The scariest things today are currently in the White House, the House, the Senate, and SCOTUS! Everything else pales in comparison.
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My hope for Halloween, tomorrow's All Saints' Day, and Sunday's Dia de Los Muertos is that ALL children and their parents can safely experience, in the traditional spirit of those days, grace and kindness from those agencies that would do them harm.
But on a lighter note, please don't hand out packets of candy corn if you see me at your door!
Some days, it doesn't take much to send me off the rails/into the deep end/screaming into the void, and yesterday was just that. (in case you hadn't noticed) It did raise my spirits to see that I wasn't alone. Other folks were "mad as Hell and not gonna take it anymore." I mean, y'all still read my ravings, even if you don't comment. And we're all the kind of folks who, if we disagree, will speak to the issue/ask questions civilly. I also know that if the differences are too great or harmful or just downright ugly, we will just quietly unfollow because this ain't no airport with departures announced.
Today is Thursday, and I'm feeling much better, but I'm still mad about what TFG is doing. Until he's departed these mortal coils, that's life as we know it.
Get ready to put y'all's spooky on cos it's almost here!
Out of regard for my own personal mental health, I've taken to only reading headlines and the first paragraph of news stories. The MITM, being much more emotionally secure than I, fills me in on important details. Sadly, the videos of TFG in Japan have made the "front page" of messages I've received today. How many more incidents involving Dementia Donald must we endure before he's relieved of duty, so to speak, and sent to the assisted living care facility he so desperately needs? Rhetorical question, I know!
We're days away from Halloween, with the most frightening horror set for November 1, when SNAP benefits will not be released, and 40 million Americans will have to decide whether to pay bills or buy food. If you can't see the immorality of that, or have never experienced the fear of living paycheck to paycheck, then I'm not sure what I can say to you. An old high school friend recently wrote about how, when she and her husband were young, they experienced his job loss and her struggle to make items to sell at local shops, so they could have enough to pay bills and feed their small children. They managed to get by using food stamps until he found a job. Government assistance made the difference for them, as it did for many others. When we lived in Ohio while the MITM finished college, while working a full-time job, and thanks to the information our pediatrician gave us, we were able to sign up for WIC (Women, Infants, and Children)* program to augment our food budget, making sure our 3 small children received adequate nutrition. In those days, you had to separate the "allowed" foods from the rest of your items and had to hand the teller the required coupons. This procedure signaled you out as "a welfare recipient" and, sadly, ALWAYS caused some sigh of disgust from others in line. Government assistance helped not only our little family, but also families across this country! Right now, the USDA is sitting on contingency SNAP funds that they say can't be released, but the contingency fund was set up so that benefits would NEVER be denied during a shutdown of the government!
I am absolutely livid that this country, which has always seemed so full of promise, has degenerated into a new Gilded Age, where once again, the rich are getting richer and the poor (and our depleted middle class) are falling deeper and deeper into poverty.
How can we, as a country, celebrate Thanksgiving knowing so many will go hungry?
It's never a good sign when you wake up to the sound of TFG babbling away and realise he's still around. But then again, even without hearing his voice, knowing he's still around is disturbing, she said ever so sarcastically.
But on to better things...
The Krewe is well.
BKC and BKM are prepping for high school next year.
No one has eaten all the Halloween candy, so we're ready for October 31st on Friday.
Our mail-in ballots have been received and counted by the state, so I'm hoping that California will stand against the GOP gerrymandering of the 2026 elections.
TFG seems to be slowly spiraling down the drain...
...and on that note, I have a red dress that's ready to wear...*
*from Moonstruck:
I didn't take before photos, so you'll have to imagine a millennial grey kitchen (done by the previous owners at the direction of their real estate agent, who was, in fact, a millennial). Go figure, resale value, right? Anyway, the previous owners had lived in this house for a very long time, so their color choices were, I think, lovely! super nana wanted to reflect her love and appreciation of the North African culture, so the colors are, as I told y'all, reminiscent of a Moroccan home.
Ok, so that's the color background. The photos aren't styled, because this is a working kitchen and was immediately put to use! Did I tell y'all that shortly after all of this was done, not only did we have a major pipe burst in the front yard, and the landscaping had to be redone, but the fridge decided to quit on us! Fortunately, Cap't Chaos has a Yeti cooler, and we have a smaller picnic-size one, so while we lost some food stuffs, the majority were saved.
So, back to the kitchen:
I have lost some photos taken before the Halloween party we had on the 18th, so I think y'all get the idea about the kitchen. I may try again when the kitchen looks a bit neater!
And now the back garden/yard:
I need to take more photos of the landscaping because it's really lovely.
Anyway, this is all I have right now or that I can find...
I think super nana has some really good photos.
Damn, the title of this post pretty much sums everything up!
Yep, super nana's birthday was October 23rd, and I didn't do a birthday post, which she reminded me of that evening and the next day, and here it is TWO WHOLE DAYS LATER, and she's FINALLY going to have her day commemorated.
There was a cake (no pictures, sorry) (hold on, there's still some left, I'll take a pic of that!!) The MITM and I did give her a birthday present, the MITM made her favorite dish for dinner, and her friends gave her flowers, so it was a good day.
So please join me in sending the best daughter in the world,
Birthday Greetings!!
(Yes, I know I've made all y'all a couple of days late to the celebration, but WTF, it's still her birthday weekend, right?)
So, there you go, better late than never, right, sweetpeas???
*next post shortly*
Hey, sweetpeas!
I know it's been a minute, and I haven't posted pics from the kitchen refresh or the back garden redo or given all y'all the 411 on the refrigerator saga!!
Oh, yeah, it's been wild times here at HQ (Head Quarters)!
This is just a filler post right now. I'm going to try to organize the photos and post them later today. Also, Mr. Mago, I will answer your email today!
Later Skaters
