tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41155826974688347282024-03-08T06:32:19.663-05:00Fluffy The Vampire Slayer - Cats and Horror blogKitties and Killers! Horror movies, merch, cats and news! Fluffy the Vampire Slayerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16509348645086345089noreply@blogger.comBlogger316125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4115582697468834728.post-49635804549036877212023-10-03T10:54:00.003-04:002023-10-03T10:54:48.442-04:00Just Like Home<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmkSqd0gvI-bb9Iu4BXmosmlQb-sBUUDWUvDaOJUsdlLmkntzhyphenhyphent_zMPEZq4MxTaSlSIqHsvgQv9Z0v9tQ1uWSvVJDKcYN-KL-TI1KEvJvTG6cQVaHdwauuqYoVMz4L_DU26gT1wYwn_D0MhzTP0hxLWVHi4VDlR4wgFB66jLPnk_oO9s0qqLTYKwJEvEr/s4000/IMG_20231001_105008112_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmkSqd0gvI-bb9Iu4BXmosmlQb-sBUUDWUvDaOJUsdlLmkntzhyphenhyphent_zMPEZq4MxTaSlSIqHsvgQv9Z0v9tQ1uWSvVJDKcYN-KL-TI1KEvJvTG6cQVaHdwauuqYoVMz4L_DU26gT1wYwn_D0MhzTP0hxLWVHi4VDlR4wgFB66jLPnk_oO9s0qqLTYKwJEvEr/w480-h640/IMG_20231001_105008112_HDR.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><i>Just Like Home</i> by Sarah Gailey was on my TBR list for a while. Childhood abuse and a haunted house? Count me in! (I'm s sicko like that.) This book has taken me a few days to process. It shows you that monsters come in many forms, but overall it's a love story. Yes, you heard that right. Let me explain...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">It follows Vera, the daughter of a dead serial killer. She has a troubled relationship with her dying mother, but comes back to her childhood home to care for her. The story is a slow burn that's told by jumping back </span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">and forth between present day and when she discovers her dad was a killer. It's a bit coming of age story, combined with drama, and the supernatural.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Without giving too much away, it's well written, although a bit repetitive at points. The toxic mother daughter relationship is accurate. (Ask me how I know?) It sets an overall mood of being claustrophobic, stifling, and repressive. About the last 1/4 of the book it picks up and because it's so abstract, it's absurd....and this is the part I love. You come to find out that Vera and the house have always loved each other. That said, there are so many </span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">plot holes and loose ends...spoilers below...sort of...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">What did happen to her father's
journal? Did her mother always know about the monster in the house?
Did Vera have the grease in her? Was Vera really naive at 13 to think
there was grease in people and not blood because her father said so?
Was there also sexual abuse? Did her father leave the peep hole for
her to learn from? Did her father manifest the house monster when her
built it? Is the monster her father? Why was the mother so
emotionally abusive to Vera? Was it only caused by jealousy? Does
Vera have a sexual attraction to the artist? So Vera tried to unlearn
about the grease inside people, but never seeks help to understand
what it meant? She loved her father so much, but never wanted to
repair their relationship by visiting him in jail or reading his
messages? Was the house leaving pieces of his journal around? Why
does her mother want her father to kill, where does that come from?
How did the blanket get into the shed? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">It was an interesting story. Amazing? Nah, but interesting.</span></p><p></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br /></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br /></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br /></p><p></p><p></p>Fluffy the Vampire Slayerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16509348645086345089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4115582697468834728.post-70049942382008939282023-08-17T13:28:00.001-04:002023-08-17T13:39:30.804-04:00A Night of Cats & Bats<p>Andrea and I are back at it! We went to see the <i><a href="http://www.catvideofest.com/">Cat Video Fest</a></i> for 2023 at the <i><a href="https://www.northparktheatre.org/">North Park Theater</a></i>. Don't know what the <i>Cat Video Fest</i> is? It's a compilation of viral cat videos, tik toks, and gifs from the past few years all in one place! If you like cats it's def worth seeing, and as a bonus a percentage of the proceeds goes towards local animal shelters and animal welfare organizations!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtNxlkNBKbvdFQBd-oCJpPsuQAYA9HlQbDdPi41_YXiqE1nxkPcLjg-C-YGxPBPyJNMEdrFGqdDBAlQpHRiEhgw2mpN-UqNan466s-1i9lx3JSk1W7Wz1u2GM4fNXlGeVCFJspCZYvKkO_12acX16hJYn8jCDoP191DskE2sq8PBGA3XUY6dvyE1hOYb4H/s3264/IMG_20230815_161539072_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtNxlkNBKbvdFQBd-oCJpPsuQAYA9HlQbDdPi41_YXiqE1nxkPcLjg-C-YGxPBPyJNMEdrFGqdDBAlQpHRiEhgw2mpN-UqNan466s-1i9lx3JSk1W7Wz1u2GM4fNXlGeVCFJspCZYvKkO_12acX16hJYn8jCDoP191DskE2sq8PBGA3XUY6dvyE1hOYb4H/w400-h300/IMG_20230815_161539072_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>I like that you can submit pictures and videos to the <i>North Park</i> of your cat, and they will show them before the movie. I submitted a pic of my little <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2017/02/ginger-rogers-kitty.html">Ginger</a>. She had the whole big screen to herself! I didn't have time to pull out my phone to take a picture, but this was the one I sent in. The time she had a blep.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLetve7kSZEztAE_WWD0jVmNECHhEJNnnfE2Wu_ZvabPAYRFALjqr2SyX8y2T32uyWCIteb3NBgIjo5aveh6kHc5G6pzhQLVXSuqut9E3xHGS5uNSZwO7Q60sg_XYBrFLAv7uNuVs5oMPdu3qelBcFvnckmj5waBsoiwD8u5ImDTH8njXpw93Y_9KtYvJ/s3264/IMG_20200927_190407163.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLetve7kSZEztAE_WWD0jVmNECHhEJNnnfE2Wu_ZvabPAYRFALjqr2SyX8y2T32uyWCIteb3NBgIjo5aveh6kHc5G6pzhQLVXSuqut9E3xHGS5uNSZwO7Q60sg_XYBrFLAv7uNuVs5oMPdu3qelBcFvnckmj5waBsoiwD8u5ImDTH8njXpw93Y_9KtYvJ/w360-h640/IMG_20200927_190407163.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><p><i>Cat Video Fest</i> 2023 was divided up, as before, with CATegories like "Drama", "Action", "Documentary", and "Musical". Some of the highlights for me included the movie opening with songs from the <i><a href="https://www.catsthemusical.com/">Cats</a></i> soundtrack (I love musicals), there's a <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081505/">Shining</a></i> reference, you see the life of <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/discover/boat-cat-fred"><i>Fred the boat cat</i></a>, <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6VzUf8LyXxOz2ZkQP8_uhw">Cat Man Chris</a> </i>the owner of Marmalade, <i><a href="https://simonscat.com/">Simon's Cat</a> </i>with the cutest cartoons, <i><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@anthonyvincentofficial/video/7216300983612181802?lang=en">Cute Aggression</a></i> metal song (which I just learned about and LOVE!), and the catchy <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy29jBqckCo"><i>Hold On to My Fur</i> song from <i>thekiffness</i></a>. Not to mention, there are clips of kitties sleeping on books, wearing raincoats, the first ever cat video, and lots of one-brain-cell orange kitties! It's delightful.</p><p>The compilation was slightly different from last year. There were more musical clips and the clips seemed longer. They feature <i><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@hirokisan79?lang=en">hirokisan79</a></i> and his piano cat duets more than once. I wish they sold the soundtrack to <i>Cat Video Fest </i>2023! </p><p>You can read about the other years I attended too <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2019/03/cat-video-fest-2019.html">2019</a>, <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2020/03/cat-video-fest-2020.html">2020</a>, <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2022/07/cat-video-fest-2022.html">2022</a>.</p><p>After getting our cat fix, we were hungry, so we went down the street to <i><a href="https://themerryshelley.com/">The Merry Shelley</a></i>. I'm embarrassed to say, it took me way too long to blog about <i>The Merry Shelley</i>, a local goth hang out. It's a small bar that has it all, spooky decor, goth music, fun events, good drinks, food, and... books. Yes, books! It's a little free library too! We popped over, I donated some books, and picked up some that were on my tbr list from eons ago.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUTq6ffTpS6ozp4DXxzcmsdeY8Q9GnmjWMnE7_scxEQmJIL-YD0XNK0gS1NUnIcktcXALbYrUM8NBGhaNnz31RGa3vPFRPyHY_h2Ozf8fzm8FX0IbzdR8CGzcgwFfzGikop8fG7FVPm1dsglpqyoFOyt-DtBLSX4p3ev23sH2DV0yeKzI1jxpXc7mZkWe/s4000/IMG_20230815_184246728_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUTq6ffTpS6ozp4DXxzcmsdeY8Q9GnmjWMnE7_scxEQmJIL-YD0XNK0gS1NUnIcktcXALbYrUM8NBGhaNnz31RGa3vPFRPyHY_h2Ozf8fzm8FX0IbzdR8CGzcgwFfzGikop8fG7FVPm1dsglpqyoFOyt-DtBLSX4p3ev23sH2DV0yeKzI1jxpXc7mZkWe/w480-h640/IMG_20230815_184246728_HDR.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQjIJoNFMTnq3FuQWMaQIcC-cmPjS5Ii6zI3_mxrggWFcfEv450RzE71NS5zyv1jwR9xf3XmJ4vJIJ6ylvXZyk_Cm5pmdQVH4poElmM4Yz-YgztlKmHwRo9yxVZC4Yxu42qboHJlrfMCnrs3WKvDwmZ1_gjqKI8H8SR8uxVYHBFvfjYX1EttDkaCwQSLs/s4000/IMG_20230815_184258928_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQjIJoNFMTnq3FuQWMaQIcC-cmPjS5Ii6zI3_mxrggWFcfEv450RzE71NS5zyv1jwR9xf3XmJ4vJIJ6ylvXZyk_Cm5pmdQVH4poElmM4Yz-YgztlKmHwRo9yxVZC4Yxu42qboHJlrfMCnrs3WKvDwmZ1_gjqKI8H8SR8uxVYHBFvfjYX1EttDkaCwQSLs/w480-h640/IMG_20230815_184258928_HDR.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>This particular night, there were tarot card readings being done by Liz from <i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/divinationstationtarot/">Divination Station</a></i>. She's a sweetheart, and manages <i><a href="https://www.risinggoddessny.com/">Rising Goddess</a></i> a local metaphysical shop that I recommend, not only because they have a "house cat" named Trixie, but because it's a great store with good vibes. Naturally, Andrea and I had to get our readings done. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjylexEMZWrFRRea-nMVnPW3XyXH89i1RUn8moXQNp0dgbWP64M7nM8AwIvpvpeYNqtV5DMq3KjdaqfdLXBUU8m7znq7uY55WOA-7xHKNsHXt3DN0mpn9y9D98S8Mrf8m66ImSeXWwrMUdtzcgldrQyMT38A06OyU9BnvEcPQK88ztT0A_B7_60LTOCGeNK/s1800/360111623_823398509309164_3852252854278918646_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjylexEMZWrFRRea-nMVnPW3XyXH89i1RUn8moXQNp0dgbWP64M7nM8AwIvpvpeYNqtV5DMq3KjdaqfdLXBUU8m7znq7uY55WOA-7xHKNsHXt3DN0mpn9y9D98S8Mrf8m66ImSeXWwrMUdtzcgldrQyMT38A06OyU9BnvEcPQK88ztT0A_B7_60LTOCGeNK/w320-h400/360111623_823398509309164_3852252854278918646_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Trixie & her blep. (Pic taken from the Rising Goddess Facebook page.)</p><p>During the course of our evening we saw old friends, and made some new ones. I don't get out much because I work a lot, but when I do, I like it to be a quality night like this! A night of cats & bats!</p>Fluffy the Vampire Slayerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16509348645086345089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4115582697468834728.post-61946911237770596272023-08-09T10:38:00.000-04:002023-08-09T10:38:34.835-04:00Movie: The Rabid Remake (2019)<p>I reviewed <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000343/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1">Cronenberg'</a>s original <i>Rabid</i> a few years back, you can read about my thoughts <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2019/10/movie-rabid-1977.html">here</a>. The story is solid and original, and I could see where he was going with it... the <a href="http://twistedtwinsproductions.net/">Soska Sisters</a> saw the potential too, and made it even better in their 2019 remake! It's nice that they kept it directed by Canadians.</p><p>Side note: remakes don't really excite me, but this one was intriguing. I'm always interested to see a woman's perspective. There were a lot of boobs in the 1977 one, and it did nothing for me.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSR9teTCBoniqh5iXgk3VobJwdZjaWd4sCifMDT9CNr97TOKykddlnit203P6D7-3EoyN53zzyL3XyiuXTVkMNg8I95nvsEA7pt01HBmWkgRKJdnnOmcSOPr43VzZSEX_Blpfh7r5GimfuSegOQB1GdoYsxE-m77n7Ii6vajzdDA-uzTdVyL-HjJkdar7n/s1500/91+SC7XkvFL._SL1500_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1045" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSR9teTCBoniqh5iXgk3VobJwdZjaWd4sCifMDT9CNr97TOKykddlnit203P6D7-3EoyN53zzyL3XyiuXTVkMNg8I95nvsEA7pt01HBmWkgRKJdnnOmcSOPr43VzZSEX_Blpfh7r5GimfuSegOQB1GdoYsxE-m77n7Ii6vajzdDA-uzTdVyL-HjJkdar7n/w446-h640/91+SC7XkvFL._SL1500_.jpg" width="446" /></a></div><p>***Spoilers Ahead***</p><p>The plot somewhat follows the old one, Rose gets into a motorcycle accident and has experimental reconstructive surgery that causes her to crave blood. The gore is excellent, and her story line is <i>fleshed out </i>in the new movie. (See what I did there?) Rose is a lowly fashion designer that works for a design house where she is publicly ridiculed and ignored. She has one model friend, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9099952/">Chelsea</a>, that looks like <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1269983/">Krysten Ritter</a>. This movie peels back the curtain of how design houses work. It gives off <i><a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2020/03/covid-19-in-fabric-2019.html">In Fabric</a></i> vibes too. Quick background, Rose is a vegetarian and has scarring on her face from a car accident when she was a child that killed her parents. (So very Disney. Heaven forbid she's not an orphan!)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSWC269aAZRCr1MY47UH8IW8Qp1cpky-A_8Th3Oe-g_6xsakHYMOJwUo0scl_ZgBsgEvxK6pSvzw81e8YzpsxKbhCAGYvXSwbmaO4dAJlpt8YCMUSdJCsXYKCprga1bbP9bD0iqS-3Is-CMW737nKAJRl-Zni5OeyVAAAjdFOmCBZSvYdip-qAJi2hkI9I/s345/rabid-2019-02.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="345" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSWC269aAZRCr1MY47UH8IW8Qp1cpky-A_8Th3Oe-g_6xsakHYMOJwUo0scl_ZgBsgEvxK6pSvzw81e8YzpsxKbhCAGYvXSwbmaO4dAJlpt8YCMUSdJCsXYKCprga1bbP9bD0iqS-3Is-CMW737nKAJRl-Zni5OeyVAAAjdFOmCBZSvYdip-qAJi2hkI9I/w640-h360/rabid-2019-02.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: center;">Krysten Ritter is that you?</p></blockquote><p>The story moves quick, and she gets hood winked into attending a nightclub party by a friendly male co-worker named Brad. He truly seems sincere and likes her. Rose finds out that Chelsea asked him to ask her to go, and she leaves upset, getting into the motorcycle accident.</p><p>All the horrible things about an accident happen if you work in the modeling industry. Part of her face is ripped off and her jaw is wired shut, so she can't talk, her intestines are punctured, and her face is pretty gnarly. Chelsea takes Rose in once she's released, since this cost her the design job. She finds an experimental treatment facility that ~ if she qualifies ~ will take care of her reconstructive surgery for free. (Brings up the idea of the problems with healthcare and how it should be accessible to all regardless if you can afford it or not.) Surprise, she qualifies!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9bHE7KNDe5vZJrs1L9JHebt_4ijB8OXlnfkIqkZn53L-q9_lY-AUuoh0v37EXEJR49fr8V0W9ZHPLbfx9an-6CRZP0Uj0eTgwV3QFnRGdsrJq-nHUvV2O2Z4Be5LETH7iUHJ4_lSpyo_jZLuor_qGKW8nkLglI_2njbnaAtIbJnlmE4_pb95l6JReZ_qu/s630/rabid.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="379" data-original-width="630" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9bHE7KNDe5vZJrs1L9JHebt_4ijB8OXlnfkIqkZn53L-q9_lY-AUuoh0v37EXEJR49fr8V0W9ZHPLbfx9an-6CRZP0Uj0eTgwV3QFnRGdsrJq-nHUvV2O2Z4Be5LETH7iUHJ4_lSpyo_jZLuor_qGKW8nkLglI_2njbnaAtIbJnlmE4_pb95l6JReZ_qu/w640-h386/rabid.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Frankenstein face.</p><p>They graft a gooey clear jello looking piece of prosthesis to her face that bonds to her skin and makes her look like a model (she kind of already looked like a model before the accident), but now she's a <i>supermodel</i>. It clears up her childhood car accident scars and eyesight. The only problem is that she has to take medication that can cause "hallucinations", and she has to drink "protein" when she can't <i>stomach</i> anything else. Calls into question, what are you willing to do to be beautiful? And the doctor claims they are hallucinations, but are they?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbj50Po8ZybfbsAE-WqOTyuWlXVhPxpdSxv3ArweuO4oxoHGWYvN4HDxvf8bqZGK1HxB8GhF0Q_UzAciT4eUSXtd4vEkXOEhEBhFnXLpihN-3JY4BKjGZiNi5A051LeOHvGzmoLHEJIC5ryaoYYEmx_5iu0-FmJrcJO4EpGBddtqWspTR83fRHVq6v03e1/s512/unnamed-1100051178.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="512" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbj50Po8ZybfbsAE-WqOTyuWlXVhPxpdSxv3ArweuO4oxoHGWYvN4HDxvf8bqZGK1HxB8GhF0Q_UzAciT4eUSXtd4vEkXOEhEBhFnXLpihN-3JY4BKjGZiNi5A051LeOHvGzmoLHEJIC5ryaoYYEmx_5iu0-FmJrcJO4EpGBddtqWspTR83fRHVq6v03e1/w640-h360/unnamed-1100051178.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Don't get me wrong, the red is striking, religious vestment style, but how do they see where the blood is when doing surgery? Isn't that why doctors wear white or green? Bonus: I bet they are easy to clean!</p><p>Now that Rose is a gorgeous party girl, she gets noticed by her old design house. Pretty people are rewarded. She gets her design job back, and then some. The difficulty is that she can't tell what's a hallucination or not, and she spreads her illness to others by sharing drink glasses etc. It transmits through saliva and blood. I like how they highlighted this is the movie, so the viewer can catch how it spreads. She creates dead people and zombies in her wake. Hospitals think it’s a contagion and kill the infected. Feels a little COVID-y. There's a slow motion nurse scene that looks like <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0384537/">Silent Hill</a></i> ~ the music video ~ and it's great.</p><p>She feels like a monster, and tells the doctor what's happening, and he's not listening to her. We've all been there, huh, ladies? Instead of getting annoyed at the doctor, check out the wonderful, surreal artwork on the walls in his office!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglIM4INCvOrUaaMqaG6Kt4bePDubZ1_EcvIC-9-DLDZtYkVDZU7WACHRqfw6urviTyzgpYc8gn8dX7zXmK2tNBKs0M8d3BRQUFgkFI4fG_0hJJxXRf9iFyw9OyKCU8HVEZ61kL2PEFCNGQl8vkegt5sBbrc21RPoOLU69egNOvk-5oBNN7inQCzxC7oi3p/s345/rabid-2019-03.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="345" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglIM4INCvOrUaaMqaG6Kt4bePDubZ1_EcvIC-9-DLDZtYkVDZU7WACHRqfw6urviTyzgpYc8gn8dX7zXmK2tNBKs0M8d3BRQUFgkFI4fG_0hJJxXRf9iFyw9OyKCU8HVEZ61kL2PEFCNGQl8vkegt5sBbrc21RPoOLU69egNOvk-5oBNN7inQCzxC7oi3p/w640-h360/rabid-2019-03.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Painting behind the doctor of a person without a face. Turning a "blind-eye" ~ if you will ~ to what's happening at this facility or giving off the feeling that Rose one of the many faceless victims to his whims.</p><p>Rose gets contained in the treatment facility, along with her friend Brad, who's <i>been in on what's happening to her</i>. But it doesn't feel malicious, he cares about her and was just told to keep an eye on her. It's a body horror ending that will remind you of <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084787/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">The Thing</a></i>, and <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098354/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Society</a></i>, combined with a little <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0439815/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Slither</a></i>. Reminder: don't just stab, but ALWAYS chop off the head. It ends on a stark, depressing note, but did you expect anything else from the makers of <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1959332/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_q_american%2520mary">American Mary</a></i>? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVqAS1jxbc229zm81qEAbqjqHiE3VnwRBCgjg0f-MJ5ELRnF9Y9UQZtI2MTbSTm9yECEPwQH8ddt84aGmTjalmMmpLuFuItCp31xXYuB0uLkoUlJio5cfBWePuLbXEP7Pf4PfGiYQLBnQ4j0uBBq47sqdwv6Pr9ypx1t4KZDsvzcTFqOxV-FDqd_Pp2Hkn/s1000/rabid-2019-movie-film-horror-remake-3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1000" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVqAS1jxbc229zm81qEAbqjqHiE3VnwRBCgjg0f-MJ5ELRnF9Y9UQZtI2MTbSTm9yECEPwQH8ddt84aGmTjalmMmpLuFuItCp31xXYuB0uLkoUlJio5cfBWePuLbXEP7Pf4PfGiYQLBnQ4j0uBBq47sqdwv6Pr9ypx1t4KZDsvzcTFqOxV-FDqd_Pp2Hkn/w640-h384/rabid-2019-movie-film-horror-remake-3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>"Being human is limited, Rose is so much more." The actress that plays Rose conveys all the concerns you would have in this situation. This is the perfect homage with respect to the original, and you won't be disappointed there's still an armpit dick and lots of red doctors uniforms. Highly recommend. I give it 4.5 protein shakes out of 5.</p><p>Here's the trailer</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E24TLm2WNQg" width="320" youtube-src-id="E24TLm2WNQg"></iframe></div><br /><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Fluffy the Vampire Slayerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16509348645086345089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4115582697468834728.post-8607388121709696142023-08-08T09:55:00.004-04:002023-08-08T09:55:46.391-04:00Feline Immunodeficiency Virus <p>Even though I am catless (don't get me started, I'm really depressed about it, and just want <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2017/02/ginger-rogers-kitty.html">Ginger</a> and <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2017/03/vicktor-frankenstein-kitty.html">Vicktor</a> back ~ no other cats...yet) I belong to a bunch of cat groups on Facebook. One of the common questions people ask is about FIV+ cats, aka cats that are positive for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus. </p><p>FIV+ affects the cat's immune system, and may be dormant for many years. It may make the cat susceptible to other infections, but as long as they are taken care of by their owner, the vet visits are the same as any other cats. They can live long happy and healthy lives. It's only transmitted to other cats through a bite, not shared grooming or sharing bowls. <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2017/11/stop-jack-frost-cabin-fever-cat.html">So logically, keep your FIV+ cat indoors</a>.</p><p>FIV+ cats aren't as troubled and deathly sick as people seem to think they are. When we had <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2018/03/missing-hans-keeping-tidy-cat.html">Hans</a>, he was FIV+. As far as I know, he didn't pass it to Vicktor or Ginger. </p><p>Our Christmas card 2007. Hans, Ginger, & Vicktor. As you can see, Hans was a handsome fellow.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgQv1ayzjg5TvH_RGTkUWpywO8kTqlPfzG6m9Y0ZZvtKU_Os-hSVf2ZJYCojeff3TzbSFPBRN4WdtZeada3OdlgbFwpfNV6SflduKhVPwJ71JSxkIvpycqK-nbf4iQeOwGq8v9u4PxuOZysSDVsL48tuWZ4a7bUXOyH3rtXN98HDHx6_E2vNoFTcDyewK8/s783/holiday_xmas_card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="783" data-original-width="657" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgQv1ayzjg5TvH_RGTkUWpywO8kTqlPfzG6m9Y0ZZvtKU_Os-hSVf2ZJYCojeff3TzbSFPBRN4WdtZeada3OdlgbFwpfNV6SflduKhVPwJ71JSxkIvpycqK-nbf4iQeOwGq8v9u4PxuOZysSDVsL48tuWZ4a7bUXOyH3rtXN98HDHx6_E2vNoFTcDyewK8/s320/holiday_xmas_card.jpg" width="269" /></a></div><p><i><b>So please don't let a cat being FIV+ deter you from adopting them.</b></i></p><p>Click <a href="https://fivcats.com/index.html">here</a> for a good website on FIV+. </p><p><br /></p>Fluffy the Vampire Slayerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16509348645086345089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4115582697468834728.post-37415919924418113582023-08-07T10:48:00.004-04:002023-08-07T10:48:28.577-04:00Buffalo Oddities & Curiosities Expo 2023<p> <a href="https://odditiesandcuriositiesexpo.com/" style="font-style: italic;">The Oddities and Curiosities Expo</a> came back to Buffalo, this year for<b> two days</b>, and again I dragged Jodee Bowie with me.<i> </i>(You can read about my experience last year <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2022/08/">here</a>.)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqqcsXocz5kY5zeDB1xxeecKn_zkMpO0vd2s7T1poDhqxUtVlh4OhDY3bOQMiYEq-zS2bwTw3zItgX92H1U88PTruzMY-jdmuqukkKAWsLNFqDvk7Pwkaldf5fr7PfcZ0mnp7RrLW-5X1Tipgi5wWfdu4CKfcz8XlIM2mEounXkv2E5PYREVaij9qAzbM/s1000/ad0c0167-4cc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqqcsXocz5kY5zeDB1xxeecKn_zkMpO0vd2s7T1poDhqxUtVlh4OhDY3bOQMiYEq-zS2bwTw3zItgX92H1U88PTruzMY-jdmuqukkKAWsLNFqDvk7Pwkaldf5fr7PfcZ0mnp7RrLW-5X1Tipgi5wWfdu4CKfcz8XlIM2mEounXkv2E5PYREVaij9qAzbM/w640-h320/ad0c0167-4cc.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>This year it seemed like there were fewer booths compared to last year, and fewer attendees, but that could be because it was broken into two days instead of just one. I went on Sunday. There was a ton of taxidermy and wet specimens ~ if you're into that sort of thing. I mainly went looking for "Evil Eye" jewelry. After reading <i><a href="https://redwheelweiser.com/book/the-evil-eye-9781578637973/">The Evil Eye: The History, Mystery, and Magic of the Quiet Curse by Pagliarulo</a></i>, I've become obsessed. (You can read my full review of the book in the upcoming<i> <a href="https://www.auxiliarymagazine.com/">Auxiliary Magazine</a></i> issue for Fall/ Winter 2023.) </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTgdMipbYRKgtg4N2sZBMcdKmPughGScJrytOgeNNSutbzt4hxNSarM9GuCdn1AS9-W7Y1p7_8T8kG4vlsQ005N_ROAiOn-04MqBPpD6S2orbABcvjWnJwL0IN1Y9DrsfJHjjPlNDkiDYuTWMKnYRobcAAKlcV4_KgTaykyzQiCTXbAmvVJoiTKdSBFAgH/s900/157863797X.01.S001.LXXXXXXX.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTgdMipbYRKgtg4N2sZBMcdKmPughGScJrytOgeNNSutbzt4hxNSarM9GuCdn1AS9-W7Y1p7_8T8kG4vlsQ005N_ROAiOn-04MqBPpD6S2orbABcvjWnJwL0IN1Y9DrsfJHjjPlNDkiDYuTWMKnYRobcAAKlcV4_KgTaykyzQiCTXbAmvVJoiTKdSBFAgH/w266-h400/157863797X.01.S001.LXXXXXXX.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">I'm surprised they didn't have much in the way of Evil Eyes, but I did find a necklace I fell in love with! This is from <i><a href="https://mistybondy.myshopify.com/">Misty Bondy</a></i>, who I remember being at the <i>Oddities </i>show last year, but her booth was so crowded I think I just walked on by. I'm so glad I stopped. She not only designs her jewelry, but makes original art work too! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEITod6ZVaZl2FsdrNv8zCq3SpcpmXbxvE6W9DTaCVNRHkZBtvan8r37pE62UyCPQIUhj7UqDJeZDfeYbPrbbJFuiPTPR30jWdioOQXwBp0vdNqkeyiE-RFfEMsF5yeu-yB6kge38MGFkK2HiJm0Eq2NvtneKE521mMMXEjuAxVjixKm5qKgh0J4A3SoEv/s783/IMG_20230807_082305615_PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="783" data-original-width="587" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEITod6ZVaZl2FsdrNv8zCq3SpcpmXbxvE6W9DTaCVNRHkZBtvan8r37pE62UyCPQIUhj7UqDJeZDfeYbPrbbJFuiPTPR30jWdioOQXwBp0vdNqkeyiE-RFfEMsF5yeu-yB6kge38MGFkK2HiJm0Eq2NvtneKE521mMMXEjuAxVjixKm5qKgh0J4A3SoEv/w300-h400/IMG_20230807_082305615_PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">I had to visit <i><a href="https://thesmelloffear.com/password">Smell of Fear</a></i> candles. She's a local gal that has worked with <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2023/01/the-final-girl-support-group.html">Grady Hendrix</a> (he wrote a few books that I have reviewed) and she's also a customer at my shop <i><a href="https://catslikeus.com/">Cats Like Us</a>! </i>I picked up this candle because I love the smell of old lady....I mean lavender. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjygnQl_vpNRJ2CMtzvFyHGoteo7oZElTv87__bLkaX2LdF8sTq0sNoqrl2Fl3YGP1VMxeJVpeMx6va_W8YLjgCb-NaL-rAo7Cl3YVUNkniCWBx0Lnpaybs9qJhCd8z56bMnrh9pt_IrgsNFx4dpB--1_DLrqAV6sqYtKNoaYTudV-B9jyW7pBOeirONqWn/s4000/IMG_20230807_082120202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjygnQl_vpNRJ2CMtzvFyHGoteo7oZElTv87__bLkaX2LdF8sTq0sNoqrl2Fl3YGP1VMxeJVpeMx6va_W8YLjgCb-NaL-rAo7Cl3YVUNkniCWBx0Lnpaybs9qJhCd8z56bMnrh9pt_IrgsNFx4dpB--1_DLrqAV6sqYtKNoaYTudV-B9jyW7pBOeirONqWn/w300-h400/IMG_20230807_082120202.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEeDKK-8XLvlmud2OUEcsvXGfQ9XJ5scIdVmblnRtiosKX1rd_i8s-XOWTaRTM87yDxjXainKNeFmoAvRnvOQYq1EuZUhpB9y4kLOeDwwefx34HOWxHrhCqiP-qd_v0Lou2vLmtqHZdQ4j86HQNb9CMoYrq1u2JwN00nZYfWAfOBQDCsdZK3Ue18iNAjjW/s4000/IMG_20230807_082125828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEeDKK-8XLvlmud2OUEcsvXGfQ9XJ5scIdVmblnRtiosKX1rd_i8s-XOWTaRTM87yDxjXainKNeFmoAvRnvOQYq1EuZUhpB9y4kLOeDwwefx34HOWxHrhCqiP-qd_v0Lou2vLmtqHZdQ4j86HQNb9CMoYrq1u2JwN00nZYfWAfOBQDCsdZK3Ue18iNAjjW/w300-h400/IMG_20230807_082125828.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Next, I stumbled into the booth of <i><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/LynneAndLucille">lynne&lucille</a></i> where I couldn't resist the simplicity of these modern looking earrings made from autopsy needles. She has jewelry made from bones and drum cymbals too. Even cool skull choker necklaces. A truly unique addition to the <i>Oddities </i>show!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjx1QyZyGP45mZDAeyeHL9SHP1bbc6FRekVWNhDW_o2c6_VM89oBIB7BudlGYJ1xFj01aQliD6LZBZF1RNMfz2GX6FWjpP_Zs5NAJwTxgoz3EapOk8SBXPvbMG23BcjPbLbecL_KnfPdQnTsuGuedT_FyRqq_1t3w97QAO2QP12I83A_K4t-I83mKC6Lix/s4000/IMG_20230807_082152702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjx1QyZyGP45mZDAeyeHL9SHP1bbc6FRekVWNhDW_o2c6_VM89oBIB7BudlGYJ1xFj01aQliD6LZBZF1RNMfz2GX6FWjpP_Zs5NAJwTxgoz3EapOk8SBXPvbMG23BcjPbLbecL_KnfPdQnTsuGuedT_FyRqq_1t3w97QAO2QP12I83A_K4t-I83mKC6Lix/s320/IMG_20230807_082152702.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">I was excited to see that <i><a href="http://moroseandmacabre.com/index.html">Morose & Macabre</a></i> were back! They have some of my favorite loose tea, so I grabbed more of the Amityville, and I liked the smell of Widow Black (even though I'm still trying to quit caffeine.)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1bNm3aH1xVcJJG7zJ3i3pYls2Pgwy3j1VQRe59qCgnSiTVNAG4d-q4uEzfG_PqH1GDEpBoKTuY8OzjI0A5jpsmZKdg4-VwDswmHMZ5I_94VTSmRlqzVuvVp1HOCbdMZjDPc1t6ihw3uGOLy0UO0Xxk0ud_aAJq-P_B_Jcf8YG6eVpb7W539S2e3XHY6O/s4000/IMG_20230807_082041499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1bNm3aH1xVcJJG7zJ3i3pYls2Pgwy3j1VQRe59qCgnSiTVNAG4d-q4uEzfG_PqH1GDEpBoKTuY8OzjI0A5jpsmZKdg4-VwDswmHMZ5I_94VTSmRlqzVuvVp1HOCbdMZjDPc1t6ihw3uGOLy0UO0Xxk0ud_aAJq-P_B_Jcf8YG6eVpb7W539S2e3XHY6O/w300-h400/IMG_20230807_082041499.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Overall, it was a good show again and I saw a bunch of friends. Here's a picture that someone took for Jodee and I. I'm wearing these wonderfully comfortable swishy cargo/ harem pants that everyone hates except me. lol. And it's super off kilter, just like we are. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtcFTofIdIiCLvj2Y6nmdGVnOyVCPvFikg0M6OZrLnwP17TVm_YzAxoM984LU-aJEmCDtsdLrwf-R_sDhsCyIW1_DskZq_P0eu0TfIih0H21LEonhSKA5tV2lDdIqd7ReQXhFrv-RWo2UtOeHb0jW02_mhuyj1jobA7vA1oT4qrSQzflY45_jX8akSX2rR/s4000/IMG_20230806_115649204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtcFTofIdIiCLvj2Y6nmdGVnOyVCPvFikg0M6OZrLnwP17TVm_YzAxoM984LU-aJEmCDtsdLrwf-R_sDhsCyIW1_DskZq_P0eu0TfIih0H21LEonhSKA5tV2lDdIqd7ReQXhFrv-RWo2UtOeHb0jW02_mhuyj1jobA7vA1oT4qrSQzflY45_jX8akSX2rR/w300-h400/IMG_20230806_115649204.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Thanks again for reading!</p>Fluffy the Vampire Slayerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16509348645086345089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4115582697468834728.post-777827481730596502023-07-11T10:11:00.000-04:002023-07-11T10:11:07.911-04:00The Getaway<p>Carnivals and amusement parks have always fascinated me, and it's because
of their <i>duality</i>. A carnival during the day is bright and cheerful,
filled with kids, but at night it's lit up for the adults, and can often
be dark and seedy with beer tents, and in the olden days - "cooch
shows". Freaks, geeks, and fortune tellers were just a small part of the sordid goings-on. I've
watched <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319969/">Carnivale</a></i>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022913/"><i>Freaks</i></a>, <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7740496/">Nightmare Alley</a></i>, and read <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1937908677">Geek Love</a></i> by Katherine Dunn (btw it is super f*cked up. It's one of
the few books I own, AND have read at least twice. What can I say? I like f'ed up stories.)</p><div dir="auto">There are giant
amusement park rides filled with life - people, sights, sounds, and
smells in their heyday, compared to empty amusement parks left to rot. i.e. one of the many is <a href="https://www.themeparktourist.com/features/20141109/29597/haunting-photos-abandoned-pripyat-amusement-park"><i>Chernobyl's Pripyat Amusement Park</i></a>. I can watch urban
explorer footage and pictures of abandoned amusement parks for hours. </div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">I've
been to <i><a href="https://www.cedarpoint.com/">Cedar Point</a></i>, <i><a href="https://www.sixflags.com/darienlake">Six Flags</a></i>, the <i><a href="https://www.ecfair.org/">Erie County Fair</a></i>, <i><a href="https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us">Universal Studios</a></i>, but the king is <i><a href="https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/vacation-planning/?ef_id=CjwKCAjw-7OlBhB8EiwAnoOEk_NpB104Xc2d3w16Fj7WE8Mw3VApkFNvVebTX8yCdc73Ij_3BllsHhoC8BQQAvD_BwE:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!5060!3!601103288317!e!!g!!walt%20disney%20world&CMP=KNC-FY23_WDW_TRA_DXF_W365_SCP_SCP_Gold%7CG%7C5231213.RR.AM.01.01%7CMYBUBPO%7CBR%7C601103288317&keyword_id=kwd-12198241%7Cdc%7Cwalt%20disney%20world%7C601103288317%7Ce%7C5060:3%7C&gclid=CjwKCAjw-7OlBhB8EiwAnoOEk_NpB104Xc2d3w16Fj7WE8Mw3VApkFNvVebTX8yCdc73Ij_3BllsHhoC8BQQAvD_BwE">Walt Disney World</a></i>. It's a place created to be "the
happiest place on earth" and it truly is a <i>world</i> in itself, with a huge
amount of staff scrambling to make every visitor's experience perfect.
They work in underground tunnels, running everything as smoothly as
possible, like the "haves" above ground and "have-nots" below. This
brings me to my book review of <i><a href="https://www.lamargiles.com/order-the-getaway">The Getaway</a></i> by Lamar Giles. He's known
for kids and young adult books but has written some thrillers too, and I'd categorize <i>The Getaway</i> under horror.</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3V93CvYQYtVHt-sqBVGQUJP7zZon6bzWH7SWeCXKNWclKmn5c3caJEJ79OKzZ2V8kpaO7uttq31KEdhmvK1WEmviNaqgBymhnExhgtPHo3B6fIncso8W1v48bZwDgMT85uTEAYoNUzKqsVrKQHuHmUjZQpOuwPda6K1KoIKdEAFyLcw7cXpSaQdy-uEeW/s4000/IMG_20230711_082310533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3V93CvYQYtVHt-sqBVGQUJP7zZon6bzWH7SWeCXKNWclKmn5c3caJEJ79OKzZ2V8kpaO7uttq31KEdhmvK1WEmviNaqgBymhnExhgtPHo3B6fIncso8W1v48bZwDgMT85uTEAYoNUzKqsVrKQHuHmUjZQpOuwPda6K1KoIKdEAFyLcw7cXpSaQdy-uEeW/w480-h640/IMG_20230711_082310533.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">***Mostly spoiler free review***</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">It's
the story of a place in the not too distant future similar to Disney
called Karloff Country. Although it's even more excessive with its own
energy grid, food production, and community. It's located in Virginia, since
global warming has destroyed the coastlines. The book follows four high
school students that live on the premises. Their lifestyle feels safe
for a few years <i>until it's not</i>. Outside the walls of their sheltered
commune, are food shortages causing riots, capital uprisings and more.
Karloff Country goes into lockdown. The elite trustees are the ones trying to make
Karloff their perfect refuge to hide from the chaos in the outside world.
They move in to their mansions on the grounds, furthering the great divide of
the rich people with abundance, and those living without food outside. The creator of
the amusement park wanted the apocalypse to happen, so he could start
fresh and make everything "better" only it devolves into chaos and spins out of control.</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">I couldn't put
this book down. Just when you think the most horrific thing happens,
there's more! It's written perfectly with short chapters, and some are titled after the characters indicating that they are the voice
of those chapters to give you a well-rounded and clear perspective of
the narrative. The characters are relatable and likeable. Giles writes black teenagers with expertise. Between
chapters are snippets of marketing and ads for Karloff Country to give
the story context and history. This book is timely, jarring, and there's even a
reference to <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2017/03/movie-lost-boys.html" style="font-style: italic;">The Lost Boys</a>, how could I not love this book? </div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">If you like Jordan Peele and his movie <i><a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2017/10/movie-get-out-2017.html">Get Out</a></i>, you'll like this. It has a similar vibe and I can't recommend it enough.</div>Fluffy the Vampire Slayerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16509348645086345089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4115582697468834728.post-13957580956267051392023-06-23T10:42:00.003-04:002023-06-23T10:44:41.992-04:00Our Share of Night<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbUDR9KE7yRfqcP7sx57auo-ztxJX33kZBbiBZvcle-lZ6cZhU5GAjxObuwouyni9_OHcgALuYcBAcClE70Bdxy3ai_aJ9fXMDmcoJZQr80bI-WNzq_wwQxnop4NJBj5qRqrQ9C_k3Nge5Vk-s3tn4pXVQFB4_iNP2VJQiYsDjawi9UN4GkURqbJruANU7/s2560/81udvmp4S6L.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1696" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbUDR9KE7yRfqcP7sx57auo-ztxJX33kZBbiBZvcle-lZ6cZhU5GAjxObuwouyni9_OHcgALuYcBAcClE70Bdxy3ai_aJ9fXMDmcoJZQr80bI-WNzq_wwQxnop4NJBj5qRqrQ9C_k3Nge5Vk-s3tn4pXVQFB4_iNP2VJQiYsDjawi9UN4GkURqbJruANU7/w424-h640/81udvmp4S6L.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><p><i>Our Share of Night</i> by Mariana Enriquez has mixed reviews, but I recommend it. It's a true gory horror
novel, and covers a lot of ground while weaving together an epic story
that spans generations. It's about a family that's part of a
maniacal, sadistic supernatural order in Argentina in the 1960s
through 1990s. Members want to reform the hierarchy of the cult and
make it less abusive. The cult part of the story is almost a
backdrop to the characters because the members are still trying to
learn about what the dark god they worship wants, and how to get it to grant eternal life. </p>
The political aspect can't be ignored, or the social divide. The
rich cult members are the embodiment of evil. There are elements of
folk horror, haunted houses, human sacrifices, ghosts, but also
harsh disturbing real things that people do to maintain power.
Trigger warning there's rape and suicide mentioned, amputations, and
A LOT of child abuse.
<div dir="auto"><br />
</div>
<div dir="auto">I wasn't sure how this book would read since it was
translated, but you can't even tell! It's a thick book at almost
600pgs but the sections are short, and each chapter is the voice of
a different character, which I love. You can see how they start out
and why they develop into who they become. </div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">p.s. I miss all of you, I just haven't had time to blog, but this book had to be shared! My business takes a lot out of me. Thank you for understanding, and you can always follow my fb page, where I post stupid memes. lol. <i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063737763326">Fluffy the Vampire Slayer</a></i></div>Fluffy the Vampire Slayerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16509348645086345089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4115582697468834728.post-17600675391932341512023-04-14T10:52:00.003-04:002023-04-14T12:18:21.372-04:00Mary: An Awakening of Terror <p> I was recommended <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/58724622"><i>Mary: An Awakening of Terror</i> by Nat Cassidy</a> because I loved <i><a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2022/04/bunny-book.html">Bunny</a></i>. I can say it does not disappoint! Deeper review below without spoilers...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9zvJAk3Fiz0bDswpVX0BeLSURiNG-J8xeQHTqxqKbB4fk8llF2Jid9-wyYMlDRoF_G3HRBmAlZM9A5WySIEZyp5i1SX63XYcFjWww7QXWoyHJ7XsazC5y2oB4kXatMcZF-u7xbwp7cPbGdbEbuaqXFQb3BjfKD5hvmDYvs3Pc13ly-ltmOn_FYq1ERA/s500/9781250265234.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="326" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9zvJAk3Fiz0bDswpVX0BeLSURiNG-J8xeQHTqxqKbB4fk8llF2Jid9-wyYMlDRoF_G3HRBmAlZM9A5WySIEZyp5i1SX63XYcFjWww7QXWoyHJ7XsazC5y2oB4kXatMcZF-u7xbwp7cPbGdbEbuaqXFQb3BjfKD5hvmDYvs3Pc13ly-ltmOn_FYq1ERA/w261-h400/9781250265234.webp" width="261" /></a></div><p>Good books tend to cover themes relevant to society, and <i>Mary</i> is a true horror in every sense. It covers menopause..dun. dun. dun. No really, it's about a woman named Mary who is quiet, keeps to herself, has forgotten much of her childhood, and is experiencing the symptoms of menopause...mixed with other strange signs. So if you have ever been to a doctor, and they brush off your concerns as just part of menopause, you know the <i><b>rage</b></i> Mary feels. She's ignored and dismissed, but is she really? Maybe I just really connect with this book because I can relate. </p><p>BUT that's not all! There is a trigger warning at the beginning of the book written by Cassidy to let us know what we are in for. There's a little something for everyone... animal mutilation, implied sexual abuse, verbal abuse, mental illness, misogyny, bullying, reincarnation, ghosts, a cult, and lots and lots of blood. I should mention that this book was written by a man. I know! Furthermore, I was shocked! He wrote an Afterword explaining why he wrote it, and I'm glad he created <i>Mary</i>. I finally feel acknowledged as an older woman. (Yes, I'm old, believe it or not.) It's his debut novel and was voted one of the best horror books of 2022. There's a movie in development too.</p><div dir="auto">Mary's internal dialog is intense, realistic, funny, and a bit <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/28676">American Psycho</a></i>. There's some <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070917/">Wicker Man</a></i> vibes too. I loved it, and it's easily one of my favorite books now. Each chapter ends with an "Oh shit!" moment, and will have you going through a roller coaster of emotions, or ....maybe that's just my menopause talking. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!</div><div dir="auto"><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><div dir="auto"><div dir="auto"><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div></div></div></div></div>Fluffy the Vampire Slayerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16509348645086345089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4115582697468834728.post-77649465545249379392023-03-16T14:06:00.000-04:002023-03-16T14:06:33.235-04:00Movie: The Black Cat (1981)<p>I'm one of the few people that still gets the DVDs from my <a href="https://www.netflix.com/">Netflix</a> subscription. (We have a VHS player too.) "Why?" You ask? Because they offer different movies than the ones that are streaming, like the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucio_Fulci">Fulci</a> gem <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080440/">The Black Cat</a></i> from 1981, not to be confused with the more well known <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024894/"><i>The Black Cat</i> from 1934 with Karloff and Lugosi</a>, or <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060171/">The Black Cat</a></i> from 1966, or all the movies named The Black Cat from 1941, 1968, 1989, 1991. Many are loosely based on the <a href="https://poestories.com/read/blackcat">Poe story</a> we know and love. While the 1981 version is not a "<i>good</i>" movie, I will say it's an amazing <i><b>CAT-centric</b></i> movie!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-pKfb1YuQNjyqHzqQpN3nYYdl_kadHO41loFrnZKMvMya9X1EfnwZg_7dxVIwfn_JxYoSVllQnX1PV1XYrReL1cVkCCdq8-qExpIDjnpSMI3hsawOQAyCZYymSNEbhoYd_zktq_qdzrODAjlvemaP8D11OSDElLxvth0vv6MTtjpfxsV2vHXUFIj1w/s639/mv5bmwjkowrhytctmti2yi00nzu5lwi2mtytngrly2fkzjzjmmvhxkeyxkfqcgdeqxvynzc5mja3oa4040._v1_.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="457" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-pKfb1YuQNjyqHzqQpN3nYYdl_kadHO41loFrnZKMvMya9X1EfnwZg_7dxVIwfn_JxYoSVllQnX1PV1XYrReL1cVkCCdq8-qExpIDjnpSMI3hsawOQAyCZYymSNEbhoYd_zktq_qdzrODAjlvemaP8D11OSDElLxvth0vv6MTtjpfxsV2vHXUFIj1w/w286-h400/mv5bmwjkowrhytctmti2yi00nzu5lwi2mtytngrly2fkzjzjmmvhxkeyxkfqcgdeqxvynzc5mja3oa4040._v1_.webp" width="286" /></a></div><br /><p>*spoilers ahead*</p><p>We get the point of view camera angle from the level of a cat, and he seems to be everywhere that people are ending up dead. The cat belong to Mr. Miles, an eccentric man that records spirits of the recently deceased. He has a wonderful old mansion house too! Lots of woodwork, giant staircases, candelabras...you get the idea. In the beginning, we are led to believe that cat is being forced to kill people as an act of revenge, but with the help of an American photographer, we learn that there's more to it. Both the cat and Miles are “bound by hatred” and by the end of the film the cat is the more powerful one, controlling Miles to kill!</p><p>I'll admit, not much happens in the movie, but it's a remarkable watch because they use a real black cat throughout. At only one point when the cat attacks can you tell it's a fake cat. It's rather impressive. I'm sure there was more than one cat actor used in the movie, and I loved all the close-ups of the cats and the purring sounds. There's also no dialog for about the first 15 minutes, which is fine as long as I'm watching a cat.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja1tr1c3G3W2-sB3QJIDpe6lwHjEbVz-KtURt_zeTdvLChoAy8Ti0e2kRpVkpZQBIqLj2ffo9zfmJMvANOaRI29V5cO_PrPtkvTX0ffJ-cEm2W6uh4_FYBgJ6Ay6Gh98Mnj0CE-H47wsya0g9Ph6lPMFPNkxBW8jHMx6OB36dadvCq_Oiaz_95PKxBQA/s640/blackcat1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja1tr1c3G3W2-sB3QJIDpe6lwHjEbVz-KtURt_zeTdvLChoAy8Ti0e2kRpVkpZQBIqLj2ffo9zfmJMvANOaRI29V5cO_PrPtkvTX0ffJ-cEm2W6uh4_FYBgJ6Ay6Gh98Mnj0CE-H47wsya0g9Ph6lPMFPNkxBW8jHMx6OB36dadvCq_Oiaz_95PKxBQA/w640-h360/blackcat1.png" width="640" /></a></div><p>There wasn't just close-ups of the cats, but the eyes of the actors too....<i>a little too much close-up</i>. The lighting was interesting and at one point there were floating glowing eyes. The eyes have it! The town they are in looks quaint, sometimes overly foggy. The acting is ok, and there's your typical boobs, and several awkward make out sessions from the 1980s horror movie genre. (That's saying a lot since the movie's run time is only 1hr 32min.) The soundtrack has a folk horror sound that sets the tone.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8PRXOxfc4QB83C1OKHJ8C70sR3_kzWvlHg7oeWueLAON5IrZ5VSP3K9zkDggm5ibgVi7toZ0cjOKMFhwVUUti-iYhzaJadTr1IEguFS90dnRrBLgPHAxgFyyMcB7HGcQXlTSbZwFa4agi0nnqADM3KYtYFSQLyrsleBnD5RF4nbnmUnnXprlWDWLW2Q/s740/31-days-black-cat8.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="348" data-original-width="740" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8PRXOxfc4QB83C1OKHJ8C70sR3_kzWvlHg7oeWueLAON5IrZ5VSP3K9zkDggm5ibgVi7toZ0cjOKMFhwVUUti-iYhzaJadTr1IEguFS90dnRrBLgPHAxgFyyMcB7HGcQXlTSbZwFa4agi0nnqADM3KYtYFSQLyrsleBnD5RF4nbnmUnnXprlWDWLW2Q/w400-h208/31-days-black-cat8.webp" width="400" /></a></div><p>Some special effects are well<i> executed</i> (see what I did there?), a highlight is the scene where a woman catches fire and her face melts. Some effects are not so great, like the scene with the fake bats, or bright white skeletons covered in cobwebs.</p><p>*trigger warnings*</p><p>Miles does try to kill the cat a couple of times, when he feels the cat is getting stronger than him. He tries to kill it by hanging it. While they never show it, they do show it in shadow, and the cat ends up living. (Yay, evil kitty!) Another time he tries to poison and bury it alive, it's mentioned but not shown.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd2bu1IPW6UH7ApDyCi-htIjLUisc4vMekYLWuRpMZXTxgBEcQuM91CLp-XSbOI4G9Nt_4Wc3ebomFewo2wR37c9Sm8bszHPskxl2vJ1dpOrIkM9HF-jU47_OmVxbEWNOgj3fQXdVIBAAHccMdqV_H6C2gdt5qRpd4JosbW0Tfr3liDTHGyhp5u8udIQ/s1024/the-black-cat-11.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="1024" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd2bu1IPW6UH7ApDyCi-htIjLUisc4vMekYLWuRpMZXTxgBEcQuM91CLp-XSbOI4G9Nt_4Wc3ebomFewo2wR37c9Sm8bszHPskxl2vJ1dpOrIkM9HF-jU47_OmVxbEWNOgj3fQXdVIBAAHccMdqV_H6C2gdt5qRpd4JosbW0Tfr3liDTHGyhp5u8udIQ/w400-h169/the-black-cat-11.webp" width="400" /></a></div><p>The first awkward make out session shows a young couple, and it gets a little rape-y, when she says no, and he tries to convince her to have sex. Not cool.</p><p>As a whole I give it a 1.5 out of 5 drinks at the pub (yes, yes, I know Fulci has a cult following, but I'm not in that cult), but I give it a <i>6 out of 5</i> for use of real cats!</p><p>Here's the trailer...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ofLECchzQto" width="320" youtube-src-id="ofLECchzQto"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p>Fluffy the Vampire Slayerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16509348645086345089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4115582697468834728.post-10567296860764968512023-03-01T09:51:00.000-05:002023-03-01T09:51:04.987-05:00Cult Classic: A Novel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDkljKkK2B7JVrPIW1c6m9khfKvtBB0jSG_U0vgza_2_QPkmckl7p6_nq8hw4hF0vWhqKEgcPf9MpaTOh_UOEqUji-Dcbb3FG3yNYIII_mw2jVE8hazlGYxYM444jeW-ISWOdjkTsLSSO2rcV_9VTU2c3aOTcMXlMk6sJqsEb3ES62AhPUquJ1eMIffg/s788/IMG_20230228_142145229_PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="602" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDkljKkK2B7JVrPIW1c6m9khfKvtBB0jSG_U0vgza_2_QPkmckl7p6_nq8hw4hF0vWhqKEgcPf9MpaTOh_UOEqUji-Dcbb3FG3yNYIII_mw2jVE8hazlGYxYM444jeW-ISWOdjkTsLSSO2rcV_9VTU2c3aOTcMXlMk6sJqsEb3ES62AhPUquJ1eMIffg/w305-h400/IMG_20230228_142145229_PORTRAIT.jpg" width="305" /></a></div><p><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/58772761">Cult Classic</a> </i>was recommended to me, and after reading the plot I was excited to dig in, because <i>cults</i> am I right?! But I'm afraid it was just ok. Or maybe I'm too old to read it? It's <a href="https://www.sloanecrosley.com/cult-classic">Sloane Crosley</a>'s first novel and the quality of writing is wonderful, with dry wit and real poignant observations about relationships, BUT Lola, the main character, is annoying and unlikable. She has a string of ex-boyfriends that she keeps running into on the streets of New York City. Oddly, she finds out it's not fate, but that she's the key experiment in her friend's new cult. It makes sense since she seems to think the world revolves around her. Well, it's sort of a cult? But more like a new age organization that thinks they can "will" encounters to happen? It's sort of unclear.</p><p>Since Lola is now engaged, she is told by the cult she's seeking closure with her exes. It makes her question her relationship with her fiancé. Is he just convenient? Her inner dialog goes on for sometimes three pages, and as a reader I found myself drifting off
into my own thoughts. I was unable to sympathize with her. She doesn't really like her friends, and everyone seems emotionally distant and superficial. Honestly, there's no one in the book I would root for. (Pro tip: Life is too short to be friends with people you don't like.)</p><div dir="auto">In the end, we find out that all of her lovers reappearing is a ploy by her fiancé ~ with the help of the cult ~ to see if she really loves him. He tested her
instead of asking her about her exes. I once had a teacher say
the key to a good relationship is communication. What do the youngins say? This could have been an email? Well, this could have been a
simple conversation between two adults instead of a book about boring ex-boyfriends. Lol.</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div>Fluffy the Vampire Slayerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16509348645086345089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4115582697468834728.post-52144297933683058002023-02-28T13:48:00.000-05:002023-02-28T13:48:03.412-05:00Movie: Knock At the Cabin (2023)<p> <i>Knock at the Cabin</i> wasn't terrible, it just wasn't good. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-hxKaWCcr1BlLafKEhFDmmFvb6DTQbZ_AJCNOwzIvsitntPd8dvVogaoSusNq_g26EYu3gMIPGSNbCQI7LAvntldruEY1n9k-fmYb2ucwWkzgtyii8YCHKq2SjF3MYkw6TFtlbVo_J5Smk0QoUqxFgkOeRuBmbPuUAhVfz6MiJivj9EtN-nKu4tsARA/s1789/il_1140xN.4419105692_oham.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1789" data-original-width="1140" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-hxKaWCcr1BlLafKEhFDmmFvb6DTQbZ_AJCNOwzIvsitntPd8dvVogaoSusNq_g26EYu3gMIPGSNbCQI7LAvntldruEY1n9k-fmYb2ucwWkzgtyii8YCHKq2SjF3MYkw6TFtlbVo_J5Smk0QoUqxFgkOeRuBmbPuUAhVfz6MiJivj9EtN-nKu4tsARA/w408-h640/il_1140xN.4419105692_oham.webp" width="408" /></a></div><p>*Spoiler Alert*</p><div dir="auto">Directed by M. Night Shamalamadingdong a.k.a. M. Night Shyamalan, <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15679400/">Knock At the Cabin</a></i> had potential with an interesting story based on Paul Tremblay's book <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/36381091">The Cabin at the End of the World</a></i>. (<a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2022/12/the-pallbearers-club-review.html">We know how I feel about his writing</a>.) </div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">A gay couple and their young daughter are vacationing at a remote cabin in the woods, and four armed strangers knock at the cabin and tell them they have to make a decision to avoid an apocalypse. They have to sacrifice one of themselves to save the world. Note: They can't commit suicide, it has to be an agreed on choice. The four strangers know this because even though they lead very different lifestyles, they all had the same vision of the world ending.</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">Of course, initially, the dads don't make a choice which results in the first signs of the end of the world...AND of the four strangers, one of them has to die by the hand of the other three... and so on until the last stranger kills himself because the family won't decide, and a rain of fire touches the earth. <i>Not until that happens</i>, do the dads come to a decision. The dad with the temper kills the other dad. Since the other dad sees the future with his daughter living happily, he knows she will be fine and chooses death. Plot twist, THERE IS NO PLOT TWIST. Honestly it would have been better with a twist.</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">They describe the four strangers as the four horsemen, and they are the aspects of humanity: malice, healing, nurturing, and guidance. I knew them as war, famine, pestilence, and death, so this threw me.</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">A big first chunk of the movie is a slow burn to explain the premise, only it wasn't really explained. Why did the horsemen come with homemade weapons? Why did the horsemen have to kill one of themselves? Why were they chosen? Why wasn't the president notified of the upcoming tragedies? Why didn't the horsemen get therapy, and why didn't the therapists contact the police? Does this happen all over the world, because the plagues etc. happened all over the world? How often is a family picked to decide the world's demise? So many questions, not enough answers. Oh, and one of the plagues looks like Covid 19. It builds to nothing and remains anticlimactic.</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">I was waiting for something to happen. There is only hinted at gore and some camera angles are odd. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0342488/">Rupert Grint</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1176985/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1">Dave Bautista</a> are excellent in it, but not enough to save humanity...er I mean the movie. I give it 2 grasshoppers out of 5.</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">Trailer below...</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0wiBHEACNHs" width="320" youtube-src-id="0wiBHEACNHs"></iframe></div><br /><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div>Fluffy the Vampire Slayerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16509348645086345089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4115582697468834728.post-37067990250624407722023-02-14T11:46:00.002-05:002023-02-14T14:20:20.815-05:00Witch Hunt (The Book)<p>Witch history throughout countries and cities, how can this book be bad? Well I'm not going to lie, I had a hard time reading it and almost didn't finish it, and it's not because of the subject matter...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4l_i-yKq5inKUceYF5PLQzF1FfRHelF9yhOA0qGCPitgoS3HPSlxlZ8D2_wRFgT73PfpyHYTFRV3RJDs15ctZJ7GlRvAGvsw2nnLP9HIGrEkq-10cYXG145rWY5JRMbbu5QHdXq0TmGRawgWYWXY01ar-p1r-y9GrkuJMGBXbpuFZdT7RxOMdFMHEpA/s3739/IMG_20230214_111552741_PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3739" data-original-width="2788" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4l_i-yKq5inKUceYF5PLQzF1FfRHelF9yhOA0qGCPitgoS3HPSlxlZ8D2_wRFgT73PfpyHYTFRV3RJDs15ctZJ7GlRvAGvsw2nnLP9HIGrEkq-10cYXG145rWY5JRMbbu5QHdXq0TmGRawgWYWXY01ar-p1r-y9GrkuJMGBXbpuFZdT7RxOMdFMHEpA/w478-h640/IMG_20230214_111552741_PORTRAIT.jpg" width="478" /></a></div><p>I was excited to dig into <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/52568006"><i>Witch Hunt A Traveler's Guide to the Power & Persecution of the Witch</i> by Kristen J Sollee</a>, after all it was recommended by <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2020/01/waking-witch.html">Pam Grossman</a>, who I love. I've reviewed <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2022/07/cat-call-no-not-that-kind.html">Sollee's books before</a>, and again the same problem cropped up in this one...SHE NEEDS PICTURES, or at the very least a map! </p><p>Each chapter of the book is named after the cities she visited, all of them with a history of witch persecutions, most of them European. It comes off as more of her personal travel diary, filled in with quotes from scholarly books on witch history or feminism. She constantly reminds the reader of the
juxtaposition of contemporary life she's surrounded by vs. what a sacred place she's in. Let's not forget how many
times she tells the reader she's already been to Europe. We get it, you're a second generation witch and educator, you have experience with witches, no need to remind us in almost every chapter. I found it pretentious. To the
uninitiated, her witch history would get lost, not enough explanations of the persecution of witches, who they were, the power they held, and the consequences. Did I mention it's also filled in with overly descriptive romantic narration and descriptions of "visions" she has of the past? I rolled my eyes. It's hard to read when you're rolling your eyes. </p><p>It would have been better with a map to highlight the locations she traveled to. She writes about snapping photos, it would have been nice to see them, or even pictures of what she's talking about. There is a reference at the back of the book of places to note, museums, shops, and memorials etc. and a bibliography of all the books she references. It stills feels like it's lacking. I'd say stick to her other books and pass on this one unless you are planning a trip to Europe and want to find witchy locations, then use the Travel Resource section at the back.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKjuZ0chO6LGuJiWfoJuoUtUdy_k9oLrdR4GW5lnkCrUTp1qvsZpwTD2Y7tVamu66Jlgq3JM7OSoFrXTULjISTBWBATVexDCJSeBy-C5PL-uU5wwCwQ45aMN9x7Kqq0bSEAZE67E1EdlHfPdU8nWDLpDHVZdlm9zVE1cI1ma0jmcdpZo_n4X_tJ1d-g/s4000/IMG_20230214_111700928.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="2690" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKjuZ0chO6LGuJiWfoJuoUtUdy_k9oLrdR4GW5lnkCrUTp1qvsZpwTD2Y7tVamu66Jlgq3JM7OSoFrXTULjISTBWBATVexDCJSeBy-C5PL-uU5wwCwQ45aMN9x7Kqq0bSEAZE67E1EdlHfPdU8nWDLpDHVZdlm9zVE1cI1ma0jmcdpZo_n4X_tJ1d-g/w269-h400/IMG_20230214_111700928.jpg" width="269" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div>Fluffy the Vampire Slayerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16509348645086345089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4115582697468834728.post-47556645237393129332023-02-09T10:41:00.003-05:002023-02-09T13:30:44.118-05:00Movie: A Man Called Otto (2022)<p>Based on the 2012 book <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18774964-a-man-called-ove"><i>A Man Called Ove</i> by Fredrick Backman</a>, <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7405458/?ref_=tt_mv_close">A Man Called Otto</a></i> is a sweet drama that needs a trigger warning for suicide! Based on what I heard, I was really hoping there was more <b>cat</b> in it, but it was still a decent watch.</p><p>I saw it at <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2017/03/movie-kedi.html">my favorite movie theater</a> in town, <i><a href="https://www.northparktheatre.org/">The North Park Theatre</a></i>, a historical landmark in Buffalo, NY. And if you didn't know, this movie is supposed to take place in Pennsylvania, but it was filmed in Niagara Falls, NY! A hop skip and a jump from where I live. (If you've ever been to Buffalo, we'll tell you everything is 20 minutes away by car, and it's true!)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_cP8aF8kBXD4Pnu1r6u-mhreqnD7rZmUin8vmHr0WevdTCOdW-tE4S57RYNNJELDa4fF6B0bM4xlHBVYa7w8qIjwkH3CU3h1y18mqunCc1ofqy_NcqI5mHdcUV6qCWrZ3Zte7MknSWShfznTw17QWSGTSBZ6OkBbwVPnyNaTXEWncN4dh6Y-qFxLqw/s1500/s-l1600.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1012" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_cP8aF8kBXD4Pnu1r6u-mhreqnD7rZmUin8vmHr0WevdTCOdW-tE4S57RYNNJELDa4fF6B0bM4xlHBVYa7w8qIjwkH3CU3h1y18mqunCc1ofqy_NcqI5mHdcUV6qCWrZ3Zte7MknSWShfznTw17QWSGTSBZ6OkBbwVPnyNaTXEWncN4dh6Y-qFxLqw/w270-h400/s-l1600.jpg" width="270" /></a></div><br /><p>***WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD***</p><p>Tom Hanks is Otto, an octogenarian curmudgeon, the total opposite of his portrayal of Mister Rogers in <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3224458/">A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood</a> </i>(2019). Otto has recently lost his wheelchair bound wife to cancer and feels he has no reason to live anymore. He decides to take his life, but his plan gets upended by new neighbors moving in across the street... and a stray cat. While the new family is a charming distraction, the cat isn't really part of the movie. He's in the background and there's a tiny bit of story surrounding him ~ Otto protects him from the bitchy neighbor with a dog ~ but you don't even find out if he's given the cat a name! I was hoping the story would be more of the cat giving him something to live for, and, while that's true, the family, and friends were more of the impetuous for him to keep going. Miserable Otto continues to try to kill himself throughout the movie in various ways, but always ends up failing because of the humanity from the people around him or his own kindness. When he makes these attempts, you see his life in flashbacks and begin to understand his reasoning. In his last attempt, he has a vision from his wife, and she tells him to <b>keep living</b>, so he does. Without being prompted he steps up and helps one of her old students, his long time neighbor, and of course the family across the street in truly thoughtful ways. He has a purpose beyond his wife now, and he continues to live and find his place without her in it. When the time comes, he dies peacefully from a chronic heart condition.</p><p>I enjoyed this movie. While I'm used to watching period dramas, bloody horror, and musicals, it was a nice change. The acting is superb, especially the contrast of Otto's character and everyone surrounding him. The story, although sad, has some funny and feel good parts that they show in the trailer, I just really wanted more cat. There's a part where he attacks a clown, that is valid, and very comical. I give this movie four tuna cans out of five.</p><p>p.s. If you or anyone you know is in distress and has thoughts of suicide, you can call 988. It will route you to the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It's 24/7 and confidential.</p><p>Here's the trailer...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eFYUX9l-m5I" width="320" youtube-src-id="eFYUX9l-m5I"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p>Fluffy the Vampire Slayerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16509348645086345089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4115582697468834728.post-8843786414474555152023-02-01T13:29:00.000-05:002023-02-01T13:29:07.202-05:00Fluffy's 6th Birthday Giveaway!<p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.16px;">Thank you for continuing to follow me, so far it's been 6 years 💗 I don't write as much as when I started, but that doesn't mean I'm not still passionate about cats and horror! Enter to win my 6 year prize pack, description and rules below...</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh200yoe2ALc9r9DG4AUDt_gycqTiePTnbQ0xA9aZpO_kiQars3bsB7bMSsZRMapLoNqyQc6W1RRtVgID5bjX7R4iFV9bcQ_MiJw3HlyNVzjyKcCoOPdj5C-jHPge9_100E8v1UnCNmTA0eIRtvoX6QZwNTWAZdRThT8xG4ho6t_m4H0H7BMek6PNvRjw/s4000/IMG_20230201_130226883_PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh200yoe2ALc9r9DG4AUDt_gycqTiePTnbQ0xA9aZpO_kiQars3bsB7bMSsZRMapLoNqyQc6W1RRtVgID5bjX7R4iFV9bcQ_MiJw3HlyNVzjyKcCoOPdj5C-jHPge9_100E8v1UnCNmTA0eIRtvoX6QZwNTWAZdRThT8xG4ho6t_m4H0H7BMek6PNvRjw/w480-h640/IMG_20230201_130226883_PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-z1Z-VNuVY8Pfz-_-K1Sbb3k6z2rWbXIsbRhGdPOmh2LJSf6TnLJMgP-WXanyuiCMz__ZU1WjxMMkeo8X_QVL1NiZKwuZrX7n93ctuVgidnPjaZk1jJF93gIEdTrWf-EOkaO_1ZxMQsRjD6GZQpUZGEVapq1vSrGi6T6AlFonRRX9kCWoTm8KdYEQg/s4000/IMG_20230201_130234875_PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-z1Z-VNuVY8Pfz-_-K1Sbb3k6z2rWbXIsbRhGdPOmh2LJSf6TnLJMgP-WXanyuiCMz__ZU1WjxMMkeo8X_QVL1NiZKwuZrX7n93ctuVgidnPjaZk1jJF93gIEdTrWf-EOkaO_1ZxMQsRjD6GZQpUZGEVapq1vSrGi6T6AlFonRRX9kCWoTm8KdYEQg/w480-h640/IMG_20230201_130234875_PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBtCWAIy4SUh51JWWIMhn69d1LRGl6cVt-6oOYCRYm_5v62SI61oupEVkkCUAO9nNpwdUczP2owrD0N3Y3kCKHlITGC6qSt0nJo9FcZLDzymwaIxm7iSuVUuUD1INiWI87Nq7bD58ABLUnfO4hOtviLdUet005acM67HBAWnBxOgmf6rVh572Ye1dl-w/s4000/IMG_20230201_130242049_PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBtCWAIy4SUh51JWWIMhn69d1LRGl6cVt-6oOYCRYm_5v62SI61oupEVkkCUAO9nNpwdUczP2owrD0N3Y3kCKHlITGC6qSt0nJo9FcZLDzymwaIxm7iSuVUuUD1INiWI87Nq7bD58ABLUnfO4hOtviLdUet005acM67HBAWnBxOgmf6rVh572Ye1dl-w/w480-h640/IMG_20230201_130242049_PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIDIj1-b701zVyzDCapBwngtfZYE9ZlmL4ozEORVH8XANSA0ET-38_qHANBOaY7v41j6kdZFhGxeaRmXI-yxuQ2tL4e-vvcMwarRdoUdHMgg8MR7DaM6sFWu4FmFGQAycivjlQycMHvy9S6hqoPIADBA-eGi01aeo_KmwqvPMfslB0zMk7wKg1EwvEA/s4000/IMG_20230201_130246421_PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIDIj1-b701zVyzDCapBwngtfZYE9ZlmL4ozEORVH8XANSA0ET-38_qHANBOaY7v41j6kdZFhGxeaRmXI-yxuQ2tL4e-vvcMwarRdoUdHMgg8MR7DaM6sFWu4FmFGQAycivjlQycMHvy9S6hqoPIADBA-eGi01aeo_KmwqvPMfslB0zMk7wKg1EwvEA/w480-h640/IMG_20230201_130246421_PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfShS6NcuITexJGsqRNY42Q1Nl_EF0gB1nyoDCQWXN2nBdpnh-JD2-0gGQJb-gjBay_YStDggusT7uHpcvv1e6aocqLDiAZmAKEI9BC6bV1Y3hhtdpllHDcC6AbAQalQxl8_tEXd-z1iEGGklwl_RHK79BNIPXvZEF9hDHiSgFLQQ-pAR8rTYiASqrWg/s4000/IMG_20230201_130252028_PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfShS6NcuITexJGsqRNY42Q1Nl_EF0gB1nyoDCQWXN2nBdpnh-JD2-0gGQJb-gjBay_YStDggusT7uHpcvv1e6aocqLDiAZmAKEI9BC6bV1Y3hhtdpllHDcC6AbAQalQxl8_tEXd-z1iEGGklwl_RHK79BNIPXvZEF9hDHiSgFLQQ-pAR8rTYiASqrWg/w640-h480/IMG_20230201_130252028_PORTRAIT.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.16px;">Prizes include:</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.16px;">1. Vincent Price Art Print by <i><a href="https://www.littleshopofgore.com/">Little Shop of Gore</a></i>, framed.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.16px;">2. Acrylic Bat Necklace by <i><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/murderousjewels">Murderous Jewels</a></i>.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.16px;">3. <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2022/12/the-pallbearers-club-review.html"><i>The Pallbearers Club</i> by Paul Tremblay</a>, hardcover.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.16px;">4. Bat Bag by <i><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/GorejessLaboratory?fbclid=IwAR1nzHqSHd4AFxLMhgTj-hDvPpjq5chg6Pc-WHSbMvLFL9_lVhe7sWnw0EQ">GoreJess Laboratory</a></i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.16px;">5. Silver Cat Earrings.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.16px;">6. Bookmark to go with all your books from <i><a href="https://www.littleblackbats.com/">Little Black Bats</a></i>.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.16px;">7. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/20890556"><i>An English Ghost Story</i> by Kim Newman</a>.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.16px;">8. 25th Anniversary Edition of <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2022/02/practical-magic-book.html"><i>Practical Magic</i> by Alice Hoffman</a>.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.16px;">9. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53152636-mexican-gothic"><i>Mexican Gothic</i> by Silvia Moreno-Garcia</a>.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.16px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.16px;">~ Like the </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Fluffy-the-Vampire-Slayer-171008683395355" style="background-color: white; border: medium none; font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.16px; list-style: outside none none; margin: 0px; outline: none medium; padding: 0px;" target="_blank"><i>Fluffy the Vampire Slayer</i></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.16px;"> Facebook Page.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.16px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.16px;">~ Comment on the Giveaway post pinned to the top, why you follow </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.16px;">Fluffy the Vampire Slayer</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.16px;">.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.16px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.16px;">~ Share the </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.16px;">Fluffy the Vampire Slayer</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.16px;"> Facebook page.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.16px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.16px;">Good luck, and I'll be picking a winner at random on </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.16px;">Wednesday, February 15 and they'll be contacted via Facebook. *Sorry only US residents.</span></p>Fluffy the Vampire Slayerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16509348645086345089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4115582697468834728.post-40860440372523037712023-01-10T13:18:00.002-05:002023-01-10T13:30:13.385-05:00The Final Girl Support Group <p>If you've followed my blog, you know I'm a fan of <a href="http://www.gradyhendrix.com/">Grady Hendrix's</a> writing. I reviewed <i><a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2020/08/the-southern-book-clubs-guide-to.html">The Southern Book Club Guide to Slaying Vampires: A Novel</a></i> and <i><a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2020/11/memories-with-my-best-friends-exorcism.html">My Best Friends Exorcism</a> </i>(now a movie, that I heard was terrible, but I'll probably watch it anyway)<i>, </i>now it's time to review <i>The Final Girl Support Group: A Novel</i>. Of the three novels, I liked this one the best!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfSVNeUr4MZjLfFoFqD3f75mFigS9X6akeK1WbrdoAsadyyrftVdRWTaogcn6ai7DSA3RklWuHzLsLfhQK_jqxiQgA-73I6CSbeJevtuLHwybNDwEJt1YGb5ndzuI_hrn_HMbvrTMEkCNtXP9fksHUPgqomorAlFlQXL4RwZSwvEVa8OKh_kufoKk_g/s3440/IMG_20230109_210414940.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3440" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfSVNeUr4MZjLfFoFqD3f75mFigS9X6akeK1WbrdoAsadyyrftVdRWTaogcn6ai7DSA3RklWuHzLsLfhQK_jqxiQgA-73I6CSbeJevtuLHwybNDwEJt1YGb5ndzuI_hrn_HMbvrTMEkCNtXP9fksHUPgqomorAlFlQXL4RwZSwvEVa8OKh_kufoKk_g/w558-h640/IMG_20230109_210414940.jpg" width="558" /></a></div><p>***SPOILER WARNING...SORT OF***</p><p>The book tells the story of six "final girls", or women who live to tell the tale of confronting their slasher, that meet once a month in a support group. They've been together longer than ten years and each one has a different traumatizing experience. If you know horror movies, you'll relate their killers to 1970s and 1980s classic horror movies that we all know and love. The support group meets with a therapist, and in turn the therapist has used their sessions to author best-selling books. They each have processed their past differently, from one lady that has moved on and feels they are living in the past, to one that feels like the group is her only connection to people and the outside world. In any case, the final girls have a bond that no one else does, and without them realizing it, they have become a family.</p><p>I've said this before, and I'll say it again. I'm impressed at how Hendrix writes female characters. Their personalities greatly vary, but their interactions are wholly realistic and relatable.</p><p>The book is told from the voice of one of the final girls, Lynette. We see her living as a victim, paranoid and scared. One day, a member of the support group doesn't show up because she's been murdered. Now Lynette needs to find out who the killer is, and so does the reader! In gathering information, you peel away Lynette's story, and watch it slowly unravel. The heroines are flawed survivors, which makes the reader sympathetic to their experiences and eager to find out more. </p><p>I won't tell you who did it, but it's a surprise, and just when you think you know, you don't! It's a thriller and as a reader you will feel like you have inside knowledge of a horror and gore slasher movie. Again, this book is also a reflection of society's obsession with serial killers and slasher movies and how much some people idolize them. That's a whole different kind of horror.</p><p>While I've never thought of myself as a “final girl”, there are days when I feel like it's me alone against the world, and I'm ready to do battle! The ladies in this book have a fighting spirit that makes them go on fighting when others would give up. They inspire me not to give up. They have battled, and won more than once. This book wraps up nicely, and I wanted to read it before next week, when Hendrix's next book <a href="http://www.gradyhendrix.com/#/haunted-house/" style="font-style: italic;">How to Sell a Haunted House</a> is released.</p><p><br /></p><div dir="auto">
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<div dir="auto"><br /></div></div>Fluffy the Vampire Slayerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16509348645086345089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4115582697468834728.post-43528225582994988542023-01-09T13:49:00.001-05:002023-01-09T13:49:08.402-05:00The Cat Who Books!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3iwqSM4p8yI670BYdYT6xs6qmkqpXhIPnXnz6cMykyS8eCQcxOmY1F2bI87NLa1UnCocYpZdXQefvwBJqF-ie2MAIayWEhJdPyLG1PB7XH4B8WVTNejTV5SjrEtOzRbJg3UOJgkGQ-OBhma6Qs1CLy7RhluaPCzJeJv_g1JUtM2xH9ctuQSY2xqTjNA/s789/IMG_20221226_193015507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="592" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3iwqSM4p8yI670BYdYT6xs6qmkqpXhIPnXnz6cMykyS8eCQcxOmY1F2bI87NLa1UnCocYpZdXQefvwBJqF-ie2MAIayWEhJdPyLG1PB7XH4B8WVTNejTV5SjrEtOzRbJg3UOJgkGQ-OBhma6Qs1CLy7RhluaPCzJeJv_g1JUtM2xH9ctuQSY2xqTjNA/w480-h640/IMG_20221226_193015507.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>I went to a large book sale and came across a couple <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/41015-the-cat-who">"<i>The Cat Who...</i>" mystery novels by Lillian Jackson Braun</a>, and I just had to have them! (This may sound familiar because I mentioned them years ago in a blog <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2017/08/cat-about-town-cat-cafe-mystery.html"><i>Cat About Town: A Cat Cafe Mystery</i></a>.) Right at that moment, a childhood memory had been unlocked! The books are mysteries about small town life, with characters you come to know and love. Yes, there are two reoccurring Siamese cats in them too ~ Koko and Yum Yum. There are 29 books in the series, but don't fret, they don't need to be read in order. Even though there's people dying and things blowing up, the books end on a happy, upbeat note. Honestly, they are always a feel-good read!</p><p>Andrew saw how much I was enjoying reading the few I picked up, so he went on a hunt for them. He gave me a bunch for Christmas to add to my ever-growing stash. "<i>The Cat Who..</i>." series have become my go-tos when I want "comfortable" books. They are like wearing a warm blanket with two cats purring on you. I highly recommend them.</p>Fluffy the Vampire Slayerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16509348645086345089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4115582697468834728.post-34466711638534540512023-01-04T14:33:00.000-05:002023-01-04T14:33:08.138-05:00My Life is Chaos Part 4: Gram's House & Sjogrens Syndrome<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJs1tQS86c4FGHS_OzSJmqST_3_cWr0gisbrirDgGw4TxtWeeYEdhThha3z9Eo2XvEViSEIJGL8x9ktbljyprstB9Y2ixJhIbpSpTxHkwC3yuwPzmEBc-WY-ci5nt_oa10sdf6XwUqZpuaPfxy3zwB5I8sVsYmc6mNH6aiiqiv6N0VU7-iJUzxX1-Yjw/s640/1463558_10152635478107935_6755398846017731627_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJs1tQS86c4FGHS_OzSJmqST_3_cWr0gisbrirDgGw4TxtWeeYEdhThha3z9Eo2XvEViSEIJGL8x9ktbljyprstB9Y2ixJhIbpSpTxHkwC3yuwPzmEBc-WY-ci5nt_oa10sdf6XwUqZpuaPfxy3zwB5I8sVsYmc6mNH6aiiqiv6N0VU7-iJUzxX1-Yjw/w400-h400/1463558_10152635478107935_6755398846017731627_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Me in front of gram's house. Halloween about 1986ish. </p><p style="text-align: center;">(Note: Her melted wax scarecrow on the door. I'm happy to say I inherited all of her holiday melted wax decorations.)</p><p>My parents got divorced when I was 5 years old. At that point, my mom and I moved in with my gram. I lived with gram until my mom got remarried, but that didn't happen until I was 14. My gram's house played a big role in my life. I <i>grew up</i> living there. It was a small house in the city of Buffalo ~ the Kaisertown area ~ where a bunch of Polish people migrated, it was off a main street across from a park. The house had been added on to several times, and I think it was built at the turn of the century. I was told it originally had an outhouse. The bedrooms could only fit a bed and one dresser, there was no basement, and the attic was an attic, filled with boxes and mainly used for storage. The house was heated by a furnace in the center of the dining room. I grew up thinking anyone that had a finished attic or basement was rich. When I dream of a house, it's usually gram's. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4bP6ILbYY705eFcrnt4JWSH-zcsDGaxxXHclvlZD6jfyP5I53A4_gwBcvWxQYq8dCiz7g3fxZRgZREGd5hDdUFYs7iTlgW-dNNsMSaDCeGr_t_U_FIAScLNJJjD1Vtd1d59V5rUwILn16Pkq1NkDv1Q5MDrKcl7yN7kSpK4WPlFrAiDDybfAjG9JbQ/s732/IMG_20221004_140111644_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="549" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4bP6ILbYY705eFcrnt4JWSH-zcsDGaxxXHclvlZD6jfyP5I53A4_gwBcvWxQYq8dCiz7g3fxZRgZREGd5hDdUFYs7iTlgW-dNNsMSaDCeGr_t_U_FIAScLNJJjD1Vtd1d59V5rUwILn16Pkq1NkDv1Q5MDrKcl7yN7kSpK4WPlFrAiDDybfAjG9JbQ/w480-h640/IMG_20221004_140111644_HDR.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Attic stairs with trap door.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHxYoQoFEskMjEOJs7zscRLFUAeNIDvjJGRhIiLl7CcvUPwv28Rjdgho10_6Ps3XCG_CJf11CtPl1xqbjoDhevVNHQFamdfLj_vp7zfrBst-J6bJseVKW4idg-JEuOFBu9Hr-8RfJ7S6of6VebRiFBYLBZoHViF50lrvRkxk_ZAehopoCL1NpqOJqbaw/s732/IMG_20221004_140041901_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="549" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHxYoQoFEskMjEOJs7zscRLFUAeNIDvjJGRhIiLl7CcvUPwv28Rjdgho10_6Ps3XCG_CJf11CtPl1xqbjoDhevVNHQFamdfLj_vp7zfrBst-J6bJseVKW4idg-JEuOFBu9Hr-8RfJ7S6of6VebRiFBYLBZoHViF50lrvRkxk_ZAehopoCL1NpqOJqbaw/w480-h640/IMG_20221004_140041901_HDR.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Attic, now mostly empty.</div><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWI4AYG2RdhSszEn0dul3T6TCs2CozHrDoTidobL2d-7Pox-a_UO6LVij8Jcasm5QcLcfhShpJrfvUu9nofyu3HvJthtwSBjGKQASHIlPCkOGpf8slSUN9KvlgieyN4yx6m_xm_iMGD4ztCR08pxmiofuZFyFXc6jb3jF2S0x-SuQSL1Up03VuRz_7QA/s789/IMG_20221016_140121748_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="592" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWI4AYG2RdhSszEn0dul3T6TCs2CozHrDoTidobL2d-7Pox-a_UO6LVij8Jcasm5QcLcfhShpJrfvUu9nofyu3HvJthtwSBjGKQASHIlPCkOGpf8slSUN9KvlgieyN4yx6m_xm_iMGD4ztCR08pxmiofuZFyFXc6jb3jF2S0x-SuQSL1Up03VuRz_7QA/w480-h640/IMG_20221016_140121748_HDR.jpg" width="480" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">I loved her oven, and if I could have taken it with me, I would have.</p><p>My gram lived there until the end. She died 14 years ago and the house went to my mom. My mom didn't want it, but she also didn't sell it. She couldn't bring herself to clean it out. Everything about it had sentimental value. I tried to help her move things out, but she'd end up crying, and I'd end up getting mad because we didn't make any progress. </p><p>This past year, the roof on my gram's vacant house started leaking. I reiterated to my mom, “You NEED to sell this house.” She sold it and closed on it last month. All through November and December I was helping her clean it out. That took up a ton of my time, but I'm glad the burden of the house is gone for her.</p><p>Thank you for sticking with me through my tough times and following along. In addition to <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2022/12/my-life-is-chaos-part-1-kitchen-remodel.html">My Life is Chaos Parts 1</a>, <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2022/12/my-life-is-chaos-part-2-sleepy-hollow-ny.html">2</a>, and <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2022/12/my-life-is-chaos-part-3-death-of.html">3</a>, I was exhausted like never before, and went to the doctor to get a bunch of tests done. I tested positive for <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sjogrens-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20353216">Sjogrens Syndrome</a> in December. It makes sense because a couple years ago my <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2021/09/update-my-vintage-life-body-horror.html">elbow swelled up to the point I couldn't bend it</a>. Remember that fun time?! I was given Rheumatoid Arthritis meds, and the swelling went away. Sjogrens is an autoimmune disease. The most famous person to have it is <a href="https://healthcarenewsblog.com/celebrities-with-sjogrens-syndrome-venus-williams-shannon-boxx/">Venus Willams</a>. Mainly my symptoms are severe dry eye, fatigue, and arthritis. I know what you're thinking, “Julie Ann, you're a young babe, how can this be?!” I'm really 86, don't I look good? But seriously, let me give you some advice....<b>don't get old</b>.</p><p><br /></p>Fluffy the Vampire Slayerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16509348645086345089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4115582697468834728.post-51892843715602037552022-12-28T08:37:00.002-05:002022-12-28T08:37:30.487-05:00The Pallbearers Club Review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCEpDNDYdAHsfE5kKm_WRZY0RT6GkDxVsnK1FKIzjFxfCnE2HJfNj9u1ocKxCjfbsKx03Sgkx8C0Hcll7g3RMfGQ47BkQhfGBj8DsyD1p2jJqxlXLHKlC7kyJrfvGInXnCZvDL9jrrefxJA0ACZDctLBMSBY1sN3iTCRw9f-cMHFF-6VOKp5-7Nkje2Q/s3223/IMG_20221228_083125194_PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3223" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCEpDNDYdAHsfE5kKm_WRZY0RT6GkDxVsnK1FKIzjFxfCnE2HJfNj9u1ocKxCjfbsKx03Sgkx8C0Hcll7g3RMfGQ47BkQhfGBj8DsyD1p2jJqxlXLHKlC7kyJrfvGInXnCZvDL9jrrefxJA0ACZDctLBMSBY1sN3iTCRw9f-cMHFF-6VOKp5-7Nkje2Q/w596-h640/IMG_20221228_083125194_PORTRAIT.jpg" width="596" /></a></div><p></p><p>I'll admit, I read <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/59314692-the-pallbearers-club"><i>The Pallbearers Club</i> by Paul Tremblay</a> and was angry afterward. Let me explain. The book starts off with two compelling characters – Art and Mercy. They are
drawn together outcasts that become good friends through their volunteer
work at a funeral parlor. He's in high school, and she's in college. She
shapes his life by introducing him to punk music and drugs. Meanwhile,
he copes with health problems and later self-medicates with alcohol and
pain meds.</p><div dir="auto">After Art passes
away, he leaves a manuscript of a memoir behind for Mercy to read that
details their encounters over the years. He feels that she's a type of
vampire that lives off of stealing one's health. He doesn't have solid
proof, and the convoluted way the "vampire" is described is hard to
picture. Is it a blue blob? Is it tentacles reaching for someone? Is it a
jacket come to life? <i><b>I don't know,</b></i> even after finishing the book!</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">Mercy
edits Art's manuscript, gaslighting the reader into believing that Art
is a drugged up musician and unreliable storyteller. She makes sure to
let the reader know it's not a "memoir" but a "novel" because the way he
remembered things is <i>wrong</i>.</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">By
the middle of the book, I was reading it just to figure out what was
going on, who was telling the truth, but you don't get that
satisfaction. While I enjoyed the way it was written, with gen X
references, editing notes for the reader, and could relate it to some
friendships I've had over the years, the story fell flat for me at the
end. I still don't know who's story was true and if the ending was just
written to give Art's book closure. <i>The Pallbearers Club</i> was ok and an easy read,
but not what I had hoped.</div>Fluffy the Vampire Slayerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16509348645086345089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4115582697468834728.post-59247365838679952552022-12-22T10:47:00.003-05:002022-12-22T11:09:53.811-05:00My Life Is Chaos Part 3: The Death Of Vicktor Frankenstein<p>This past fall has been challenging, and I've had a lot going on in just a couple of months. We <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2022/12/my-life-is-chaos-part-1-kitchen-remodel.html">remodeled our retro kitchen</a>, went on a weeklong <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2022/12/my-life-is-chaos-part-2-sleepy-hollow-ny.html">road trip across New York State to Sleepy Hollow, NY</a>, and shortly after was followed by the passing of our cat <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2017/03/vicktor-frankenstein-kitty.html">Vicktor Frankenstein</a> on Oct 21, 2022. Needless to say, Halloween time was hard with black cats everywhere. We knew it was coming, we just didn't know when would be the right time. We decided when he started having more bad days than good, it was time to make the hard decision.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQR3xaVVzXaymcssQLOouo3r5iceiWm8HB0YK4yC0aYVzeXMa0tEQVyXa0ov2WZbuPzeGZ2Ia47LWKfpNM5JblqXoyy-4EVkLIy2lUIe6woLybo0CM8bxA0dK3uFKQI5furohdFNOxk3cVQuC0eXCS1mw_iJCBO58Yu4gL6FiD82nJssWMhWShgRMdAA/s732/IMG_20180124_201334570.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="412" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQR3xaVVzXaymcssQLOouo3r5iceiWm8HB0YK4yC0aYVzeXMa0tEQVyXa0ov2WZbuPzeGZ2Ia47LWKfpNM5JblqXoyy-4EVkLIy2lUIe6woLybo0CM8bxA0dK3uFKQI5furohdFNOxk3cVQuC0eXCS1mw_iJCBO58Yu4gL6FiD82nJssWMhWShgRMdAA/w360-h640/IMG_20180124_201334570.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><p>Vicktor was very much Andrew's (the hubs) cat, and I was little <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2017/02/ginger-rogers-kitty.html">Ginger's</a> human, and she was my <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2018/10/under-cats-spell-cats-as-familiars.html">familiar</a>. He was a chonky black Bombay cat with a moody personality, but when he loved, he loved strong. His purrs were loud like a motor, and he would follow you around for food. <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2018/02/how-to-feed-chow-hounder-cat.html">ANY kind of food</a>. He was about 3 years old when we adopted him with Ginger, and in his file it said he was "abandoned". I always joked it's probably because he ate them out of house and home! He liked his food, especially <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2017/04/black-olives-are-catnip.html">olives</a>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3MECGSlF6lFQ7EqmoxcWz-yZOomR5Np3LXetc0rR7aw_d0AWhpjjeDn2z2w0R8UUGXb13hK3ezWq-Z5hgYUKp4haGc5om_d6Q4f9urHa8Q5XtMTDJi5kWlXnzyLTa413moWRGxg67b2jrTlmAOXx5vIqeQleOyH8YaUPNnSUrL1Mc4ejXZgI2azJ_xw/s788/IMG_20170403_180317.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="737" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3MECGSlF6lFQ7EqmoxcWz-yZOomR5Np3LXetc0rR7aw_d0AWhpjjeDn2z2w0R8UUGXb13hK3ezWq-Z5hgYUKp4haGc5om_d6Q4f9urHa8Q5XtMTDJi5kWlXnzyLTa413moWRGxg67b2jrTlmAOXx5vIqeQleOyH8YaUPNnSUrL1Mc4ejXZgI2azJ_xw/s320/IMG_20170403_180317.jpg" width="299" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdcYS19gqnzpHLNj8GhDLDMoqBU4DeSXh8t_HP3xR22Q72cJ2WegI5fg1JF4QIW2WyyByBuCao7eHc_U4rkdCY12zvVy6FlLgkXvmTfmTEp8laKZuHsBPGP7YTLANUcw32G3gKcyHCUkGs1J_z6ubySN5Yh9vDwQEKs8a-mQUF5XotklkXoW-_b3RYXw/s732/IMG_20191223_175848101.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="412" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdcYS19gqnzpHLNj8GhDLDMoqBU4DeSXh8t_HP3xR22Q72cJ2WegI5fg1JF4QIW2WyyByBuCao7eHc_U4rkdCY12zvVy6FlLgkXvmTfmTEp8laKZuHsBPGP7YTLANUcw32G3gKcyHCUkGs1J_z6ubySN5Yh9vDwQEKs8a-mQUF5XotklkXoW-_b3RYXw/w360-h640/IMG_20191223_175848101.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><p>He slowed down in his old age, after Ginger passed you could tell he knew something was missing but wasn't sure what. (After all, they were together for about 17 years! During this time he became my buddy because he knew I was sad.) He didn't play as much and napped even more if that's possible. You knew his arthritis was acting up when he was having trouble going up and down the stairs. At one point before our road trip, he didn't come out of the basement and crawled into a corner. I went to work and thought ok, this is going to be the day he decides to leave us, but he bounced back like nothing was wrong. This went on for weeks. He'd have really great days playing and chasing me up the stairs, then other days he didn't move all day and sat in his box. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRxyXjdCmgifomgY5Mr3wEH6-zZpzM0acK8H5TyKdZaY1SlgNqzpnQktr4AzntXIbaRZX1EsowWkhFR2zTG_cHHabGjmSrsuAsqi_aIgK5b9PWZtO7tGwuVtnznhShNjgXE0tuOUSAKxv-p6sYVbrp5kwsMvsCLqgZNPdDPv3pmOVnWEXBpSowIUAclg/s732/IMG_20150521_084713.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="549" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRxyXjdCmgifomgY5Mr3wEH6-zZpzM0acK8H5TyKdZaY1SlgNqzpnQktr4AzntXIbaRZX1EsowWkhFR2zTG_cHHabGjmSrsuAsqi_aIgK5b9PWZtO7tGwuVtnznhShNjgXE0tuOUSAKxv-p6sYVbrp5kwsMvsCLqgZNPdDPv3pmOVnWEXBpSowIUAclg/w480-h640/IMG_20150521_084713.jpg" width="480" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0SVL7Wj4HMaVwB5MpPLEgaThH6qFxE8-rLPPw7HCSrKomYiVtRyFT0aSfoROjaHwgH8NY-Rx5N8eG1U5YMqeh8F6fDIniiQNAtDCmH2lvVjh_1uQ2H2oUVAOXS-RYaplrhZTxV1sqv1zty9oFAON5kYpJq_hlZwZbuFs3-efTvamGghHGpbbuwICnOg/s990/20170610_080148.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="990" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0SVL7Wj4HMaVwB5MpPLEgaThH6qFxE8-rLPPw7HCSrKomYiVtRyFT0aSfoROjaHwgH8NY-Rx5N8eG1U5YMqeh8F6fDIniiQNAtDCmH2lvVjh_1uQ2H2oUVAOXS-RYaplrhZTxV1sqv1zty9oFAON5kYpJq_hlZwZbuFs3-efTvamGghHGpbbuwICnOg/w640-h474/20170610_080148.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTlxdT72_hbmhKAXBJP8bAImL0WCiygpanOxcmNjW5b2QEasZEBGJ0wZMZzwfk1Gvh878kb-_3CntFqGoIBBU6HC8xNY5w8S4i9HgvbQjD77cYT7QJxCTklzaOvxCC-xh_RSlDD4s5RgIYMIxsvhCWXdogAc7Zs62FBP1Pd7fQhYB2pYyd6CT2RLe3w/s732/IMG_20150128_221837_2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="697" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTlxdT72_hbmhKAXBJP8bAImL0WCiygpanOxcmNjW5b2QEasZEBGJ0wZMZzwfk1Gvh878kb-_3CntFqGoIBBU6HC8xNY5w8S4i9HgvbQjD77cYT7QJxCTklzaOvxCC-xh_RSlDD4s5RgIYMIxsvhCWXdogAc7Zs62FBP1Pd7fQhYB2pYyd6CT2RLe3w/w381-h400/IMG_20150128_221837_2.jpg" width="381" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>I really think the kitchen remodel stimulated his curiosity. He stayed upstairs when they were working on it, but when he came down, would explore and find new places to nap. What we didn't realize until later was that he started peeing in one corner of the house. He never did that before. After we found that out, his days started getting worse. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHXpcVgLO9SDISZrpOrN0LgFAvfEu-0kBAtJangrP3-DAToMmxITLWWDgxpt647b-YT3iRz6exiedLvdJjx3sAplcNrE1SQPiiS_McKNDXbH1PD65Wmq7upVsRMplsRIPMXpeMFzRED3rQFhjUX1YYGnX7hlIAl9x19TWDpL9BVJRlCyz4BxdlrWy-LA/s976/IMG_20220901_084636042.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="976" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHXpcVgLO9SDISZrpOrN0LgFAvfEu-0kBAtJangrP3-DAToMmxITLWWDgxpt647b-YT3iRz6exiedLvdJjx3sAplcNrE1SQPiiS_McKNDXbH1PD65Wmq7upVsRMplsRIPMXpeMFzRED3rQFhjUX1YYGnX7hlIAl9x19TWDpL9BVJRlCyz4BxdlrWy-LA/w640-h480/IMG_20220901_084636042.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Because of his mood swings, and <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2022/01/vicktor-his-poo-nuggets.html">the poo nuggies he would leave around the house</a>, I would call him "poop" kitty, but he was<i><b> our </b></i>poop kitty, and he's very missed. He liked sitting with his butt in my face when I would lay down. He worshiped the sun and would lay in the smallest sunbeam. He liked heat and would sit in front of heaters hogging the warm air. He liked to hide in plain sight on black carpets too. I can't tell you how many times I've tripped over him. His fur was shiny and soft as velvet. He was smooth, and sometimes I'd refer to him as my "boyfriend" especially when he would hold my hand watching movies.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3f3e1FTgQnKm3w2fHIkC31qoqVr72pbNZTV-qdECQvhsiBSiXiOVRPsZn_EGcl_c4cfspFqiqgfw4Jj_8TWUjAen011N3o8aSX7wuQXXZmYMoAZq3mqmKHasKglJVX1d0lcvVqj-AM5JK-mOBGEyMMw9oD3Drj_6FVzWf07Nh2zvEWISQxi7idBFaA/s1177/IMG_20200731_162722029.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="1177" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3f3e1FTgQnKm3w2fHIkC31qoqVr72pbNZTV-qdECQvhsiBSiXiOVRPsZn_EGcl_c4cfspFqiqgfw4Jj_8TWUjAen011N3o8aSX7wuQXXZmYMoAZq3mqmKHasKglJVX1d0lcvVqj-AM5JK-mOBGEyMMw9oD3Drj_6FVzWf07Nh2zvEWISQxi7idBFaA/w640-h398/IMG_20200731_162722029.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdyOIe3Zoy4UvHjGHQWfOo1hQbkUPtJ3o1QcQ4kVuz57fodf1BFFExyvxF6B3o3Dz2E3cImZVu-gymF1qnSz-DMR_y_Lkcm7ptODklrSfkPATCuEkjwF8sZ7qVXXKQmtAx0L-FCI_P8iVjVgBsnO-ADqcHjJNkMGt09CVqEFNWTXNUwKyPWEgPZnsUFg/s1599/IMG_20190707_095127468.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="1599" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdyOIe3Zoy4UvHjGHQWfOo1hQbkUPtJ3o1QcQ4kVuz57fodf1BFFExyvxF6B3o3Dz2E3cImZVu-gymF1qnSz-DMR_y_Lkcm7ptODklrSfkPATCuEkjwF8sZ7qVXXKQmtAx0L-FCI_P8iVjVgBsnO-ADqcHjJNkMGt09CVqEFNWTXNUwKyPWEgPZnsUFg/w640-h286/IMG_20190707_095127468.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIssGTnLBVWV4zngbps8KuAXT2VYbmLyqxgG771tg5rqskzT_otJ5WpS0ZDS-gjazpZF9V5DyHfI_wwkvxnFhvrSzGJ67p9ANsMNzB-wn-U0CfImsyqU5HQ8z8AQdQRqt7F5SHoiWy1PeXFJaARxJj1PEGBxqrCsYCqB11dT7rO0BAO2GLFBFEIvjawg/s976/IMG_20150216_175503.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="976" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIssGTnLBVWV4zngbps8KuAXT2VYbmLyqxgG771tg5rqskzT_otJ5WpS0ZDS-gjazpZF9V5DyHfI_wwkvxnFhvrSzGJ67p9ANsMNzB-wn-U0CfImsyqU5HQ8z8AQdQRqt7F5SHoiWy1PeXFJaARxJj1PEGBxqrCsYCqB11dT7rO0BAO2GLFBFEIvjawg/w400-h300/IMG_20150216_175503.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqxflUOGmeCUqjvYvCc9J4Sq-RZreszI91bWG5zIPxWbIupsqQ377BjrR64T2Rm1wqz9qcbRURTqkkaZAAi-D63m9k_4Z_B7QJdduW3yQ1NxsUm4EHy3m2A2PWcQ2LwJZEzvxC6dhkdKgTxRbnW5-zlvMEf5hQA7I-yBuOph6Y9iOSgFbVwkYXOa2zGQ/s732/20200523_081130.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="732" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqxflUOGmeCUqjvYvCc9J4Sq-RZreszI91bWG5zIPxWbIupsqQ377BjrR64T2Rm1wqz9qcbRURTqkkaZAAi-D63m9k_4Z_B7QJdduW3yQ1NxsUm4EHy3m2A2PWcQ2LwJZEzvxC6dhkdKgTxRbnW5-zlvMEf5hQA7I-yBuOph6Y9iOSgFbVwkYXOa2zGQ/w640-h640/20200523_081130.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJwLdfASOepr6UTZooMj7V_cO29o5EqOQdr6A0thWZqW2WdEEb5lnss1_e4yvgnbYafBbj2MtqRT8w181-Rn638VkkgGJPJPjcwQnMkyz0clKv3vWwLafrjNjXPOfQaaqnXDFAWkVUmgjnhf_SLxYW2DF_uuyYXBphEWY6m_KPf2xNoa2hxl_50GmUUw/s732/_20140225_191611.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="649" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJwLdfASOepr6UTZooMj7V_cO29o5EqOQdr6A0thWZqW2WdEEb5lnss1_e4yvgnbYafBbj2MtqRT8w181-Rn638VkkgGJPJPjcwQnMkyz0clKv3vWwLafrjNjXPOfQaaqnXDFAWkVUmgjnhf_SLxYW2DF_uuyYXBphEWY6m_KPf2xNoa2hxl_50GmUUw/w355-h400/_20140225_191611.JPG" width="355" /></a></div><p>I feel like with everything going on in my life I haven't properly grieved for Vicktor. I'm still devastated from Ginger being gone. So please don't ask me when we are getting new cats. Yes, I miss having cats in my life, but I'm not ready for new ones yet. Everyone grieves differently. It's been almost two years since <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2021/02/saying-goodbye-to-ginger-rogers.html">Ginger's been gone</a>, and I think about her everyday. I still walk around the house talking to her likes she's still there, and I'd like to think both kitties are watching over me. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVAhA05gdu9ok1ZPXQQ5UWYFLJdwUdZpiAyGhcvNJAquaHMeE-FSrjcR3n2NN6bYSd0PekwQ1uERnqhL8KSbSdz8FavizotgpCMOHoQZbym8bzcthSgjltRmFM8zaSopnESrh1s2mhagh-DJwRJHFGg5et3vcK5io2rCXddqRxy1XJkXXLccmH8fwfsg/s732/_20140124_212307.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="698" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVAhA05gdu9ok1ZPXQQ5UWYFLJdwUdZpiAyGhcvNJAquaHMeE-FSrjcR3n2NN6bYSd0PekwQ1uERnqhL8KSbSdz8FavizotgpCMOHoQZbym8bzcthSgjltRmFM8zaSopnESrh1s2mhagh-DJwRJHFGg5et3vcK5io2rCXddqRxy1XJkXXLccmH8fwfsg/w610-h640/_20140124_212307.JPG" width="610" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisfY03lVeaXYABx7hKyhhWK_ApC7m7BAZQNRTL1hguNhpAf2nDnQ9l-ICu7ir2vAKVVCSRz6Hvj8PgoXyzjfdjACf0XUdtvcDm2PGCBdvf5C_EC1dOXOzn3feyZ8U3IPxVA6pKo8u2wIx_wND1B-yQnu6e_sdRx1OaOUwJHj1ERVR1_ZpsmsyC5JlgGw/s731/IMG_20201207_134026140.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="582" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisfY03lVeaXYABx7hKyhhWK_ApC7m7BAZQNRTL1hguNhpAf2nDnQ9l-ICu7ir2vAKVVCSRz6Hvj8PgoXyzjfdjACf0XUdtvcDm2PGCBdvf5C_EC1dOXOzn3feyZ8U3IPxVA6pKo8u2wIx_wND1B-yQnu6e_sdRx1OaOUwJHj1ERVR1_ZpsmsyC5JlgGw/w510-h640/IMG_20201207_134026140.jpg" width="510" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiet98nx9PZnmsA6sePg6MXn-u5d0n_UJmbjltn9dvKEd8IQrDLytu1OFdBQTWntUq97wT3uJN9yCk8XIDHNfekofaWbiDg2USWDS86kzTVm_fET94nA6nVTsK3DzNhFFPz45ruwoZycFV-smBzr9eLbAEnSQI452Drh1UqwvXl7K80hs9Y5mco_6keAA/s732/DSC01729.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="732" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiet98nx9PZnmsA6sePg6MXn-u5d0n_UJmbjltn9dvKEd8IQrDLytu1OFdBQTWntUq97wT3uJN9yCk8XIDHNfekofaWbiDg2USWDS86kzTVm_fET94nA6nVTsK3DzNhFFPz45ruwoZycFV-smBzr9eLbAEnSQI452Drh1UqwvXl7K80hs9Y5mco_6keAA/w400-h400/DSC01729.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVD9DG-sr7sCK0UTdA-LsDGjGR7361rkR_eo4P-CW2zGdQ4GpnFcLi2U6U3IfP5d-cV0DBjCoO-7c2jANU-2S5q4CFFliRCSsQZtgqLp3Br9oF1o0BLw2HaDyMGRjO3eq087bIIBijNgP8ie8-t2Cii-pe8SCR_0JgSXRGyyfMTI4W7langSI7BcCG9Q/s1302/IMG_20181117_231254693.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="1302" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVD9DG-sr7sCK0UTdA-LsDGjGR7361rkR_eo4P-CW2zGdQ4GpnFcLi2U6U3IfP5d-cV0DBjCoO-7c2jANU-2S5q4CFFliRCSsQZtgqLp3Br9oF1o0BLw2HaDyMGRjO3eq087bIIBijNgP8ie8-t2Cii-pe8SCR_0JgSXRGyyfMTI4W7langSI7BcCG9Q/w640-h360/IMG_20181117_231254693.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWCqqc4zJWQ2KY6-HFYQwYx0APWilVGvZ-icrCfVWDxpU6PP0RH_o3KnB0_JVox0b0icGxOHQSc-b64-LT4U2TJXIZ7mjBCHDBIfyf_83VioAABGVepWoNdGHX4upA5eAxIF9jpnYE3or45vDAFoxc409VokTK2hYrZayOOR6MOVDUqasCKE0c8B9JQ/s1302/IMG_20190130_085142201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="1302" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWCqqc4zJWQ2KY6-HFYQwYx0APWilVGvZ-icrCfVWDxpU6PP0RH_o3KnB0_JVox0b0icGxOHQSc-b64-LT4U2TJXIZ7mjBCHDBIfyf_83VioAABGVepWoNdGHX4upA5eAxIF9jpnYE3or45vDAFoxc409VokTK2hYrZayOOR6MOVDUqasCKE0c8B9JQ/w640-h360/IMG_20190130_085142201.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Fluffy the Vampire Slayerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16509348645086345089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4115582697468834728.post-44562681420770615842022-12-21T12:04:00.001-05:002022-12-21T12:04:02.864-05:00My Life Is Chaos Part 2: Sleepy Hollow, NY<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="text-align: justify;">The last week in September Andrew (the hubs) and I took a road trip to <a href="https://www.sleepyhollowny.gov/">Sleepy Hollow, NY</a> to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. On the way there and back, we stopped to check out some sights. I've been to <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2017/08/salem-witch-city-part-1.html">Salem, MA</a> a few times and was expecting something similar from Sleepy Hollow. They really don't cash in on their notoriety too much, and it felt like a suburb of New York City instead of a spooky town with history steeped in a headless horseman</span><span style="text-align: justify;">. Anyway, get ready ~ this is a long blog!</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xdj266r x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: times;">We started the trek across New York State and stopped at the <i><a href="https://classiccarmuseum.org/">Northeast Classic Car Museum</a></i> thanks to a recommendation by Andrea (who you might remember from the <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2020/03/cat-video-fest-2020.html"><i>Cat Video Fest</i></a>) where even if you don't like cars, they have motorcycles, mannequins dressed in true vintage to match the cars, cars from the race of gentleman and fab art deco architecture! It was very impressive. I recommend.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMjo5Z5v6xbqjNzgHR8y3wVjqV2f39YFgRReUBOja00IZlKSePHVe_VvDMBvUQGswoTFTgfdGLPSrJ7tWLFo1nEpcfFTXMLxKNs1cRquObJu_31fxgezt-9T_RZGUawc6TfD385txQrjSw9JaP0_aWcnOa-oydlhQkbvoKHspYszxK1Pbikk-jfkN7g/s1080/308874033_10159630292462935_1180378718403619131_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMjo5Z5v6xbqjNzgHR8y3wVjqV2f39YFgRReUBOja00IZlKSePHVe_VvDMBvUQGswoTFTgfdGLPSrJ7tWLFo1nEpcfFTXMLxKNs1cRquObJu_31fxgezt-9T_RZGUawc6TfD385txQrjSw9JaP0_aWcnOa-oydlhQkbvoKHspYszxK1Pbikk-jfkN7g/w640-h640/308874033_10159630292462935_1180378718403619131_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span face="Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlPzBLH-CVgBlE0VgPodwYqtAJjQ3Ocajmb_YyWOmWV5-AEAp58jRRukPIc_T2n7zh4_MsbzUHyzCGPMs-CPY3NEmFybHvvUrJ6rUZcFvnvIOEmYLWSS1G2uxzx6TOeXTsvU-9m9pCGhgc_MiZjneszttPGPuTGdHeWSpgJVPW_VOgJpllPMW3C_eVQ/s1080/308957328_10159630292447935_51054087056284416_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlPzBLH-CVgBlE0VgPodwYqtAJjQ3Ocajmb_YyWOmWV5-AEAp58jRRukPIc_T2n7zh4_MsbzUHyzCGPMs-CPY3NEmFybHvvUrJ6rUZcFvnvIOEmYLWSS1G2uxzx6TOeXTsvU-9m9pCGhgc_MiZjneszttPGPuTGdHeWSpgJVPW_VOgJpllPMW3C_eVQ/w640-h640/308957328_10159630292447935_51054087056284416_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span face="Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOHSKEffbkT2qtyhm8Epwtykgm_YOBfl6mn066U-TKM_CHijsJtOlb3Wykty2KeSvumyUidxN-_Hbb7NhJads9Xn00fcXRHI_AQXfS2mp5x_4zgTDP0Z918dBR_O05crqwjelDK9ff8suNMoL0yiPkdDv5ycCGHQFNi38CGY9D976MDZ81R8geeYQlQ/s1080/309011982_10159630292472935_1052068563272832150_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOHSKEffbkT2qtyhm8Epwtykgm_YOBfl6mn066U-TKM_CHijsJtOlb3Wykty2KeSvumyUidxN-_Hbb7NhJads9Xn00fcXRHI_AQXfS2mp5x_4zgTDP0Z918dBR_O05crqwjelDK9ff8suNMoL0yiPkdDv5ycCGHQFNi38CGY9D976MDZ81R8geeYQlQ/w640-h640/309011982_10159630292472935_1052068563272832150_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span face="Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfXFzgaTYh11sPuYUbg3mkiNBgNyLRSut3SLLpmBx2APM94QufLwlW4Mp_2IbJdnEfiMoxGHBSVGSa06thenrBpc0vAG8QsRRNm1PNdG8QD5uH1RGLbmLMmnXlryvw8GcsNbBZZ1oQhFwddlgbPHWcsV9R9BkZmr8iiMe-6WD9nnCpbdAuPFawaMvfg/s1080/309077297_10159630292452935_806005642386956267_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfXFzgaTYh11sPuYUbg3mkiNBgNyLRSut3SLLpmBx2APM94QufLwlW4Mp_2IbJdnEfiMoxGHBSVGSa06thenrBpc0vAG8QsRRNm1PNdG8QD5uH1RGLbmLMmnXlryvw8GcsNbBZZ1oQhFwddlgbPHWcsV9R9BkZmr8iiMe-6WD9nnCpbdAuPFawaMvfg/w640-h640/309077297_10159630292452935_806005642386956267_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: times;">Then we hit up <a href="https://www.robotcitygames.com/"><i>Robot City Games</i> <i>& Arcade</i></a> the largest arcade in NYS - I'm not a gamer but the blacklight arcade took me back! Andrew found some games he never played. He'll always get the high score at Galaga, but I kicked his butt at Tetris. We stayed over in Binghamton, NY the first night.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8GrQ0DhS4ZZsOC4Bfshnl8iCPv8cJnxD8tOYYXxsLj9CxXlURgjkvO74e8iyz3JJ8VVW1bi4Bm0BmmN5te3ImAKeu8MOAriDmn8gAI2zT9WjSHZ1FFggoDvc6r2Ym6GSEI6ejV2qVNLPe-asvHvAYkXNJLY7nvOoBh49jQiokaPcHggxBbEgmYb4mw/s1080/308968397_10159630292467935_1168782364636945818_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8GrQ0DhS4ZZsOC4Bfshnl8iCPv8cJnxD8tOYYXxsLj9CxXlURgjkvO74e8iyz3JJ8VVW1bi4Bm0BmmN5te3ImAKeu8MOAriDmn8gAI2zT9WjSHZ1FFggoDvc6r2Ym6GSEI6ejV2qVNLPe-asvHvAYkXNJLY7nvOoBh49jQiokaPcHggxBbEgmYb4mw/w640-h640/308968397_10159630292467935_1168782364636945818_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkIwtEVw1YzY62J9QIV4FHO11Z8fzoUu6DQrcYhUe_ibsyVzTGT3TxccsWpQS8zxp_hWw6R7TEHKUOlDr21QDZ63385dDbi2UzSmnBWWcjJHfSCcRkjBTc9RKMBj6FAWyrIbKvgoHV2csFWcNpH2wKTo4PDqzA31efWXI8WuoM1MFM-Y3up_uy0tFvmg/s1080/309206847_10159630292442935_5809303021191616586_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkIwtEVw1YzY62J9QIV4FHO11Z8fzoUu6DQrcYhUe_ibsyVzTGT3TxccsWpQS8zxp_hWw6R7TEHKUOlDr21QDZ63385dDbi2UzSmnBWWcjJHfSCcRkjBTc9RKMBj6FAWyrIbKvgoHV2csFWcNpH2wKTo4PDqzA31efWXI8WuoM1MFM-Y3up_uy0tFvmg/w640-h640/309206847_10159630292442935_5809303021191616586_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span><div dir="auto"><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xdj266r x126k92a" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Day 2 we drove to <i><a href="https://stormking.org/">Storm King Art Center</a></i>. It's an outdoor sculpture park that I could have stayed in all day! It was so nice to be outside in the fresh air, and everywhere you looked there was a sculpture to walk to. It had rolling hills as far as thee eye could see, and a huge outdoor gazebo restaurant where we grabbed lunch. It's a lot of walking, and I wasn't sure what to expect, but I loved it.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis9brhHTqBHFZCUjpOOuyUFNEuRKCoYC_gx8-hLQoc72CBRkWnuYCgaF_37J6E7kZbyEUSTvDCQfPNvnk894oSSswuBgN90YbwFUEHx65JzR8DV94Ohr9pRfB0RwqnBNdKqNG7Ty8l_IPP4zWVfCd4CF_ZH0qNZdh1OMHdH2fzQRhc4MGV6jHrOtLiyg/s732/IMG_20220926_112640742_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="549" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis9brhHTqBHFZCUjpOOuyUFNEuRKCoYC_gx8-hLQoc72CBRkWnuYCgaF_37J6E7kZbyEUSTvDCQfPNvnk894oSSswuBgN90YbwFUEHx65JzR8DV94Ohr9pRfB0RwqnBNdKqNG7Ty8l_IPP4zWVfCd4CF_ZH0qNZdh1OMHdH2fzQRhc4MGV6jHrOtLiyg/w480-h640/IMG_20220926_112640742_HDR.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6UYlTWVPKw7AUrUEX0VQrrCYnfVdP2twn3Aqo1yPDyY584D4Za6eMsNDwFz4WFWzCrXXwPOsH458t3Mv5FC2NX5pveo13cPKcZHCv8Tb-WEhAetHK_9HDG-JrhQSp12doamr8mLZkehR65j_A-5yYropdJoEdUcOOLggs1TGaMC933s0FsCInHomD1Q/s976/IMG_20220926_112955548_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="976" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6UYlTWVPKw7AUrUEX0VQrrCYnfVdP2twn3Aqo1yPDyY584D4Za6eMsNDwFz4WFWzCrXXwPOsH458t3Mv5FC2NX5pveo13cPKcZHCv8Tb-WEhAetHK_9HDG-JrhQSp12doamr8mLZkehR65j_A-5yYropdJoEdUcOOLggs1TGaMC933s0FsCInHomD1Q/w640-h480/IMG_20220926_112955548_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZgCuLUlYuqRefgw4nYtsU-OEHnSI_D6_xpVVV922P2i9exlSHhALK1TI4VDSE8Va1qcdygIMYcNKBi_lWIUAcH4tb3blnWsoSjGw4fHmjW-ZoKSxZ4Xq2KVP_3OkoJojiBEEINKn8Z7icIzYhyccisTzWG91OLSK0hfwH9wdajMJUzoVXk4Ji4T0dew/s976/IMG_20220926_113015503_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="976" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZgCuLUlYuqRefgw4nYtsU-OEHnSI_D6_xpVVV922P2i9exlSHhALK1TI4VDSE8Va1qcdygIMYcNKBi_lWIUAcH4tb3blnWsoSjGw4fHmjW-ZoKSxZ4Xq2KVP_3OkoJojiBEEINKn8Z7icIzYhyccisTzWG91OLSK0hfwH9wdajMJUzoVXk4Ji4T0dew/w640-h480/IMG_20220926_113015503_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="549" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV_vBY3vtXSJ9MBJsu--yz15dyW2uPG1LtqhiJhuBf9Q-zgsgLPdQ1r2ZlOv-A-i7VVsVF7s5v0fGl3ysjzg7SnesOEjC8lKcSuT2twmUzhijLe5GjP99gbRWISY45xKedcTvMtOXyOv_1ZTepibdtptjdjst25styBIsvludx5s1h70ctdnRdzPAarw/w480-h640/IMG_20220926_114956524_HDR.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjeAyjlzcoapfcNa_y-uTsPtXS18WzUWsyUV8LtaE2_dRNrpsuXFDgwRWB8z5NRE-JswH_1r0tR1cpIlCfMtyR58zcxesgZfyDVjn1asFDTpVAyfhxk_zcHTLcayh3zX6-KRQfheMWi_sfW4jxaNpmX9mHVPg6GkbwHE_3LmIA-rBMfjlID4pXNN3MPQ/s976/IMG_20220926_115712481.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="976" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjeAyjlzcoapfcNa_y-uTsPtXS18WzUWsyUV8LtaE2_dRNrpsuXFDgwRWB8z5NRE-JswH_1r0tR1cpIlCfMtyR58zcxesgZfyDVjn1asFDTpVAyfhxk_zcHTLcayh3zX6-KRQfheMWi_sfW4jxaNpmX9mHVPg6GkbwHE_3LmIA-rBMfjlID4pXNN3MPQ/w640-h480/IMG_20220926_115712481.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xdj266r x126k92a" style="margin: 0px; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="976" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3gVvMWBwe8k7cvkbbOpsa_AjpEaLTx7XVpXkm1AWXUUy0A68BoH4gz_zhnxaj7PU0tuIxOZlgyBMueNvf7BFNZLSDSLJuxW8bN6dUUWGBvl1wD0wDkukvSQfHKjegJtgPgJf6oWF1i7zfFiccoQx7Wan7Y_rF2X4T6bxy95S7VfDHbb7B60rpU8y5w/w640-h480/IMG_20220926_115951401_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64y2WgR1e2GJYMz1L4c6QN3tmqpbjPILz1KwnEixYvOZl4UFdeWAd3ms0ILPMGHJmhP2dQsDj3Tq2-lTrIG3zjisfaheeBu_x-65eDGYimrvLiRGSlOeIyvhlsgBcJ9xo0Tb-uMMgVCqYlyupaJlJdjRfuBAwp2vVTZTpE6rbnMeZjoYGBuBpm2aGwA/s732/IMG_20220926_133843699_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="549" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64y2WgR1e2GJYMz1L4c6QN3tmqpbjPILz1KwnEixYvOZl4UFdeWAd3ms0ILPMGHJmhP2dQsDj3Tq2-lTrIG3zjisfaheeBu_x-65eDGYimrvLiRGSlOeIyvhlsgBcJ9xo0Tb-uMMgVCqYlyupaJlJdjRfuBAwp2vVTZTpE6rbnMeZjoYGBuBpm2aGwA/w480-h640/IMG_20220926_133843699_HDR.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">After <i>Storm King</i> we continued driving to Sleepy Hollow, and checked in at our hotel that left much to be desired. It was cold in our room, and we tried to turn up the heat, and it wasn't working. We called the front desk and<b style="font-style: italic;"> they gave us a space heater. What the hell! </b>I guess they want us to burn down their hotel. In another instance I asked where the nearest post office is, and they were unsure. You're a hotel! No one has ever asked that before?!!! At one point I asked for a fork, they told me they didn't have any. They have a restaurant in the lobby, so don't tell me you don't have any forks. Plus they were doing construction on the sidewalk surrounding the hotel, so it was loud, and the key card swipe to the outside door was left unlocked the whole time. The hotel was a mess. I'm guessing they were recently sold and under new ownership and trying to get it together, but in that case, close for a few weeks, so your customers don't have a bad experience. Of course this was the hotel we were staying at the longest too. I DO NOT recommend <i><a href="https://sleepyhollowhotelny.com/">The Sleepy Hollow Hotel</a></i>.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Onward and upward! Adventures for day 3 included fueling up with breakfast at the <i>Eldorado Diner</i> and walking from end to end in the <i><a href="http://sleepyhollowcemetery.org/">Sleepy Hollow Cemetery </a></i>and around it. The cemetery was the best part of Sleepy Hollow. It felt old with a lot of history. If you plan on going to walk around, there's a ton of steep hills, gravel, and signs that say no picnicking. You can take tours though. We weren't able to catch one because our timing was off, but I've heard good things about them. Again, wear comfortable shoes because it's lots of walking.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The Eldorado</i> is kitschtastic for Sleepy Hollow. The outside of the building is covered in mirrors, and the inside looks like it stepped out of the 1950s with a 1970s and 2000s update to the interior. It still has a rotating cake case, but it's dark wood, throw in a life size wizard, and it was the perfect breakfast spot!</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMoVefAkQgaltzSjmQnVFbFEfBheQP3RYqS-5RJx3S8vNJZOoo-2wCD4A04QRywNj5WeEHFLemsnXIbSn-uZ6oHLfmfkad_PAlWSxD87Dfm0SyHidMOBYmlEtbTym6umoOjwB1RWJ4iTdWWoEcvNiKNVhYRjiGvTCq9R6eTWLT99U4BloqP0toUuEDqw/s680/2021-04-12.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="680" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMoVefAkQgaltzSjmQnVFbFEfBheQP3RYqS-5RJx3S8vNJZOoo-2wCD4A04QRywNj5WeEHFLemsnXIbSn-uZ6oHLfmfkad_PAlWSxD87Dfm0SyHidMOBYmlEtbTym6umoOjwB1RWJ4iTdWWoEcvNiKNVhYRjiGvTCq9R6eTWLT99U4BloqP0toUuEDqw/w400-h300/2021-04-12.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJaD8ht-q2rgtucAUuOYBVw_RNT6wDJ3wikIUK86Ilif4KMsxpESWuCbHXoC8SgOgbkz-wpDqr4DXa6PmcAsrzPNXdR_gDcWn6UgByAmZfHDRNOUQWQyWiZ5Wsx4SHaNwbc2NA9sI4fiwgIIZIlNnQWAiaM3vIjo3Ac5O2OzJQ7jtG-TRpppn7SyJGyw/s976/IMG_20220927_121704939_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="976" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJaD8ht-q2rgtucAUuOYBVw_RNT6wDJ3wikIUK86Ilif4KMsxpESWuCbHXoC8SgOgbkz-wpDqr4DXa6PmcAsrzPNXdR_gDcWn6UgByAmZfHDRNOUQWQyWiZ5Wsx4SHaNwbc2NA9sI4fiwgIIZIlNnQWAiaM3vIjo3Ac5O2OzJQ7jtG-TRpppn7SyJGyw/w640-h480/IMG_20220927_121704939_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5TrqALARqiQfw2Nv9gpzrxLjyUie8uLg_lLcgVjiOiSUpFQiA5VUQjdg-4RVErJ6Fx-3UQsHamV5p2Z7MgUUk7jizDsgYpq9XnJkRYRxa1PD1Q7rdmSg8AW7vavq36-z70cnHdOxkGHowwUb9hqfRVBLWdpttzjoJVd-30SD3mLPG0rMQa6qlNLt2kg/s976/IMG_20220927_122231358.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="976" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5TrqALARqiQfw2Nv9gpzrxLjyUie8uLg_lLcgVjiOiSUpFQiA5VUQjdg-4RVErJ6Fx-3UQsHamV5p2Z7MgUUk7jizDsgYpq9XnJkRYRxa1PD1Q7rdmSg8AW7vavq36-z70cnHdOxkGHowwUb9hqfRVBLWdpttzjoJVd-30SD3mLPG0rMQa6qlNLt2kg/w640-h480/IMG_20220927_122231358.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKQlYAOCpOtmFUXSu7LGFaeHBseJoXpQFB-ZpnGB6E3B-SR27guiNbaqsvcMZB-RfzJyrkZh5OGZqaGs_kpcm5Aq3Ea_3uGXzmb4ilJPkOI1oZRBHjKCMOUlviLzTiSuSZpXHFRxAcEa-JnzpN8cviGQZ9RPKeTsNvv95TtaJM83nHT65DRsHzVmb4A/s732/IMG_20220927_130434422.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="549" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKQlYAOCpOtmFUXSu7LGFaeHBseJoXpQFB-ZpnGB6E3B-SR27guiNbaqsvcMZB-RfzJyrkZh5OGZqaGs_kpcm5Aq3Ea_3uGXzmb4ilJPkOI1oZRBHjKCMOUlviLzTiSuSZpXHFRxAcEa-JnzpN8cviGQZ9RPKeTsNvv95TtaJM83nHT65DRsHzVmb4A/w480-h640/IMG_20220927_130434422.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">On to the cemetery! On the way there, you'll pass this sculpture in a teeny tiny park in the middle of the street.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjjVRIURtLBx81Pv8j7BsXI4xIX1fp3OURBVeQ_KQS65PnXoH2Y5soKhUlInJZHs5CQuhYEbXIE-cvx1IMzF4FboHpsb2VDcplgJbSwm5n45mUrY_rSGvAwgC5IN8N3zlTT6BOSJpQ-2uc2aa3lMeYKDAdgrjaV4L77gm__15Y9tOagBAHKXgoizZb5Q/s1350/309524485_10159634739962935_3843929157097159529_n.jpg" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjjVRIURtLBx81Pv8j7BsXI4xIX1fp3OURBVeQ_KQS65PnXoH2Y5soKhUlInJZHs5CQuhYEbXIE-cvx1IMzF4FboHpsb2VDcplgJbSwm5n45mUrY_rSGvAwgC5IN8N3zlTT6BOSJpQ-2uc2aa3lMeYKDAdgrjaV4L77gm__15Y9tOagBAHKXgoizZb5Q/w320-h400/309524485_10159634739962935_3843929157097159529_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2UgzuizSGD993jjG42V2f9oi6m11ru294rboq8Lglrr9DVWxA2TQJjZfA9rvx3srac4PzfjUPs7x2COXgr73AdUiO7hSqjE3-6Trdnec2-sTg8NDkZQjeJu43PxfMZOyMIiOuBZl1ayhf7yhCW83W29DMUDyA8CLn3t3hpwMNAz8usbz1dn6SlQSkXw/s1350/309206607_10159634739932935_7476637128317937523_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2UgzuizSGD993jjG42V2f9oi6m11ru294rboq8Lglrr9DVWxA2TQJjZfA9rvx3srac4PzfjUPs7x2COXgr73AdUiO7hSqjE3-6Trdnec2-sTg8NDkZQjeJu43PxfMZOyMIiOuBZl1ayhf7yhCW83W29DMUDyA8CLn3t3hpwMNAz8usbz1dn6SlQSkXw/w512-h640/309206607_10159634739932935_7476637128317937523_n.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xdj266r x126k92a" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><br /></div>Inside the cemetery there's very old tombstones, many of the family plots have wrought iron fences around them, and did I mention it's hilly? In some sections, there's stairs to climb built into the hills to get to the top.</div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xdj266r x126k92a" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi642eBAsgwTKZ7p4gMMEtyW819-j06O6JnoMSrhKqPhJKW_zF1dXSrgnzcmcQACeKkeb1b74VVz4xog0GrZ1Sd54WOtoi2fr5ezFx9C63nL0wMninLqvU10Xkz1C3d2F2TjhvbK0OuH4TbXUF6pq9kzSeDavDtRoBUcfFo1K93dLqfKWQSeXOqepIaeQ/s976/IMG_20220927_143014962_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="976" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi642eBAsgwTKZ7p4gMMEtyW819-j06O6JnoMSrhKqPhJKW_zF1dXSrgnzcmcQACeKkeb1b74VVz4xog0GrZ1Sd54WOtoi2fr5ezFx9C63nL0wMninLqvU10Xkz1C3d2F2TjhvbK0OuH4TbXUF6pq9kzSeDavDtRoBUcfFo1K93dLqfKWQSeXOqepIaeQ/w640-h480/IMG_20220927_143014962_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xdj266r x126k92a" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><br /></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xdj266r x126k92a" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gwEw1iAMFv4er-27ho_eZVBZWmssdqmYNaLTPdYC4E-srf8m-LcOoLpt2eM58G7USe4MhHPfGIZO2cxB_haTK8zFRT0BOiCitHuNAulDE7VeopxonEULNuusGQSNlSWQZHoEJmjjDfIaDLdxibQkHioQ44RaDWXPuT1n-vRLwSFeNUGtb2mb1xDWIw/s976/IMG_20220927_140101420_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="976" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gwEw1iAMFv4er-27ho_eZVBZWmssdqmYNaLTPdYC4E-srf8m-LcOoLpt2eM58G7USe4MhHPfGIZO2cxB_haTK8zFRT0BOiCitHuNAulDE7VeopxonEULNuusGQSNlSWQZHoEJmjjDfIaDLdxibQkHioQ44RaDWXPuT1n-vRLwSFeNUGtb2mb1xDWIw/w640-h480/IMG_20220927_140101420_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xdj266r x126k92a" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><br /></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xdj266r x126k92a" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiugnEdW7_1zELc8d7_iJ_ZPxKFSSdCVBTupyk__19IBoIlcoXoK5ZYVZc06lDiAU4Q7pQoR4s4iDc1Bn35LNF9Mprs7_p0598VolZAvjIdNBJO6x_y75eSwtYgsiGF8OfzV624eZZIVu87qhxNPmWkkbKPX5Pr_Xoy3gCFqwbCByz5kwTbQjqzx9CouA/s732/IMG_20220927_135657315_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="549" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiugnEdW7_1zELc8d7_iJ_ZPxKFSSdCVBTupyk__19IBoIlcoXoK5ZYVZc06lDiAU4Q7pQoR4s4iDc1Bn35LNF9Mprs7_p0598VolZAvjIdNBJO6x_y75eSwtYgsiGF8OfzV624eZZIVu87qhxNPmWkkbKPX5Pr_Xoy3gCFqwbCByz5kwTbQjqzx9CouA/w480-h640/IMG_20220927_135657315_HDR.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xdj266r x126k92a" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><br /></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xdj266r x126k92a" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifBWumC8RlGTeckm0XFjVPztMoIkzh9QnfA54_c3RHIwcOemXwXGmTbPWL9qPjllMYHq38-Y_xo0pYqrfk1VO4S_tvlCsV63UPTJeee_wryBvWXnhrjxR3jncsa5SppD7hemKfACBXlYDiE-NDrdWopEpE3KTt2Mbf2POI_1SfZ5SK-IhT9KDR21mtAQ/s976/IMG_20220927_140257110_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="976" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifBWumC8RlGTeckm0XFjVPztMoIkzh9QnfA54_c3RHIwcOemXwXGmTbPWL9qPjllMYHq38-Y_xo0pYqrfk1VO4S_tvlCsV63UPTJeee_wryBvWXnhrjxR3jncsa5SppD7hemKfACBXlYDiE-NDrdWopEpE3KTt2Mbf2POI_1SfZ5SK-IhT9KDR21mtAQ/w640-h480/IMG_20220927_140257110_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xdj266r x126k92a" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><br /></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xdj266r x126k92a" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS1IDc6BHQyRUig-HanioG-VOS3nW69-fa322VLPGKaoWPIAACBtbCMwWcFayHvhsCT7lCweRovbTip81nPuPmeRd1FB_bnmdh0lR2M9VjrFybwr4aMCpyWegYBa9j16RErd8Q59OwKunF9aqc-e6_h-D0hwQcae3AXGGJxenufFELErLRCxERvruL9g/s732/IMG_20220927_135628069_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="549" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS1IDc6BHQyRUig-HanioG-VOS3nW69-fa322VLPGKaoWPIAACBtbCMwWcFayHvhsCT7lCweRovbTip81nPuPmeRd1FB_bnmdh0lR2M9VjrFybwr4aMCpyWegYBa9j16RErd8Q59OwKunF9aqc-e6_h-D0hwQcae3AXGGJxenufFELErLRCxERvruL9g/w480-h640/IMG_20220927_135628069_HDR.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0Hvj4L57bEVwP1DlG5CDkVGO1jLJiG7374dli9S54j0I_jZ0D3_MkD6mmIlrJt9qr-Q1VETmKbi0vGkkdv497hKw5Ry-HpE8S4OajlkKwxvJULIeppl6K3VjZ7UscVmM5eL1YPGid_j7ZHG1TtfEbtPzUoeWBqq74FasjBv73ry-U2s7T-GjbilapA/s1350/309354204_10159634739967935_5516577766689359883_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0Hvj4L57bEVwP1DlG5CDkVGO1jLJiG7374dli9S54j0I_jZ0D3_MkD6mmIlrJt9qr-Q1VETmKbi0vGkkdv497hKw5Ry-HpE8S4OajlkKwxvJULIeppl6K3VjZ7UscVmM5eL1YPGid_j7ZHG1TtfEbtPzUoeWBqq74FasjBv73ry-U2s7T-GjbilapA/w512-h640/309354204_10159634739967935_5516577766689359883_n.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xdj266r x126k92a" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><br /></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xdj266r x126k92a" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Washington Irving's grave...</div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xdj266r x126k92a" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><br /></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xdj266r x126k92a" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6mrGJ7hhGwy79JSBKMhNka_yBgwDyfoybVht33AyxfMb5AibVZw5ZajAZK22PzpO4bSIPxp_OKHdZNiRRoNkYCJiXLpcDBbk-iUZMLPMsa-JAUFjAvmYWByQewBUd6lVwQxO7fEkQlwzYjztK-MYNUvv0XWodu1PX3tw7RBG3oFMNMlUJZIBJvnHPxg/s1350/309603910_10159634739937935_7711208640468416954_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6mrGJ7hhGwy79JSBKMhNka_yBgwDyfoybVht33AyxfMb5AibVZw5ZajAZK22PzpO4bSIPxp_OKHdZNiRRoNkYCJiXLpcDBbk-iUZMLPMsa-JAUFjAvmYWByQewBUd6lVwQxO7fEkQlwzYjztK-MYNUvv0XWodu1PX3tw7RBG3oFMNMlUJZIBJvnHPxg/w512-h640/309603910_10159634739937935_7711208640468416954_n.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Me on the headless horseman bridge in the cemetery. This isn't the original location, but it's close. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPdV3m7FtkRPhM3xP4sY5gCjnkNEjPTbY037Eqa6-gTMK50xuNGURBEQVxLhqlM6Ol5UaezM5Z_q2Anw6LbCsB_70oU-pUmQdIy8TAVXPV1p4Rr0p2O8fPoeTTYt-_JqBpJkD6L8ecHYyO6o5PPKAdki1mP7uKJKaPkc2icUfb2vnPcivx5hu48ghZ0Q/s1350/309176281_10159634739947935_3437245560099717294_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPdV3m7FtkRPhM3xP4sY5gCjnkNEjPTbY037Eqa6-gTMK50xuNGURBEQVxLhqlM6Ol5UaezM5Z_q2Anw6LbCsB_70oU-pUmQdIy8TAVXPV1p4Rr0p2O8fPoeTTYt-_JqBpJkD6L8ecHYyO6o5PPKAdki1mP7uKJKaPkc2icUfb2vnPcivx5hu48ghZ0Q/w512-h640/309176281_10159634739947935_3437245560099717294_n.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwb1z0TbUhsdcRr0p0zkjD608biC466AfHXM0ER8xRIKtTcbw0EMCPjsLGweXxzJMVZES2Vvjl1JJ2YdINq4Skb02usxFKVsBnbtwp7K5ACNJaTb-QJtSHe6X1SdHm49PgJZB3bNcjAb3SI4atV7m-uXpo_y5PQkpFS26Xmn1xktWQXO_hBY1QIs49-w/s732/IMG_20220927_143632233_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="549" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwb1z0TbUhsdcRr0p0zkjD608biC466AfHXM0ER8xRIKtTcbw0EMCPjsLGweXxzJMVZES2Vvjl1JJ2YdINq4Skb02usxFKVsBnbtwp7K5ACNJaTb-QJtSHe6X1SdHm49PgJZB3bNcjAb3SI4atV7m-uXpo_y5PQkpFS26Xmn1xktWQXO_hBY1QIs49-w/w300-h400/IMG_20220927_143632233_HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;">I wore my Sleepy Hollow dress from <i><a href="https://www.kitschywitchdesigns.com/">Kitschy Witch Designs</a></i> a nice family loved it so much they stopped and took my picture. <span class="x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xhhsvwb xat24cr xgzva0m xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="☺️" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tfb/1/16/263a.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span> </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;">Earrings from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/desiretedesco/?etsrc=sdt&fbclid=IwAR0c5D8eitptpRddtayGV0JJaF0KbnjrrVpZhbM33avvozhzLFCKDc9YlJ4"><i>TheLadyDisarray</i></a> </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;">Shoes are <i><a href="https://www.drmartens.com/us/en/1461-women%27s-smooth-leather-oxford-shoes/p/11837002">Doc Martens</a></i></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0aeUuFE7gpAnnM_qVOPcbjokRjlgDQzJKcfDpVjFWIaXMkax0m6pKZB5_hFFTldTuA-b5cF7sx1cqV5y3mA4s1u9OG_Toy5sTovWj-uaUM66sZpxojnq1zHTdi7WAzzrBt1b5lQKon7QLxvynr6lKtqFgN_8MVxcYPi-6AKbPud0yh2YstdYosUUU5g/s1350/309392063_10159634739952935_8588517176446674849_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0aeUuFE7gpAnnM_qVOPcbjokRjlgDQzJKcfDpVjFWIaXMkax0m6pKZB5_hFFTldTuA-b5cF7sx1cqV5y3mA4s1u9OG_Toy5sTovWj-uaUM66sZpxojnq1zHTdi7WAzzrBt1b5lQKon7QLxvynr6lKtqFgN_8MVxcYPi-6AKbPud0yh2YstdYosUUU5g/w512-h640/309392063_10159634739952935_8588517176446674849_n.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiifQA_UotNSdklys9I-tXUensrfz7KPN5ao0wRGkYfDKkvQ9VeXn-uzL0bfnSgu4HRVKyRy3-AoCYNhdlI6UJBFamHY6pnP1HIKhQuA4TrPvCtI5ysO5mBUHxmNvV7PfV60bG81H9ZstalaiD43b_QBUTNBJiY51YXKLUa6LxbCI_w_zTpL46kMt6CA/s1350/309494426_10159634739942935_5175296348936467887_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiifQA_UotNSdklys9I-tXUensrfz7KPN5ao0wRGkYfDKkvQ9VeXn-uzL0bfnSgu4HRVKyRy3-AoCYNhdlI6UJBFamHY6pnP1HIKhQuA4TrPvCtI5ysO5mBUHxmNvV7PfV60bG81H9ZstalaiD43b_QBUTNBJiY51YXKLUa6LxbCI_w_zTpL46kMt6CA/w512-h640/309494426_10159634739942935_5175296348936467887_n.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;">We also stopped at this statue which is outside of the cemetery...</div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzsdok92o4oUOdFpd8wFEmWlOlmoUy8BviSXDbD0ZfqhX4iSt93jGvUjPJy3CU0TTX2OcoBi-gILb7TYfExByl-vMNQAibHXfbqkyUdiEjatJgozanNt6r34ewrbb_9hU1UaWQcwv-fSFxrxszbKSOK0HWiNwld_ll_fz1o7KsY1ivFZxOjYipqx2xvg/s732/IMG_20220927_151335579_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="549" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzsdok92o4oUOdFpd8wFEmWlOlmoUy8BviSXDbD0ZfqhX4iSt93jGvUjPJy3CU0TTX2OcoBi-gILb7TYfExByl-vMNQAibHXfbqkyUdiEjatJgozanNt6r34ewrbb_9hU1UaWQcwv-fSFxrxszbKSOK0HWiNwld_ll_fz1o7KsY1ivFZxOjYipqx2xvg/w480-h640/IMG_20220927_151335579_HDR.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq9BGKFqIVZNTLKI8DtWNkMy3pND6A2azeR7dLMjBmWVvrIVWti9Xu-prAXVv3AAuyk-Evjfr4DZeVUJyJsp3CdeAtFPjbtMb0pSXcdMphBE4C27c_cBGXcVHVef5J141mHHGNGHBSbBiylJcmk9NZJIBSi_JGPeg0wenIwYZCIZFWmiwx_SmF2wD5Jg/s976/IMG_20220927_151317362_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="976" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq9BGKFqIVZNTLKI8DtWNkMy3pND6A2azeR7dLMjBmWVvrIVWti9Xu-prAXVv3AAuyk-Evjfr4DZeVUJyJsp3CdeAtFPjbtMb0pSXcdMphBE4C27c_cBGXcVHVef5J141mHHGNGHBSbBiylJcmk9NZJIBSi_JGPeg0wenIwYZCIZFWmiwx_SmF2wD5Jg/w640-h480/IMG_20220927_151317362_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;">That evening we had our 20th anniversary dinner at<i> <a href="https://www.goosefeatherny.com/">Goosefeather</a></i>. It's in a boutique hotel, and the setting was perfect. I will remember this ginger and thyme drink forever, the food and drinks were delicious. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0jgBbvDxGEFjNJg1T1LHNwgOBRK74M2OYLInlUEcp506-td3q_yQxu0fNj8jI9jC_IvrFqZ6oV0kwk7wTYj_tquXNlZuDeLDrzRMWwpCyz-tu9B_NP_-q5-9ou-wpSr-StaUsNWx6ndhJoKM101jXDvvKDTo8Fr1bX_vOzZ77FTqhdvC2SjaRD9pYiw/s732/IMG_20220927_174924868_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="549" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0jgBbvDxGEFjNJg1T1LHNwgOBRK74M2OYLInlUEcp506-td3q_yQxu0fNj8jI9jC_IvrFqZ6oV0kwk7wTYj_tquXNlZuDeLDrzRMWwpCyz-tu9B_NP_-q5-9ou-wpSr-StaUsNWx6ndhJoKM101jXDvvKDTo8Fr1bX_vOzZ77FTqhdvC2SjaRD9pYiw/w480-h640/IMG_20220927_174924868_HDR.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWV7TEUGh3CioWMdBGyAkiSsX2AS240qnZBSeZ1n1k4Rft_kyjf5EWzMdG2-tte0u68ThykCNqPNULChDoHviV8jaSUJg09JWj45JtHBPuiV3e6R9k1dJQcrPJn1mlzxzCaVBctfeN5-RWD1NrpH9woU4-A2wr4uMrVrsNb6h8fgG2GbMmJIgq24d-Yw/s732/IMG_20220927_175000462_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="549" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWV7TEUGh3CioWMdBGyAkiSsX2AS240qnZBSeZ1n1k4Rft_kyjf5EWzMdG2-tte0u68ThykCNqPNULChDoHviV8jaSUJg09JWj45JtHBPuiV3e6R9k1dJQcrPJn1mlzxzCaVBctfeN5-RWD1NrpH9woU4-A2wr4uMrVrsNb6h8fgG2GbMmJIgq24d-Yw/w480-h640/IMG_20220927_175000462_HDR.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_IvcEVZpC0ZGsICP778AK3fAtn7ET90_81sliu547XWk_ArWBa5S_UwUU24InRlH-DuE23eN_rH11N8-Uq6th51rZAaZ9S8AEYrKWxyLk7LZ2xRAUm_BPQ-KPH-__aBP-4CNFbRPGwozykdvhD4WVpz9ZqJsZq1t__idL_1ZYk_jCJjhjXE_M1C4MA/s732/IMG_20220927_175404056.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="549" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_IvcEVZpC0ZGsICP778AK3fAtn7ET90_81sliu547XWk_ArWBa5S_UwUU24InRlH-DuE23eN_rH11N8-Uq6th51rZAaZ9S8AEYrKWxyLk7LZ2xRAUm_BPQ-KPH-__aBP-4CNFbRPGwozykdvhD4WVpz9ZqJsZq1t__idL_1ZYk_jCJjhjXE_M1C4MA/w480-h640/IMG_20220927_175404056.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXzscI5xto4bMhF9nli5RZUUx9xU3c9P5yN0sR4i34upoh0frI1ogeQUpKNoF9bamOvzkoOweRUfWlp0dzev5uzqANbXPb2e9naerFsjuqqWQNP04V9biDkgyYjBH1Cgrao1SpWmPQ4bGSvpOGElFo9WF7fkItCF9PC2VfcJMQ1haWy1Gm531Gkm_Pkw/s732/IMG_20220927_175409182.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="549" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXzscI5xto4bMhF9nli5RZUUx9xU3c9P5yN0sR4i34upoh0frI1ogeQUpKNoF9bamOvzkoOweRUfWlp0dzev5uzqANbXPb2e9naerFsjuqqWQNP04V9biDkgyYjBH1Cgrao1SpWmPQ4bGSvpOGElFo9WF7fkItCF9PC2VfcJMQ1haWy1Gm531Gkm_Pkw/w480-h640/IMG_20220927_175409182.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gs83UWvvkaU4kqtALJ1WvgYj5jGnfIaErnHOheyUFRnDCuTCu1-fo82IxfiEs_3mKQ8xaVf1Ggw7YR4Igkzng_lr1Q3ufi9TuqxaNUd9JpVRfWHawM-4SZF426kEBY_f_-6mm0SGC6C5ZGs7nr0jOfgPqXOuNrBUf26lS4CPlgTf1qzXlKL7fFYR-w/s976/IMG_20220927_180415509.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="976" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gs83UWvvkaU4kqtALJ1WvgYj5jGnfIaErnHOheyUFRnDCuTCu1-fo82IxfiEs_3mKQ8xaVf1Ggw7YR4Igkzng_lr1Q3ufi9TuqxaNUd9JpVRfWHawM-4SZF426kEBY_f_-6mm0SGC6C5ZGs7nr0jOfgPqXOuNrBUf26lS4CPlgTf1qzXlKL7fFYR-w/w640-h480/IMG_20220927_180415509.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xdj266r x126k92a" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: times;">On day 4 we shopped at <i><a href="https://prettyfunnyvintage.com/">Pretty Funny Vintage</a></i> and checked out the local Main St. Of course, I ended up buying books from the cutest bookshop <i><a href="https://www.transombookshop.com/">Transom Book Shop</a></i> and YES that is a copy of <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/281235.Bunnicula"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; list-style: none; outline-color: initial; outline-width: initial; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation;">B</span>unnicula</a></i> in a red velvet cover! I chatted with the owner who was friendly and approved my selections.</span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfcrecYK7edBWo-u9kg0H_KXIBnwrQMppXeqy1loFojNYe3WtHWGCR4Oli9zzV-z76TMy201ZmWpK8a59OQF3X3n0auBWiUfd_MV1wmMAWLomyqOkKIjS9gCl6NDZ952pQIQEuYY37ner-i6JYUVwEReldL4tdDI3j0DHITcI2YKs545ufQ1Pc1G22IQ/s1350/308649774_10159636649152935_4638815799414738906_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: times;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfcrecYK7edBWo-u9kg0H_KXIBnwrQMppXeqy1loFojNYe3WtHWGCR4Oli9zzV-z76TMy201ZmWpK8a59OQF3X3n0auBWiUfd_MV1wmMAWLomyqOkKIjS9gCl6NDZ952pQIQEuYY37ner-i6JYUVwEReldL4tdDI3j0DHITcI2YKs545ufQ1Pc1G22IQ/w512-h640/308649774_10159636649152935_4638815799414738906_n.jpg" width="512" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzV-5E-xT3c2IBtmCvVjGjp2e5mi2adJdOb3lU6uNZgWoUFh__y1e-xtOxU2EtPsgkwbIaVykr2HkhL_06h1e2hhzvNo4zUJIoVYYKAWs2FtjO9xU_R0LCQwDuyrE5U61MC6u2Zy5r4bcTEX7GI6QruxLT-Dg_BU1lEY-5mfkHMroZOJ3ceXhJwoz-ZQ/s1350/309425219_10159636649677935_1186009136641655834_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzV-5E-xT3c2IBtmCvVjGjp2e5mi2adJdOb3lU6uNZgWoUFh__y1e-xtOxU2EtPsgkwbIaVykr2HkhL_06h1e2hhzvNo4zUJIoVYYKAWs2FtjO9xU_R0LCQwDuyrE5U61MC6u2Zy5r4bcTEX7GI6QruxLT-Dg_BU1lEY-5mfkHMroZOJ3ceXhJwoz-ZQ/w512-h640/309425219_10159636649677935_1186009136641655834_n.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">We also went to the <i><a href="https://pumpkinblaze.org/">Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze</a></i> where there's over 7000 carved pumpkins set to themes and a soundtrack. It's on the grounds of an old plantation near water, so it's a vast setting. We sampled local pumpkin beer too. I liked the MOPA (Museum of Pumpkin Art) display best. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheYnArIhUcsP6BJNnKHM5SXciuHd-SJeWrUbRQplgxhiCp1y3wVzMhrAhwWSbIPE1b4TSgPxsmakEob3tzcpxV8bXOpM0-8mZrn7VkkGN6PqlpcOXSHqw7vwlXobe01z1vti3uiJvUqnkRYDwlGaiNX-0YSmlkV_miHY4aCYJem04qHKGMOAqdTsCeYA/s1350/308507077_10159636649752935_7779567177100417549_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheYnArIhUcsP6BJNnKHM5SXciuHd-SJeWrUbRQplgxhiCp1y3wVzMhrAhwWSbIPE1b4TSgPxsmakEob3tzcpxV8bXOpM0-8mZrn7VkkGN6PqlpcOXSHqw7vwlXobe01z1vti3uiJvUqnkRYDwlGaiNX-0YSmlkV_miHY4aCYJem04qHKGMOAqdTsCeYA/w512-h640/308507077_10159636649752935_7779567177100417549_n.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9sQvlO6qXhUINbtUY9sD2Lc5qwlZDNiQUUliFiEJFO3oHNXSuD4Kl4pC0f9aG0trRMLyH7YT-CD_fvIq9VO8HFScnf9a82lB2Zn80Hro2V08sSNwm9sdbkR2oIsbEzwIf7xXJc9MNXF5t9618jHMU66Aye_0LsAswttFC1rRTKt6x-QujBkVFsuIryA/s1350/308602016_10159636649717935_8333404640674969695_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9sQvlO6qXhUINbtUY9sD2Lc5qwlZDNiQUUliFiEJFO3oHNXSuD4Kl4pC0f9aG0trRMLyH7YT-CD_fvIq9VO8HFScnf9a82lB2Zn80Hro2V08sSNwm9sdbkR2oIsbEzwIf7xXJc9MNXF5t9618jHMU66Aye_0LsAswttFC1rRTKt6x-QujBkVFsuIryA/w512-h640/308602016_10159636649717935_8333404640674969695_n.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidhKfvEAcqvAdfxqaEBMGm1skjpRMD1NDbvYKgQrSg6U4C7mWXGBMBkcIp8DvM9cDH7w0vjM5A0JTKnT-iFforyJXfixYjVLaSTWhfI9Fz4TwgdQIZHvDa62joB7xPOw5Ua-sPUNuQ-3c3nHBqh8eMnLvpWgNEaHO7XycbhSNrBXtcOch4WLPecs2DIA/s1350/308873565_10159636649782935_4746462099643606439_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidhKfvEAcqvAdfxqaEBMGm1skjpRMD1NDbvYKgQrSg6U4C7mWXGBMBkcIp8DvM9cDH7w0vjM5A0JTKnT-iFforyJXfixYjVLaSTWhfI9Fz4TwgdQIZHvDa62joB7xPOw5Ua-sPUNuQ-3c3nHBqh8eMnLvpWgNEaHO7XycbhSNrBXtcOch4WLPecs2DIA/w512-h640/308873565_10159636649782935_4746462099643606439_n.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKkUgZn5HSXMzcxaw4CumJi2w_szfErK40_Tp2twXCJPyxgPtqDl9C9rn7HrHQDPzMoE5-YmzV2f10LiaRpep0wcIy9Yf8aHbLinM67QSdRE90cnizVvuiMzx6305WWyCm_yXy6l5Ek59V8jcOaOvqc9xD-FaPnH9OR47cxisQPJ6hZStB03xjguir4g/s1350/309039232_10159636649887935_8878756181431756851_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKkUgZn5HSXMzcxaw4CumJi2w_szfErK40_Tp2twXCJPyxgPtqDl9C9rn7HrHQDPzMoE5-YmzV2f10LiaRpep0wcIy9Yf8aHbLinM67QSdRE90cnizVvuiMzx6305WWyCm_yXy6l5Ek59V8jcOaOvqc9xD-FaPnH9OR47cxisQPJ6hZStB03xjguir4g/w512-h640/309039232_10159636649887935_8878756181431756851_n.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHRUYjn0iyrEuj6t8H7N60j8jnV2iNgcvzpJ8B4PaLpa22gGGBE3FkNlMCsCJivfH3A0gQOg6YuOX4ONVCkjMmx6tglpGYJI9tAcJeTWT1ZJAD2dTQGNVB_4nugHK1OK3WJ7oMg14E6GvmwGpiy7rX54a9cSdcLajLTZcmAONhHhf6WHxutNwi83W-Mw/s732/received_1084862318901078.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="549" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHRUYjn0iyrEuj6t8H7N60j8jnV2iNgcvzpJ8B4PaLpa22gGGBE3FkNlMCsCJivfH3A0gQOg6YuOX4ONVCkjMmx6tglpGYJI9tAcJeTWT1ZJAD2dTQGNVB_4nugHK1OK3WJ7oMg14E6GvmwGpiy7rX54a9cSdcLajLTZcmAONhHhf6WHxutNwi83W-Mw/w480-h640/received_1084862318901078.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbsComCPvScm580jA7jkuVWF_QmdoFQmteA01LsxdFrI4QI6Zeqx6-9KnVXVLNP8yfIJeiBww_GjBLpaMTnVRGmiS8ZQpAD5OE1MxLaqSbswcS6Vd_6_DLqnH9k4C15feJpxfxEJTWI5NpW9JfeUFknGVrsdozkMBAwdNoN54NkUoXL1WtUujDorFfAQ/s732/IMG_20220928_184952736.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="549" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbsComCPvScm580jA7jkuVWF_QmdoFQmteA01LsxdFrI4QI6Zeqx6-9KnVXVLNP8yfIJeiBww_GjBLpaMTnVRGmiS8ZQpAD5OE1MxLaqSbswcS6Vd_6_DLqnH9k4C15feJpxfxEJTWI5NpW9JfeUFknGVrsdozkMBAwdNoN54NkUoXL1WtUujDorFfAQ/w480-h640/IMG_20220928_184952736.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
<div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Day 5 we worked our way back to Western New York. <span style="font-family: inherit;">We stopped in Syracuse, NY where we ALWAYS visit <a href="https://www.syracuseantiques.com/"><i>The</i> <i>Syracuse Antiques Exchange</i></a> ~ it's huge! Then we ate at <i><a href="https://www.dinosaurbarbque.com/">Dinosaur BBQ</a></i>. I think I still like the Rochester, NY one best.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCmWqNJY3Fm95uLwXgUvQNgZChh-9DpbEcbWL8d1LBSxU4rG6t_wyL8-vaW92gUEgY2JaEWhW4gYdwU2YlKqP64JzmPMSetluaA8_nwQgBku9MiMGzhZ_3rnnSnFlrlpyNMy2ODAsEiy_HoVNX5gxT72GRRSWaSDCMabI7Q16FW4Iz_R1NOuslVxTZ-A/s1350/308653833_10159637946812935_3952962097779719789_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCmWqNJY3Fm95uLwXgUvQNgZChh-9DpbEcbWL8d1LBSxU4rG6t_wyL8-vaW92gUEgY2JaEWhW4gYdwU2YlKqP64JzmPMSetluaA8_nwQgBku9MiMGzhZ_3rnnSnFlrlpyNMy2ODAsEiy_HoVNX5gxT72GRRSWaSDCMabI7Q16FW4Iz_R1NOuslVxTZ-A/w512-h640/308653833_10159637946812935_3952962097779719789_n.jpg" width="512" /></a></div></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It was a nice getaway, but it wasn't as spooky as I had hoped, and of course it was a lot of driving, so I did need a little recovery time after our vacation. All in all, I enjoyed the stops to and from Sleepy Hollow better than actually going there. The cemetery was the highlight. </span></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div>Fluffy the Vampire Slayerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16509348645086345089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4115582697468834728.post-66762882565562444902022-12-20T15:00:00.005-05:002022-12-21T09:58:25.131-05:00My Life is Chaos Part 1: Kitchen Remodel<p>I just wanted to say, “HELLO!” It's been a few months, and I want you to know that I'm thinking about you, and I'm still around. This past fall my life was chaotic. We had a kitchen remodel, our 20th anniversary to Sleepy Hollow, NY, the death of <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2017/03/vicktor-frankenstein-kitty.html">Vicktor</a>, helping my mom sell my gram's house, testing positive for <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/sjogrens-syndrome/sjogrens-syndrome-symptoms">Sjogrens</a>, all on top of working at <a href="https://catslikeus.com/">my business</a>, doing in-store events, and we are in retail busy mode for the holidays. I'm hoping in the new year it will calm down a little. Let me catch you up on things...</p><p>We've been planning a kitchen remodel at our house since we moved in almost 20 years ago. In August, it finally started to happen! My frustration over my oven not keeping temperature and being small, having to walk across the kitchen to throw something out, having only about a foot of counter space, a tiny sink, constantly dirty looking floor, tiny cupboards, and more is over! </p><p>So we knew what needed to change and had sort of a plan of where we wanted things to go. We didn't knock down any walls, but rearranged where the appliances are located. We moved the refrigerator across from the back door, added a peninsula to the counter where the refrigerator was, got rid of the old oven and got a full size one to fit where the range was. We wanted to keep the 1950s vibe and years ago I purchased vintage fabric that I planned to hang as curtains in our new kitchen ~ IF it ever happened. Well friends, I made the curtains! We based the colors of the new kitchen on the curtains and went from there. The choices for everything were overwhelming but with the help of our friend, and Cats Like Us customer Kelly, she guided us through the process making it painless. If you are local, I recommend finding her at <i><a href="https://kitchenandbathunlimited.net/">Kitchen and Bath Unlimited</a></i>. Here's some before and after pics. We started it in August and finished it in October, we still have a couple small shelves to put up by the back door, but it's done.</p><p style="text-align: center;">BEFORE</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIT9U05shfUsniwiBix3iTOPq1gRa-TdfzKSvX58S-A1rIZGncQD_U2N5WOarMQFdWlf4mSXN0Q5pwMsIcVBvTp-fS5sRPhkFPzaIohqLBKoWNWe1IucHs1FAW3DHdwl1Ubpe3hAWNJ5f7EaYrJ17KZ4hraO5df-bXpH5qUHAcpj45awW2HTUEPoTCMw/s789/IMG_20220819_123626802.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="592" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIT9U05shfUsniwiBix3iTOPq1gRa-TdfzKSvX58S-A1rIZGncQD_U2N5WOarMQFdWlf4mSXN0Q5pwMsIcVBvTp-fS5sRPhkFPzaIohqLBKoWNWe1IucHs1FAW3DHdwl1Ubpe3hAWNJ5f7EaYrJ17KZ4hraO5df-bXpH5qUHAcpj45awW2HTUEPoTCMw/w480-h640/IMG_20220819_123626802.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">AFTER</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNMRS30QVwExeG8ErkIXdFRfKBUKkcn7qn9xwv7LPl8RyUPRggxej-VyUR9rHMtY951-GWzbd8yw3JC9MEMz7BcL73GkG_KmwbqG156gxc6dBLevfyu3DbsVvcShn2t_6uqxFpQ8gWYgEZhDGQ5XgS8zMIY5K_t6gqsoCgiNdtqJJXM85ZJ7MwHakcyQ/s976/IMG_20220923_081601174.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="976" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNMRS30QVwExeG8ErkIXdFRfKBUKkcn7qn9xwv7LPl8RyUPRggxej-VyUR9rHMtY951-GWzbd8yw3JC9MEMz7BcL73GkG_KmwbqG156gxc6dBLevfyu3DbsVvcShn2t_6uqxFpQ8gWYgEZhDGQ5XgS8zMIY5K_t6gqsoCgiNdtqJJXM85ZJ7MwHakcyQ/w640-h480/IMG_20220923_081601174.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">BEFORE</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvlSZpb9BqN1mdPqqZ8ByTMH4L6MSpARrTGrnD_CPBgFgowYZi8envpRp9uCLe1KjNHjTc1qlBjG1vx65nNw3pdmUMqcwp6wWdr7Xu5jmOjJ5VygnpqtNjP-GD3eg53VbqwJy8Gqil-EmGMLsr11fI7GmfodxRpZIzKhBgY8LZ7-PqGbYsMW8-XBDpw/s976/IMG_20220816_085239808.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="976" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvlSZpb9BqN1mdPqqZ8ByTMH4L6MSpARrTGrnD_CPBgFgowYZi8envpRp9uCLe1KjNHjTc1qlBjG1vx65nNw3pdmUMqcwp6wWdr7Xu5jmOjJ5VygnpqtNjP-GD3eg53VbqwJy8Gqil-EmGMLsr11fI7GmfodxRpZIzKhBgY8LZ7-PqGbYsMW8-XBDpw/w640-h480/IMG_20220816_085239808.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">AFTER WITHOUT BACKSPLASH OR CURTAINS</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-xWbkqg0qIPDtaoPKQZvfa5wvYNj2Z8DoQmMnKqo6w6KbumzKOSagyWQ9onCAgLb7q9-vVkDE2Yy6uq8njqxCBULwWWpkHY-zEtgMs9MP-YQ7hHinezmFPU642_Qc4kLYMornWbH2QcoCWMZqhNml8cMNyRzEDybI7BGnyHRDg5X-j-TpV9SmL0LZQ/s2000/319908760_3344609289115520_7907613233462135338_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-xWbkqg0qIPDtaoPKQZvfa5wvYNj2Z8DoQmMnKqo6w6KbumzKOSagyWQ9onCAgLb7q9-vVkDE2Yy6uq8njqxCBULwWWpkHY-zEtgMs9MP-YQ7hHinezmFPU642_Qc4kLYMornWbH2QcoCWMZqhNml8cMNyRzEDybI7BGnyHRDg5X-j-TpV9SmL0LZQ/w480-h640/319908760_3344609289115520_7907613233462135338_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">WITH BACKSPLASH & CURTAINS</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigYUmDEcLl6aVY-JPR45NZPWoVD8PUaXg0Hv4aJz8wiNxHZgvqrh6PzmzCqBYi6Y4uYVbRPAwRo2lw-zf_qX4xYyKpcPRjPWUzj8A36VPkLDQyB1h2rVhy0NDIz5Juh8DcUfXd9fu3MJufeozjOyMQPp8gKPPm7MpLfWxoy1ok-87xdUhYkcfgim_4QQ/s976/IMG_20221103_133720769_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="976" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigYUmDEcLl6aVY-JPR45NZPWoVD8PUaXg0Hv4aJz8wiNxHZgvqrh6PzmzCqBYi6Y4uYVbRPAwRo2lw-zf_qX4xYyKpcPRjPWUzj8A36VPkLDQyB1h2rVhy0NDIz5Juh8DcUfXd9fu3MJufeozjOyMQPp8gKPPm7MpLfWxoy1ok-87xdUhYkcfgim_4QQ/w640-h480/IMG_20221103_133720769_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipfM6exRSJHS9GNK6pOZCQi1ay28hZ6TRnF35uo9ewdlEUmiVsBdUeDH4O_ZdAJfeDXLnVjXnVjJsfCMVJf_qbDFQNBUHBxuqP7tf1IdMB79D2xxPWvHTfUtc6SxakUAH2SHMVOMLvBsyaK2ELSik33TLOusIjOZkXtksvW0UgT0dXr9Be0EU82l7pjg/s2000/320473240_1585596848520621_5620195284198684384_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipfM6exRSJHS9GNK6pOZCQi1ay28hZ6TRnF35uo9ewdlEUmiVsBdUeDH4O_ZdAJfeDXLnVjXnVjJsfCMVJf_qbDFQNBUHBxuqP7tf1IdMB79D2xxPWvHTfUtc6SxakUAH2SHMVOMLvBsyaK2ELSik33TLOusIjOZkXtksvW0UgT0dXr9Be0EU82l7pjg/w640-h480/320473240_1585596848520621_5620195284198684384_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">BEFORE (DISHWASHER WAS UNDER THE OVEN)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0loBehYBW1FKtA7sdFoDqgk0aVbEQdCtAIcQZahtyPw-qmke3d_0kq8v2ukc5zXP4G5D_EDEMM4aX10yW09KWt5THWYXFPw_HV9-7scMFfAoz7dO1Pt0L2bL4SsIhaPNbACp1h1CmiuH5B_-SDOSLR7f1diHFy3NlYrij8CD79FnBR_Nbaid16fgjWg/s732/IMG_20220816_085249024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="549" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0loBehYBW1FKtA7sdFoDqgk0aVbEQdCtAIcQZahtyPw-qmke3d_0kq8v2ukc5zXP4G5D_EDEMM4aX10yW09KWt5THWYXFPw_HV9-7scMFfAoz7dO1Pt0L2bL4SsIhaPNbACp1h1CmiuH5B_-SDOSLR7f1diHFy3NlYrij8CD79FnBR_Nbaid16fgjWg/w480-h640/IMG_20220816_085249024.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">WIP WITHOUT OVEN</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyXXrXx36h8Yu3VCUUikbX5nqxdh_RvgOecu7pZLfR7_kRp3xYqiZ1OlNVG-VcZq3pJa2heiR2gwX3gV7cywpMIsNDYmT5kDw7xt-ZMziMGGxEcnTMm9FkGd8119oSpvo6opT91BC-m65ZQL5FTGIni-k0JRcrL7gFRoHir3YoOipX3Wr7cUQn0Gh7XQ/s2000/319773579_540061251373862_5628908586650355123_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyXXrXx36h8Yu3VCUUikbX5nqxdh_RvgOecu7pZLfR7_kRp3xYqiZ1OlNVG-VcZq3pJa2heiR2gwX3gV7cywpMIsNDYmT5kDw7xt-ZMziMGGxEcnTMm9FkGd8119oSpvo6opT91BC-m65ZQL5FTGIni-k0JRcrL7gFRoHir3YoOipX3Wr7cUQn0Gh7XQ/w480-h640/319773579_540061251373862_5628908586650355123_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">WITH OVEN</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggbtA2KGKIF4bBm73GzKs9a0wCx2B5ziObasyIfe0v4JlkSCCS4etEZ9ZbgkmQeNFS_RTvGFcwoR5Y-E1c-51b3DHShzv5pipynj2yUPcaWWN0OuGwKo2Icme0s91Q8zj9In0tolh0h26aYyOS_4Nvt56u7DjmnEccUlN0zX3b8xNrV6xQnf98mATCIA/s732/IMG_20221221_080128054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="549" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggbtA2KGKIF4bBm73GzKs9a0wCx2B5ziObasyIfe0v4JlkSCCS4etEZ9ZbgkmQeNFS_RTvGFcwoR5Y-E1c-51b3DHShzv5pipynj2yUPcaWWN0OuGwKo2Icme0s91Q8zj9In0tolh0h26aYyOS_4Nvt56u7DjmnEccUlN0zX3b8xNrV6xQnf98mATCIA/w480-h640/IMG_20221221_080128054.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">TO THE RIGHT OF THE OVEN, I HAVE A TEA DRAWER!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbEJ7d6M1vVth7H9S0BvXLaKiNYJHFjZ_w4rMncZoUhoLy29t5Cw9oH1fcnY0nA3uUCKv5DWYCWTYgvPquwGawZ6XD029BHNYdmqTmeFpOX5t8tjE19QID1s2G4B1N4xSWnaaYNKQfBj2WPg8xziEVRQ3MzdXWGO0Bm4KiwE2JgTIseHwcTfNqBd4Dqw/s2000/319903949_1035745553816513_8655326029961477661_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbEJ7d6M1vVth7H9S0BvXLaKiNYJHFjZ_w4rMncZoUhoLy29t5Cw9oH1fcnY0nA3uUCKv5DWYCWTYgvPquwGawZ6XD029BHNYdmqTmeFpOX5t8tjE19QID1s2G4B1N4xSWnaaYNKQfBj2WPg8xziEVRQ3MzdXWGO0Bm4KiwE2JgTIseHwcTfNqBd4Dqw/w480-h640/319903949_1035745553816513_8655326029961477661_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBxbJlQumf3F5OWkPi9Mft-lWOK-yBDdPpPrCYucRJYqHq03IyEtAP6HQlIV815RUr4wmA_0Tq4Nz_rA9tdcSKO0Qs-ghAWyfKS_FPdveUHDBmCEBhU9VPeBfqm_ymtwZIixnzsnFbbyXpjVMJFZ6IHHrzUjqmeyYWEAXmBERQSdkXDcGBbEwwxU_MRQ/s2000/319833685_905246000496228_2005714375360955867_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBxbJlQumf3F5OWkPi9Mft-lWOK-yBDdPpPrCYucRJYqHq03IyEtAP6HQlIV815RUr4wmA_0Tq4Nz_rA9tdcSKO0Qs-ghAWyfKS_FPdveUHDBmCEBhU9VPeBfqm_ymtwZIixnzsnFbbyXpjVMJFZ6IHHrzUjqmeyYWEAXmBERQSdkXDcGBbEwwxU_MRQ/w480-h640/319833685_905246000496228_2005714375360955867_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">LAST STEP, 3 LITTLE SHELVES HERE (AND A RED KITCHEN TABLE & CHAIRS)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUgOjywXY1UK0vof9SAVzt-CX54KWmFpPTxi8sLxjyRkdD0LZHQKE5-AodC1AcYmAVLFxzBgPvgQk6lZD-S_nCZ1_76OQU-KDyZyyb5PwJbU6aVg_yuDdmsQE9k0VfW6Z6ZCA6DtKcKSG0qAiAdHo6Qe59kEz65OcMmETznsoTqh0cmxUZ8QBqEhlYQ/s335/IMG_20221221_080245370.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="335" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUgOjywXY1UK0vof9SAVzt-CX54KWmFpPTxi8sLxjyRkdD0LZHQKE5-AodC1AcYmAVLFxzBgPvgQk6lZD-S_nCZ1_76OQU-KDyZyyb5PwJbU6aVg_yuDdmsQE9k0VfW6Z6ZCA6DtKcKSG0qAiAdHo6Qe59kEz65OcMmETznsoTqh0cmxUZ8QBqEhlYQ/s320/IMG_20221221_080245370.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">One thing you don't realize is that when your kitchen is being worked on to the extent ours was, everything that was in the kitchen needs to go somewhere else. We moved everything into our front living room. While the remodel is going on, you also don't have a kitchen to make food in, so for about a month and a half we ate take out or used the toaster oven and microwave in the middle of the living room. I don't recommend it. Here's what our living room looked like for a month and a half. I was miserable. It is a picture of chaos. Needless to say, I wasn't in any mood to blog or share my thoughts. I'm glad it's done. I'll be following up in the coming week with the rest of my Fall 2022 drama, so stick around. Lol.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFmwTlY1X06BCihWwTF4QyywSuwVkkFZkUDmBgmX4u9NV_gbnlmqx4OHAmtq6kgNT48ppZH9O0txMnLml-CCn1xGXai1zzfANb81_x1pOfQtdICUS493u_9kaP6wn9uvovG6ZQFoXlYz8FWwtKtL5orpdg1mXVwJv2YY6Y8sshN47AUu5ST-5rLeoAXg/s976/IMG_20220824_181453589.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="976" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFmwTlY1X06BCihWwTF4QyywSuwVkkFZkUDmBgmX4u9NV_gbnlmqx4OHAmtq6kgNT48ppZH9O0txMnLml-CCn1xGXai1zzfANb81_x1pOfQtdICUS493u_9kaP6wn9uvovG6ZQFoXlYz8FWwtKtL5orpdg1mXVwJv2YY6Y8sshN47AUu5ST-5rLeoAXg/w640-h480/IMG_20220824_181453589.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div>Fluffy the Vampire Slayerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16509348645086345089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4115582697468834728.post-45759510780995712312022-08-22T15:43:00.000-04:002022-12-22T18:50:27.978-05:00Buffalo Oddities & Curiosities Expo 2022<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG7hEPcOE3ahyeYbQWTEP7ksTlcqylyLqrcyhwosK3QQI4X7EzIYjeIJDBk3NlX8NghJoLBnmNdWSzf_AtVtmnnB4H7MVuV6b0rlHqfC7eOiyJfFQZANq_WWswjBtAHsRIznWXi9xiSwGj2rgcfkrkHstuyaOLwHpKzAmhnaXY2xdnVifL4YkEsS_Kaw/s1920/247233403_1210326249459609_6669352031975882696_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1005" data-original-width="1920" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG7hEPcOE3ahyeYbQWTEP7ksTlcqylyLqrcyhwosK3QQI4X7EzIYjeIJDBk3NlX8NghJoLBnmNdWSzf_AtVtmnnB4H7MVuV6b0rlHqfC7eOiyJfFQZANq_WWswjBtAHsRIznWXi9xiSwGj2rgcfkrkHstuyaOLwHpKzAmhnaXY2xdnVifL4YkEsS_Kaw/w640-h336/247233403_1210326249459609_6669352031975882696_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p>If I had thought about it when I went this past weekend, I would have taken more photos! I was excited to attend the Buffalo <i><a href="https://odditiesandcuriositiesexpo.com/">Oddities & Curiosities Expo</a></i>. It's been canceled for the past two years due to covid. Now, although many of the businesses I follow online were not in attendance, I did come home with a few goodies.</p><p style="text-align: center;">Coffin Nail Necklace from <i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MockingbirdLaneArtistries">Mockingbird Lane Artistries</a></i>. It's been on my list for a while to get one.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLBGcNtvT4jEsX15c9SXVOxXfC-npYq_9YuHNx99qq4HOepk-h-S21PyNWHUFasn-9CYSKBDfl-Hv8Z_o9ARLLmdQ6rL_9uOPMT5bMSMLQUM3ZRP1PzcbZlbO_IkhxSFKMGhJLq0xNBJwtNDzHX6mXu6Ob6oCVNo9YiqMmPOThNn5HilCeFiqWDIe2-w/s3645/IMG_20220822_151751409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3645" data-original-width="2685" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLBGcNtvT4jEsX15c9SXVOxXfC-npYq_9YuHNx99qq4HOepk-h-S21PyNWHUFasn-9CYSKBDfl-Hv8Z_o9ARLLmdQ6rL_9uOPMT5bMSMLQUM3ZRP1PzcbZlbO_IkhxSFKMGhJLq0xNBJwtNDzHX6mXu6Ob6oCVNo9YiqMmPOThNn5HilCeFiqWDIe2-w/w295-h400/IMG_20220822_151751409.jpg" width="295" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">If you know me, you know I'm a sucker for tea. I picked up some loose tea from <a href="http://moroseandmacabre.com/index.html"><i>Morose & Macabre</i></a>, and it smells divine.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqkLvgyT8QMA2vj1lfZf2A9473s70JQ29l3Pv_AJ29ra58T_Co2iJtRNWjCxgorB1qk-BD3j_JOHLgDmElcNeiVvLBEVm3MM5Rn3ClZZaDKW4quQBmWg89PuFNMqJZvilD8LTEpoNvNcf-PMBgaaQ59rwa6PWhk8-Qk32tHJE8Cgoo0JUbS2em3bmA7g/s3592/IMG_20220822_151842685.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3592" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqkLvgyT8QMA2vj1lfZf2A9473s70JQ29l3Pv_AJ29ra58T_Co2iJtRNWjCxgorB1qk-BD3j_JOHLgDmElcNeiVvLBEVm3MM5Rn3ClZZaDKW4quQBmWg89PuFNMqJZvilD8LTEpoNvNcf-PMBgaaQ59rwa6PWhk8-Qk32tHJE8Cgoo0JUbS2em3bmA7g/w334-h400/IMG_20220822_151842685.jpg" width="334" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi82X0vtMmKz-PuodwTaFKfftXoXWXcCloaQUmt-EgpfuXTSdyC1hCAZfDHp9aDXcu_FwueZemkRwK76rOBteDeG7vFjx0IVVQGJ_vuVyND7JbtxJmXHxbLWrAG7Rojjp3W4piCvKVw_Q-i6-QhNHlYuRILUHTRCj-rliTjvVodyJN4N08o9mwWkDKDbw/s2761/IMG_20220822_151849008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2761" data-original-width="2744" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi82X0vtMmKz-PuodwTaFKfftXoXWXcCloaQUmt-EgpfuXTSdyC1hCAZfDHp9aDXcu_FwueZemkRwK76rOBteDeG7vFjx0IVVQGJ_vuVyND7JbtxJmXHxbLWrAG7Rojjp3W4piCvKVw_Q-i6-QhNHlYuRILUHTRCj-rliTjvVodyJN4N08o9mwWkDKDbw/s320/IMG_20220822_151849008.jpg" width="318" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Lastly, I bought these raccoon knuckle bone earring from <i><a href="https://www.feralgrandmotherartistry.com/">Feral Grandmother Artistry</a>. </i>While not on my list of things to purchase, I liked how tiny and delicate the bones are. The owner was really sweet too.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqoIgdCtmVqxB20I59wBFe7ySFEhrCwS9PH0nW8Vw2ofv2oP53maKzNUHTo5INPa2ufk7ONqDpDNKG09khRWXePo3vtzsOB7vcaUM1p3_SbSNVKEquQLwNo6uH_-vJd6rfRcjhI3ZjTbg1VXrPztHaP2FuagIGK4-_s3S2ApCL9aQREv5ULHZ_tLDJA/s3197/IMG_20220822_151932926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3197" data-original-width="2995" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqoIgdCtmVqxB20I59wBFe7ySFEhrCwS9PH0nW8Vw2ofv2oP53maKzNUHTo5INPa2ufk7ONqDpDNKG09khRWXePo3vtzsOB7vcaUM1p3_SbSNVKEquQLwNo6uH_-vJd6rfRcjhI3ZjTbg1VXrPztHaP2FuagIGK4-_s3S2ApCL9aQREv5ULHZ_tLDJA/s320/IMG_20220822_151932926.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">I saw many of my customers and friends there, and heard mixed reviews of the event overall. Personally, I'm not into wet specimens or taxidermy (I know ~ the shame), but there was enough there to be interesting. I thought it was a little weird they had booths that just had vintage stuff ~ not necessarily "odd". For example, a booth had old 1980s toys and another was selling vintage Playboys. Not that odd in my book. My guess is that this is the first time they are doing this expo, so they needed spaces to fill. I thought it was worth it to go, even if it was just to be among other weirdos.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4HK6fbIJpH6L0L1VjTYPvoniZv-hpm04dTLZoAhBC6wSHoI2u1CB1byAPtquHMdmMeWIAPM3WYMuuaBiVtVSMqi7_KvSd1KiZNevLlBcZEaCLBO_BuWh_y9bhme7a2BgBUqPNbhSKUDkyCGUIzANKHxFpyEYlDrbf0tJvXh6a_gkMQ7GKlgrddef_w/s1968/received_552133086594092.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1968" data-original-width="966" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4HK6fbIJpH6L0L1VjTYPvoniZv-hpm04dTLZoAhBC6wSHoI2u1CB1byAPtquHMdmMeWIAPM3WYMuuaBiVtVSMqi7_KvSd1KiZNevLlBcZEaCLBO_BuWh_y9bhme7a2BgBUqPNbhSKUDkyCGUIzANKHxFpyEYlDrbf0tJvXh6a_gkMQ7GKlgrddef_w/s320/received_552133086594092.jpeg" width="157" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Me & my friend Jodee Bowie.</span></div><p></p><p>Thanks for reading! My blogging has slowed down, but it's because I've been writing movie reviews for <i><a href="https://auxiliarymagazine.com/">Auxiliary Magazine</a></i>, prepping my kitchen for a full remodel that's been almost 20 years in the making (I'll post before and afters when it's done), and taking care of elderly <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2017/03/vicktor-frankenstein-kitty.html">Vicktor</a>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><br /></p>Fluffy the Vampire Slayerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16509348645086345089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4115582697468834728.post-8077727234357358152022-07-27T12:58:00.000-04:002022-07-27T12:58:00.326-04:00Cat Call - No Not That Kind!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_5dQugkXHI0KKCaCF83Ve1gDCFdzzbeCFBfkYL2apwt7_lmOt4lQplWqAHBRsR2FLED025Q1wFwjU3IUSTFDcuwwqyK4nYcxTJZhVmEcXrU67fi5l336Hi1yE1GPpOQ3ob7VtDeGDUXLxg3ug8N9ESJnzZrIKOTDzf5Hu_mCxwuQubA_v0orutFZ_fA/s2000/294154088_562478972290183_8171028560139287995_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_5dQugkXHI0KKCaCF83Ve1gDCFdzzbeCFBfkYL2apwt7_lmOt4lQplWqAHBRsR2FLED025Q1wFwjU3IUSTFDcuwwqyK4nYcxTJZhVmEcXrU67fi5l336Hi1yE1GPpOQ3ob7VtDeGDUXLxg3ug8N9ESJnzZrIKOTDzf5Hu_mCxwuQubA_v0orutFZ_fA/w400-h300/294154088_562478972290183_8171028560139287995_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Recently, I picked up the book <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/44442929-cat-call"><i>Cat Call: Reclaiming the Feral Feminine</i> by Kristen J. Sollee</a> from <i><a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2022/07/cleveland-not-as-planned.html">The Buckland Museum of Witchcraft & Magick</a></i> because I really enjoyed her book <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313780-witches-sluts-feminists">Witches, Sluts, and Feminists: Conjuring the Sex Positive</a>...</i>and because it has "Cat" in the title. (Duh.) I have to say I enjoyed it. She writes about topics that live in our subconscious that we don't consider in everyday life, but I think I was hoping it would break down the chapter topics a little more. The feral feminine discussion is a HUGE undertaking because there are a VAST amount of cat archetypes symbolizing so many things, and can be interpreted so many ways! She used her experiences and pop culture references to round out the chapters, but honestly you could go on forever with how cat symbolism is around us daily. Everyone's experiences while reading this book can bring different ideas to the table. It's a malleable read.</p><p>There's a thoughtful introduction by <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2020/01/waking-witch.html">Pam Grossman</a>, who I have written about before. What a great start, then Sollee touches on ("touches" being the operative word) kitten play, cat kinks, cats and courtesans, and more. Side note: Kitten play is a form of animal role play where you get into the headspace of the animal you are portraying and take on their mannerisms. So this book was much more sexual in nature than I anticipated.</p><p>There are chapters covering black cat superstition, history of Egyptian cat gods (I was hoping it would get into more), and the cult of Hello Kitty cuteness. I'm a strong supporter of Hello Kitty. AND I'm here to remind you, Hello Kitty is a girl dressed up as a cat, her name is Kitty White, and she is five apples tall. </p><p>I think the thing I hated about this book was that she references many many images that aren't pictured, and unless you are familiar with the artist or image, you really have no clue what she's talking about. I'd like to see the images in the book. Other than that, it's a good read that makes you think. </p><p>For more info on the author <a href="http://kristensollee.com/">http://kristensollee.com/</a></p>Fluffy the Vampire Slayerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16509348645086345089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4115582697468834728.post-20637422211458185362022-07-15T11:33:00.003-04:002022-07-15T12:18:18.829-04:00Cat Video Fest 2022<p>There wasn't a <i><a href="http://www.catvideofest.com/">Cat Video Fest</a></i> last year with everything going on. I went in <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2019/03/cat-video-fest-2019.html">2019</a> and <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2020/03/cat-video-fest-2020.html">2020</a>, but I'm happy to say it's back this year! I ended up going alone at an odd time, 5pm on a Wednesday, so there were no kitties up for adoption in the lobby like the last few times. I tried to round up friends, but no one got back to me. *sad face* There was about 4 other people in the theater, so almost a private screening! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfIHMZ-Js5yEPgpOYCTwTONtBlHnCOiAP3AIufXnhRZ0JicPdnOIQ1ONz2p6tH8e274PGkOj08iqC3xi-C1sVahXO9v4yOd1EdMRUCvkAuT_6sdKQIqrxP61shcxR4_Fwm0Rm8k1FoJIiNSGSJRmCekFEYlR26uoL9Ekky576nP5HAeeIzt4rb5mwvA/s4000/original_775c4482-af4c-4477-b04e-faa27db9d4f8_IMG_20220713_162901108.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="2826" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfIHMZ-Js5yEPgpOYCTwTONtBlHnCOiAP3AIufXnhRZ0JicPdnOIQ1ONz2p6tH8e274PGkOj08iqC3xi-C1sVahXO9v4yOd1EdMRUCvkAuT_6sdKQIqrxP61shcxR4_Fwm0Rm8k1FoJIiNSGSJRmCekFEYlR26uoL9Ekky576nP5HAeeIzt4rb5mwvA/w283-h400/original_775c4482-af4c-4477-b04e-faa27db9d4f8_IMG_20220713_162901108.jpg" width="283" /></a></div><p>The local cat cafe the <i><a href="https://www.purrfectbuffalo.com/">Purrfect Cat Cafe</a></i> was a sponsor of this event. <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2019/05/cat-cafe-anxiety.html">I blogged about them before</a>. Viewing it at the <i><a href="https://www.northparktheatre.org/">North Park Theater</a></i> is always a good time. You can send them videos of your cats, and they show them before the movie. I did this with Vicktor and Ginger before. This time, 22 cat videos were submitted! It's always funny to see how goofy other cats can be.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieboyv2Hg8pNlmcibz84isJThiA0p0_MtBjuvAzlmhT7xhfQ1QxcQqgyN7CAIgjROkSl7lU2mGwrmgBvJEM5jCQ0UKaH-ZR3N5fgrQ1V0QCBj8FTxuJtX5vBBvBDeCWknxFxwUQ1-vJjaFCTtz-YxKlfPnALD3dN1G2mcf7NjaP72Mpo85bNneeMFW3Q/s4000/IMG_20220713_165312017_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieboyv2Hg8pNlmcibz84isJThiA0p0_MtBjuvAzlmhT7xhfQ1QxcQqgyN7CAIgjROkSl7lU2mGwrmgBvJEM5jCQ0UKaH-ZR3N5fgrQ1V0QCBj8FTxuJtX5vBBvBDeCWknxFxwUQ1-vJjaFCTtz-YxKlfPnALD3dN1G2mcf7NjaP72Mpo85bNneeMFW3Q/w400-h300/IMG_20220713_165312017_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>The <i>Cat Video Fest</i> compiles a bunch of viral cat videos from the past few years into an hour and a half movie with CATegories like "Drama", "Action/ Adventure", "Documentary", and "Comedy". They featured the usual suspects <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUtn3pvWmpg&ab_channel=HenriLeChatNoir">Henri and his "Artiste" video</a>. R.I.P Henri, you were the perfect existential cat, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60TpGdG19u8&ab_channel=Mashable">Dymka the Russian cat with prosthetic legs</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgggfES81qo&ab_channel=ColeandMarmalade">Cole and Marmalade</a> R.I.P. Cole, you reminded me of my Vicktor, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU20CkI5OHQ&ab_channel=SWNS">Juno the Blind Wonder Cat and his new blind brother George</a>, the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0jpC3LXyEo&ab_channel=TRTWorld">legacy of Tombili Cat</a>, and more. It mentioned the Ukrainian cats that have been displaced, and the <a href="https://lanaicatsanctuary.org/">Island of Lanai</a> that has been turned into a cat sanctuary with more than 600 cats! </p><p>I like supporting this event because they raise money for cats in need around the world. Watching it this time, I laughed and cried. If it comes to your town, don't miss out.</p>Fluffy the Vampire Slayerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16509348645086345089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4115582697468834728.post-41335704690950349372022-07-13T11:48:00.008-04:002022-07-13T12:10:59.936-04:00Cleveland: Not As Planned<div class="separator"><br /></div><p>Being a business owner, I have to plan. I meal plan, I plan what I wear each day the night before, and I plan vacations. Andrew (my hubs) and I try to take at least a small road trip each year ~ even if it's just for a change of scenery. That means it's usually on a Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday when my shop <a href="https://catslikeus.com/"><i>Cats Like Us</i></a> isn't open, so our getaway doesn't interfere with shop hours. Let me tell you, I had our Cleveland, Ohio trip planned a few months in advance. It did not go as planned, as the universe was working against us. We still managed to include some fun things, but it wasn't what I had hoped.</p><p>A few days before we were set to leave, I was double-checking the hours of everywhere on our list. One day of our trip was going to be dedicated to visit the <a href="https://www.felinehistoricalfoundation.org/"><i>Feline Historical Museum</i></a>. It's a museum created by the <i>Cat Fancier's Association</i> outside of Akron, Ohio that's dedicated to the preservation of the history of cats in all art forms and types of pedigrees. Well it said on their website they were closed until further notice! I contacted them and one of the persons that runs the museum died, another was hospitalized. How awful. I was super bummed about this, but it's understandable. Needless to say, our trip plans changed two days before. </p><p>Since our <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2019/03/the-buckland-museum-cleveland.html">last trip to Cleveland</a> in 2019, some new places have opened that we wanted to check out, so we were still determined to go on our road trip! The first stop was <i><a href="https://thehauntedhouserestaurant.com/">The Haunted House Restaurant</a> </i>for Sunday brunch. It's on a corner and when you check in at the movie counter there are large murals in the waiting area. Inside they have at least three TVs playing different horror movies, movie props, and lots of windows, booths, tables, and a nice bar. I ordered the lobster BLT and it was heavenly. (Yes, I ordered the most expensive thing on the menu! I'm on vacation dammit!) Paired with <i>The Ring</i> cocktail, it was the perfect combo. Andrew went with some a la carte breakfast items. They played 80s party music, and announced a birthday and an anniversary while we were there, but beware when the horror soundtrack starts! You
might end up with an extra lunch guest! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6XbBf0SYOtnLdKv04h4GxhSdzLGnNE93xVpMnOX8Hh0VWebiNRCLn9CuPhtmBJZzFPr6LRip9vaD-4DO-gJqLVfos2dEprwj2lbhBY7Jxqjap3uYdezYcldNNeim9jwaCtAArEN-uGTWmtxPk--5I7EKcrUz1CbBIW36zVOYLpXpSbC4SBRv7u3Sjg/s4000/IMG_20220710_114854757_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6XbBf0SYOtnLdKv04h4GxhSdzLGnNE93xVpMnOX8Hh0VWebiNRCLn9CuPhtmBJZzFPr6LRip9vaD-4DO-gJqLVfos2dEprwj2lbhBY7Jxqjap3uYdezYcldNNeim9jwaCtAArEN-uGTWmtxPk--5I7EKcrUz1CbBIW36zVOYLpXpSbC4SBRv7u3Sjg/w300-h400/IMG_20220710_114854757_HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZqX-Rn9sZ7YhIXBA0-rWBPkoNDafA81zFzi8dVKNB2SM9mO71lm0aba1h953GnTe8h2F0MgjeYy6rvIuPt4CD3O7VMVdRxgEoK6mQYIB6f_slyfOQyafVxdJ1SUUDviCKzIN9RUrRSSRJUpPYwITEu_M9EHRzlbYLjx2qYLcSahLiFmCgKqUdgnfX-Q/s4000/IMG_20220710_114959371_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Andrew made a friend! (He's wearing the exclusive to <i>Cats Like Us </i><a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2022/06/busy-with-monster-t-shirts.html">Monster Matt T Shirt</a>.)</div><div><br /></div>Next up we visited <i><a href="http://www.sweetlorain.com/">Suite Lorain</a></i>. It's a go-to when we are in Cleveland for vintage, but it's very crowded. Not with people, but with merchandise, and this time around they were very strict with the Covid mask mandate. I was talking to Andrew with my mask on, alone in a corner of the shop, and was told that it was moving and needed to cover my nose better. Which is ironic since the shop itself is a bit messy, dusty, stuffed to the brim, and a little hard to shop because of the overcrowding. You could easily remove half of what's in it, and it would still be full. As a store owner myself, I just want to sort and organize it. If you do go there, go on a mission or be prepared to dig through piles. They do have everything, but you have to take the time to find it yourself.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another new (to us) place we visited was <i><a href="https://www.clevelandcuriosities.com/">Cleveland Curiosities</a></i>. It was recommended by our friend Jay of <i><a href="http://www.woodentshirts.com/">Wooden Ts</a> </i>(He printed our Monster Matt T shirts.) The small and friendly shop was bustling with customers when we were there. It had oddities and taxidermy for sale, some of it quite large! I would recommend a visit. If you can't make it there, we have a local shop next to <i>Cats Like Us </i>in Tonawanda, NY<i> </i>called <i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/blacksheepmainst.co/?hl=en">Black Sheep Market</a></i> that carries similar items, but has more small gifty items, less taxidermy, and a strong sense of humor!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM1LjRdnOor6y7dAKa8M7Bie7p4vZiG4CtxPt1FvCnTm2lFxbXLyRblSpB3N22L1PvQza1zUmKxEvOuOTtZ44YggMNTrxuVdkLC9SA__VOlRcZ-pG5CsQHp-5_H7HD-9iK34IR1AD18LDcScaxATIFwgasbQeoSmrZ0LkjoBcrXGFaGh34uQ4oOb31sQ/s4000/IMG_20220710_151100284_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM1LjRdnOor6y7dAKa8M7Bie7p4vZiG4CtxPt1FvCnTm2lFxbXLyRblSpB3N22L1PvQza1zUmKxEvOuOTtZ44YggMNTrxuVdkLC9SA__VOlRcZ-pG5CsQHp-5_H7HD-9iK34IR1AD18LDcScaxATIFwgasbQeoSmrZ0LkjoBcrXGFaGh34uQ4oOb31sQ/w300-h400/IMG_20220710_151100284_HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGTe6ZxuD78fYWQY-ITE8IPMeiE8jLjzv4WtRoSvDuDBWO7_pzOk7yU-rH85hbFJNwQ_0YjI-ynpDWpNGxNpV3vZPo1Oucay8o8Ml6tbD_AB_yxVNSvjYbOnB9RtmsEvwddAxAwkJilGV2nnu4NbTqqZt8xxz7QyTrJCstl5sl47rmQp6OLuPRdsgkQg/s4000/IMG_20220710_150905980.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGTe6ZxuD78fYWQY-ITE8IPMeiE8jLjzv4WtRoSvDuDBWO7_pzOk7yU-rH85hbFJNwQ_0YjI-ynpDWpNGxNpV3vZPo1Oucay8o8Ml6tbD_AB_yxVNSvjYbOnB9RtmsEvwddAxAwkJilGV2nnu4NbTqqZt8xxz7QyTrJCstl5sl47rmQp6OLuPRdsgkQg/w300-h400/IMG_20220710_150905980.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRdji6IGjoPvOMqvv1DhXjKKCO68qcAFob7TvSoRF0WpXnu8a2CY-bsJeH4kbrzeZIpTlWReI0Jn_ttpw7TXrsh5ffg0SSdQcVVGQv3GC02SGSXAZaPX4zCtCyNzklJNvGzMEyjU88SMYoEf2Tdk55wq4FxCXPwnOuuX81QbVpyoYw4PiJnCGyvyraA/s3587/IMG_20220710_150631952.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3587" data-original-width="2815" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRdji6IGjoPvOMqvv1DhXjKKCO68qcAFob7TvSoRF0WpXnu8a2CY-bsJeH4kbrzeZIpTlWReI0Jn_ttpw7TXrsh5ffg0SSdQcVVGQv3GC02SGSXAZaPX4zCtCyNzklJNvGzMEyjU88SMYoEf2Tdk55wq4FxCXPwnOuuX81QbVpyoYw4PiJnCGyvyraA/w314-h400/IMG_20220710_150631952.jpg" width="314" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWcqgDlxqJctir3vki1Z_JpTYYmZTm1tpHxkvPy3yv2P8nqYTn48jqlawOovgkeDq8utMSf2Yln_sEkHBwDgyGYRCvMPrb5x6tCvh77l7AYbkwlrgEa_Z8A05PAEQWsg1wYDGQFQzpwVluvhc3zglvtRYHp6z2D6FHgm5Mk_RL9kyuIhartHOSatr29A/s4000/IMG_20220710_150125715.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWcqgDlxqJctir3vki1Z_JpTYYmZTm1tpHxkvPy3yv2P8nqYTn48jqlawOovgkeDq8utMSf2Yln_sEkHBwDgyGYRCvMPrb5x6tCvh77l7AYbkwlrgEa_Z8A05PAEQWsg1wYDGQFQzpwVluvhc3zglvtRYHp6z2D6FHgm5Mk_RL9kyuIhartHOSatr29A/w300-h400/IMG_20220710_150125715.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ9__aBv1pFYiz-QUwbK-6n_-WGVkxN60gqJNQHrBSHnMzRDGw5E8hC5Sid74YGvsnnSRg3R3Fmwp-ZhA1_KHcHwAN6QKTiOFYoJIwBPNEa7vbto8UAf8mgx_FPX4n6Q1grlwtKZpvMyHd9jh4eG79eF6SoJ1apZNBhGgOerVeKcgUSRBZtrq6Qh6m5w/s4000/IMG_20220710_150248214.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ9__aBv1pFYiz-QUwbK-6n_-WGVkxN60gqJNQHrBSHnMzRDGw5E8hC5Sid74YGvsnnSRg3R3Fmwp-ZhA1_KHcHwAN6QKTiOFYoJIwBPNEa7vbto8UAf8mgx_FPX4n6Q1grlwtKZpvMyHd9jh4eG79eF6SoJ1apZNBhGgOerVeKcgUSRBZtrq6Qh6m5w/w300-h400/IMG_20220710_150248214.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div>After shopping and driving around, we worked up an appetite and planned to grab a drink at <i><a href="https://thedarkroombar.com/">The Dark Room Bar</a>. </i>They have a list of horror movie themed drinks and seemed like a good fit for our trip... only...when we pulled up...they looked closed. It seems they had a fire. Strike two. Two places we had planned to go to that were closed. I swear I checked two days ago, and they had hours listed.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTSVmyatqj02zxeOO93l_3V_Z38BkI7t9R1NfH3ooVDaUzdM7hZ_6PtrVJm6w6vJwJaTYTiRMk_O9WBAmaBrIt_FEiC0l-Do0cFfSk2Ba_0KToe1NVKX1cqbnfaxPAMq8248B0IkJXoj5-OTNkF5WBmstd7SS4zbr4jMSDHaJBxaZMNy-nPqXhDTYeFg/s4000/IMG_20220710_164740615_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTSVmyatqj02zxeOO93l_3V_Z38BkI7t9R1NfH3ooVDaUzdM7hZ_6PtrVJm6w6vJwJaTYTiRMk_O9WBAmaBrIt_FEiC0l-Do0cFfSk2Ba_0KToe1NVKX1cqbnfaxPAMq8248B0IkJXoj5-OTNkF5WBmstd7SS4zbr4jMSDHaJBxaZMNy-nPqXhDTYeFg/w300-h400/IMG_20220710_164740615_HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3WkNoDgfN6TG-iY-Of_Jq-T9HwoGa-fO3rC6UWl-EkY-1gTvLouUU4Xg1I50E4cimayTusLo8MRdmjDOG-9LD2QePGZoqMmiJOi4-5Q8aNnIi6YfzU3qiiDbFJvJpcyFvs9nIAN4Rdyh5teH1nhKhBJ2bprQThgxdwspVZbtljK5tfGfT5L-CrgDX0g/s2891/IMG_20220710_164709818.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2310" data-original-width="2891" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3WkNoDgfN6TG-iY-Of_Jq-T9HwoGa-fO3rC6UWl-EkY-1gTvLouUU4Xg1I50E4cimayTusLo8MRdmjDOG-9LD2QePGZoqMmiJOi4-5Q8aNnIi6YfzU3qiiDbFJvJpcyFvs9nIAN4Rdyh5teH1nhKhBJ2bprQThgxdwspVZbtljK5tfGfT5L-CrgDX0g/w400-h320/IMG_20220710_164709818.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>So what were we to do? We googled nearby restaurants and ended up at the <i><a href="https://creekside.securetree.com/">Creekside Restaurant and Bar</a></i>. We chose it because it sounded like an "old people place" that would have cocktails. It did not disappoint. Old people know where it's at! The food was delicious and service great. Good for people watching, lots of toupees, and golf style outfits. It's not surprising that as we left, there were tons of people waiting for a table. This ended up being a good choice.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3yhLekDJg-ZHBj1PxhfppDiDmewY796hZ2oqQmO0vwo96fExN2nhaX-wec4WZhYYXcc3Y5uE8TxxScb1Citrlxi3BTGgz_s-W-F7U7Mvl0yS7sSZM-d2faxztTY-8X9jPvsshqc_JiQ7Yycx6E7Fu1diZ1RxumISr0AkgzQl_3LgfTR8uVnCOTmluQ/s4000/IMG_20220710_170851288.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3yhLekDJg-ZHBj1PxhfppDiDmewY796hZ2oqQmO0vwo96fExN2nhaX-wec4WZhYYXcc3Y5uE8TxxScb1Citrlxi3BTGgz_s-W-F7U7Mvl0yS7sSZM-d2faxztTY-8X9jPvsshqc_JiQ7Yycx6E7Fu1diZ1RxumISr0AkgzQl_3LgfTR8uVnCOTmluQ/s320/IMG_20220710_170851288.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>We ate an early dinner, and were still pretty wired, so we decided to catch a movie. We saw <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10648342/">Thor: Love and Thunder</a></i> at the largest movie theater I have ever been in! You seriously had to walk up five flights of stairs to get to our seats in the middle of the theater. It was pretty cool. (Side note: I thought the movie was <i>ok</i>. It was much more of a goofy love story than a super hero flick.)</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq1UVAt-y1nVBZT0Cm8VXMvoOQvl3PbWgDHfbzJmEcAfnkBHNxjJ2X8qKoAER4DzRsx6t_7anl0VynC-cLHNKy4D0CgAL7JOKD28rphoo5M1twYcpKl-iABm4duVWy8og6AvVSho4MhJzyXD5NWoiSn1HCvWQXpuFpKaupsqKhf00pfSAZmsPuoGqPew/s3000/IMG_20220712_193844708~2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2590" data-original-width="3000" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq1UVAt-y1nVBZT0Cm8VXMvoOQvl3PbWgDHfbzJmEcAfnkBHNxjJ2X8qKoAER4DzRsx6t_7anl0VynC-cLHNKy4D0CgAL7JOKD28rphoo5M1twYcpKl-iABm4duVWy8og6AvVSho4MhJzyXD5NWoiSn1HCvWQXpuFpKaupsqKhf00pfSAZmsPuoGqPew/s320/IMG_20220712_193844708~2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>Now on to day two. (Sorry, this is a long blog post.) Our second go-to vintage shop is <i><a href="http://flowerchildvintage.com/">Flower Child</a></i>. It's organized and two floors and we were really looking forward to checking it out only...as we were walking up to the door a sign was being added to the front door. Really?! You got to be f'n kidding me! Closed for maintenance. WTF. <i><b>I JUST checked their hours.</b></i> It looks like they made a post on their Facebook the afternoon before we went there saying they would be closed. Three strikes. Ok, I tried to maintain composure and stay positive. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiykRUfkRngOE3zgZH1Jry3eksYH1vguyyYPm6khrZASDTJk810nff0DJ8vmcwhS99FZV9OZNIuuKM19Mxg_NlMTggO8OyiS6bXpOfEZ1MuAb-ihe9yIXNhOdIrUnTHcGqrMBfwcJoCOZY1Uev64N7m1Sil89q_nmKmjWM6z05H0ho4iOCQwIYMw2OI8A/s4000/IMG_20220711_121220988_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiykRUfkRngOE3zgZH1Jry3eksYH1vguyyYPm6khrZASDTJk810nff0DJ8vmcwhS99FZV9OZNIuuKM19Mxg_NlMTggO8OyiS6bXpOfEZ1MuAb-ihe9yIXNhOdIrUnTHcGqrMBfwcJoCOZY1Uev64N7m1Sil89q_nmKmjWM6z05H0ho4iOCQwIYMw2OI8A/w300-h400/IMG_20220711_121220988_HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpgbHPrvD726IWB86DygSmvWkNVhxfPdKWwofp2xZsrmyXs3-tz-kP_ikWR7ym1fvfz4cEBICPv1kE5OmGyNoqFVeSpyzM17hvgEMLqm_2AEA1ldWZoc8snKudja0FoRHijnHomBkpvjoiLrbW1uq_bl3DCLJZvPx8m0hvzCJrk8bqUI3IJlGHBAAaw/s4000/IMG_20220711_121231695_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpgbHPrvD726IWB86DygSmvWkNVhxfPdKWwofp2xZsrmyXs3-tz-kP_ikWR7ym1fvfz4cEBICPv1kE5OmGyNoqFVeSpyzM17hvgEMLqm_2AEA1ldWZoc8snKudja0FoRHijnHomBkpvjoiLrbW1uq_bl3DCLJZvPx8m0hvzCJrk8bqUI3IJlGHBAAaw/w300-h400/IMG_20220711_121231695_HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">We were <i><b>not </b></i>going to drive to Columbus, Ohio to their other location.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>On to our next stop then, <i><a href="https://bucklandmuseum.org/">The Buckland Museum of Witchcraft</a></i>. I <a href="http://www.fluffythevampireslayer.com/2019/03/the-buckland-museum-cleveland.html">wrote about them before</a>, and they deserve another write-up! I mainly wanted to go back to the gift shop there. This place has such a good vibe. It turned around our day. The owner was working again, and I overheard him chatting with some customers. Everything he said is exactly what I say when my customers ask certain questions. Being a business owner isn't easy. You don't get days off. (and even when you do, <i>everything seems to be closed</i>. lol.) The shop is small but has a nice selection of books both new and used, and not just on witchcraft, but all kinds of subjects, there's a large crystal and gemstone display, altar pieces, and so much more! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Tv8UdsQUZrxVRzk9tJ4F6PUAV39ep9RVI3qi4BKLQhcHFEne1fc2X4U1U8q4hr3EBx-BQ8ln8-i2Qn0E6dS0AGQj2hEtpQ3begS4kWSCoPUXQLBa_kzVDZzMUhDzWMkN17KjsKNpmhSNAJ49eEFmtyhoGmulDt0Ro-3NC75tcRr5Jw6NmiG0hRT_XQ/s4000/IMG_20220711_130510977_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Tv8UdsQUZrxVRzk9tJ4F6PUAV39ep9RVI3qi4BKLQhcHFEne1fc2X4U1U8q4hr3EBx-BQ8ln8-i2Qn0E6dS0AGQj2hEtpQ3begS4kWSCoPUXQLBa_kzVDZzMUhDzWMkN17KjsKNpmhSNAJ49eEFmtyhoGmulDt0Ro-3NC75tcRr5Jw6NmiG0hRT_XQ/w300-h400/IMG_20220711_130510977_HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39h3_q1osQyzuW_PeguoXwBDMgAVEZtojkiHgv5Z2w4G0ko2O-FTBa1OXSFB2meilbZtprdUJkdRpGzyjnx9IIqV8lEne9nquVvtOK35hcQOzvHoZf_NIrsPHKt-vym6c-hFBWZsI7r1Q1YyfF40QrVFmp17PSCo6Y58AxzMhLNDTjOsw7YxdKv_Baw/s4000/IMG_20220711_124733603_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39h3_q1osQyzuW_PeguoXwBDMgAVEZtojkiHgv5Z2w4G0ko2O-FTBa1OXSFB2meilbZtprdUJkdRpGzyjnx9IIqV8lEne9nquVvtOK35hcQOzvHoZf_NIrsPHKt-vym6c-hFBWZsI7r1Q1YyfF40QrVFmp17PSCo6Y58AxzMhLNDTjOsw7YxdKv_Baw/w300-h400/IMG_20220711_124733603_HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7cIX4hOFDraFkYkqpdXrXjn0F0Mu5x2fo4gYqLA0mq7KZtPoEwxiLIDET5P5foVsuuyQiRLP3Neydy1_Kqiwoxz0cEvq-4OCSMDb2sOYTZmgsFExqxrQUpY8FliNmuNcaAs1cWK9geJ2gqKVBqTrFG_UIwBiPFiN4OEk3FUTdG7SxkQN13EmxgCh65w/s4000/IMG_20220711_125605749_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7cIX4hOFDraFkYkqpdXrXjn0F0Mu5x2fo4gYqLA0mq7KZtPoEwxiLIDET5P5foVsuuyQiRLP3Neydy1_Kqiwoxz0cEvq-4OCSMDb2sOYTZmgsFExqxrQUpY8FliNmuNcaAs1cWK9geJ2gqKVBqTrFG_UIwBiPFiN4OEk3FUTdG7SxkQN13EmxgCh65w/w300-h400/IMG_20220711_125605749_HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">"Attention Shoplifters: The Buckland Museum of Witchcraft & Magick is protected by a 1000 year old curse. Don't test us."</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB3zh3ExfRl1GASxFPPTkB3b-kS5DZnfQ6HES3hF3BmSEBK4YAq-DMPc9IwXnYbvrTlFUw6JiC-Ag6NFzFVMT6SjiwC3kuEI4ZvJN92236IdsMggj6R4djo_o7O2Td76lr1Y3QeWfeqNCJFNc2PP5F9sK9ZvZDmWid5vJIhgfOPUZIrhmpXUBkiInCRA/s3381/IMG_20220712_194404681_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3381" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB3zh3ExfRl1GASxFPPTkB3b-kS5DZnfQ6HES3hF3BmSEBK4YAq-DMPc9IwXnYbvrTlFUw6JiC-Ag6NFzFVMT6SjiwC3kuEI4ZvJN92236IdsMggj6R4djo_o7O2Td76lr1Y3QeWfeqNCJFNc2PP5F9sK9ZvZDmWid5vJIhgfOPUZIrhmpXUBkiInCRA/w355-h400/IMG_20220712_194404681_HDR.jpg" width="355" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">I came home with three books, a magnet, glow in the dark T shirt, special blended positive tea, and tea leaf fortune cards. (Another side note...I took an online six week tea leaf reading course from <i><a href="https://www.taotat.ca/tasseomancy-museum.html">The Tasseomancy Museum</a></i>. That's another reason why I was M.I.A. for a little bit. I plan to take the advanced one in fall.)</p><p style="text-align: left;">I'm a fan of cemeteries. They are quiet, serene, and free. I don't get a chance to go to them very often. When we learned the <i>Feline Historical Museum </i>was going to be closed, we shifted gears and decided the <i><a href="https://www.lakeviewcemetery.com/">Lake View Cemetery</a></i> would be worth a visit. Yes, Eliot Ness and the James A. Garfield Memorial are there, but I really wanted to see the Haserot Angel aka "The Angel of Death Victorious"! It's a life size angel sculpture made of bronze and marble located under a tree canopy that appears to "cry" black tears holding a snuffed out torch to symbolize extinguished life. Haserot was the name of a canning mogul, and it's their tombstone. It's absolutely beautiful in real life and so metal! But really it's a stunning piece of artwork by Herman Matzen. You can walk around it to view the full piece. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB1EndJv0L-IfPEXW_YGksYxdUT0PmIqLEZUzfsvBgMWooHEcE9ahPIePdoToOLglHUvh1dfifV9QIYWOzWs9oiGxf7YVYmAv2YJKWCbo0bX-9vj37b5XO8E4psSmCgZdxu9QiAG3SlLGeNT4DQmHt_SSPN3lVHB0dEzWNRh6RYz0qhn10v6ILCPQCQQ/s4000/IMG_20220711_150658210.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB1EndJv0L-IfPEXW_YGksYxdUT0PmIqLEZUzfsvBgMWooHEcE9ahPIePdoToOLglHUvh1dfifV9QIYWOzWs9oiGxf7YVYmAv2YJKWCbo0bX-9vj37b5XO8E4psSmCgZdxu9QiAG3SlLGeNT4DQmHt_SSPN3lVHB0dEzWNRh6RYz0qhn10v6ILCPQCQQ/w300-h400/IMG_20220711_150658210.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_EyFHtjE3WbjnT7Kw9i7rIQTBTgwydEmkD1SHzzdoELwHBY47Fno8Km88aYk8Gp639-sR7C85YgwSppweRBDzGt4hg2-8FyWy2uSAWjmVQRjMklZLJeV_sUTHXHy31SO8VWVipqapzOOK35TgLZIjV8DqmeqduJ1Zkknjp06K7dYEGtEjnv0A0UUDw/s4000/IMG_20220711_150740257_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_EyFHtjE3WbjnT7Kw9i7rIQTBTgwydEmkD1SHzzdoELwHBY47Fno8Km88aYk8Gp639-sR7C85YgwSppweRBDzGt4hg2-8FyWy2uSAWjmVQRjMklZLJeV_sUTHXHy31SO8VWVipqapzOOK35TgLZIjV8DqmeqduJ1Zkknjp06K7dYEGtEjnv0A0UUDw/w300-h400/IMG_20220711_150740257_HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEUkfDT3_LaUaWYT8EwVOa6gg2rY_4lS5xV4Kb7r-jSnuBlZ5D_KJSf89w0h3RwENsUms2aNjt1HPWAvMbdWI0Ih_OEIV3-PfQjtimGjFUxq7j6Y1wtf0ixT1wc8095GvwKxLRsHtE0wMM-5CS4ekDYC9TXOmLjCbhkGTc9odWjUiMNiObbTOCVmEiOg/s1052/IMG_20220711_150709947_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="1052" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEUkfDT3_LaUaWYT8EwVOa6gg2rY_4lS5xV4Kb7r-jSnuBlZ5D_KJSf89w0h3RwENsUms2aNjt1HPWAvMbdWI0Ih_OEIV3-PfQjtimGjFUxq7j6Y1wtf0ixT1wc8095GvwKxLRsHtE0wMM-5CS4ekDYC9TXOmLjCbhkGTc9odWjUiMNiObbTOCVmEiOg/s320/IMG_20220711_150709947_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Here's me in the picture for scale. I'm 5'6". Some other notable tombstones...</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtmNkUZHBN1btQbBPV7hzxQljnh8jvNGXXL9ucDUc9JKUwQzDrXNhGlNljD3tPpwTaWiv6PYX9khIMWIf_Xtbnf7nUgCM2MKa9OFceJDLzxUDOG1q_yjNPM1TL8SxeKv-d4Nk-ggu95Ba1Z0mX8fxJBq1QnGoOKRI9FEk4Ejm4Wo-rkdwZyv9oR4izug/s4000/IMG_20220711_155603516_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtmNkUZHBN1btQbBPV7hzxQljnh8jvNGXXL9ucDUc9JKUwQzDrXNhGlNljD3tPpwTaWiv6PYX9khIMWIf_Xtbnf7nUgCM2MKa9OFceJDLzxUDOG1q_yjNPM1TL8SxeKv-d4Nk-ggu95Ba1Z0mX8fxJBq1QnGoOKRI9FEk4Ejm4Wo-rkdwZyv9oR4izug/s320/IMG_20220711_155603516_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></a></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKVZhDlehvB5cXQQOKnt1y2L79vP5QEHPjj5leoFKzTKKRkJ2fJzoY3SA0qEcxi3Hn5rFQve-cNZmcp8GJJHd-ihkPRIYQ-RiVnwAXE6L1bBzs0sFYHH99da0XA-mZZJtDdGlPIt3VBcc7IISF3QwO-PbhmHnV7pt2IjN-mWLeWx1Y2WofW1P4_6faA/s4000/IMG_20220711_155552323_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKVZhDlehvB5cXQQOKnt1y2L79vP5QEHPjj5leoFKzTKKRkJ2fJzoY3SA0qEcxi3Hn5rFQve-cNZmcp8GJJHd-ihkPRIYQ-RiVnwAXE6L1bBzs0sFYHH99da0XA-mZZJtDdGlPIt3VBcc7IISF3QwO-PbhmHnV7pt2IjN-mWLeWx1Y2WofW1P4_6faA/s320/IMG_20220711_155552323_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Alan Freed. Cleveland disc jockey that coined the term "rock n' roll".</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqNCaJ5jwBeSm4DDklpMr3TrfbWk4CN3f7L5TdQL1BGWx4stcy1UbvQraZyOGK5Rw1atn0OINTvgyU2juopft-FEztXg2HdZ8fx00FXo0ApD0YkiSqebshmABCACvF1KtLVVFtdM5qARbL_1HL8_KNFgBOmuPvsdgIzARbiQFds5mLhZwqqGaYjCNNA/s4000/IMG_20220711_154606334_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqNCaJ5jwBeSm4DDklpMr3TrfbWk4CN3f7L5TdQL1BGWx4stcy1UbvQraZyOGK5Rw1atn0OINTvgyU2juopft-FEztXg2HdZ8fx00FXo0ApD0YkiSqebshmABCACvF1KtLVVFtdM5qARbL_1HL8_KNFgBOmuPvsdgIzARbiQFds5mLhZwqqGaYjCNNA/s320/IMG_20220711_154606334_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Eliot Ness. Public Safety Director for Cleveland that brought down Al Capone.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEq7uOnifQ08SgfcD8_697ztklXrrO_8RF2_RKxtNFZBXS6qVKrD4Dxc5E5PoBdgeLJcYGphMeQQjmjo7X1cfrjtjlQ48tiah0EfQE3s6a2BQVdhS_nxAnxR2e6lk1WT_oocc0iGjY8EHz7ZvAEc7ZsxKDwHUMXK-0d5xamLl6NTGOKLWmOPI0Yzimrg/s4000/IMG_20220711_152545382_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEq7uOnifQ08SgfcD8_697ztklXrrO_8RF2_RKxtNFZBXS6qVKrD4Dxc5E5PoBdgeLJcYGphMeQQjmjo7X1cfrjtjlQ48tiah0EfQE3s6a2BQVdhS_nxAnxR2e6lk1WT_oocc0iGjY8EHz7ZvAEc7ZsxKDwHUMXK-0d5xamLl6NTGOKLWmOPI0Yzimrg/s320/IMG_20220711_152545382_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXPXkA2XpoV59M5LQGpI_kCFi1lQjkm5KlQn0DhctpcORvPaklpqtUjnGsjXkR3z3I3cN3hJT1Udq_IEaN2AEyBHWKrmi4r1547Cv2qpMp7tJJUsaeklNPEJFLzhNFaGMypIWCKZg9RX_o4J6Q1AUJkzaN4lBoZOVLsfqXkX3sVxgI2IEfsStX0K-vYQ/s4000/IMG_20220711_152434844_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXPXkA2XpoV59M5LQGpI_kCFi1lQjkm5KlQn0DhctpcORvPaklpqtUjnGsjXkR3z3I3cN3hJT1Udq_IEaN2AEyBHWKrmi4r1547Cv2qpMp7tJJUsaeklNPEJFLzhNFaGMypIWCKZg9RX_o4J6Q1AUJkzaN4lBoZOVLsfqXkX3sVxgI2IEfsStX0K-vYQ/s320/IMG_20220711_152434844_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">James A. Garfield Memorial. It has relief sculptures, stained glass windows, and a gold dome.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rounding out the day, and since we had more time to kill (get it? we were in a cemetery?.... I apologize.) we had some time, and visited a park. Hung out on a park bench, and then visited with some tiki friends at their in home tiki bar. We met their four cats. It was so nice and relaxed, I forgot to take pictures.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Last day was the drive back. We drove by the <i><a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/worlds-largest-rubber-stamp">Worlds Largest Stamp</a></i>. Even though it's a <i>park</i>, there's no free place <i>to park</i> because it's so close to the <i><a href="https://www.rockhall.com/">Rock & Roll Hall of Fame</a></i>. (I've been there already. It's a beautiful, HUGE museum. If you go, be prepared to do a lot of reading and spend the whole day.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4fnJOi4-wNPgMAVVpjDjmJutppSa2Zjn6t0rvwDUTooiyGmSw4P69YEnpwo4K_bx2ukMa1FibDMT7Q4Dlzl_fhR4yfXL1gA6FJ8kvg0eDuV6drnXFB_n3_ANMHS14KnruizWWi5uJ7UyANNZ_XyaUe44PPQrfH1EzjlSSQCNU_uYfboukLr4QFBNlwA/s1200/02d8fc712e73016c26_7382029712_2b9369b5f8_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="698" data-original-width="1200" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4fnJOi4-wNPgMAVVpjDjmJutppSa2Zjn6t0rvwDUTooiyGmSw4P69YEnpwo4K_bx2ukMa1FibDMT7Q4Dlzl_fhR4yfXL1gA6FJ8kvg0eDuV6drnXFB_n3_ANMHS14KnruizWWi5uJ7UyANNZ_XyaUe44PPQrfH1EzjlSSQCNU_uYfboukLr4QFBNlwA/s320/02d8fc712e73016c26_7382029712_2b9369b5f8_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Image taken from website, since we didn't stop and park.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The last last place to mention is that I finally ate at a <i><a href="https://www.wafflehouse.com/">Waffle House</a></i>. (There aren't any in New York State.) Andrew is a fan and really wanted to go there. I thought it was fine. The bacon was made to my liking...burnt, and I was excited they had cinnamon raisin toast. He had a pecan waffle. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ILG4w-CJgG_lLp2AOtVrteOtywff8M00378akgqr-DPp_MWyHIHsjH6LPSHCSOMcFqnJV8EyXlTBthVJUSDqrRwdtZX06zZEldMVd6XWs4u1sAueZZI_Vzfj0tv-YR4phcM3mWtoN_P3ZyR3_siFp8o2OpcbMoOWxqlG1S-u3JAmWLZMb8GQZ0XJzw/s976/IMG_20220712_105232416_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="976" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ILG4w-CJgG_lLp2AOtVrteOtywff8M00378akgqr-DPp_MWyHIHsjH6LPSHCSOMcFqnJV8EyXlTBthVJUSDqrRwdtZX06zZEldMVd6XWs4u1sAueZZI_Vzfj0tv-YR4phcM3mWtoN_P3ZyR3_siFp8o2OpcbMoOWxqlG1S-u3JAmWLZMb8GQZ0XJzw/s320/IMG_20220712_105232416_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So I guess the moral of my trip story... No matter how much you plan things, they may not work out and you will need to be flexible. I need to relearn this. Before I owned a shop, I was pretty easy going and went with the flow. This trip taught me I need to be able to pivot. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you got this far, thanks for reading! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Fluffy the Vampire Slayerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16509348645086345089noreply@blogger.com0