It's Summerween Season!

I really meant to actually post this on the 5th, but getting out the laptop seemed too much like work on a 3 day weekend! 

So, how was your 4th?  

Chuck spent some time with his new girlfriend, Penelope.  

Looking at this, she needs her eye sockets filled in and a tutu.

However, she didn't attend the parade in my hometown. 

Dealing with Chuck & 2 grandkids is plenty!

Oakland County's Search & Rescue rig is much fancier than the one we use in Lapeer County (I've been a "professionally trained" volunteer since the team was born back in 2018)

My phone chose to focus on Chuck, but there's a 5' skeleton in the back of that Jeep. 

We had a good laugh at this!

This is advertising for a landscape company - I personally would want them to show up in this!

I think the guy driving this had the most fun!

The people on this float were excited to see Chuck!

We got stickers!

And I just happen to follow @j.a.haunts on YouTube!

The parade always begins with Fire Trucks & Ambulances

and ends with Police. 

The grandkids, of course, had to pose with Chuck.

Oooo, conveniently on the 5th.....

the last of my recent skeleton purchases was delivered!

The dimensions said 17" but for some reason I was thinking ~tall~ and not ~ear to tip of tail~!

But that's OK.  It's still different from the rest of my doggos. 

Oh - and because I'm weak.....

the At Home skeleton wheelbarrow managed to fall into my cart when I went there last.  

And of course, since I've vowed to NOT go back there (after already spending an embarrassing amount of $$) - they sent me an email saying I am now a VIP and here's 15% off my entire purchase! 

Sheesh. 

We didn't do fireworks on the 4th because the granddaughter went home with my sister from the BBQ at Mom's house to spend the night.  She was really looking forward to seeing them so we couldn't let them off without her! 

Chuck was the only one safe from being eaten alive from mosquitos! 

Until later.....

Just waiting on TSC to put their skeletons back online.  This will be an embarrassing amount of $$ that's actually been planned for. And it probably won't even be as much as at At Home! 

TSC keeps doing weird things with their website!  First they had the horse & deer & raccoons & possum, etc all listed, but not yet available to buy.  Then those disappeared and the ones from last year showed up - the 6' rooster & 3' rooster & hen, etc.  Now ALL the plastic skeletons are gone and just the metal animals with the glow in the dark bones painted on them are listed.  Neat, but not what I'm looking for.

Patience.  

ooo, here's a fun (as in horrifying) memory that popped up on Facebook recently.....

Nasty, isn't it?  

That's what happens when you ignore that little warning pic on the side discharge chute of the lawn mower.  Don't try to unclog it while it's running!  

Thankfully it only sliced my nail and fractured the tip of the bone.  

And it healed up nicely - whew!!

Definitely NOT one of my brightest moments!

My Cow Quest

So it looks like a popular item for Halloween this year is the cow skeleton from Tractor Supply Co!  

I don't do TikTok so I screen-shotted my Google search to give credit

I may or may not have gasped when I saw it on IG.

Now let me tell you about my weekend. 

I visited a total of NINE Tractor Supply stores and only 2 had any Halloween decorations of any note out.  Apparently, SE Michigan just doesn't have much out yet.  

Friday after work.

Stop 1 - Rochester - endcap

 What's funny is that 6 other stores had the exact same endcap of stuff!!!

Saturday afternoon.

Stop 2 - Washington - endcap.  

I had hopes for this one, since it's the closest to the famous Tillson Street!  But nothing. 

Stop 3 - Oxford - endcap

Stop 4 - Ortonville - a glimmer of hope!  They had the banjo skeleton guys everywhere and a lot of stuff staged up on top of the aisles.  But the only skeletons I saw were rats, ducks & spiders.  I actually talked to a couple ladies there and I found out they'd be getting a shipment of stuff in Tuesday (yesterday).  But I wasn't the first person to be in there looking!

Stop 5 - Davison - endcap

Stop 6 - Lapeer.  I'd actually been in there Thursday night and they had some stuff actually out on the floor - including an empty shelf that looked like where the cows should be staged.  So I was hoping they'd have some more stuff - and they did!  A box of 6-5 foot skeletons. 

Stop 7 - Imlay City - endcap (giving credit to my sister - she actually had to go there)

Sunday morning. 

Stop 8 - New Haven - endcap

Stop 9 - Richmond - endcap.  We had a nice conversation with a gentleman there who said I was the second person asking that day - and we went in 1/2 hour after they opened!!  He said they've also been getting stuff in every week but those in particular hadn't come in yet.  He was telling me & the Spouse about his skeletons sitting around a "campfire" that sounded really cute. 

Sigh.

So I guess I'll just have to wait for a little bit.  

I'm going to have to put word out to the search & rescue team I volunteer for and have them keep an eye out, too.  A lot of them have farms and go to TSC more often than I am able to.

Off in a different direction now....

Michael's has skeleton geese!

I stopped in looking for nutcrackers, and saw them but it didn't sink right away what they were.  They're more of a yellow color and the wings up like that kind of help give it away what they are.  I wish they were a little bit bigger, they're about the same size as the ducks, but that's OK.  

I got 2 anyway.  

I am getting more picky about my nutcrackers - I only got these guys and not the witch or cat!  

Oh, and everything was 20% off.  

So anyhooo.  My quest will go on. 

Houston Road Trip

I got to go on vacation without the rest of the family! Chuck and I drove to Cincinnati to meet up with one of my Navy sisters and then drive together down to Houston to meet up with the 3rd for a week!

I left the Friday before Memorial Day and came home the next week.

Welcome to Ohio!

On the road!

L to R - Me, Otis the Spud Pug and Laura

We stopped to get gas somewhere I believe in BFE Texas and they had these cool metal yard art animals out front.

These were grill / smokers!

At the hotel.

Ahhhhhh!

Is this what Texas GMOs do to cucumbers???

We went to see some fireworks.

They had some cool veteran related statues - we had to get a pic of the Navy emblem.

Don't blink! They seriously only lasted about 7 minutes.

We sat at the bottom of a waterfall.

The few fireworks staged around the pond.

We'd heard all about Buc-ee's so we had to go check it out.

This one is in Katy.

We tried to chase down the actual Buc-ee who was walking around, but we'd just gotten there and detoured into the restroom - and lost him!

On Memorial Day, we went to the National Cemetery.

Chuck stayed in the car, because I do show respect when I explore!

There was a bugle player there and he played Anchor's Aweigh for us!

This was at the Fallen Warriors Memorial On the left is Bretagne, a SAR dog who went to the World Trade Center after the towers fell and since I'm on a search & rescue team - I took pics and shared them with my team. One the right is Cpl Eli, a bomb sniffing dog.

We picked what I think was the hottest day of our entire trip to go the the arboretum and walk on the trails. Because why, not?

A giant crepe myrtle!

Where's the water????

Which way do I go???

There's a little lizard on the window just to the right of his eyes...

Looking for turtles!

I really like this shot!

We had to stop and get tacos from a taco truck!

Om nom nom nom!

We stopped at this BBQ place twice. Us northern girls don't get food like this at home!

We behaved in Walmart!

Going to the beach in Galveston.

I don't see Pennywise!

Saturday June 4, we headed up to Dallas (3+ hours) to go see Kenny Chesney in concert at AT&T Stadium, along with Carly Pearce (never heard of her), Old Dominion (heard of them, but didn't recognize any of their songs) & Dan & Shay (didn't know who they were, but recognized a LOT of their songs).

We had nosebleed seats, but the jumbotron was right there!

Good times.

We got back to the hotel at 6am and we had to finish packing up and check out of the hotel at 11am.

But first - donuts!

At one of the places we stopped at for a potty break.

Not sure what this little shed was for, tho.

Token "entering Arkansas" pictures for the Spouse.

It was about 3am here so I was (unsafely) recording while Chuck leaned against the steering wheel - in the pouring rain and construction. I pulled in my driveway around 5:30 am - just in time to take a quick nap and get to work 2 hours late!

Only 111 days to Halloween!