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Bob and I were invited to 2 Halloween parties this year. We decided to rent costumes from one of his business acquaintances who owns a costume rental shop. We were going to go as the Flintstones, but Wilma’s costume looked like too many people had enjoyed it. So I picked Betty and Barney Rubble instead. The best part of the costumes was the cloth, total head cover masks. It could be almost anyone under there.

The masks weren’t too hot the 1st night because the party was outside. We walked up and of course got lots of strange looks and chuckles of uncertainty. People were trying to figure out who we were. I started to recognize some of the people from last years party (the last time I had seen them), but they had no clue who we were. Even if I hadn’t had a mask they most likely wouldn’t have known me. I started to realize that it didn’t matter anyway. People started talking to me like I didn’t have a mask on. They went on with their stories about previous parties and when their kids were little and didn’t seem to care that my expression never changed.

There were 2 guys playing guitars and sometimes singing. I sat right in front of them and watched and listened. They were really good.

The party we went to last night was bigger. We didn’t say anything because the people there know us (me anyway) a lot better. Bob would just say Barney Rubble type things. People didn’t know who we were. We were driving them crazy. That was the best part. Pretty soon Fred and Wilma showed up. We had a picture taken with the 4 of us.

A guy dressed as “a one night stand” won the prize for best costume. He made it himself. Unfortunately it was hard for him to move around and he broke something hanging on the wall.

This morning Radar put his front paws up by Andrew’s face and sniffed him to wake him up. I guess he pawed at his face at the same time because Andrew woke up with a hoarse “auuugghhh”! I knew I was in for a treat.

Andrew said, in a loud whiney voice, that Radar scratched him. He continued to complain about his throa,t and he was sick, and he can’t go to school, blah blah blah.

I told him that it was too bad because we would have to cancel our Cub Scout meeting and our Rescue Mission. Of course he calmed down a little and asked “rescue mission?”.

So today Andew went to school. I’m heading up there in a little while with stuff to make trail mix, bandanas to make knapsacks, rope to rescue scouts who fall off the trail when I tell them to, gauze to cover their pretend cuts and then bandage with the bandanas.

Maybe they will be future Red Cross volunteers.

We got up at 5:30 this morning to take Eric to the church to leave for the Catholic H.E.A.R.T. Workcamp (Helping Everyone Attain Repairs Today).

They are driving to Bluffton, S.C. and staying in McCracken Middle School.

Gramalie, Kelly, David, & Andrew will pick him up next Saturday afternoon. Bob and I will be in New York.

I’m sad.

This morning when I was walking with my friend, Karina, we had one of these birds running after us. We stopped and let him catch up. He came right up to my hand. I thought he might be someone’s pet, but then he ran off after another smaller bird. We had never seen such a colorful bird. We have lots of interesting birds, but he was the friendliest.

http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/purplegallinule.htm

Bob and I went to a wedding Saturday night. The wedding was outside on the grounds of a new home (just completed that week)built on a lake in Winter Haven. The couple who owns the new house lived in a shack next door while it was being built. The shack has a tin roof which is almost completely covered by blue tarp because of hurricane damage. Under the tarp the roof is definetly rusted.

Inside the shack are 2 dogs. One is a large muttly dog. The other is a large hog dog. Hog dogs are popular around here.

The muttly dog is named Jeb. The hog dog is Teddy. I asked if they had a dog named Grant, but no such coincidence.

This morning, just as the sun was thinking about waking up, the dogs were ready to go out. Jake the great soon realized that our yard was not empty of foreign creatures as it should be. Radar Love caught on in a timely manner.

Jake flew out the doggie door and straight to the far corner of the fence. Radar was on his heels. All I could see from my safe distance inside the screened in area was a white triangle with dark eyes. A possum!

By this time Jake was in this possum’s face, barking away. Possum didn’t move.

It must be injured, I thought, or rabid.

Along comes Big Bad Bob. He decided to throw a soccer ball at the poor creature. Still no movement. Bob thinks it’s disoriented. So we all stay in the house watching to see what it will do next. Nothing.

I got out the phone book to call animal control. Just as I was going to dial the number, he moves. He makes his way along the fence until he comes to a small hole. He squeezes through and is out of our lives. He was just playing possum.

I had a call from the school nurse today. David some how managed to bang his head on a desk while he was leaning over to pick up his books.

The nurse recommended that I take him to the doctor because he was walking in a zig-zag pattern (not so unusual) and said his legs were weak. She also said his pupils were sluggish?? He does have a good size bump.

Of course there are no available Dr. appointments today. I was told I could go to the E.R. Right! We don’t do E.R.

So David is reading a book on the couch and I’m observing him.

To be continued.

Yesterday Eric went out to play some “B-ball” (which is basketball at our house). He came home about 30 minutes later with that somewhat desperate sounding “Mohhhm!” call. He somehow managed to gash his leg just below the knee cap. He went up to make a basket and came down too close to the pole, and a screw sticking out of it by about 1 inch. It looked like his skin and several layers had just been jammed up an inch farther than it should be.

I was thinking stitches. I was also thinking that it was almost 6:00 and the urgent care places would be closed. That would mean sitting for many hours in our way too crowded E.R. with lots of interesting people and their germs.

Luckily Bob came home just in time. He ran up to the drug store and got some butterfly bandages and lots of tape. He came home and operated on Eric’s leg until the gash resembled a smiley face with too much lipstick. Bob made sure Eric kept his leg straight. He even bandaged up a soft splint for him to sleep with so he wouldn’t bend his leg. He is still keeping his leg straight today. It looks pretty good. Bob says if he can keep it straight another day it shouldn’t come back open.

Yea Bob!

Eric has been involved in a county wide economics competition for the last 2 days. It has been very interesting to observe. The kids are so knowledgeable. I was impressed, especially by my own son, Eric.

Anyway, when it ended at 6:30, I was trying to figure out how to deliver 3 kids to their homes and still get back to my house to pick up Bob, Radar, and Jake for our dog obedience class (15 minutes from our house) at 7:00. Of course it didn’t work and we were 15 minutes late for our class. It was the strangest thing. When we walked into this warehouse for the class, all the people had changed from the week before. None of the dogs were the same. We were completely confused. We told one of the trainers that the people were all different.

We finally figured out that we we’re not in the Tuesday night class, we should have come on Wednesday! AAAAuuuuggghhh!

Mom and Dad have been working away trying to get their new condo ship shape. Patsy has been a big help painting all the walls and helping Mom shop for this and that. She has also contributed lots of essentials and a few non-essentials.

Today I painted some of the baseboards while Dad painted ceilings and Patsy was painting walls. Mom was shopping.

Too bad Mom and Dad won’t have time to enjoy the nice weather and relax with their cocktails while watching golfers. There’s too much work to do.

Wait until you see the incredible tacky lamps from Big Lots M. put in their bedroom. It’s worth the trip just to see those lamps!