Last Saturday

There is a move afoot to change the date of Halloween from October 31st to the last Saturday of October.  

As of yesterday, the on-line petition - sponsored by Change.Org and the Halloween and Costume Association - had 63,000 signatures, and once they reach 75,000 the petition will be sent to President Trump.

My first reaction to this was "These people have way too much time on their hands." and then I wondered why involve the President in something that isn't a national holiday.  

They do point out safety concerns - unaccompanied children wandering around the streets on weeknights, etc. - so I guess there is some validity to their effort.

Here at the Boggy Thicket, there is a neighborhood party and hayride that has become a tradition.  It has typically been held on the Saturday before Halloween, and we have not had a trick-or-treater come to our door on October 31 in at least 15 years. 

Laundramat

I'll admit I never saw that sign, but in our travels over the past few years, we've seen things at definitely qualify as odd - including some stuff that makes you glad you own a washer and dryer at home.

The sign did remind me of something I'd forgotten, and the statute of limitations must have run out years ago, so....

A college friend -I'll call him Larry - landed a job as the attendant at a washeteria.  He kept the filters emptied and the change machine and soap dispensers filled.  For that, he got a very small salary and an apartment on the second floor above the laundromat.

One night, after a night on the town, we decided to stop by and see him.  I honestly don't remember whose idea it was (probably John Stuckey, but it might have been me) but we put a six pack of empty beer cans in a dryer put in some coins and turned it on.

It was remarkable how quick Larry made it out of bed and down the stairs.  He didn't think it was a darn bit funny, but we were laughing too hard to care.

Apollo Eleven

Today is the 50th anniversary of Man's first landing on the moon, and I can still remember how excited we were watching the event on television.  
It is sort of sad that my girls, and every generation since, has never known a time when we hadn't been to the moon.  To them it is no big deal - they'll never really understand what a truly momentous accomplishment it was.

In A Rut

Finally got our 5th wheel home Tuesday, and getting it back into the yard was, to put it nicely, a real comedy of errors.

The trailer is too long, the turn radius on our truck is too small and the road is too narrow to make it into the driveway without running off the road.  I typically have the front wheels in the grass across the street as I complete the turn, and if it is the least bit muddy, it's a recipe for disaster.

After several unsuccessful attempts, and some deep ruts in our yard, Honey called Ronnie Warman. our neighbor who used to run hotshot deliveries with a 42 foot gooseneck and he put it in like it was on rails - one try - smooth as silk.

I am now into the second day of filling in the ruts.  It is amazing how much dirt it is taking.

Morning Surprise

Just before sunrise, Honey was sitting out under the pergola enjoying her first cigarette and first cup of coffee of the day.
She heard a  noise behind her, and turned around to see that a pair of raccoons had joined her on the deck.

She admits to being a little frightened, but more surprised than anything.  When she scooted her chair back, they jumped off the deck, and by the time she got to the house, they were back over the fence and out of sight.

I Feel Lucky

Honey had her semiannual checkup at the Dermatologist yesterday.  Her doctor is one of the most delightful people I've ever met, we had a most enjoyable visit, and the checkup went without a hitch. 
Once we got home, Honey said "We're up and dressed with nothing to do.  Want to go to the casino?"
Well, you don't have to tell me twice, so just before  noon we were on our way to Livingston.
Twelve hours later, we were back home with the same amount of money we left with.  That qualifies as a very successful trip.
We were lucky, but the casino not so much.  
They were installing a whole bunch of new slot machines, and somehow took down the network that controls stuff.  Some slots would not issue pay stubs, and for about half the casino, the stubs that were issued could not be read in the machines that convert them to cash.
That led to a mob of about a hundred people at the pay window waiting (in some cases, two hours or more) for their cash.
They eventually got the problem fixed, but not before having to delay three buses waiting to return folks to Houston.

Orchid

One of the orchids in our kitchen window box is blooming, but it's kind of sad.  It only has three blossoms, and instead of having a tall straight shaft it is a sort of a raggedy spiral.

I've named it Quasimodo.