt that she had not matured enough yet, she's very smart but still a bit naïve, she understood the ways of the girls in the other school but they want her to have a chance to understand them in this new school. 

Monica told me that she felt it was a mistake to have Coralline in an accelerated class, she's bright intellectually but needs to gain a bit more "defense mechanisms "  socially.  Maybe that's not the right word to use but I understand what they want to do and Coralline even told me that she felt better about being held back and was not embarrassed about it.

The boys are fine, which is good and with Chris being in the lead to keep an eye on them it works out very well.  And their aunt that lives near by will be able to pick them up since she's retired or I can but Aunt Judith lives much closer to the school and said she doesn't mind.

I asked Monica if she's going to do much changes in the house and she said except with a new coat of paint in the Twins bedroom and the"maids'/homework room"  and on the ceilings of Chris and Coralline's room not very much, they are even keeping the wall paper---she told me it all goes so well, she just have to find pictures that will cover the faded area's---something tells me we're going to have fun antique shopping.

And there is so much more to do, they are going to upgrade the electrical in the "club room" and "homework room"  but for the kitchen and laundry areas it's just fine---May need to install a larger hot water heater as a 50 gallon might not do the job with 6 people in the house.  But that's for future.

I can see a brightness on Monica's face, even my brother is happy, the sales and the purchases have worked out well financially, and the move hasn't been too bad, Monica is in a routine and with my brother's help is going through things quickly. 

I've been able to offer suggestions on a few things but frankly there is very little that needs to be done,  and new rules are being set down for the children mostly the twins, I think as they get older they'll understand the value of things but right now it's all fun and games, but they'll learn.

And now I need to get back to paying bills.  That is never done.

Later Darklings

I'm afraid that this was Monica's and Coralline's feelings about the Super bowl, when told that Super bowl 50 was going to be played nearby, they both groaned and said "365 days of listening to 'the super bowl is coming' no, no, NOoooooo!' "

Of worms, slugs, a water meter and Cthulhu~~~~~

Hello Darklings,

Well I had hoped to get home in time to change into something vintage before going to the vintage fashion show but things took a different turn.  And I should have realize it because it's FRIDAY THE 13TH.

Brian was home at my Sister's house working from there and offered to watch Belladonna and Weiner Dog for us since my elderly babysitter was visiting family.

Well I got home and then went to ask if he could take care of the dogs for the evening, he said O.K. but then said that I better check my water meter.

I asked him why and he told me that when he was coming back earlier from walking the dogs and taking a break, both Bella and Weiner got excited and started barking at the water meter lid.

He went over to look and saw slugs and worms, slithering and wiggling out of the view how of the water meter lid and saw slimy mud slowly oozing through the view hole and seeping around the edge of the lid.

"Very disgusting and sort of creepy" he remarked---well I'd think it creepy too, so we both went over to look at it, and there they were, worms, slugs and I'm not sure what else,  I think a very small salamander, it looked like a worm with eyes. 

I walked over to my front porch where I keep the prong to lift the lid for both it and the sewer line lid, and Brian did the honors,  I was thinking to myself "Oh please don't let these be missionaries for Cthulhu".

Well it turned out that the Vault was filled with water, completely covering the meter with water, mud and slugs,  I shiver when I think of it.  That sort of chilly, wet, yucky type of shiver that's not cold but you feel disgusted type of shiver. 

With Brian babysitting the dogs, I went and called our Water Company's emergency line, a repair truck was there in 30 minutes---pretty fast when you think of it.

I was of course tense, thinking "Is this going to be a major problem? Is this going to be an easy or hard fix?  Am I going to have to call a plumber because something else needs to be done?  How long has this been leaking?   Is my Water Bill going to be high?   Is Cthulhu going to send one of its slithery tentacles out of that ooze and drag the poor man and any living creature nearby down into some morass of Hell?

You can see there are times when I worry -----  a lot.

No, the man pumped the water out, found the cut off, cut off the water, pumped some more, dug, pumped, dug, clamped, removed the old meter, pumped some more, installed a new coupler, installed a new meter, dug some more, pumped some more, tighten, pumped, tighten, pump, checked, checked again, went to where we have the front garden faucet, opened that valve, turned on the water in the vault, water comes through the faucet, he tightens some more, checks, checks again, is satisfied, goes to the water faucet that's flowing water, washes his hands, turns off the faucet, grins at me and says "You're in Business".

He explained to me that there had been, according to the computer a Meter Replacement service man out on Wednesday to replace the old meter because the meter reader noted that it was difficult to read the dials and put in a replacement order---but the Meter Service couldn't because he noted a problem with a coupling and put in for it to be done with plumbing work by someone higher up.

And any water overage would be removed since it was caused by the Water Company, not by house usage. 
I now know what Angels look like.

This fellow told me that it's a new division with our Water Company and its no problem for them to replace meters on the newer buildings like less than 20 years old, but my house and meter was, in this gentleman's opinion "antique" and remarked that once he cleans it up, he's keeping it as an interesting museum piece.

Then he apologized about the house being antique, but one of the beautiful graceful houses that one rarely sees now a days.   I gave him my card and said for him to bring his grandchildren by for Halloween,  and he said he would. 

So for now Cthulhu is kept at bay and will not rise---- at least not in my neighborhood.

Later Darklings

Of shifting to quiet mode and darn--a cold~~~~

Well Darklings,

My plans for going into work today have been dashed, I've come down with a cold, which means I cannot get a flu shot until I'm well and truely over this.   How frustrating!  My Boss told me to stay home the entire week, he said he can't afford to have people come down sick, he has an intern that can do some of the basic things for me and to just relax.

Louise wanted to stay home and take care of me but I told her she had plans and to go ahead with them.   Sis however was planning to stay home today to catch up on her reports, she has one client who will be coming over to her house next door where she has set up a small office for her work, she can have some of her clients come to her home office but at this time not all of them as she needs a certain amount of quiet but she'll be here if I need anything.

I much rather stay down stairs, its warmer and if I need anything the kitchen is close by and I can lie down and sleep in the down stairs room.  Belladonna and Wiener seem to know that I'm not well and are hugging close to me although last night Wiener slept with Sis as its becoming his habit.  And Wiener goes from the family parlor to the library to check on both Sis and me.  Belladonna just stays with me.

Dear Lucrecia, I was not aware that some shelters charge for surrendering, I remember that one time we had to surrender a cat that was abandon at our house in a box, and because of Dad's allergies we took it to the shelter and were not charged, but I guess times have changed.   I still would prefer surrendering as oppose to abandoning, in the long run its kinder.   And I'd never give one away on Craig's list, I've found out that even if its a young woman that acts nice to collect your pet, its really for those dog fighting rings, they use those pets offered on Craig's list as bait.   More cruelty that I dispise.
I'm so glad I had the cleaning service in yesterday although both dogs had to stay in the open pen in the kitchen to not be underfoot, Belladonna is use to it so it helped Wiener take a lesson from her.   My Gardner called and said he could start tomorrow on the fence re-inforcing. 
I bundled up and talked to my contractor about the gates and such and he can put a team on the concret part tomorrow as well, want to get it done before the rains arrive, which it might by Sunday.  He showed me some gate designs which would go well with the house and one pattern is a very close match to the fencing that already exist so I'll go with that.   I'm so glad that I have the House Trust Fund to draw funds for this, as it is improvements and repairs, otherwise I could not afford it at this time.

Much of the work on Sis's house is done, now it's more cosmetic on the interior, next year she will have the landscaping done as well as having the house painted.  Except for the Kitchen and Brian's room and Sis's office the house is pretty bare, and even Sis's office will undergo some changes, all the walls are painted white thoughout the house but that's just to finish it off until she can decide what to do and how to furnish it.

Doyle and Brian took the day off and have put away all the Halloween decorations into the storage area behind the garage, the Thanksgiving wreath is up,  and eventually some lights and outside decorations will be put up for Christmas.

Oh my head hurts so much I can't think about it.  And we still have the stove to clean but Sis says to not worry about having it ready for Thanksgiving and just get well.  Even the best laid plans etc. etc. etc can some times get side tracked.

I had brought down a box from the upstairs storage area and it contains letters that Dad sent to Mom during the war,  labeled War & Navy Departments V mail Service---Offical Business.... and when I opened up the top letter the first words that Dad wrote was "Hows everything Keed!  Hows every old thing on the Home Front"  he must have written it in pencil because some of the words are faded, I'm going to take my time reading these things and try and make out some of the words I think Sis would be interested in them as well.

"Keep the Home Fire's Burning, While my Heart is yearing....."

Later Darklings 

Of Fireplace repair and birds' nests~~~

Well Darklings,

I was right, the firebox in the formal parlour needs some repair, just a few loose bricks towards the back, needs to be re-sealed, he can either finish it today or on another day, I'll know in a few hours.  And it seems that during the summer a bird had made a nest in the upper chambers just under the chimney camp.  Fortunately we didn't burn a fire during the late spring and summer just in the family parlour, so we're assuming the little one's have flown, so we'll need to put some screening around the chimney caps to prevent that from happening again.

The gutter man is finishing things up, cleaning up the debris that was in the gutters, some enterprising squirrel had shoved nuts down one of the down spouts, so I've put them on one of the fence ledges for either it or another squirrel to find.

Progress is being made on my sister's house, a lot of plumbing repairs because of the former owners pouring cement down the drains.   The remodeling of the kitchen is wonderful, it had been upgraded so its victorian look had been long gone but it still had a lot of the 1950's feel to it that Sis wanted to keep.  But that Orange wall paper with the Big Yellow flowers from the 70's HAD to go.   I was getting a head ache looking at it.

The good thing is that the ceramic sink surround had been retained,  but the sink had to be replaced, Sis went with a double sink in stainless steel, and the ceramic tiles were matched to the old ones, pink tiles with green trim, sort of refreshing in a way, Sis said she would stick with white appliances it was simpler that way.

Brian Sis's tennant has been a good sport though all of this.

I'm going for a simple dinner tonight, spagetti with meat sauce, salad with that dressing that Doyle likes, french bread with soft Tillamoke Butter, more of that delicious Deadbolt wine, and fresh fruit mix of grapes and mango chunks over vanilla ice cream.   Hmmmm maybe leave the ice cream out, and just fresh fruit, the ice cream and the wine may not mix well.

Just taking a brief coffee break and once the men leave I'm going to take Belladonna for her evening walk before dinner.   It will feel good.

Later Darklings


Upkeep on an old house can be time consuming but worth it.