Happy Halloween!

And here's a clue to who I'm supposed to be.



That's the retro version anyway.

This is the nerd version.



Take your pick.

Retro Y'all (Halloween Edition)

Sometimes, you gotta go with the classics!



Linus rolling with the pumpkin always makes me giggle.

And of course:



If you watch closely while they're all at the door, you can see the rocks going into poor Charlie Brown's bag.

How about some stuff?

Earlier this month was our junk set out.  Due to the ongoing booth battle, I was unable to devote whole days to the hunt like I normally do.  I was stuck with doing all my picking in the morning and evening, before and after the booth.  I was afraid that I wouldn't really find much because of this.

Thankfully, it only rained one day early on, which meant stuff was dry.  Also, the garbage folks got way behind  on the pick up.  Usually, we have a weekend to set stuff out (Fri-Sun), and they pick it up during the next week (Mon-Fri).  By Friday evening, it's all gone.  Sometimes, they're still picking up that next Saturday, but that's as late as it has gone.

However, this time they were still picking up on the first three days of of the next week.  There was stuff still sitting out on Wednesday!  Plenty of days to pick.  Since people often add to their piles until they get picked up, that meant lots of stuff to look through.  Woo hoo!

Let's look at some pics.

 I honestly found this stuff sitting out in a junk pile.  I don't doubt that sometimes people people put out old out of date groceries, but this is the first time I've ever seen a few, unopened, in date items just sitting in a box.  I left it all for someone else, who must have come by, because this stuff was gone by the next day.

BLOW MOLDS!  There's another one I found, but it is still waiting to be cleaned.  That awesome cart they're sitting on was not a curb find, but a bargain I nabbed at the mall sidewalk sale.  It's already sold.

I fell in love with this rusty, crusty, industrial-looking plant stand.  I also found a lot of old jars filled with dry tempera powder at the spot where this was.

  Old desk drawer with dividers.  I think it would make a great shelf.  There were two of these.  I actually found several more drawers this time around.  There were so many that I had to stop picking them up.

Cute Sesame Street organizer.  These pics are all from the booth, by the way.

Most everything you can see in this pic was found on a curb or dumpster at some point.  The wood box on top and wood spool on the bottom came from this particular set out period.

Finally, a perfect project chair and  mod looking wall shelf. These came from a HUGE pile down the street from us, outside a restaurant that just closed.  The owners also fancied themselves to be re-sellers, so the place was also filled with (mainly over-priced) junk.  I went back to this pile four or five times, finding stuff every time.

That's most of the big stuff, I think.  Well, except for the trunk that sold before I could clean it.  I'm still working through the smalls, so there might be more to come!

Fenomenal Foto Funnies!

Still embroiled in battle with the booths, so here's some random pics of randomness for your entertainment.

First up some bits of fortune cookie wisdom:

Try not to think too hard about the way these two might fit together.

This was the roster for a recent weekend animation fest.

It was a good weekend.

Classic yard sale parking job I saw a couple of weeks ago

The house is on the corner of two streets.  There were spaces to park on both streets.  What did they do?  Literally parked on the corner!!!  These are my people?

I'm used to seeing odd lots of stuff at the curb these days.  In fact, I seek it out!  However, I do have to say that finding a neatly folded pile of clothes on the corner is kind of new to me. 

Although, I do have to admit it was set out time!

Retro Y'all!

To get you ready for the upcoming trick or treaters:



In case that one isn't retro enough for you:



We will not be bringing up the Aaron Carter version.  Do you understand me?  Anyone who does will be denied treats.

Hang in there folks!

The Hershey's Truck is on its way!

It's just been delayed by an emergency stop in Louisville.  It will be back on its route as soon as the situation is resolved.

It should only take about six or eight weeks.

Or until I get full.

Whichever comes first.

You might want to call for another truck or two.

Those would be for me.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know!

No this isn't a comment on the election.  But it could be.

Can you ramble in bullet points? I'm not sure but I'm going to try.

• Has anyone else noticed how long some of my blog titles have gotten lately?
• I think I'm in a dramatic titling phase.
• I watched a lot of "Pets seeing their owners after long periods of time" videos last night.
• Because, apparently, I like crying happy tears.
• This is the week that will either make me or break me at the booth.
• That means I'm still not done redoing things.
• I was close to being done.
• Then I pulled a lot of stuff for our sidewalk sale on Saturday.
• Which messed everything up again.
• Don't you hate it when you try to fix a typo and only end up retyping the error?
• A couple of weeks ago, there was the junk set out in our area.
• I found great stuff.
• I still need to take pics of it.
• This is kind of like only typing the key sentences of each paragraph.
• I'm hoping you all can fill in the rest.
• It should be easy.
• Just add a lot of cussing and cartoon references.
• You know the drill.
•  I hope this is legible.
• Blogger won't let me double-space the bullets.
• Stupid Blogger.
• I have to finish this booth stuff this week.
• Just have to.
• I am single-handedly killing my sales.
• Things were starting to bounce back from the summer slump.
• August ended good for me.
• Then I started this project in mid-September.
• And I'm still working on it.
• A MONTH LATER!
• Can't sell crap if your booths are trashed.
• Sigh.
• The manager told me last week that I am over $700 off from this time last October, so far.
• October is always a good month for me.
• I only have a sad smidgeon of fall stuff out.
• And no Halloween.
• Sad smidgeons are the worst.
•  Smidgeons should be happy.
• Make a smidgeon happy today.
• Won't you?
• I used to think I knew what I was doing.
• Maybe that was my mistake.
• Chiquito says "Hi!"
• It's my own fault.
• I screwed myself by trying to start it all at once.
• I should have gone a bit at a time.
• Or just left well enough alone.
• I got overwhelmed.
• When I get overwhelmed, I get depressed.
• Not sad.
• Depressed.
• Real depression.
• I've dealt with it most of my life.
• Usually, it's under control.
•  The meds help me a lot.
• But sometimes, it sneaks out.
• Like when I'm overwhelmed.
• When I get overwhelmed, I get paralyzed.
• It's harder to make decisions and get things done.
• It's also easier to get distracted.
• Sometimes, I actually end up working on other things that I can do quickly.
• Because it's easier than dealing with the overwhelming.
• One day, I helped the manager clean out an evicted booth.
• When my own spaces looked like hot shit on a stick.
• Cleaning out the other booth was something I could get done.
• And feel like I had accomplished something at the end of the day.
• Depression makes you think funny like that.
• I think I got over the hump last week.
• It's looking less daunting.
• Maybe I can get done this time.
• Before it's time to redo again.
• ACK!
• The sidewalk sale was only so-so.
• It was slow for everyone all day.
• I was unloading perennial shelf-sitters.
• At the end of the day, I just started giving stuff away.
• That always works.
• Now I have more room for new stuff.
• I hope I can take pics this week to show everyone.
• That's my goal.
• I also hope to have a week full of stupid, silly posts for you all.
• Because I love you.
•  Seriously.
• I do.
• Thanks for sticking with this ridiculous blog.
• Music for Monday:

• This is in honor of Chris Thile's debut as the new host of the Prairie Home Companion over the weekend.
• Plus, it's a  fun bit of music nerdery.
• And nerds always ROCK!

Retro Y'all!

Well, Hello Dolly!

This has already made the rounds, gone viral, been seen by the world and probably all of you, but I cannot get enough of it.



I love Dolly Parton.  I have for ages and ages and ages and ages.  But she frustrates me.  Or, rather, her schtick can frustrate me.

Dolly has spent years crafting a persona--this larger than life image that is the consummate entertainer and performer who makes such an indelible impression on people.  I, and millions of other people, adore it.  And her.  It's certainly played a large part in her popularity over the years and kept her relevant in a country music industry that has become increasingly image-obssessed.

But Dolly the performer, the persona, the image can get in the way of Dolly the artist.  Dolly the musician with the beautiful voice.  Dolly the gifted songwriter.  Emmylou Harris wrote about this in the liner notes to a Dolly tribute album a decade or so ago.  She expressed the wish that more people knew the sides of Dolly that she has known for years. 

Get a copy of her first album, Just Because I'm a Woman.  It is mind-blowingly awesome--full of layers of emotion and beauty and honesty that you don't always feel from the persona.  Then check out any of her bluegrass albums from the 2000's where she's striped down, acoustic, and pure feeling, like the best bluegrass should be.  Finally, get her original greatest hits album, if you can find it and revel in all of her classics the way they were originally recorded.

Which brings me to this video.  "Jolene" is one of Dolly's best songs, but it's never better than the way it was originally written to  be sung--stripped down and raw.  This version is the purest and cleanest I've heard in years.  The original is marked by a plaintive acoustic guitar line that runs through the song.  I've always felt that Dolly's best songs layer in a lot of folk music influences among the country touches.  That's "Jolene" in a nutshell.

By going acapella here, they've restored that original feeling to the song.  I love that Dolly plays with the song in concert--changing "Jolene" to "drag queens" to acknowledge her cross-dressing fans--but this is a song about heartache, yearning and hurt.  You cannot listen to this recording and not feel your heart-breaking for her.  This is pain and inadequacy and fear.  There's nothing polished and slick about that.  That little whisper at the end just nails it.  "Oh.  Jolene."  How can you not cry for this woman?

The other thing that comes out here is what a great harmony singer she is. Honestly, that should be no secret, especially after the Trio albums.  I love to hear her sing with others.  And the look on everyone's faces is awesome--a mix of the sheer joy of performing good music and being awestruck over singing a classic with a legend.  How cool is it that Dolly swaps out her lead vocals for the climactic last verse?  Amazing.

Okay.  I just rambled on and on about a video that is less than three minutes.  I've always told you all that I can overthink and over-analyze anything.  That's why I blog.

I like it when Dolly entertains me, but I love it when she moves me. 

I'm going to have another listen. Or three.

Who else thought the bald guy was wearing a bathrobe at first glance?

Ramblette

I debated doing a full on old time "Monday Rambles" ramble today, but it just ain't in me.  A short paragraph will have to suffice.  I have been fighting a losing booth battle since mid-September, which has pretty much eaten up all my blog time.  I am very sorry if anyone worried about me.  I think I finally have things on the ropes.  I finally came up with a solution to my last nagging problem.  I just need to put it into action and I should be finally finished with this whole mess in a couple of days.

We'll see, I guess.

When I do have things under control again, I'll write more and include some pics.

In the meantime, enjoy some happy kitties.



PS I'm spending more time on the book of faces, because it's easier to do on my phone when I'm taking a booth break.  You can always check in on me there, as long as the increasingly frequent political post or article doesn't bother you.

We Interrupt This Recently Sort of Defunct Blog to Bring You a Moment of Nostalgic Warmth and Silliness

I'm okay.  I promise.

More tomorrow.

In the meantime, dance along!