Hocus Cheeto-cus?

It's less than a week away from Halloween and they are already showing Christmas movies on tv! What? I know I shouldn't complain because I was out hunting for Halloween decorations in August but honestly, what happened to autumn? 

Since Trump became president I have lost my enthusiasm for horror films. The reality of what he does every single day takes all the fun out of being scared. So we stick to the Halloween classics and laugh instead of scream. 

Of course it's just not Halloween without Cheetos Bones!

This fall we have been usually busy and FORGOT about stocking up on them until it was too late!

There was only one bag left and it was the Flamin' Hot variety. Burt and His Madness were okay with the heat but Ivy found them to be a little too much for her taste.

Maybe she should switch from Pinot Grigio to beer.

It turned out that HM had a secret stash of the White Cheddar variety so everyone was happy.

Now, which variety will win HM's taste test?

With Cheetos peace restored and everyone happy it was time to get back to the movie . . .

. . . and promptly fall asleep. Yeah, it makes me want to scream, too!

Thanks for stopping by!

A Houdini Seance

Things are definitely starting to get otherworldly.

His Madness and I, together with our son Andy and his wife, Kristin spent an afternoon visiting the History Museum at the Castle in Appleton, a city just a few miles north of us. The main reason was to see their current exhibit on guitars but also to view the collection of artifacts and contraptions used in the performances by the famous illusionist, Harry Houdini.

In addition to performing as a magician, Houdini was a master illusionist and famous for his dangerous stunts and death-defying escapes - all while being handcuffed, restrained with ropes and chains and sometimes buried alive!

While being suspended from a crane, upside down, Houdini could escape from this type of straitjacket in just three minutes.

Let's just say he really knew how to draw a crowd!

Although he was born in Hungary, he lived in Appleton as a child and considered it to be his hometown. At the age of seventeen he started a career as a magician and later as moved onto performing as an escape artist, he was known as Harry "Handcuff" Houdini. He toured around getting police forces to lock him up and then escaping within minutes.

When he wasn't hanging around cheating death, Houdini made a practice of debunking fake mediums and spiritualists. Being an illusionists himself, he could recognize the tricks of the trade. He  promised his wife Bess that if there was a way for the dead to contact the living he would try. They agreed on a special code so she would know it was really him. Bess gave up after a decade but every year since his untimely death on October 31, 1926 many people have held a seances in the hope of contacting him.

His Madness, with the help of Burt and Ivy attempted to contact Houdini in the great beyond. He did promise to stay in touch!

When traditional means of conducting a seance didn't produce the desired results it was time to consult with the most magical orb.

Still no response. Looks like someone threw a curve ball and it might be time for the beer frame. 

As for that other exhibit at the museum it was interesting enough. However, the monster in the room was this Gibson Flying V, the world's largest playable guitar.

Of course we all had to take a turn at playing the beast. Since Andy actually earned a degree in guitar performance, he managed to get the loudest sound out of it - and that was really scary!

Although, not enough to wake the dead.

Thanks for stopping by!

Another Road Trip

Look what we found in our hotel room!

Kibitz really likes being on the road. 

I'm really tired of traveling but there's no getting out of it! At least this time of year the trees are putting on a good show and the occasional flock of migrating birds keeps things interesting.

It's very important to stay hydrated . . . and in the Halloween spirit!

Keeping an eye out for other like-minded people can really help your mood. 

This antenna ornament totally made my day, ha! 

Not that long ago, His Madness and I were facing a lengthy drive to pick up some cheese our son had described as the best cheddar he had ever tasted. To break up the trip we decided to visit the Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum in Two Rivers.

There were all sorts of type and printing equipment but the best part was a collection of posters from their archives. Two Rivers must have been quite the wild place, back in the day. 

Can you imagine getting to meet the Frankenstein Monster in person?  

We've seen all sorts of unique skeletons while traveling . . .

. . . but this one looks the best. See you soon!

Thanks for stopping by! 

Is Apple the New Pumpkin?

Oh, no! We're into single digits! Doesn't the countdown calendar look weird? I tried it a few different ways and it is just going to look odd. Luckily, there's only eight more days to go, ha!  

When I was a teenager there was no romance in picking apples. It was one of those seasonal, short term jobs my parents thought it was important for me to participate in "for the experience". Like living on a farm wasn't "experience" enough. Anyway, now when friends get enthusiastic about going apple picking all I can think about are blisters and bee stings. Apples are okay though, I've always liked them, especially the Honeycrisp variety and I truly appreciate that they come in a bag!

This fall, a few Poison Apple themed items have found their way into our Halloween decor. They have probably been around for years and I just didn't noticed them before, ha! It seems like there should be apple cider in the mug, although coffee worked just fine.    

As creepy as it is, the green and red of this votive holder doesn't exactly fit in with the traditional Halloween color scheme. It might end up adding a touch of the macabre to Christmas instead.

Wax melts and lit candles are a bit of a problem around our house - thanks to the kitties needing to knock things onto the floor. This was the heaviest wax melting device I could find but I still don't trust them around it. The Poison Apple wax melt is ok, it smells like fresh apples but it's very pungent and lasts a long time. It doesn't give off the impression of being poisonous though, not that I'd know what that would smell like! That seems like a plus. 

I haven't exactly been overwhelmed with the pumpkin scented candles this year. I gave up looking for a candle that smells like a pumpkin pie when it's baking so I tried this cider one instead.  It's nice. 

Finally, the last of this seasons apple/apple cider scented acquisitions is a cleaning product! Now I had not considered shelling out for fancy cleaning supplies until I found them on sale. 

I have to confess that I do really like the Mrs. Meyer's Apple Cider spray cleaner. This is dangerous because now I actually enjoy cleaning! Who knew? Good thing its a limited edition. 

I liked the Apple Cider so much I went back to stock up. Eventually, it sold out but there was this Acorn Spice scent available, too. So, are acorns also giving pumpkins some competition? Wonder what the squirrels will think.

You know they're watching.

 Thanks for stopping by!

The Pumpkin Hunt!

It's been pouring down all day but not enough to keep us from hunting for pumpkins! 

Going to a huge greenhouse is definitely not like strolling through a cute pumpkin patch but it is better than dealing with rain and mud. Little did we know that we were just a few steps away from a very spooky place.

Following the screams and flashing lights, we were lead into a room of Halloween horrors!

 This Reaper Man kept swaying back and forth and had a lot to say. 

While his buddy, Graveyard Guy just kept moaning.

I'm thinking these glowing plastic molds would look good in my yard!

Maybe the kitty, too.

This rather awesome flying thing will probably give me nightmares tonight!

It's not like there wasn't anything going on above our heads. The ceiling was alive!

Finally, there was a shuddering skeleton. I hope he's not one of Burt and Ivy's friends. 

Here he is doing his thing!

Thanks for going along on the pumpkin hunt!

We got a couple huge ones but will probably need a few more.