Tonight the local library is having one of their fundraisers, which involves a recitation of The Raven by someone of note here, hors d'oeuvres, raffles, and all that. Part of me feels I should invite my son because he shares a birthday with Poe and is a fan, but another part says the dude can't dress himself without showing the world his tie-dye underwear or brushing his hair. Seriously, he is 31 and although he has come a long way in normalization, he still has a way to go. So yeah, just going with my sister who knows the difference between backyard comfort and festive public wear. Maybe someday. I live in hope.

Xpost with Nilly!! I hate the reason, but it is so wonderful to see you here. My great nephew here is 13 and is a Minecraft devotee. Although my sons were into it I never tried it myself. My sister is a good grandmother and has participated with him.

In the spirit of sharing the good stuff, more on my mini-vaca. First, we got a late start so after arriving at the Airbnb at 10 PM all we did was get settled in and sleep. The whole Airbnb experience was a horror, but not anything to do with the host and location. The place was absolutely adorable with a full kitchen, laundry in the unit, two bedrooms, and a nice size living room. That was a wonderful thing to come back to after the excursions. Saturday we went to Salem and were in full-on tourist mode! It was raining or at least drizzling the whole day and we had to park over a mile away but DH dropped us off and walked back to join us. We did a few shops and bought things. So many people that you had to wait in line to get into shops so they wouldn't be too crowded, but not for long at all. We did a couple of totally dorky inside tours including witches and ghosts. Much laughter ensued.

Sunday we breakfasted, laundered the damp from rain clothes, and packed up. We went next to the aquarium in Boston which has an amazing number of penguins, and many wonderful fish. I am particularly fond of the jellyfish when not swimming with them. Then we had a mediocre meal because the boys needed to have chowda while there. I had the most bizarre avocado toast which involved a whole avocado cut in half plopped on top of hard toast.

We dropped DH off at a hotel near the airport so he could fly back to Florida in the morning and I let my son drive us back to NY. I arrived home around midnight after driving the 45 minutes between his place and mine. In the entire route through the Adirondacks, I encountered 4 deer and 2 cars. I didn't collide with any of them, so I call that a win.

Saving the best news for last! Today we get to celebrate the birthday of Kate P! May this day and the year to come be filled with joy and laughter!

Happy Birthday, Kate!

Sent a picture of my ravaged visage to my doctor's office and they immediately prescribed Prednisone.

Yikes, your poor little face! I hope the prednisone starts working right away.

I woke up with Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" stuck in my head, and it will not budge.

Happy Birthday Kate P!

I discovered that I either misremembered how long to bleach a jack-o-lantern to preserve it, or used far too much bleach. Who knew that you could bleach pumpkin flesh white and jelly-like? (Will still work fine if it solidifies upon drying, though.)

Shir and Nilly, thanks for taking the time to check in. I too can’t believe the Pi kids are so grown.

ltc earned her blue belt in karate last night! She is very proud of herself, as she should be.

I'm kind of depending on Georgia to save the entire Democracy now. Can they bar him from the ballot down there if he's convicted?

Michigan is trying to bar Trump from the ballot. If enough states do so, it won't matter that the Republicans nominate him. (Seriously, I can't see him winning without MI and GA.)

ETA:

ltc earned her blue belt in karate last night! She is very proud of herself, as she should be.

Congratulations!

I woke up with Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" stuck in my head, and it will not budge.

Thanks for sharing. That sounds sarcastic, but I mean it sincerely.

Happy birthday Kate!

Who knew that you could bleach pumpkin flesh white and jelly-like?

Considering I discovered bleach could eat through my cabinet floor….not surprised.

Guilty plea #3!!