It is absolutely my most favorite time of year. I'm one of those crazy people that would surround the front door with creepy characters, cackling witches and loud haunted house scary music. Picking out my costume was the best ... I could be anybody!!
I've been the wicked witch of the west, even painted my face and hands green, I've been the Dead Bride (in a real wedding dress) with worms coming out of my face, and Captain Hook (including the hook) with an 8' stuffed crocodile dragging along behind me ... if it was creepy, I loved it.
Kids came to the door by the carload, whereupon I doled out 4 to 5 boxes of full sized candy bars. It was so much fun in the old days. Sadly things have changed. Now the small towns and churches have stolen all the fun. There's no trick or treating ... heck, there aren't even costumes any more.
They set up trunk or treat in their parking lot. Park your car and fill it with candy. Kids just walk by without any costumes at all and fill their bags. Believe it or not, they aren't even allowed to wear masks to school on Halloween because it will interfere with class time. Wait .... didn't they just wear masks for something like two years??
It's too sad to see. We used to have so much fun going to the neighbor's houses, ringing the doorbells ten times ... and if you weren't home, we turned all your patio furniture upside down, maybe even TP'd your front lawn. Oh for the days of yore!!
On with my day. I made it to my first appointment, to find the Docs won't do much of anything anymore unless they drain you of blood. Appropriate for Halloween I guess. That will happen at a later date. We adjusted my meds (there's only one) and I was off to get fuel.
It was a heart wrenching task. I admit I worried a bit since I was on less than 1/8 tank. I'm a half-tank-fill-it-up girl, mostly because it's not so traumatic to see the dollar amount. I was completely shocked to see the price at the cheapest station was $5.62 a gallon for diesel. This picture represents me perfectly!!
I was shaking my head. Someone is making a bundle, and it's not the American people. Anyhoo ... I got out my credit card and went to pumping. It wasn't five minutes when the limit on the card was hit and it quit. I hate it when that happens. The tank was only half full. I probably could have drug out another credit card and filled it up, but I decided not to.
I imagine things aren't going to change for awhile, what with Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up when people travel a lot. The prices will just continue to rise. I'll just have to keep shopping Walmart so I have money in the bank when I head south in January.
Here's one of my costumes I found in the closet yesterday. Jack is another of my favorite characters. Yup .... a Halloween fanatic!!
Just before leaving the fuel station, I happened to check my email. You're not going to believe this. I GOT A CHP APPOINTMENT!! And it says the location IS MY HOUSE!! I'm pretty much in shock, and I hope it's true ... they are coming to my house to check off the vin number on the truck and fifth wheel. This should be fun ... I don't even knew WHERE it is on the RV.
Why that's necessary since they didn't require it for my jeep, I'll never know. But NOW ... there's a list of things a mile long that I have to have. Good grief ... I did this once in the old days when we just drove up with the truck, they signed a paper and gave it to us. I have one week to gather all the paperwork. What a pain in the .............
My kind of pumpkin carving here. I always wanted to try something like this and actually finished one once ... this is SO much harder than it looks because the pumpkins are hard as a rock!! On occasion, the blood running down the front was REAL!
On to the next stop. With half a tank of fuel for $130, I headed off to have it smogged. I wasn't worried because in Arizona you have to smog it every year if you live near the city. The state does it for $12.00. The only place in this little town charges $62.00. Yessireeeee ... $62.00 for less than 5 minutes work. It passed. I knew it would.
By now I'm pretty done with the whole process. I just keep telling myself that at least I don't have to paint the house in Arizona for $7,000, nor do I have to put in French drains. It makes me feel better!! I headed home to be greeted by my one and only puppy who acts like he hasn't seen me in years. I love it!!!
The other news .... THERE IS NO BINGO TONIGHT!!!! That's a surprise!! What in the world will I do? Two things come to mind ... make sure all the parts and pieces of my longarm are within reach because they are coming tomorrow morning to set it up and make sure it works ....... and ........ I may just wander on down to the Verizon store to check out a new JetPack MiFi.
By the way ... does anyone know how to activate the hotspot on my phone? I see it ... I clicked the button, but nothing works.
In the meantime ..... HAPPY HALLOWEEEEEEN!!!!!!!
It's so sad no trick or treat.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed it as a kid, it was about the only time we ever got candy.
Happy Halloween!
Frances:)
So true. We only went to about four houses of close friends. There were no big grocery bags for candy!!
DeleteTo use the personal hotspot: click on it to show the green dot
ReplyDeleteclick the wi-fi icon on your computer and find your phone listed
click the iPhone icon on your computer to connect, it should ask you for a password, that password you find on your iPone under "AllowOthers toJoin" and type that number into your computer. You should connect now and don't have to rewrite the password again, as the computer will remember it.
Cool Marlene ... thank you so much!! I'll try it out today.
DeleteYou brought back the memories of all the costumes I made over the years for our kids and even a few for Tom and I. Luckily our grandkids still live in areas where even though there are the trunk or treats they still have trick or treating. I remember trick or treating, as a kid for hours, we would need to stop at home for a new bag to fill...lol Very few houses didn't answer and hand out candy back them. Fun times, fun memories. Really enjoyed the mask comment...lol
ReplyDeleteI can even remember every costume I wore. We had a lot of fun, even if it was a school day. Our little school always had a halloween parade.
DeleteI got gas at Sam's Club yesterday in Citrus Heights (not diesel, of course) for $4.29. Today it is $4.19! Eventually the diesel should follow the downward trend. Gasbuddy says that the cheapest diesel is around $5.70 in this area.
ReplyDeleteAs for the 'trunk-or-treat', worried parents, due to the exaggerated news accounts of small scale problems 'trick-or-treaters', faced, sprung up at the churches, youth clubs and schools. Then, seeing that 'some kids' can't afford to dress up, they stopped having costume contests. Pretty soon they will be asking parents to all give out something simple, like sugar free lollypops ... Is Mr. Butler going to be outside tonight???
Hmm maybe it is the News that's doing it. They keep saying people will give out razor blades or drugs. Taking the fun right out of Halloween. But that has never happened here.
DeleteWe haven't given out candy since moving to Glide Avenue. This area just isn't an area kids should be out in the dark. But last year we were in Yuba City. The area was beautiful. I bought a lot of candy and I was so excited to have fun with the kids. We got...one teenage girl and one family with 3 little boys. I was so disappointed!
ReplyDeleteI'm still eating last year's candy because no one showed up at all!
DeleteHey Nancy. Love the stories. You'll find the VIN for your RV on the off door(drivers) side in front of your prìopane compartment door. I can see it in the picture you took of your unit. Good luck
ReplyDeleteOh thank you thank you!!! I had no idea where to even begin to look. I'll go check it out before the CHP guy gets here. I do hope you laugh a time or two!!
DeleteI also loved Halloween as a kid and beyond and loved the thrill of coming up with a costume. Mine were tame though, nothing ghoulish or scary. Then as an adult i still loved to dress up to greet the children.
ReplyDeleteMy younger brother in Alberta reported having 200, 200!, trick our treaters tonight!! It's alive and well in Canada.
And I thought I was the only one to dress up at this age! I love it. Glad to hear trick or treat is still a thing!!!!
DeleteWe haven't given candy in over 35 years, because we have always been rural. Used to love it though!
ReplyDeleteNow that you say that, I remember only one family coming to the ranch and they were close neighbors. At this house, it's been pretty popular in years past.
DeleteNancy, the Vin number can also be found on the hitch, that's where ours is.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bill ... I'll take a look!!
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