Halloween and other random ghosts

Happy Halloween! I have lots of ghosts and goblins swirling in my head today so I may seem discombobulated. That’s my grandson’s favorite word right now. I may jump from one topic to another. But the veil is thin between the spirit world and ours today, so maybe my ancestors are arguing about what I should write about, and I am feeling like a rope in a tug-of-war. So let’s just get started, shall we?

Speaking of arguing, the weather here in Cleveland can’t decide what it wants to be. We have had days like this:

And days like this.

Yesterday I was outside burning sticks in the chiminea in a t-shirt. Today it’s rainy and cold. Go figure. Chester and I have had some beautiful walks though, in Holden Arboretum and the Lake Metroparks. The leaf colors have been breathtaking.

Chester doesn’t care for Halloween. We don’t give him candy, and he has to dress up. Granted it’s only for a few minutes while I take his picture.

Doesn’t he look happy? Hey, we spoil this dog every day of the year, so for one day (ok maybe two, I put antlers on him at Christmas) he can glare at me. Honestly, it was two minutes. You’d think he was suffering. At least I didn’t put the rest of the costume on him.

Chester got “skunked” last week so we gave him his first bath in the bathtub. We usually take him to the pet store where they have a dog wash station but it was late at night. He didn’t seem to mind it that much, not as much as having to wear a pumpkin hat. It was  “second hand skunked” — he didn’t get the full force. When we lived in Euclid our neighbor’s dog got sprayed between our houses and the curtains, couch and everything smelled for days. This wasn’t that bad. This one may have even been a roll-through skunk.

Our Model A club went on a tour, and we stopped at a store in Amish country. I thought this made a nice picture. I should have bought a pumpkin then but I did not. Alas, this morning I went to four places and they were ALL OUT of pumpkins. I have a warty pumpkin, just not a Jack-o-lantern.

I came home and drowned my disappointment in little candy bars.

I’ve been starting a community handbell choir named Decibells. I may have mentioned it. We want to combine theater/performance with handbells and take bells to the community. We are able to borrow bells from a church temporarily but would like to buy our own. We can’t take the church bells out of the church, and we want to do outreach activities in senior centers, schools, etc. Even used bells can cost $15000 or more. Sheesh, right?

Nobody under 40 will understand this because computer stuff is part of their DNA, but I am so proud that I figured out how to get Zelle for the Decibells account. I linked it to the email so we can receive donations. If any of you have even 5 dollars floating around screaming “I wish I could be used for something that will bring people joy” and you’d consider donating, we are a legit, tax-exempt non-profit and 100% will go to purchasing the bells, music, and accessories. The email is Decibellslake@gmail.com . If you are thinking, “ahh she worked in a sales pitch” I am sorry. I would never want anybody to donate who couldn’t afford it, so no worries.

Like in Harry Potter, as I express these ideas and thoughts, they seem to be flowing out of my ear and clearing out my brain. Pretty soon I’ll be brainless.

Isn’t that pretty? It’s called a “Mumkin.” It was a fundraiser for the grandson.

Chester got a new toy from our grandson. It is, or was, a stuffed Mr. Bill that said “Oh nooooo” over and over and over and over….. Chester mercifully disassembled the sound module then went to work on the body of poor Mr. Bill. He made it this far last night.

Did you ever hang up a sweater over a shirt then forget you owned the shirt? I found one of my formerly favorite shirts this morning when I reached for a black sweater. It’s like getting something new! Or used, as this one was originally from Goodwill. So kind of a triple used from it’s original birth. Or maybe more, depending if the previous owner got it new. It’s mind blowing, right? But in a good way.

Have a lovely Halloween, and make sure your doggies and kitties don’t get out. We have trick-or-treating from 6-8:00 and it’s pretty dark by then. Tomorrow is November 1^st, unbelievable. Let’s hope for a few more nice days! Have a good week!

Handbells and the end of Cheezits

I have been changing the furniture around frequently due to a combination of boredom and a broken spring on a chair. Chester tolerates it pretty well but today I moved the couch while he was outside. I think he is confused because he decided to lay on the hard wood floor where the couch used to be. It’s only a foot away.

I spent Friday and Saturday at the Area 5 Handbell Festival in downtown Cleveland. I have played in a bell choir for almost 30 years. Most of the ringers in our choir went to the festival and had a great time.

The ding-a-lings (I’m so funny, right?)

The festival is split into classes and rehearsals (we are told the music ahead of time and practice on our own) and a guest bell choir performed for us. This time it was the Raleigh Ringers, a professional group who played lots of rock & roll. Honestly, they did…we sang along to Journey, Neil Diamond, and Guns n Roses. This merely pointed out that bell ringers aren’t necessarily singers, and nobody knows the words to “Sweet Caroline”, but everybody knows the “bu bu baaa” part. The Raleigh Ringers are going to perform in Chautauqua, and well worth seeing if you are in New York. We then played our concert Saturday evening. There were about 200 ringers or so. It went well and I’m ready to ring again! So much fun!! Our choir is only four octave so we don’t have the giant bells and chimes, but the Purdue Bells were right in front of us, and they did.

Those chimes were incredible.

We spent money too, on tye-dyed gloves, t-shirts, and other fun stuff.

I wanted Chester to be the hand model but he declined.

We stayed at the Renaissance Hotel attached to Terminal Tower in Cleveland. It was OK except that there were only a few elevators. When 200 ringers who usually go to bed at 9:00 get out of a concert that lasts until 9:45, well, it does not bode well for the maximum weight limit. There was a mile long line to get on them, and I had a box of Cheezits, so my stand mate and I thought we may as well hit the hotel bar and wait there. At dinner I had a peach something or other drink.

I probably drank it way too fast.

We then visited the bar, yada yada yada and I was late to the 8:00am rehearsal the next morning. I didn’t yada over the best part…the peach something was amazingly good. On the other hand, I will never eat another Cheezit. Ever. It is now on my list of banned items along with corn nuts and Bugles.

Outside of that glitch in the well laid plan, and after talking the coffee guy into filling my travel mug with Starbucks for 3 dollars, I won a Cleveland trivia contest. I probably should have disqualified myself being from Cleveland…I suspect the others were from Kentucky, Michigan, or Indiana. I snuck in late and the presenter didn’t ask. Besides, the prize was a cute t-shirt….

Chester did better modeling the shirt.

On the home front, little league baseball started up for grandson 1.  I admit to loving baseball in general, probably genetic. Little league is so nice, sitting outside and taking grandson 2 to the river next to the field now and then. Of course, when it gets hotter the bugs come out and the river doesn’t have the same appeal. We don’t usually take Chester, but we may try it this year. He would want to lick all the kids and would distract them, but he’d love the river.

Chester and I went for a long walk today and only saw one other doggie. It was beautiful outside so I’m not sure why, but we did hear some hounds pitching a fit from inside their houses. When Chester hears a dog barking at him from inside a house he stops and looks at the house. He doesn’t want to keep walking for a few minutes.

This is the look he gives them.

It’s like he enjoys making the other dogs bark. Maybe they are saying something interesting in dog language. Or maybe he is just taunting them. Not sure.

That was my weekend, and I was pretty tired. I absolutely love the bells so it was worth it. But now, I’m going to give Chester some extra hugs and kisses. And maybe a little ice cream. Did you know today is National Ice Cream Day? Isn’t every day? I would also like to tell him a story about the exploits of a sweet little dog who tolerated the eccentricities of his rather unusual but lovable owner, and was a much more cooperative model. It’s a good story for a good dog. ❤