Just to register emotion, jealousy, devotion,

And really feel the part.

I could stay young and chipper,

And I'd lock it with a zipper...

If I only had a heart.

E.Y. Harburg & Harold Arlen

Ahoy, me hearties! Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day, ye scurvy dogs!

There be no time like the present to hoist the Jolly Roger, put some

pirate in yer voice, and set sail into the day talkin’ like a proper

buccaneer to all yer mates and even a few unsuspectin’ landlubbers!

We did the 2026 Annual Halloween Crawl!

Today's post will be a little overview of the places we
visited. During SPOOKTOBER I will share the pictures
(and hopefully the videos) I took inside the stores.

First up was Halloween Express. We like Halloween

Express. They usually seem to have a little edge to

them that Spirit Halloween does not. This year

Halloween Express did not have that edge. But it's
all good. We enjoyed this stop... as we always do.

Next up was our first Spirit Halloween store. This picture
is actually from last year as I guess I was just so excited
today, that I forgot to take an outside picture! La-HOOZER!
But it is at this same location and looked just like this.

I had in mind one or two things that I was on the lookout
for this year, but as usual, I must be picking the most
popular items as they don't ever have in stock the stuff
I want. But I did buy a couple of little things at this Spirit
that I will share here during SPOOKTOBER.

Next stop was one of our all time favorite places,

The Indian Store. Not Halloween related but it is

always a part of The Crawl. This is a brand new

location for them and we had never been there.

It is still the same great Indian Store and on down

the line I will share some pictures from our visit.

Up next, our second Spirit Halloween. This one was

a'way bigger on the inside then it looks like from the

outside. Lot's of good stuff here and a few animatronics

that the other Spirit Halloween did not have.

As is customary, we made our donations to the
Spirit of Children and received our
20 Year Anniversary silicone

wristbands.

"Spirit of Children is a nonprofit program founded

in 2006 by Spirit Halloween. The program focuses

on donating to children's hospitals and throwing a

Halloween party for the children there."

After this we went to a Mexican restaurant. It is the one
that I went to on my vacation. My son had a fat burrito
and I had cheese enchiladas and a carne asada taco. I think
my son was pleasantly full and I was stuffed like a turkey.
Again, I forgot to take any pictures and I am sorry about this
as I enjoy looking back at some of these food pictures and
I am able to appreciate the dishes all over again.
But yeah, la-HOOZER!

We didn't go to many locations, but we do spend a lot of time
in each store. All in all we were out and about for around seven
hours so it is a full day. And do you know what?

I cannot WAIT for SPOOKTOBER!

I bought a new pistol... kind of.
That is not a real firearm.

It is a Umarex (brand) Colt Peacemaker Revolver Single

Action Army Six-Shooter CO2 Pistol. It is powered by
12-gram CO2 cartridges that are housed inside the grip.

It shoots .177 caliber steel BBs from individual cartridges

at up to 410 fps. You insert the BBs into the little holes you

see on the cartridges (in the picture above) and then load the
cartridges into the cylinder and you are good to go. As this
pistol  is not an actual firearm, there are no primers involved
and carrying with six rounds chambered is fine. The
pistol comes with six cartridges.

Oh, and there is a working ejector rod, but it is not really used
as there is no shell casing expansion after firing. The cartridges
pretty much just slide right out when unloading.

And here is the pistol itself with imitation ivory grips (plastic)

and a "nickel" finish. Umarex Colt replicas are officially licensed

to use the Colt trademarks. I most likely will never shoot this pistol

as I wanted it just for fun and something to display on a shelf at

The Ranch. I MIGHT shoot it sometime down the line.

Who knows.

This is the front of the box that it came in.
I like the design.

And the back just in case you would
like to see the specifications.

Dead men tell no tales.

Greedy To The End from the Lemax Spooky

Town Collection on the pirate shelf

in my curio cabinet.

You can never have too many USB wall chargers.
Right? Right??

- September 11, 2001 -

We will not forget.

The itinerary has been printed out. Coupons are

at the ready. We are all set for our Annual

Halloween Crawl for the year 2026.

Spooktober! Bring it on!

P.S. Wo! These are some hot days.

107 degrees out at 6:16 P.M.
And it's been 80 degrees all night long.
I like it better than freezing cold.

TRANSMISSION #136

He is upset that he is covered in so much dust.
I'm really sorry, buddy. We live in a rural area where
dust is frequently kicked up. I just can't get
around to you every day. *sigh*

Peanut butter M&M's will be my downfall.

Halloween is back at Walmart!
And at The Ranch we are excited to be getting ready for our
2026 Annual Halloween Crawl. I am in the process of creating
the itinerary and soon we will hit the road. By the way, that
is fog at the bottom of this picture. It's not my finger
or anything like that. *blush*

Look who I found! He is very cute. Yep, you are leaving
with me. My first Halloween 2026 souvenir.



Buckle up!
We are on our way.

Welcome home, buddy!

You look great!

 Two things that I love are paper towels...

...and baggies. The paper towels are Bounty. They are

expensive, but I can make them go a long way and they

are worth it. And the resealable baggies? Worth their

weight in gold, by crackee. I use them for storing and

itemizing. The sandwich size freezer bags are really

strong. I even use them to store my knives with notes

in them for my son to find someday.

There was a period of time in my life where I could
not afford these things. I don't take them for granted.

I was looking in the very back of a shelf in my curio cabinet

and I spotted this little Colt Single Action Army .45 pewter

tie tack. I don't remember where I got it (yes, probably a gun

show) and I don't remember putting it into my cabinet.

I didn't even know it had the name and caliber of the pistol

along the barrel until I looked at the enlarged picture.
I like it.

I was once admitted to the hospital because I drank a

cup of gasoline. I suppose that was pretty fuelish.

More happiness.
The cactus I planted in December of last year bloomed
three days ago. Next to it is the one I planted in October, which
bloomed two days ago. Unfortunately, these beautiful flowers
only last for about twenty-four hours it seems.

Tim Curry

1946 - 2026

Happy National Knife Day 2026!

And for this year's Knife Day I am featuring a knife that my

mom bought for me probably forty years ago. This is not a real

souvenir of the World[sic] Fair Chicago 1933. These knives were

apparently produced in the early 1970s and would fall under the
counterfeit category. Nowadays (and to my surprise) they seem to
be selling for $30 to $300 depending on their condition.

The knives were made in the USA, but in this case
I don't think that means much. Anyway, I treasure
this knife because my mom gave it to me!

Have a great National Knife Day!

I love chickens. I used to have chickens.

I bought This Schleich farm animal figurine
rooster at a Michaels store in 2006.

Hey, look! It's Ned and Maude
Flanders' kid, Todd!
(From 2005!)