Welcome, October!!!

For Carl's RIP II challenge, from Peril the Second, I give you: The Twilight Series (3 BIG books) by Stephanie Meyer.

Once I started reading the first book; Twilight, I realized I had to get the other two immediately; New Moon and Eclipse). Because these books just reach out and GRAB you, I wanted to fly through them, but I took my time, finishing in about a week. Yes, I know these books are BIG! The day I finished, the author was at a book signing at our local Barnes and Noble; I didn't stop by cause I felt ... like a fan girl, a stalker, and I'm MUCH too old for that ;-)

Anyway, I really, REALLY enjoyed all three books. Bella and Edward are the central characters; Bella is a human and Edward a vampire, who is, of course, HOT!!! Jacob becomes a central character rather quickly; Jacob is Bella's friend from childhood, who becomes a werewolf.

What a fun read! This is what a young adult story should be like. Bella and Edward are VERY attracted to each other, in all senses of the word; I love when Edward says how GOOD she smells (he means her blood). Edward, because he's more than 100 years old, altho he became a vampire at 17, want to marry Bella...and wants to wait until they're married before they get together. Sweet! So old fashioned, so refreshing, such a change from 11 year olds wearing mini skirts and tight tops.

I'd like to thank Carl for recommending this series in his first post about RIP II! It's always a pleasure to find a new author you enjoy!

Here's last Wednesday's picture:

And this is what it was cropped from:

Almost everyone, from Lisa: "O-R-E-O! I'll have a glass of milk too please. :)" to Nicola: "I think it's the top of a chocolate sandwich type cooke too!" got it correct!

Some of you thought waffle or pizzelle maker, some of you thought manhole cover (oh my god...MANhole...hahahahah!!!) and DebR...well, here's what she thought: "It's an attempt at a crop circle, only it was created in a muddy field with no actual crops growing there (so they had to build up the mud into ridges instead of cutting down hay) and it was created by a very girly bunch of aliens, which is why it's so flowery. (Sheesh, it's SO obvious!)" Now THAT'S imagination!

As always, thanks for playing! By the way, all photos used in What Is It Wednesday are marked as "private" in my flickr account...that's so no one can view the picture at a bigger size to get a better look!

So this week...

What is it?

***SCROLL DOWN FOR WHAT IS IT WEDNESDAY!!!***

Button from schmutzie

I've been noticing a decrease in comments, too and then I read about this over on zoot's blog today (right after I berated a friend for rarely commenting on my blog [not you, K]). Deep down, though, I thought ... oh mah god, it was either a) me or b) my blog was screwed up. My blog designer has been overworked and whatnot lately so I didn't want to ask her to take a look to see if something was wrong and was resigned to my fate. What a maroon!

So all you lurkers; come out, come out, wherever you are, stop hiding behind your bloglines and google readers and SAY something, will ya! Comments make everyone smile :-)

And if you need something besides my horrid writing to generate a comment ... pick a picture! Which one do you like better...and why?

Iguana, pondering a seagrape

or

Bride, washing her feet

I'm posting this early, because you know, tomorrow is What Is It Wednesday!

Thirteen Supernatural Song Lyrics and Slightly Scary Quotes

I thought I'd dredge up some of my spooky, scary or Halloweeny T13s in honor of October! This one might make you work a bit, if you're so inclined; name either the song, the artist or the person being quoted...10 points if you know what a "snib" is!

1. "All the vampires walkin' through the valley / Move west down Ventura Boulevard"

2. "I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand / Walking through the streets of Soho in the rain / He was looking for a place called Lee Ho Fook's / Going to get himself a big dish of beef chow mein"

3. "girl I'm just a jeepster for your love / I said girl I'm just a vampire for your love / I'm gonna suck you"

4. "Vampires, mummies and the Holy Ghost / These are the things that terrify me the most / No aliens, psychopath or MTV hosts / Scare me like vampires, mummies and the Holy Ghost"

5. "Just like a ghost, you've been a-hauntin' my dreams / But now I know, you're not what you seem. / Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little girl like you."

6. "From my laboratory in the castle east / To the master bedroom where the vampires feast / The ghouls all came from their humble abodes / To get a jolt from my electrodes"

7. "She likes the dark / On her milk white neck / The Devil's mark / It's all Hallows Eve / The moon is full / Will she trick or treat / I bet she will"

8. "If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance."

9. "A house is never still in darkness to those who listen intently; there is a whispering in distant chambers, an unearthly hand presses the snib of the window, the latch rises. Ghosts were created when the first man awoke in the night."

10. "One need not be a chamber to be haunted; One need not be a house; The brain has corridors surpassing Material place."

11. "By the pricking of my thumbs / Something wicked this way comes."

12. "Dreams in which there came the howl of hunting wolves and the cries of goblins."

13. "My mind is wrought to a fever by the moonbeam that hangs o'er."

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It's easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

If you play, please link back to me and leave me a comment letting me know you played, so I can come visit!

Questions this week are courtesy of Amy; thanks Amy!!!

1. If I were a tree I would be_____ because_____
2. If I were a bird I would fly over __________
3. If I were a book I hope I would be ________
4. If I were a car _______________________.
5. If I could get rid of one piece of technology it would definitely be ______ because______.
6. If I could get rid of one bad habit at a snap of the fingers it would be _______________
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____!

1. If I were a tree I would be a chestnut tree because of the chesnuts, duh!~
2. If I were a bird I would fly over Johnny Depp's bedroom!
3. If I were a book I hope I would be filled with amazing imagery.
4. If I were a car I would be fast with a great sound system
5. If I could get rid of one piece of technology it would definitely be irritating ringtones because people are ignorant.
6. If I could get rid of one bad habit at a snap of the fingers it would be putting myself down, of course (although I am getting better about it).
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going to Salem to shoot pictures, tomorrow my plans include hopefully going to the beach and Sunday, I want to maybe hit the fair!

1. À hauteur de crabe..., 2. Red night, 3. 井上食堂のラーメン, 4. Pumpkin Fair @Tokyo Station, 5. little dog red barn, 6. 江ノ島, 7. Picture 116, 8. 沖縄, 9. Futcha, 10. Yokota Air Base, 11. Palm, 12. sakura @Tama-River, 13. Golden Blue, 14. Water, 15. PAD 2007 - 12 San Francisco Stairway, 16. Happy Clementine, 17. Merperson from Hogwarts Lake?, 18. where I want to be, 19. Sandollar, 20. seiyu from train platform

Julie's been doing this for awhile, then I saw
Zoot's favorites, then Amy did it, too.

After viewing the pictures I have favorited on Flickr, I realized I need to go browse a bit. Most of my favorites are of Japan, but there's tons of shots I like that friends have taken that I haven't favorited. I need to change that! I'll do another post on this, and soon!

Grab the Scavenger Hunt code. Photo Theme. Join the blogroll. Visit participants.

I missed last Saturday (was off having fun on a beach in St. John), but I'm back this week!

***Saturday Photo Hunt is below :-) ***

I first heard about BAFAB over at tanabata; she's giving away a book!

Then I read about it at Bibliotica...

Since I'm a book lover and I love to share, I"m going to give away a book too!

The book I'm giving is by one of my favorite authors, Nevada Barr; it's her latest, Hard Truth.

If you're interested please leave a comment on this post (since I'm late getting the post up) no later than Sunday evening, 7PM; I'll draw a name at that time.

f you'd like to play, click here!

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Cluster :: blonde
2. Announcement :: loudspeaker
3. Respect :: R-E-S-P-E-C-T!!!
4. Incident :: at Little Rock
5. Accordion :: France
6. Drunk :: Maximus Super
7. If :: I needed someone to love you're the one that I'd be thinking of...
8. Dexter :: Bundy
9. Wedding :: beach
10. Gambling :: casino

Faith is the winner!

Woohoo, Faith! Email me (fondofsnape AT gmail DOT com) with your address and I'll send it off on Tuesday.

Because this was fun for me...I didn't stop at pulling Faith's name out of the sake cup!

Second place goes to...SilverWillow!

Third place goes to Vader's Mom!

I have a HUGE container of books that were going to be put up for sale on half DOT com, but ... I'll let both of you choose one of those books. I'll list the titles (hahahah I kept writing "tittles") tomorrow, so check back.

Seriously, this was so much fun, I think I'll do it again!

So...most of them belonged to Mom, some to Dad, one to me! Anyone other than SilverWillow and Vader's Mom, I take paypal ;-)

Richard Paul Evans

- The Christmas Box
- The Locket

Jan Karon

- In This Mountain
- A Light In The WIndow
- Out To Canaan
- The High Green Hills
- A New Song
- At Home In Mitford

Dr. Phil

-Self Matters
- Ultimate Weight Loss Solution
- Life Strategies

Benedict & Nancy Freedman

- The Search For Joyful
- Mrs. Mike

Clive Cussler

- Treasure of Khan
- Dark Watch
- Blue Gold
- Fire & Ice
- Deep Six

Chicken Soup for the Soul - Christmas Treasures
Chicken Soup for the Unsinkable Soul
Chicken Soup for the Golden Soul

My Sergei - Ekaterina Gordeeva
Chesapeake Blue - Nora Roberts
Late Bloomer - Fern Michaels
Let's Roll - Lisa Beamer
To Renew America - Newt Gingrich
Days of Grace - Arthur Ashe
Reflections: After The White House - Barbara Bush
Barometer Rising - Hugh MacLennan
Inheritance - Judith Michaels
Seven Stories of Christmas Love - Leo Buscaglia
Granny Dan - Danielle Steel
Spock's World - Diane Duane
Abandon Ship - Richard F. Newcomb
The Bear and The Design - Tom Clancy
Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
Guns, Crime and Freedom - Wayne La Pierre
Ageless Body, Timeless Mind - Deepak Chopra
The Road Ahead - Bill Gates
The Last Time They Met - Anita Shreeve
Mission - Patrick Tilley

My cousin, Mel, sent me pictures of the Halloween decorations at a house near hers...I asked her to send me a picture a day, so I could share them with you. This person goes all out in their Halloween decorations, eh?

1. Day One - chef; 2. Day Two - waiter; 3. Day Three - scary waiter; 4. Day Four - maitre de la table; 5. Day Five - maitre de la table and guests, 6. Day Six guests & waiter

Full scene, end of Week One

If you'd like to play, Lisa hosts Manic Monday!

Here we go:

Which month of the year do you think best describes your personality? Hmmm...I'm going with October. Sometimes hot, sometimes cold but never boring...that's me!

If you could have had the starring role in an existing movie, which movie would you pick? Um...I'd have Keira Knightly's role in the Pirates movies, please! Getting to kiss Johnny AND Orlando...sigh...

Are you attracted to people whose personalities are very similar to your personaltiy or very different? Very, VERY different...I guess it's that old adage, opposites attract. Not just in love, but in friendship as well.

Here's last Wednesday's picture:

And this is what it was cropped from:

This belonged to my grandmother, I think (Mel? MB?) and it's from Fujian, China.

Michelle (aka birthday girl--Happy Birthday!!!): "It is a small wooden tree next to a small wooden japanese style piece of architecture a house or a resting place." was the first to get it right!

Wil was close: "A highly stylized Japanese garden woodcut within an oval frame...." quickly followed by Mel: "It's a Japanese wood carving scene." and then DebR: "Oh, I bet this is one of those little Japanese scenes carved from Balsa wood and put into a little glass box. "

As always, thanks for playing! By the way, all photos used in What Is It Wednesday are marked as "private" in my flickr account...that's so no one can view the picture at a bigger size to get a better look!

So this week...

What is it?

Second Book of Four, from Peril the First: Strangers by Taichi Yamada

This book was intriguing to me, in more ways than one. Yes, it's a supernatural ghost story, which I love...AND it was set in Japan, one of my favorite places. Can one fall in love with a country? Sure! But that's not the subject at hand, is it.

I think what we can learn from this book is to go ahead and make an effort to care more, to help not just strangers, but friends and neighbors (and not just help, but LISTEN to). If only he had done so, none of what followed would've happened.

An especially nice touch was that he couldn't see what was happening to himself. We never really do, you know?

Great book, give it a read!

The Photo Thursday at Create a Connection hostess this month, Amber says:

"...a good theme for this week's photo day to post a picture of something new to you. A new food you had never tried before, a new pair of shoes you love, a new friend you just met, anything that is new to you."

Here's what's new to me; they just arrived a few days ago, and I'm SO in love with them!

Skeleton Poppet

Little PInk Poppet

Here's a shot of them meeting Captain Jack Sparrow, who seems to have lost an arm:

Here, they meet Screaming Mimi!

And here, they're settling in nicely together:

Happy lil poppets :-)

If you'd like some poppets of your own check out their creator's blog for details!

If you play, please link back to me and leave me a comment letting me know you played, so I can come visit!

Before we get to the Fill-In part, I want to tell you two things:

1) My friend Sue is giving away a book on her blog; and if you don't like the book she's giving, she'll BUY you one! What are you waiting for? Get over there!!!

2) Next week, the Friday FIll In will have it's very own site! Details will be forthcoming; it was designed by the groovy Heather over at Goofy Girl Designs and will feature one of my photos as the header! It's really pretty...squeeeeee!!! I can't wait for you all to see it :-)

Ok, now back to business!

1. Once upon a time ______________.
2. _________ screaming and _______________.
3. __________ white tea and ginger.
4. Way down _____________.
5. Keys _______; locks _______
6. Have you seen ________? They're so _______!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____!

1. Once upon a time there was a little poppet. It came into the life of a woman and she fell in love with it. Squeeeee!!!
2. Shiba screaming and Shiba stubborness can be annoying!
3. I thought I would but I didn't much care for Bath & Body Works lotion scented with white tea and ginger.
4. Way down inside, woman... youuuuuuu neeeeeeed...looooooooooove.
5. "If we don't have the Keys we can't open whatever we dont' have that it unlocks; So what purpose would be served in finding whatever need be unlocked, which we don't have, without first having found the key what unlocks it?"
6. Have you seen my new cords from Jones New York? They're so awesomely autumny!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to attending my first book club session, tomorrow my plans include visiting Mo up in the Northeast Kingdom where rumor has it the "S" word is forecast and Sunday, I want to chill out, dude!

Grab the Scavenger Hunt code. Photo Theme. Join the blogroll. Visit participants.

Wolf has some smelly toes!

Cafe Writing: Scribbles on a Digital Napkin

I'm picking "Option Four: Seven Things" off the Cafe menu; it looks quite delicious!

In improvisation, one of our exercises is a game called "Seven Things," in which we go around in a circle giving each other the challenge, "Give me seven things that...". We are not going to go around in a circle here, but if you're drawn to lists, this prompt is for you. Give me seven things you associate with October. You don't have to explain them, but it's more fun for readers if you do.

As I enjoy making lists, particularly about things I love, and given that seven is considered a magical number, this prompt is perfect for me :-) I've sprinkled my digital napkin with a bit of BPAL's "October" for inspiration and here we go!

1. Halloween: I love EVERYTHING about Halloween...the magic, the creativity, the spookiness! When I was a kid, I always wanted to be a skeleton, but thought I wasn't skinny enough. Now, my favorite costume is a vampirish one; I'd love to have the colored contacts that would complete my outfit, but I'm too cheap LOL! One of my favorite things about Halloween are the carved pumpkins, spooky, glowing, evil jack-o-lanterns. Put 'em in your window, line your driveway with them...they look amazing! Did you know that New England holds the world record for most jack-o-lanterns carved and lit in one place? First it was in Keene, NH for the longest time, but Boston, MA bested them in 2006.

2. Foliage: There is nothing more spectacular to me than reds, oranges and yellows of beautifully colored autumn trees. Talk about going out in a blaze of glory!

3. Crisp weather: Finally! Sweaters, comfy socks, jeans...and that smell, OH that smell in the air. Cool, clean, brisk...I love it!

4. Full Moon: In October, it's called the Hunters Moon and this year will be on the 26th. This moon is in Taurus, which makes it a good time to let go of pain we've experienced due to death, to honor those who have passed, and to become more aware of the spirituality of death itself.

5. Apples: The fruit of Autumn! When the weather starts turning cool, I think of pies and crisps and tarts, all filled with apples and cinnamon and a touch of maple. Yum!

6. Corn stalks: In almost every cornfield, you'll notice one stalk left behind. I don't know why...but it makes for a wicked good picture!

7. Stormy skies: Clouds scudding by, the tiniest of raindrops falling, possibly a bit of snow at the end of the month...but NOT on Halloween, please!

If you'd like to see pictures that go along with the entries, go to the extended entry :-)

1. 6491, 2. happy trio, 3. J1, 4. Not available, 5. J2, 6. pumpkin head crop, 7. scary bat crop, 8. vampire dude, 9. elf, 10. Snape slave negative, 11. wicked horse of the west, 12. skeleton dog, 13. October is here!!!, 14. stem, 15. Oh, my aching head!, 16. leaf / moss / marble, 17. yellow leaves, 18. double moon, 19. apple crisp, 20. lone stalk

A friend of mine who is blogless did Option Five: Pick Three -

I shall not sleep lest I DREAM for in DREAMING in sleep so SHALLOW shall the SPIRITS enter in and torture my soul.

If you'd like to play, click here!

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Illicit :: romance
2. Go :: get!
3. Jacket :: weather
4. Blow :: me
5. Coach :: bag
6. Effort :: make one
7. Leadership :: at my company? ahahhaha!
8. Snore :: sometimes
9. Fearless :: except for spidres [hahaha French spelling *snort*]
10. Network :: of friends

f you'd like to play, Lisa hosts Manic Monday!

Here we go:

If you could have a romance with any fictional character, who would it be? Easy one, Captain Jack Sparrow! Course, I'd like to follow him up with Professor Snape, cause I'm a slut ;-)

If you could be invisible for one hour, where would you go and what would you do? I pretty much an invisible now...

If you could ask God any single question, what would it be? What is my purpose in life?

Did you miss me this weekend?

Friday, I went to my first ever book club meeting; great snacks and conversation (the things you learn when listening to a bunch of social workers!) and I got a TON of stuff from Megan to review for AGMS...not a hard assignment as most of it is either scented lotions or oils and candy. Poor me, eh?

Saturday, I gave Wolf a nice long guilt-induced walk and then headed up to Vermont to visit my friend Maureen. She had a golf tournament to attend, so I let myself in the house and hung with Rumor (her dog), Emma (her brother's dog) and the cats, Chloe and Wheels. Great fun was had by all!

Mo, her brother & SIL were starving when they got back so we went off for dinner, a delicious Italian place (I had leftover spaghetti for a late night dinner AND lunch the next day LOL). Mo took me to downtown Burlington later that night where we strolled and took pictures. We capped the night off with POTC 2. Ahhhh, life is good.

Sunday, I awoke to the smell of coffee and maple sausage...heavenly! We had a quick breakfast and went to meet a friend of hers for a hike in the woods. We kind of got lost while hiking and it turned into a 4 hour trek, some of it up BIG hills (this IS Vermont, after all). Thanks to my GPS navigator, we found our way out.

We dropped Rumor off at home and headed to the Magic Hat Brewery, where I got an awesome pint glass and a 12 pack of Halloween beer :-)

Then we had a brunch of boxty (and Guinness for me) at an Irish bar called Ri Ra. Came home, packed and headed home...where I collapsed in bed soon after I arrived, after picking a tick off Wolf (never on Max...I think Wolf has sweet blood).

I'm still tired! How was your eekend?

Looking for this week's What Is It Wednesday? It has a new home, click here!

Mel wasn't feeling well and missed a few days, so here are the shots from the 10th til today. She's feeling better, now, though!

1. Day 12 family, 2. Day 13 waiter and buffett, 3. Day 16 waiter and new family1, 4. Day 17 two tables, 5. Day 17 appetizers, 6. Day 17 kids

Pirates!!!

If you guys can ask me 13 questions, I'll post 13 answers as my Thursday Thirteen!

1. Heather had a few: "What do you do to entertain your inner child?" Er...anything and everything that I think will amuse it!

2. Next she asks: "What veggie are you most like?" What veggie am I like? Hmmm...broccoli, I think, especially with the perm; bushy headed with a strong stalk!

3. Followed by: "What new show are you into, if any? Pushing Daisies, I LOVE! Also Reaper and Journeyman. You all? What's your favorite new show?

4. My cousin asks: What's your favorite memory of Surf Drive Beach? Finally, FINALLY being allowed to swim out to the raft! And eating frozen milky way bars, of course :-) Just being out in the sun and in the ocean. Great question, cuz!

5. She also asks: "What's your favorite barbecue item? For you southerners, barbeque up here in yankee land doesn't mean meat smoked for days...it means hot dogs and hamburgers, grilled corn, eggplant, potato salad, cold beers or lemonade. I'd have to say my new favorite is grilled eggplant, but it has to be crispy!

6. Monique asks: "what first attracts you to a person?" I can't lie...the size of their...smile!!! I love a good smile. Attractiveness is part of it, but by no means all. More important is their sense of self-confidence, which is funny, as I seem to lack that in huge quantities.

7. She also asks: "what movie could you watch over and over again and never tire of?" She's totally being facetious here, cause I'm pretty sure she knows the answer: Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (the first in the trilogy) will capture my attention until the day I die! Any of the POTC movies'll do the trick, too!

8. Followed by: "cabin in the woods or oceanside mansion?" Cabin in the woods, strangely enough. Mansions are just too much work!

9. Julie wants to know "Who was your first dog?" That would be Cocoa, when I was a kid. She was a sweetie, and looked very much like Max.

10. Then she wants to know "What's your favourite photograph that you've taken so far?" I think it's this one:

11. Followed by "What was your worst date ever?" That would have to be the dude with the pen!s so small it might as well have been an innie.

12. Lisa asks: "Did you have fun tonight?" Yes!!! Lisa and I went to Blue Heron Tattoo in Derry; Lisa got her first ever tattoo, and I got my latest one outlined...and finally came up with a design to redo one on my leg. Woohoo!

13. Finally, another from Heather: "What things draw your eye when you've got a camera in your hand?" Same answer as #1; anything and everything! Discarded bits of paper, raindrops, the iris of someone's eye...it depends on my mood at the time!

Looking for this week's Friday Fill-In ? It has a new home, click here!

1. October is my favorite month.
2. Skeletons doesn't/ don't scare me!
3. Haunted houses can be creepy, scary fun.
4. My favorite scary movie is Sleepy Hollow because Johnny Depp AND Christopher Walken are in it.
5. Go ahead, try to scare me.
6. It was a dark and stormy night when suddenly, during a flash of lightning... [go ahead, Mel, finish that thought!].
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to taking Dad out to dinner, tomorrow my plans include walking the dogs, doing some laundry, bills, etc. and Sunday, I want to take my brother out for his birthday; then later get my aura read in Salem!

Grab the Scavenger Hunt code. Photo Theme. Join the blogroll. Visit participants.

Here are three definitions of the word practical:

4. adapted or designed for actual use; useful
5. engaged or experienced in actual practice or work
6. inclined toward or fitted for actual work or useful activities

I can't think of a picture that suits these definitions more than this one:

Also, this one is very practical...for this month!

If you'd like to play, click here!

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Las Vegas :: LOVE!
2. Linus :: and Snoopy
3. Struck :: dumb
4. Movie :: LOTR
5. Anxious :: friends
6. Bandit :: raccoon
7. Picks :: earrings
8. Lasso :: my heart
9. Dinner :: pork roast
10. Bargain :: basement

Now, if I could just remember what I was going to search for!!!

Do you see it?

Today my brother is 3 years younger than me, again...and always lol!

Happy Birthday lil bro!

This is the first of three stories written by my cousin, Melodie. Sweet name, right? These stories are typical of the bedtime stories she'd tell her younger sister, my brother and me when she was babysitting us!

Chapter One

Armed with her new digital camera Jan went to shoot some pre-Halloween photos at the old Melville Cemetery. Years ago, after the closing of the Bleeds Plastic Factory in Melville the town had sunk into financial ruin. The once pristine cemetery had become an overgrown mess.

In the late afternoon dusk none of that was on Jan's mind. She craved just the perfect shot to send out to her friends that would convey that ghostly feeling only the dead and buried could portray.

After she had shot half a dozen shots she headed home. Strangely, Wolf (her gorgeous shiba inu) seemed ready to go as he pulled on his leash in that direction.

The house was quiet when she returned. Larry (her brother) and MB (her cousin) were not home yet. Jan was anxious to download her latest pictures so she sat right down at the computer. As she waited for the usual connection to be made there was a glow of light and the word "DEATH" appeared so briefly that she thought she was just imagining it. Then her pictures came on the screen. Jan just sat there looking at them, but not really seeing them. After a few minutes she calmed down enough to pay attention and she could see that they were all very ordinary and not one really conveyed the "feel" of Halloween spookiness.

Still she saved them for the time being but decided to head back to the cemetery tomorrow to try again.

After a restless night of not sleeping Jan got up early and figured she would try to take some early morning shots. With Wolf by her side she quickly walked back to the Melville cemetery.

She just knew right away that her decision to return in the morning was the perfect idea. She took a few more than the night before and raced home.

When she sat down at the computer an eerie feeling set over her and she thought of the death message of the night before, but then she pooh-poohed it as her own Halloween imagination.

She connected her camera.... before she had time to take a breath the same glow appeared and then "Blood" clearly printed in red. This time Jan jumped up knowing it really was not her imagination. At this point Wolf began to growl which added to Jan's feelings of panic. Death and Blood, Death and Blood!!!

Then it came to her in a flash and she laughed out loud. Her brother and cousin were playing a trick on her. They were both computer whizzes and somehow they had set up the computer to scare her.

She was going to get them. She had a plan already forming in her head. HA, HA!!!

Chapter Two

As the house came to life that morning, Larry and MB were rushing to eat breakfast and get ready for work. Knowing they were busy and not really thinking straight was the perfect time for Jan to ask them to go with her to the cemetery on Halloween night. "It'll be fun! Maybe we'll see a ghost or two. Please?" she pleaded. Neither was enthusiastic, but they agreed to go as they ran out the door.

That day at work Jan sent out an email appeal to all her friends, she wrote, "Please help me play a joke on Larry and MB? Dress in bloody death-like costumes and hide out at the Melville Cemetery at 10 PM! I'll owe you big time!" Without hesitation they all agreed.

After work that evening Jan made one stop on her way home. She wanted to take a few pictures of good places where her friends could hide in the cemetery on Halloween.

When she got home she went straight to the computer to down load her pictures and in the excitement over her plan of revenge she forgot the messages that had appeared on her computer screen. As she quickly made the connection to download her pictures the screen flashed as before and this time the word "TERROR" appeared. It flashed again and this time in quick succession the words DEATH, BLOOD and TERROR flew across the screen in red. It caught her totally off guard.

Then up popped her latest pictures and she just shrugged it off smiling to herself at the thought of getting even with them for their Halloween prank.

The next day was Halloween and Jan could hardly contain herself! The day just seemed to drag by. Everything was ready for a night full of terror that Larry and MB would never forget!

Chapter Three

Finally it seemed that all of the !!!trick or treaters!!! had come and gone. It was nearly 10 PM. Larry was complaining about going to the cemetery. He'd had enough of Halloween and just wanted to eat one of the left over candy bars and go to bed. MB was worried about being cold out there in the middle of the night. Jan was tempted to tease them about being afraid of the graves but it might somehow give away the surprise that was ws in store for them so she just sighed and reminded them that they had promised to go with her and after all they knew that Halloween was her favorite holiday!!!!

Moaning a little bit they put on their jackets as Larry said, "Let's get this over with! And I am not staying more than ten minutes."

MB wrapped a scarf around her neck and Jan grabbed a flashlight and her camera. They set off walking down Main Street with Wolf leading the way. Not a soul was out now. There were some smashed pumpkin remains in the middle of the street. There were lights shinning out from some of the houses. The moon was barely giving out any light as some clouds had blown in creating a light cover over the sky. The wind and night air were quite cold and as they walked along MB pulled her scarf around her face as she began to shiver.

Jan's blood was racing through her body keeping her nice and warm! The moment she had been waiting for was near!!

Shortly they came to the front gate of Melville Cemetery. There were no cars in sight. Jan had told her friends to park a block away so Larry and MB would not be suspicious.

As they got to the front entrance Larry reached out to push the gate to open. He had forgotten his gloves and his bare hands felt the cold steel, but also he felt something sticky, wet and warm. "UGH!" he muttered as Jan switched on the flashlight. The three of them looked at Larry's hands and then at the gate. It was dripping with red blood. MB just laughed and said, "Leave it to the kids around here to think of a prank like this, it's pretty cute!"

"Here you touch it then." said Larry. Secretly Jan was thinking that her friends had not failed her. What a great job they were doing, and she hadn't even told them to add the blood to the gate.

Just then the light from the flash light died out and they were left in the semi darkness.

Chapter Four

"Alright my ten minutes are up!" said Larry as he started to turn around to leave.

"Oh, come on we haven't even gone into the graveyard yet and I want to get a shadowy picture of you standing over a tombstone." Jan said, thinking fast.

MB took the lead as Larry lagged behind. Without being able to see much they moved along till something flew overhead. Jan joked about it being a witch on a broomstick just as MB let out a cry and Wolf started to bark. At that very moment the moon came out from behind the clouds and right in front of them was an open grave. The three of them stood frozen to the spot.

Jan's mind was racing, her friends could be in big trouble for this, digging up some poor guys grave, what were they thinking? Still it was a nice touch.

Larry moved close enough to see the headstone and started to read it aloud. "John Bleeds He lies here not in peace, but in DEATH, with BLOOD on his hands, and TERROR in his heart and he will seek his revenge on Halloween night. "

"Those were the words on the computer!" Jan muttered. "What words are you talking about?" MB said. "You know the joke you two played on me with the words flashing on the computer screen!" "We don't have clue what you are talking about!" Larry said.

Just then the ground began to move and shake and They could see red blood oozing and bubbling out of the ground all around the grave. Then there was a loud C...R...E...E...E...K and the coffin started to open up. As it opened a horrible smell overcame them, but before they could move away a huge green slimy BLOB oozed out. It's voice was deep and garbled and it was chanting, " DEATH, BLOOD, and TERROR! You shall all die!"

They could see as they held onto each other that the BLOB was without shape or form. It had no bones, but still it moved quickly toward them. Not one of them was able to move a muscle till Wolf started growling and began pulling them away toward the gate.

Their feet sunk into the bloody earth as they tired to run. It took what seemed like hours to reach the gate. They never stopped as they ran back down Main Street and into the house and locked the door.

It was a long time till Larry finally went over to the phone to call the police. Still thinking what he'd say to the police about what had happened and what he saw he noticed the message light was blinking so he hit it. They all heard, "Hi Jan sorry we weren't able to make it to the cemetery tonight we ended up getting lost and by the time we found our way back into town it was after 10:30, too late to hide out and scare your brother and cousin. I hope you still had a good time! Happy Halloween!"

THE END

1. Day 18 Customer, 2. Day 20 spider spaghetti, 3. Day 20 pirate drink, 4. Day 21 Devils Den

The work week's more than half over, yahoo!!! Right now, I'm laying in bed, listening to the wind blow through the leaves on the trees and into my open window and thinking it's good to be alive. I love this weather...not too hot, not too cold. Wolf likes it too, but not so much the breeze. It ruffles the fur near his butt and that freaks him out. Yeah, he's weird :-)

Just a reminder...What Is It Wednesday has a new home; this week's entry is up and ready for your guesses (I post early for my friend from Australia, Julie).

Just to let you know...all good wishes welcome...I AM winning this!!!

Each winner (there will be three!) will receive a trip package to see Led Zeppelin in concert on November 26, 2007 at the O2 Arena in London, England. Each trip package includes 2 round trip tickets to London, 2 tickets to the concert, hotel for three nights, meals...and best of all:

~ Two (2) tickets to a private dress rehearsal on November 25, 2007

[OMGOMGOMG!!!]

Breathe, breathe...

1. When it appears that you have killed the monster, never check to see if it's really dead.
2. If you find that your house is built upon or near a cemetery, was once a church that was used for black masses, had previous inhabitants who went mad or committed suicide or died in some horrible fashion, or had inhabitants who performed satanic practices in your house - move away immediately.
3. Never read a book of demon summoning aloud, even as a joke.
4. Do not search the basement, especially if the power has just gone out.
5. If your children speak to you in Latin or any other language which they should not know, or if they speak to you using a voice which is other than their own, shoot them immediately. It will save you a lot of grief in the long run. NOTE: It will probably take several rounds to kill them, so be prepared.
6. As a general rule, don't solve puzzles that open portals to Hell.
7. Never stand in, on, above, below, beside, or anywhere near a grave, tomb, crypt, mausoleum, or other house of the dead.
8. If appliances start operating by themselves, move out.
9. Do not take anything from the dead.
10. If you're running from the monster, expect to trip or fall down at least twice, more if you are of the female persuasion. Also note that, despite the fact that you are running and the monster is merely shambling along, it's still moving fast enough to catch up with you.
11. If your companions suddenly begin to exhibit uncharacteristic behavior such as hissing, fascination for blood, glowing eyes, increasing hairiness, and so on, get away from them as fast as possible.
12. Stay away from certain geographical locations, some of which are listed here: Amityville, Elm Street, Transylvania, Nilbog (you're in trouble if you recognize this one), the Bermuda Triangle, or any small town in Maine.
13. Beware of strangers bearing tools such as chainsaws, staple guns, hedge trimmers, electric carving knives, combines, lawnmowers, butane torches, soldering irons, band saws, or any device made from deceased companions.

Stolen from DebR

I'm a bat jellyfish...and a scary mixture at that!

Lion's Mane Jelly: Imagine having no eyes or brain, but still having one of the most sophisticated weapons on earth! Lion's Mane Jellies have tentacles over 100 feet long, each one packed with tiny harpoons that inject prey with deadly toxins! I'm so scary!

Rodrigues Bat wings: Your wings are very different from bird wings, which are made like human arm bones. Bat wings are more like really long fingers...creepy long fingers!

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Last night, Wolf was up in his window seat (the window was open; screen firmly in place) and I was reading in bed. We heard a noise outside, like something crashing through the underbrush in the back yard. We both looked at each other, then out the window. I turned off the light, the better to see into the back yard and but we saw nor heard anything else. What do you think it was?

Krista texted me on the way home and said: "huge moon". I knew she wasn't talking about my @$$, so I grabbed my camera, drove to the cemetery, and got this shot...well, the moon one, anyway. The one of Wolf I took a couple nights ago!

Don't forget ... the Friday Fill-In is over here now!

Don't forget ... the Friday Fill-Ins are over here now!

1. The last good thing that came in the mail was a Halloween card from Lisa (thanks, Lisa, and yes, the new tat is still a bit itchy!).

2. This week I'm grateful for the amazingly good review I got at work and the pretty damn good raise (especially compared to previous years).

3. Trio of Foie Gras (an appetizer at Todd English's Tuscany) is the most delicious thing ever.*

4. The Dalai Lama inspires me.

5. I'm most happy when I go hiking in the woods with the dogs.

6. And all the roads we have to walk along are never straight and narrow.

7. As for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing, tomorrow my plans include dinner and a movie and Sunday, I want to see Halloween Pace Event at Great Brook (horses & riders in costume)!

*it features ash brushed goat cheese, prosciutto, fig and plum jam, frisse and tangerine honey. O.M.G., SO good!

[the second of three stories for you from my cousin, Mel, a master story teller and all around scary person!]

Chapter One:

The October sunshine was pouring in the windows, but the air outside was crisp and cold the day before Halloween. As Jan walked by the kitchen table she noticed a large piece of bright orange paper. It was strange--she did not remember it being there just a few minutes ago when she had grabbed the newspaper. She had heard her father get up early and go out long ago so there was no chance he had set it there in the last few minutes. "I just must not have seen it before.", Jan said out loud and then thought that maybe the headache she had must be the reason she had not noticed the paper earlier.

She sat down on a chair at the table, picked up the orange paper and looked at it. There were smudges of dirt on it and some red brown spots that looked a bit like dried blood. The paper had been folded and crumpled. On what appeared to be the outer part were several blots of ink and scribbles and then Jan saw her name. Under her name it said simply "Lives in a little house." Jan turned the paper over and read aloud to herself and Wolf, who just happened to be lying right beside her.

"You have been chosen to enter a Halloween Photo Contest! Do not disregard this important invitation. You could win the coveted Golden Goblin Award. Outside your back door you will find a small bottle of blue liquid, drink it and the contest will begin."

Jan laughed out loud and said to Wolf as she headed toward the back door, "Well, which one of my friends could be behind this? It's probably Megan, could be Krista, tho." Carefully she opened the door just in case there was someone there, but seeing no one, she looked down at the steps and sitting on a black pillow was a small bottle with blue liquid in side. She was laughing again and then thought, a potion! OMG, this is just like something out of Harry Potter! I'll go along with this!

Before she drank the shimmering blue liquid, though, Jan ran inside the house, grabbed her camera and snapped several pictures of the bottle for her blog. She couldn't wait to post this. Then she twisted the cap off the bottle and in a loud voice, just in case anyone was hiding nearby, she laughingly said, "I'm going to drink the blue liquid, yum! I hope I don't keel over and die!" With that she tipped the bottle up to her lips and drank.

Chapter Two:

The blue liquid had tasted strange. It was salty, smoky, with a hint of mint and citrus. It was the consistency of a raw egg, sort of slimy. There was something else almost earthy tasting too! Not good, but not exactly awful either. As she expected, she felt nothing. No earth shattering changes or strange floating feelings. Nothing, zip, nadda!

There was a tiny part of Jan that hoped there would have been something, well, magical about that blue potion, but at least her headache was gone! She picked up the bottle and pillow and as she did she saw that there was a pocket in the underside of the pillow and sticking out was a compact mirror.

Jan's hands were trembling as she pulled the mirror out of the pocket. She wondered for a moment if the trembling had anything to do with the potion, but decided it was just all the unexpected Halloween fun she was having. The mirror was ornate and heavy. As she opened it there was a flash that flew from the mirror straight up and entered Jan's body by way of her partly open mouth.

There was a burning feeling that seemed to course through her veins and then her skin turned the same blue color of the liquid she had ingested, and her clothes and flesh fell off her body leaving bare bones. Without feeling any great concern over the flesh that lay on the ground at her feet Jan realized her camera had been snatched from her hands and pictures of her bones were being taken by the image of her former self.

When she started to move around the backyard she could hear the rattle of her own bones. She felt the wind blow through her bony frame along with a few dried brown leaves. Then a deep dark blue cloud surrounded her and she fell to the ground and lay there as nothing but a pile of old dried bones.

Chapter Three:

A leaf fell and landed softly on Jan's face. That was enough to awaken her from what felt like a very deep sleep. When she opened her eyes she realized it was starting to get dark and she was lying on the ground in the backyard in the pile of leaves she had raked up the day before yesterday. She was confused as to why she was there. Perhaps, and she really hated to admit it, but maybe she really had overdone the dirty martinis at Grendel's with Michelle last night!

Jan started to get up and that was when she remembered that someone was playing some kind of a Halloween joke on her. It all came flooding back to her now, the photo contest, the blue liquid, the mirror and her bare bones. How was this all happening?

She looked around for the black pillow and the bottle, but the only thing she could see near the back door was her rake and an old broom. The broom did not look familiar. Its handle was dark from use and the brush part was pretty thin and brittle.

Jan moved the rake and then reached her hand toward the broom. Without touching it the broom moved toward her hand as if it were magnetized. No sooner was it in her hands when the broom swept under her and lifted her up off the ground. With a huge puff of black smoke Jan saw that she had taken off, riding the broomstick high above the treetops soaring faster than she was comfortable going in these situations (not that it had ever happened to her before, not in real life, anyway!).

Since she held the camera in one hand her grip on the broomstick did not seem like enough to keep her from falling to her death. As she looked down to make sure she as situated on the broom well enough she saw a black skirt billowing all around her, hanging down to her ankles and black boots on her feet. She couldn't help it, she laughed loudly, only to hear a wild cackle burst from deep within.

After what felt like an eternity the broom started down out of the dark night sky and into the middle of a thick forest. As Jan got closer to the ground she started to see the tops of the trees and beyond that a large clearing. An enormous black pot was resting over a smoky fire and figures dressed all in black wearing tall, pointy hats danced around the pot.

"This is going to be interesting," Jan thought, and at that moment the dancing ceased and each head looked up at her with their eyes glaring.

Chapter Four:

Jan felt the broom dive into the middle of the silent group. As it neared the ground the broom tipped down and Jan slid off. Even her strong grip on the handle could not keep her from falling.

It had always been a dream of Jan's to be a part of a Halloween ceremony with witches. Here she was smack in the middle of just that! Jan could hear several witches whisper to each other as they glanced her way. At last one rather tall and particularly ugly witch approached her and motioned for Jan to roll up her sleeve. Reluctantly she did it as several others looked on. The first witch moved very quickly pointing her bony fingers at Jan and as she did this Jan realized that she was paralyzed from the neck down and unable to move. A short, stout witch appeared next to her with a huge spider in her hands. Jan was horrified. More than almost anything in the world Jan hated spiders. Another witch joined them holding a bubbling pot. As each bubble burst it let off a strong, unpleasant odor.

The witch holding the spider dipped it into the bubbling pot and held it there for a moment. Then she lifted it out and moved closer to Jan's exposed arm. A piercing scream escaped from Jan's mouth as the spider was placed on her arm. Immediately she felt like a million hot needles were being stuck into her skin. She wanted to pull away but could not move.

When she felt the spider being lifted off she turned her head to look. There etched on her arm was a perfect web and in the center of the web was imprinted a new moon with a star cradled just above its inside curve. It was amazing! Somehow it glowed, sending rays of light into the night.

At this point she was able to move again and was guided toward the dancers who circled the cauldron. Jan started to dance slowly and gradually moved around faster and faster. Off to one side Jan realized that her regular body stood taking pictures. At this point the dancing changed to a more frenzied pace until Jan felt she was being lifted off the ground and her body was hurtling toward the uncovered cauldron.

Chapter Five:

In the dark that now surrounded Jan she felt as if she was nothing more than a faded shadow. Somehow as she was hurling to her death she had escaped falling into the cauldron and then along with her camera rode on the sparks and smoke from the cauldron up into the night sky.

She had no way of knowing which way was up or down since she could see only blackness. She felt strangely cool and crisp, a feeling that made her think of getting into bed under the coolness of smooth cotton sheets. A feeling that would be most welcome at the moment. Jan managed to get her bearings and to enjoy the sensation of floating around. It was at that moment that she saw some dark clouds and realized that she was being led though the air by a transparent being that could only be a ghost.

Jan thought she might have dozed as they traveled along but she wasn't sure. She felt like a parachute and billowing out around her was a light shadow of whiteness. She was drifting down like the silk and seeds out of milkweed pod.

The landing was not soft or graceful, however, and as Jan looked around she saw that she was hovering in front of the door of an old deserted house. Her companion drew her to the door and as Jan reached out to touch the knob she found that she had moved through the door and inside the house. She was alone in her ghostly form except for the dust that was so thick it hung heavily in the air. There was little furniture only a few odd broken pieces of wood here and there. Cobwebs hung down everywhere and seemed to catch the light that came from a flickering candle.

Then out of the corner of her eye she saw a hideous looking body coming toward her. A bandage wrapped around its neck was soaked red. It was then that she saw herself once again holding the camera. As the flash lit up the entire room Jan could see the worms, slugs and bugs that wiggled in and out of its ears, eyes and mouth. As it moved closer to Jan the creature moved its hand up to its neck where it grabbed the end of the bandage and pulled. As its head fell off Jan heard a terrifying scream and even though she made no noise it was her voice she heard.

Chapter Six:

The floor opened up and she fell down into the darkness. With her eyes closed she waited for the impact that would end her life, but it did not happen. At last when she opened her eyes she found she was standing in a dank stone chamber illuminated by tall and ornate candelabras. In front of her was a coffin with the lid closed. A shiver of fear ran down her spine. Jan was no longer a ghost and she noticed that she was now wearing a gorgeous white dress with a fur-lined cape hanging over her shoulders and down her back to the floor. The dress felt smooth and soft, as the silky material lay close against her body. There were heavy chains around her ankles and wrists that were attached to a ring on the wall. They made an escape impossible.

A large open window behind the coffin caught her attention and hanging low in the evening sky was a full moon with creepy dark shadows on its surface. The silence in the room was interrupted by a creaking noise and Jan saw the top of the coffin slowly lift up.

Then in through the window flew at least one hundred bats. They wildly flapped around the room circling Jan and landing and getting tangled in her hair. She could feel their wings brushing against her body as she tried to push them off and away from her.

The flash of her camera went off from the corner of the room where once again she could see herself standing. The largest bat flew onto Janet's neck and she felt a deep piercing pain as it bit her and drew the blood that was it's life-giving force. When the bat was finished the chains fell away and Jan sank to the cold floor. From there she watched as the bats flew out the window. The bat that had bitten her however did not follow them and flew under the cover of the partly open coffin. After a minute or two there was a stream of light coming from inside the coffin as the lid started to open wider. Jan bit her lip to keep from screaming, tasting her own salty blood as she bit down harder. A large hand pushed up till the lid was fully open and there lying in the silk lined box was the dark figure of a vampire.

Chapter Seven:

The figure sat up and Jan recognized at once that it was Snape. She was not frightened...just completely amazed to see him. He climbed out of the coffin and stood before her looking stern. He reached out and took her hand in his and said in a low voice, "We don't want to be late, come quickly!"

Jan felt the coolness of his hand and then she heard thunder and saw a flash of lightning. Her body seemed to be moving even though she was not walking. There was a windy tunnel, darkness again and once more a flash of light. She held onto Snape's hand, afraid to let go.

They emerged and without being wet they came up from underwater entering a large hall. Snape pulled Jan through the crowd of strange creatures; it looked like everyone was dressed for a Halloween party. As Jan and Snape neared the front of the crowd Jan saw a display of frightening photos. Among them she spotted her own work. There were large prints of a bony skeleton, a wild dancing witch, a hauntingly ghostly being, and the last pictures of her being attacked by a vampire bat. They were amazing, frightening, eerie, and strikingly vivid. All were photos she had taken.

At that moment a ghoulish looking creature stood on the stage and said, "Happy Halloween! It's now time to announce the winner of this years photo contest!" The ghoul tore open the envelope that he had in hands and looking pleased, he shouted, "How wonderful! She has taken great photos for years and is deserving of the Golden Goblin Award! JAN!!! Please come forward, my dear."

On the arm of Snape, who looked tall and proud, she was escorted up onto the stage as the crowd went wild. Champagne bottles were popped open and trays of glasses appeared out of nowhere.

Jan was handed the Golden Goblin and held it high above her head. The crowd shouted, "Speech! Speech!" Jan stood before the microphone. She heard what sounded like echoes of a distant voice.

She felt her body jump and then she opened her eyes. She was in her own room, in her own bed with Wolf close by. "What a fantastic dream! I'll post it today for Halloween!", Jan thought as she slowly stretched and got out of bed. Then something caught her eye as she passed in front of her mirror. She looked down and was shocked to see a spider web tattoo on her upper arm. It had a crescent moon with a star in the middle of it. "This is crazy! How can this be?" Jan thought, but as she turned back toward the bedroom door she gasped and her breath caught deep inside her throat; because sitting on the chair in her very own bedroom was Snape with a slight smile on his face and he was holding The Golden Goblin in his hands!

09:57 AM - Comments (2)

Do you know where your path will lead? Do you know WHERE you want it to lead?