Well, here we are at Halloween. The year is almost gone already. Soon the Holidays will be here as we rush headlong for the grand finale bringing the year to a screeching halt by the coming of the New Year.

As life goes, it's been a good year so far. It hasn't been without its difficulties. OMG, no! But it's just one more step in the journey I call My Life.

Friendships have been forged and solidified. Great accomplishments have been endeavored. And the closeness and love of friends has made the trip worthwhile in the absence of family. So I had this great...

Why not bring you all together in one place? Right here where you all go anyway. (OMG, at least I hope you go here sometimes hahaha.)

I was thinking at the beginning that I would have a contest. But then I realized two things. I don't have any prize to give away. And besides... It would mean I'd have to make a choice. Well... I couldn't have that! So I decided to have a party instead. And here we all are - dressed up for the occasion.

My idea is this... Age has its benefits. So the first entry is determined by age. The rest are alphabetical leaving the process up to fate.

Have I told you this lately?

Jayzlyn, as mentioned in a previous post, is my friend's granddaughter. I just love her eyes. They seem to look directly into my soul.

And seeing Blogger is giving me A LOT of trouble, I have to break down its size... I just lost 5 hours work. Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggggggg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To be continued......

Charleen is my best friend who has continually saved my butt for the last twenty-odd years. She has a heart of gold... you can almost see it in that dress. Keep glowing Girlfriend!

Charlie is known for his sense of humor. Oh yes, quite the joker he is! But for the first time, revealed to you right here, I want you to know his TRUE nature. That's right, he's the love of my life, my own personal King of Hearts. This is what he calls his chef's pose. God I love a man who knows his way around the kitchen! As I always say Bebe, UR Da Best!

Frannie became my friend after the passing of a mutual friend, Alan. Her uplifting emails have brought me back from the brink of disaster more than once. We laugh, we cry, we hope. You go girl!

To be continued....

Josie is a living miracle. After a serious debilitating illness she has bounced back and lights candles in all the hearts she meets. It's no coincidence she is Charlie's daughter. (Must be that heart thing going on.) Shine on, Sweet Thing. And this one's just for you...

Pat is my newest friend. Even in the midst of an unusually hectic life, she still has time to answer practically every email individually. That's a miracle in and of itself! You all know how many I can send in one day alone. I adore her comments. I seek them out every day. You're not the average fish, My Friend.

Paulette's life is no different from anyone else's except for the fact that her challenges have been extraordinarily numerous. But like a light that shines in the darkness, she makes me know that the work I do for myself pays off in the end. Today is your day to dance, Sweetie!

Ohhhhhhhhhhh.... by the way have I mentioned.....

Well that's the end of Sally's hit parade for Halloween. Hope you enjoyed it. I had so much fun doing it.

But WAIT!!!! There's one more thing...............

There is one friend who is very obvious by his absence... Barney. I miss him so much. But when I lay in the night and think of him, (especially when there's a full moon) it's almost like I can hear him whispering in my ear and comforting me.

Speaking of the moon....

But don't think for a minute that you get to have all the fun of playing dressup! No sir! For many years I've been a big fan of Halloween grasping every chance to 'become' something or someone else for a day. Although I must say... this photo manipulating stuff is quite incredible!!! So we may as well get the OMG one out of the way right off hahahaha...

I make a cute little boy huh?

Now I want you to notice the perfect 45 degree tilt of the head. I get treats, right?

Don't ask... LOL

And of course the traditional view...

What? You didn't expect the witch to show up? That's my nature... ***cackle, cackle, cackle***... Flying off now... until next year.... Don't worry, I don't drink and fly because this could happen.

And I'll be extra careful of falling houses too... just in case.

Oh yes... and one more thing.....

Entwined

Bragging Rights

I was never so blessed as to have children, but somehow they always seem to find their way into my life - and my heart. Here is the latest heart thumper.

Her name is Jayzlyn... she just turned one a couple of months ago. She is my friend Jane's granddaughter. When I was staying there after I moved here to Mass. I got to see her every day. What a joy she was to my heart.

Aren't those eyes something? And those cute little pigtails hahaha... She's going to be a heart breaker... she already is... she's got mine all in a jumble... LOL

And how about this Busy Bee costume for Halloween? She makes quite the fashion statement.

Children - the hope of mankind. It is God's clear message to us that he hasn't given up on us yet.


And then... there's this... LOL

To Dance in the Rain

A thousand years ago it seems... when I was young. My memory is spotty now. Those days don't flit by so often now. I don't remember names or sequence. What I remember most is the feelings.

There were always the chores and the animals. There was no whining about what had to be done. The animals weren't going to feed themselves. You did what you were told, when you were told to do it. Things were simpler then. There was no disrespect to your elders. Because whatever punishment they might give you was nothing in comparison to the whipping you were going to get at home!

I loved school. When is the last time you heard a kid say that these days? And even though school was long and the hours of chores followed, I never felt much like I was missing out on things... until I got to be a teenager, that is. Hanging out with the dogs and horses, the chickens and pigs was just fine. There was no arguing in the barn. It was quiet there except for the animal sounds.

Winter was the hardest time having to shovel all the way out to the barn. And those dogs! I could see a hump in the snow where their doghouses were and had to shovel them out and let them free. I worried about that until I found out that the snow acted like insulation and that they were quite toasty in there. And boy oh boy, were they happy to see me! How I wish I could get that response from people.

In the Spring when the ground thawed I'd get to let the horses out. It wasn't safe for them out there in the ice and snow. They would be bucking up a storm getting the winter out of their bones. I loved how free they looked. Their eyes glowed in that sense of liberty.

And with the Spring came more chores. It was time to do the planting. I liked the vegetable planting, but I killed every flower I touched. But how I could get those tomatoes and cucumbers to grow!

April showers sometimes flooded our well though and then that just meant more work. We had to drive to the local spring and haul our water home. That was long before those collapsible five-gallon jugs. We had glass gallon jugs. You knew you did a day's work after hauling 100 gallons of water.

But in another sense I liked the showers. Whereas the horses loved to act out after the winter by jumping and running, I loved the smell of the Spring rains. Between chores I'd dance around in the rain oblivious to the fact I was soaking wet. The old mare was my version of Black Beauty and I was practicing the dance for when Prince Charming came trotting up to ask me to the ball being held at the castle. It's funny the things we remember, huh?

I'm still waiting... 100 years later... Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou, Romeo? Ah yes, to once more dance in the rain.