Friday the 13th

It's probably appropriate in some alternate universe that my usually commercial-free television is haunted by commercials on this of all days. Beanie just can't stand missing her programs.

How cool is it that Friday the 13th comes during the month of All Hallow's Eve/Halloween/Samhain? Technically, Samhain is on the 21st, but I won't quibble about that. This is my favorite time of year. Caramel apples, popcorn balls and trick or treaters roaming the twilight streets in search of sugar rushes, trees and houses to TP and windows to soap. Unfortunately, there will be no bonfires and that is sad. I miss the bonfires and dressing up like goblins and ghouls and vampires and such.

This week has certainly been a long one. Beanie can't seem to sit still, which is probably why she has lost so much weight. Mom has been evil and Carol fixated on Starbuck's. Mom has been eating pancakes all the time and threatening to toss her pancakes at every opportunity. We didn't go up the cog railway because Mom couldn't get out of bed yesterday. They did find a local secondhand bookstore with plenty of books to look over and buy. They also took a quick tour of the shops in Manitou Springs and I showed them Miramont Castle in Manitou Springs (known around here as Witch Central). I also took them by the cottage I almost rented, the last house on the left in Manitou Springs. For dinner yesterday we ended up at Perkins. Mom did her usual near cookie toss routine at the restaurant, saying she was full "up to here" and couldn't eat another bite--until we passed a Dairy Queen. Mom wanted a hot fudge sundae to "cool her froat". I don't understand how hot fudge (or, in her case, extra hot fudge) can cool a sore throat, but we were past it. Mom did her usual whine and dance until I pulled into a gas station to turn around. "Oh, you don't have to go back there." I told her that if I turned to go back to the motel I would not go back to the DQ. She changed her tune quickly. We went back to the DQ for hot fudge with a little DQ soft serve for Mom and a small chocolate cone with sprinkles and a cup of extra sprinkles. I dropped Mom and Carol off at the motel and Beanie and I came home.

Today's the day though. This afternoon they board the bus for Denver and the Amtrak home, but not after a long trip to the antique mall downtown. I can hardly wait.

There is scarier news. The ham radio club has elected new officers. Even though the VP had another year to go on his term he is now the president and his wife is secretary. I'm so thrilled. Talk about your scary propositions. Mike and Susan (Pres and Sec) are the ones who gave me all the grief about cutting the deadline so close when sending out the newsletter, even though they are the ones who pick it up from the printer and mail it. I moved the deadline the 25th of the month and have the newsletter at the printer's and ready to be picked up by the 1st of each month but somehow they never seem to be able to get it out before the weekend before the club meeting, which they said was cutting it too close when I had the newsletter was printed and ready by then in months when the club meeting was on the 8th. The members had their copies of the newsletter two days before the meeting but it wasn't good enough. Club meetings are the second Wednesday of the month and some months that's very early in the month, the earliest being the 8th.

Oh, well, at least now they will have to talk to me directly instead of telling someone else who has to tell me. I hate all that backdoor crap.

That is all. Disperse.