'Tis the season

I could be mistaken, yet, as a kid I do not remember folks decorating their homes for Halloween in as outlandish and elaborate ways as they do today. I recall the standard pumpkins and corn stalks and some fake tombstones and a few ghosties hanging around.

However, today, people who track these things say that following Christmas, decorating for Halloween ranks a close second. People go all out this time of year. There are orange lights in trees and bushes, fog machines, webs, lifesize ghouls, blownup ghosts and frankensteins, and entire productions of full cemeteries with accompanying hands that rise from the earth and zombies that stalk the lawn.

In case your wondering, and based on zero scientific research, I believe the popular decoration for this Halloween season is a huge spider web neon, slime green in color that features a gigantic purple spider. I have seen this decorative theme featured on several homes.

So, what's up with all this time, money, and effort to decorate ghoulishly and garishly?

I for one don't understand why folks would want a giant, inflated Winnie-the-Pooh in a green and red hat and riding a sled in their front yard; so I am totally clueless as to why people would want to have skulls, creepers, and horrors taking up space on their front yards and porches for several weeks.

To be honest, there are some homes that frighten me so much I pass by on the other side of the street. Maybe, that's part of the fun to go out of our way to shock or scare.

For me, I still like the standard pumpkin (traditional orange) and cornstalks and am alwasy entertained by the decoration that looks as if a witch flew into a tree, pole, post, etc.

sj;

I still believe...

As I write this the Pirates are...wait for it...WINNING....

What has happened to our Buccos and why am I and seemingly every Pirates fan, be they long-suffering or bandwagon, so troubled by it???

I was at the game last Thursday and talk about a major change in ballpark atmosphere. The fan numbers were significantly lower; there is not a lot of the flashing of the Zoltan "Z;" the energy in the stadium was subdued. Yet, during the game (which the Pirates would comeback to take a three run lead only to have the Brewers score 4 runs in the eighth to win...aarrgghhhh...) when our boys had a big inning and went ahead the energy of the loyal supporters was loud and present! I found myself still cheering and chanting "Let's Go Bucs!" even in the bottom of the ninth.....sigh...please don't call me pathetic...I like the word "fanatic."

Of all the sports, baseball is my favorite. Although I have almost come to terms with the fact that the Pirates will not be in the post season, I will watch the baseball playoffs as I do every year; it's one of my most favorite sporting events. One day, the Bucs will be in it....please let it be so....

Baseball is appealing because of the timeless quality of the game. There is no clock and the pace is a slow and easy one. Sometimes one wishes there was a clock to end the misery ---- like the 20-0 loss I sat through a couple of years ago...yes, it was those damn Brewers who pummeled us again and all I recall are fans yelling, "Come on, get Blackjack! Hit 21!"

So, even though the Buccos have to go (if we hold onto win tonight....never a sure thing anymore) 6 and 2 to acheive that winning season (I can't even believe it's in jeopardy) I confess I am still holding out hope and believing we can do it! Maybe it's what 19 years of losing does to a fan...one holds out hope until the bitter...and may this year it be a sweet...end.

By the way, if you have any candles, light them; any chickens, sacrifice them; and any spells, cast them --- whatever it takes.....

sj;

Wasn't me....

Today, I was taking a walk and stopped at a local park to sit awhile on a bench. There was a couple with their young chocolate labrador and they were giving him some exercise by throwing a ball which he energetically and quite impressively retrieved and returned.

The gentlemen threw the ball on the far end of the grassy stretch and the ball bounced down the hill, into the street, and into the yard across the lane. Of course, the dog focused upon and followed the bouncing ball....all the way...down the hill....and across the street....

Fortunately, the driver of the car approaching the park was attentive and stopped while the well-trained, ball-focused, and street-unaware lab pup retrieved the ball, ran back across the street, through the field, and dropped the ball at the man's feet.

Whew....

However, what was fascinating was the comment of the man, the tosser of the ball, who exclaimed, "That stupid ball! Did you see how it bounced?!!?"

Seriously??? He was blaming the ball??!!??!?

My father was a Marine and a steelworker. We were raised to take responsibility. If you screwed up, you owned up to it; you fessed up, you said, "That was my fault."

Once, I had driven the family car to take a group of friends to the movies. While dropping one friend off at her home, I backed the car into a mailbox putting a noticeable dent in the rear of the car. It was dark when I got home so I parked the car, slid into the house, and went to bed.
The next morning, I awoke to my father and brother in the driveway and Dad saying, "Look at this! Someone must have hit the car last night! They probably used our driveway to turn-around and hit the car!"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing!! Was it possible that I may actually get away with it??!!?? Brilliant! Go with the "Can you believe someone would hit the car and just drive off" line....it was perfect!

Then, I heard my Dad say, "Wait a minute; Sally had the car out last night..."

Game over.

I lead-footed it downstairs and confessed.
I got yelled at.

It is always better to take responsibility and to admit when you blow it.

It's a character thing and other people respect you. Then again, a ball can have a mind of it's own and there are rude drivers who hit your car in the middle of the night.....hmmmmmm.....

sj;