Sticks and Stones... and Zombies?

After Saturday night's driving rain and wind, we (I should say hubby and neighbor) cleaned up the big limb and branches that fell from one of our backyard trees on Sunday. All was as it should be until I glanced out the window and saw this tonight...

If you can't tell from the angle, this rather tall branch / stick (or maybe death sword) has its tip buried in the backyard and is standing perfectly straight. I texted Jim to see if we were on some episode of Survivor that we don't know about, and he said he just noticed it tonight, too, on the way to the ball field.

It wasn't super windy today to drive sticks into the ground. So I'm just going to go with neighborhood shenanigans. I mean, that would help me sleep better. 

That's much more comforting than thinking about recently spotted bears and coyotes in the 'hood playing Ring Around the Rosie.

Of course, Midsommar hits next week so maybe my Scandi-hoovian gods are setting up for the summer solstice. Wait, that sounds way more interesting. I'll keep you posted.

And naturally, I'll have my camera handy.

Be careful out there!

Zombie Watch

I'm a little nervous with the approach of Halloween and the pre-Halloween weekend. My brain is full. Zombies love to eat brains. Therefore, they'd have a feast with me.

Must. Hide.

I seriously am suffering from the CRS (Can't Remember Stuff) syndrome. Part of it probably is because I have so many user names and passwords crammed in my head – my own, I'm not a hacker – that there's room for little else.

The other part is that I do try to keep organized by adding things to my To Do List. But I forget to look at the list. And really, I can't remember it if I don't write it down AND look at it.

Last night before bed I was thinking about running an errand of great import. I think. I was like, "Oh, I could go at lunch tomorrow. I don't anything going on." Fast forward to lunchtime today. No clue what my errand was, where I was to go, and what I was to do.

Mind. Blank.

And I still can't remember! Maybe I shouldn't be so worried about the zombies coming after me. I should be worried I'm becoming one!

#CRS #agingstinks

Friendly and Not-So-Friendly Ghosts

Other than the potential to stockpile Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, I am not that big a fan of Halloween. I just don't like scary things.

At all.

Still, for some fun today, my friend Cindy and I took pictures of "Flat Casper" (for lack of a better name) at various "haunts" as part of a scavenger hunt. Thankfully, the only marginally scary photo requirement was a cemetery. The black cat, corn stocks and spider could all be fake if we wanted them to be.

The prize is a return to that haunted cafe for an evening of serious connections with the dead. Our team name was Witch-Consin Rapids Ghoul-Friends. I'll let you know how we do.

I extended my Halloween fun later when I attended an event in town called Halloween Aid. This was the 9th annual Halloween Aid Fright for Life but my first time going, mainly to see our friends' daughter dance.

All proceeds of this year's event are going to Aleah Applebee, who was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy-Type 1. SMA-1 is a neuromuscular disorder that prohibits the muscles from working like they should. Aleah has never sat down, stood, walked, or even talked. Because breathing and eating require muscles, Aleah uses a ventilator and feeding tube. Most children with SMA-1 do not live past the age of two, but at the age of six Aleah has blown past that boundary and continues to show that true strength does not require muscles.

The turnout was phenomenal. In fact the line was so long that I feared I wouldn't make it in in time to see the performance of Thriller.  But then I saw my friend and former co-worker Carmen (my Pentatonix pal) with her daughters and niece, so I sorta butted in line with them. 

I did get to see Elyse and the zombies dance to Thriller. That was scary good. 

But then the real fright came.

Do not ask me how the girls convinced Carmen and I to go in the Haunted Corn Maze. Did I mention I hate SCARY? I thought this might be the last picture of us alive!

Spoiler alert: I survived or I wouldn't be blogging.

Still, it was scary. Very scary for me. Girls thought so-so. Carmen and I thought very well-done and I screamed enough for the 5 of us. I may or may not have wet my pants. Apparently, my body naturally hates having dead bodies grab me and psycho doctors eat eyeballs right in front of us. Eww.

Gotta admit it was a fun evening for a last-minute, non-planned plan.

Now the only scary thing left is starting a new job tomorrow. Should be a breeze comparatively.

A is for Apple; Z is for Zombies?

It felt like a typical Monday today the way I was buried at work and all the computer systems were running slow.

I love technology but we expect it to work FOR us. At Warp Speed. All the time.

And it doesn't.

My computer locked up a few times and I restarted it. The second time I restarted it, I couldn't log in. It no longer recognized me or my password. Of course two thoughts come immediately to mind:

1) Do I still work here?
2) Are aliens taking over my computer?

After calling the "help desk," I was assured the answer to No. 1 was yes. Whew. But No. 2? Who knows? Refresh my memory... Do we prepare for an Alien Invasion the same way we do a Zombie Apocalypse? And are Twinkies needed?

You know where you can find the official answer? The U.S. Government.

Not kidding.

Did you know that on the Center for Disease Control's website the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response has a plan for Zombies? I kid you not. You can check here or just read below:

Wonder why Zombies, Zombie Apocalypse, and Zombie Preparedness continue to live or walk dead on a CDC web site? 

As it turns out what first began as a tongue in cheek campaign to engage new audiences with preparedness messages has proven to be a very effective platform. We continue to reach and engage a wide variety of audiences on all hazards preparedness via Zombie Preparedness; and as our own director, Dr. Ali Khan, notes, "If you are generally well equipped to deal with a zombie apocalypse you will be prepared for a hurricane, pandemic, earthquake, or terrorist attack." 

So please log on, get a kit, make a plan, and be prepared!

I will point out that I do not troll the Internet for Zombie sites. A friend just pointed this out to me when I was determining whether I needed to buy some Twinkies.

Thank goodness those are back in stores – now with an even longer shelf life. I'm pretty sure they'll outlast my computer at work. And I don't think they'll tempt the taste palates of either aliens OR zombies.

Do you?

I better check with the CDC.