Those who have been here awhile know I am no Dr. Spo when it comes to decorating for, or celebrating, Halloween. I wasn’t even a fan of handing out candy and, in fact, used to shut off lights and hide out in the quiet and dark on Halloween to avoid having to do it. The one Halloween thing I did enjoy every year is watching “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.”

But, when we moved into this house 10 years ago, we decided to be good neighbors and hand out candy each year, until 2020 when COVID hit, and we discontinued the practice for safety/health reasons. After some discussion, we’ve decided to get back in the game this year. (Full disclosure: My Mom comes over and hands out the candy. While she’s doing that, we sip cocktails on the couch and watch Halloween themed movies.)

Our Halloween decorations consist solely of a small light up pumpkin and small light up green 3-eyed monster, which we haul up from the basement each year and display in the window on Halloween night to let kids know they can get free candy here.

But I came across this awesome wooden decorative sign while shopping in Peddler’s Village two weeks ago and HAD to have it.

I will put it out on the porch, possibly with a small spot light, on Halloween night to greet the Trick or Treaters. I thought the white letters on the white background got lost, so I bought some black paint markers and colored them in.

I think it looks much better this way.

I hope this isn’t a slippery slope….

I was awake and up earlier than planned this morning, but when Harvey’s gotta go, Harvey’s gotta go. It was a crisp, chilly, refreshing September morning and I couldn’t help noticing how green the back yard still looked.

After Jeffrey got up and we had coffee, we headed to our 9:15 am appointments at our local pharmacy to get the latest COVID Booster shots, with the Omicron variant. (No relation to Omicron Persei 8 or Emperor Lrrr, for any Futurama fans.)

Once we were back home, we got comfy and settled in to watch “Thor: Love and Thunder” and…well…this:

We really enjoyed it. Then we decided to reward ourselves for being good and responsible, fully vaccinated citizens, so we made a late lunch/early dinner of ultimate nachos and margaritas!

The rest of the afternoon, we relaxed, napped on and off, watched some shows, and showered Harvey with love and affection.

It’s been a lovely day, indeed!

As a man of…let’s say “perpetual plumbing and posterior problems”…(Thanks Crohn’s!) it occurred to me it would be wise to take advantage of all the available technologies to keep my body healthy and hygienic. To that end (no pun intended) my arsenal of assistant anal armaments has grown by one dynamic derrier douching device!

Meet, the Bidet!

The BFJ got one months ago and swears by it, so we purchased one a few weeks ago and it’s been sitting in our closet doing nobody any good. So the GGG hubby installed it today. and I gave it a whirl, and let me tell you….

…Sassy like.

It was quite startling at first but, once I got the hang of it, it was smooth sailing all the way. A very refreshing way to wash your worries away. And after using it, one thought came to mind:

I wish I had gotten one sooner but you know what they say..

(be) hind sight is 20/20.

A HUGE thank you to my friend and blogger buddy Fearsome Beard for this awesome 2022 San Diego Comic Con swag. I had the pleasure of joining Fearsome at Comic Con in 2019 and I hope I get to do so again.

We left PA at 6am this morning and made it home to NY safe and sound, but not without scooping up our pride and joy puppy from the kennel first. After we sent the BFJ on his way, we all had breakfast, then collapsed for a family nap. A few hours later, we yawned and stretched and tried to come to life, followed by a whirlwind of unpacking and getting the house back in order.

Most of the day, however, we catered to Harvey, catching up on all the love and affection we deprived him of for 4 days. We claim to worry about how much he misses us while we’re away, but the truth is, we’re the ones who miss HIM while we’re away.

It was a successful birthday trip (yay), but we’re all happy to be home together again, and look forward to the upcoming weekend home, no plans or places to be.

Trautes heim, Glück allein!

Today is my husband Jeffrey’s 55th birthday. While I will never be able to repay him for the kindness, love, compassion, companionship, support, and patience he has shown me, I’m grateful I will get the rest of my life trying to do so. I am honored to have spent another 365 days sharing my life with him. HB, JB!

(A big “Thank You” to my little buddy, Harvey, who wrote a post for me. He’s a little smart-ass, just like his Dad!)

Guess who’s headed to Lambertville, NJ, New Hope PA, and Peddler’s Village for a long weekend!

Yup, these guys:

And WHY, pray-tell, would we be doing that? To celebrate the 55th Anniversary of this guys birth:

The BFJ arrived last night and we had a pre-birthday cocktail, pizza, and gift opening, which my Mom invited herself to. Then we had a lazy relaxing morning before packing and hitting the road.

First stop was dropping this little guy off at the puppy spa for the weekend:

This, of course, was the hard part of the trip, not made any easier by Harvey’s refusal to follow the Spa staff back into the dog area, looking at us pleadingly to take him with us, breaking my heart into a billion pieces. *choke* To ease our guilty consciences, we scheduled every single service we could for him, play time and walks and extra visits all weekend. I hope he actually winds up having a great time with the other puppies. He used to have to be separated when his sister was with him (Rita did not like other dogs coming near him) but now he can have play and walk time with the other dogs which I think (hope) he’ll love!

We only have one scheduled plan this weekend: we have tickets to the Grapevine Express Saturday at 5:00, departing from the New Hope Railroad Station. It’s a 45 minute wine and cheese excursion. The ride is described as follows:

“Wine & Cheese will be served as you travel along the same railroad line passengers did when it was built in 1891 connecting New Hope with Philadelphia, taking you through the beautiful hills and valleys of Bucks County, along once vital waterways and streams, and across numerous trestle bridges, and will take place aboard one of the railroad’s lavishly appointed early 1900s first-class parlor cars.”

That sounds like a great experience, doesn’t it?Otherwise, we’ll be exploring and patronizing the local restaurants and shops.

As you may recall, this is our second visit to New Hope. Our last trip was on a whim, just a couple months ago, and we had just enough time to see a little of New Hope and fall in love with it. We have a little more time to explore Lambertville and Peddlar’s village this time around. And, of course, we’re dragging the BFJ along this time to pop his New Hope cherry.

It should be a fun birthday weekend excursion and the car (where I’m writing this) is bubbling with eagerness and anticipation at the days ahead.

Also, here’s hoping this is my return to regular blogging again. I miss writing and interacting with you all, so hugs all around, with a special nod to those who reached out (you know who you are) to check in on me. Sending special touchy-freely hugs to you.

Hi everyone. Daddy Sassybear has been really busy so he asked me to pop in to tell everyone that he’s OK, and I’m OK, and Daddy Jeffrey’s, OK and everyone is doing well.

My dads have been super busy at work, so I’ve had to manage the household all by myself. I do all the chores, pay all the bills, cook all the meals, and make sure everyone gets their meds, baths, and cocktails.

As you can imagine, I am barely rewarded for my efforts. Sure, I get an endless supply of treats, constant affection and cuddles, continuous praise and all the most comfy spots on the furniture…but where’s my diamond studded collar? My unlimited spending account? My personal live in groomer? When will I be showed the proper appreciation I deserve?

Uh oh…Daddy’s coming. I better hit send before he reads this….

We watched “Mr. Holland’s Opus” this afternoon. It’s one of my favorite movies, and although Mr. Holland doesn’t always exude the most admirable qualities throughout the story, it still brings me to tears at least twice at every viewing. The idea that someone’s life inspires others in ways they never realized gets me right in the good feels, and the final scene turns me into a sobbing mess. (No spoilers in case you want to watch it.)

I have often questioned my own purpose. I never aspired to greatness or changing the world, but, too, I wanted to believe it mattered that I existed. I don’t think that I have “made something” of myself, nor do I think I will have “mattered” in the grand scheme of things. I won’t likely be remembered, fondly or otherwise, for more than a short time after my death, by a handful of people (if that.)

But I know I have loved and been loved. I know I have been a pretty good (NOT perfect) husband, son, pet pop, neighbor, co-worker, boss, and friend. I have spoken up when I’ve seen injustice, offered comfort when I’ve seen suffering, given what I could when I’ve seen need, and offered apologies when I’ve done wrong. I’ve tried to learn from my mistakes, take advantage of opportunities, step outside of my comfort zone, and keep my mind open to new ideas and experiences. I’ve always put in an honest days work, paid my debt, shown appreciation for everything, and been grateful for what I have, not resentful for what I don’t.

I’ve suffered, but have not used it as a crutch or excuse to give up or rely on others to provide for me.

I know I am probably the villain in someone’s story, but that means I may also be the hero in someone else’s story, too. (Or maybe not.)

At the end of the day, I think I’ve done more right than wrong, good than bad, shown more generosity than selfishness, and more fairness than inequity.

I have some regrets, but more about what I’ve said and done than what I haven’t.

I don’t know if there’s any great reason why I existed, and I am likely a blip in the great expanse of life – but I believe I’ve done as best I could to not be a burden, and to treat people the way I want to be treated.

I may not have made things better in this world, but I don’t think I’ve made things worse, either, so I’ll just have to settle for a zero-sum existence.

And I’m ok with that.