odds & ends ... and not ending ...

 Last week I went to the high school graduation of my ... niece once removed (?)/grand-niece(?) ... I'm never sure what ancestry calls those extended lines, but regardless, she's more than grand, she's awesome.

This is her dad, my nephew Dan, and his sig other, Christina.

This is a smile that I just adore!

There was a hiccup in the upcycling of my cabinet, and the last three original brass handles were too corroded and pitted to be salvageable.  Unable to find anything comparable (or affordable) to the originals, I ordered something similar for the two bottom drawers.  

Now that they are on the way, and I've finished putting the wallpaper on the last drawer and cabinet door, I'm suddenly rethinking how (badly) I took off the warped veneer on that bottom drawer and may have to redo both of the bottom two drawers.  Part of the issue is the wallpaper isn't wide enough to fit across the entire drawer front, and I'm not happy with my attempt to line up the moths to make them match.

I may pull the paper off the two bottom drawers.  I need to do a better job cleaning off the damaged veneer and paint it the same green as the rest of the buffet.  Then I might swap the fancy handles to the plain green drawers and put the not-as-fancy handles on the two cabinet doors and the top drawer so they don't distract from the wallpaper.

The 100 Days of Wonder has ended.  Sort of.  The woman dropping the daily prompts is continuing to provide them, hoping for paid followers to continue supporting her.   I pay for enough things and will take advantage of the free prompts until those stop.  That said, I don't always have time to keep up with the art creation during the week, and my weekends are becoming busier as I pack and purge.  Rather than create new art, I will take photos where possible of the prompt words, and work them into a new storyline.

In other news ... the dream forever home isn't anymore.

It would have been a nightmare money pit with foundation issues that would have cost a minimum of $100,000 to repair and restore.

I didn't just walk away from it ... I ran.

I'm running out of time to get moved, and I'm looking for a home to purchase and a home to rent.

Everything happens for a reason.  

sunsets ...

   Albert and Clarence never went back to that old mysterious house with so much pain and suffering associated with it.

  Clarence became stronger and healthier.  When he and Elsa married a year later, he walked her back down the aisle that Albert had walked her up to give her away.

  The two of them lived to a surprising age of 100 plus years, having enjoyed more than 20 years of marriage, and passed within hours of each other.

  Albert settled into a small cottage nearby and fully expected to live a quiet life alone for the rest of his days.  However, fate would hear nothing of that.

  Before long, word of a handsome eligible bachelor spread among the single women in town and surrounding towns and villages!  Albert had weekly visitors, bringing him cooked and baked delicacies until one woman, Sasha, won his heart forever.

  They married at sunset in a small vineyard Albert had started behind his home.  Albert and Sasha enjoyed almost as many years together as Clarence and Elsa and lived just as long before they also passed just weeks before them.

  It was as if fate, and the Universe, were making up for lost time.

dreams can come true ...

   Albert looked at the door as the knocking persisted before slowly rising from the chair beside where Clarence was resting.

  He opened it and took a step back.

  Standing in the doorway was a stunning silver-haired fraulein, in a traditional German dirndl dress.  She looked past Albert, her eyes searching the room.

  Albert stepped to the side and her eyes met Clarence's.  Crying, she rushed to the bed and fell into his open arms.

  Days later, with Albert pushing Clarence in a wheelchair, the three of them walked a meandering trail along the Rhine River.  Color had returned to Clarence's face, and his voice had gotten stronger as his appetite returned with Elsa's cooking.  She and Clarence held hands, and Albert could scarcely keep his happiness contained as his cheeks hurt from the constant smiling behind them.

wishes ...

   As the years passed, so did her family.  When her grandparents became too old to live alone, Elsa moved in with them.  Caring for them until they both died within days of each other.  Their house was left to her, and the nook remained her favorite place to sit and think of what her life could have been with Clarence.

  When her mother became too ill for her father to care for her, she moved in with Elsa where she stayed until she died.  

  Her father, however, was stubborn and refused to leave the home he had been born in.  Elsa checked on him daily and prepared his meals until one day she found he had died in his sleep, a photo of her mother cradled in his arms.

  As she prepared his house for sale after the funeral, she found a box high on a shelf filled with all of the letters they had intercepted from Clarence.  Later that evening, sitting in the nook where she had always dreamed of what might have been, she read each of his letters over and over again.  When she finally looked up through tear-filled eyes, her face puffy from crying all night, the sun was coming up over the village.  She showered, changed her clothes, and went to the cemetery where her parents and grandparents now lay side by side.

  She grieved the life she could have had, and the loss of all the people she had loved, but no longer had enough tears to cry for.  Sitting there in the grass between her mother and grandparents, she wondered if ever she would be happy again.  A butterfly fluttered over to her from a nearby flower and settled on her hand.  Elsa watched, mesmerized.  It slowly walked up her arm, stopping every so often to unfurl its tongue to taste the sweat on her skin in the warm sunshine of fall.  It stopped at the edge of her dress sleeve and the two of them looked at each other closely.

  Was this a message from her grandmother?  She had always reminded Elsa that when the caterpillar believed the world had ended, it emerged as a beautiful butterfly and that it was the struggle to break free of the chrysalis that gave it the strength to fly.

  Elsa made a wish as the butterfly slowly flapped its wings and flew off.

  

true love never dies ...

  Her favorite place to hide away from the cruel comments and judgment of her parents was the reading nook in her grandparent's house.

  They knew firsthand about forbidden love ... they'd fallen in love while her grandfather was in a concentration camp and her grandmother was the daughter of the camp commander.  It had been love at first sight for both of them, and they did not actually speak to each other until the camp had been liberated.  Had either of them been caught communicating before then, they both would have been killed.

  When the letters and phone calls first began between Elsa and Clarence, her parents brushed it off as a summer romance that would quickly fade away as her university classes began and her attention was distracted by local boys.

  But when it progressed into fall, she was overheard making plans for him to visit at Christmas.  They knew then that this was more than a summer romance and they would need to intervene.  Clarence's letters were intercepted so that she would believe he wasn't writing every day as she was.  Since they couldn't stop her from going to the Postamt to mail her letters to him, they began to intercept his calls to her.  

  With both of them believing that the other was losing interest, soon Elsa and Clarence stopped writing or calling and began to tend to their broken hearts.

  As the years passed, neither of them ever stopped thinking of the other, although they never spoke of each other again.  For Elsa, she focused all of her attention on her schooling, and then on her career as a nurse always thinking of how she could help Clarence care for his mother.  Clarence, on the other hand, focused his attention on his mother, foregoing university to care for her, always thinking of how he was learning to care for Elsa if the time came.

  Theirs was a love that only grew stronger with time.

Once upon a time ...

"Clarence" 

"Yes, Albert?"

"Would you like me to read to you?"

"That would be nice.  Is Elsa coming today, Albert?"

"I don't know if she is, Clarence.  I left a message at the phone number you gave me, but I don't know if it was still her number or not."

"Oh.  Well, it has been quite a while ago.  Perhaps she changed her number.  Did you call the doctor, Albert?"

"I did, but he said he could not come until Friday.  Would you like to go to the hospital instead?"

"No.  I don't want to be put on any machines, and I'm afraid that is what they will want to do.  Albert?"

"Yes, Clarence?"

"Do you think I am dying because of the house?  Because of the spider?"

"I don't know, Clarence.  I don't know if you are dying, but I do know that you have become weaker the longer we have been away from the house.  I can't tell if it is draining your energy now, or if it was giving you life while we were there.  I'm tempted to take you back to the house to find out, but I'm not sure if you are strong enough to make the trip."

"Albert?"

"Yes?"

"What do you think happens when we die?"

"I don't know, Clarence.  But I know I don't want you to find out yet."

"I don't want to either."'

[knocking at the door]
 

shiver me timbers ...

"Clarence?"

"Yes, Albert?"

"Are you warm enough?  You've been sitting there shivering, and I know that old quilt can't be thick enough to warm you.  I can see holes in it.  Where on earth did you get it from?"

"I don't quite remember.  I thought it was Grandmama's, but now I don't recall.  Did you bring it with us from the house?"

"No.  I didn't go back to the house before we left for Germany.  Why would you think it belonged to Grandmama?"

"Hmmm, I thought it smelled like her perfume.  I found a bottle of it once in the attic after she died.  I missed her so much.  I sprayed some on a quilt she had made for me that was on my bed.  When I slept with it wrapped around me, it was as if she was giving me a big hug."

[Albert sniffing the quilt deeply.]

"Ugh.  No.  Definitely not perfume.  More like something died in it.  Let me get you another blanket from room service.  This will simply have to go.  I'll also speak to them about having the heat increased in the room.  I don't understand why it is so cold in here.  It must be 21C outside, but it feels like 4C in here."

[Albert on the telephone demanding that the heat be turned on and two additional down comforters be brought up.]  "Ja?  Hallo?  Können Sie bitte sofort die Heizung in Zimmer 6 aufdrehen?  Und bringen Sie uns bitte nock zwei Daunendecken.  Sofort!"

"What is that, Mum?  No, no.  He isn't angry with you.  I think he is just angry at everything."

"Clarence, who are you talking to?"

"What?  Oh.  No one."

if wishes were horses ...

"Albert?"

"Yes, Clarence?"

"Do you think I'm too old to make a wish on a shooting star?"

"No.  Do you think I'm too old?"

"No.  Let's watch for shooting stars and make wishes together."

"Okay.  That sounds like a good idea."

"What will you wish for, Albert?"

"I don't think we're supposed to say what we are going to wish for."

"Oh.  Right."

"Did you see that one, Clarence?"

"Yes.  I did.  I made a wish on it.  Did you?"

"Yes, I did."

"Do you think our wishes will come true, Albert?"

"I truly hope so, Clarence.  I truly hope so."

das Meer

 "Albert?"

"Yes, Clarence?"

"Is this the ferry to Ireland?"

"No.  This is a ferry to Germany."

"Germany?  Really?  Why?"

"I thought it was time to get you away from the house, Clarence.  Even when you were away from it in the hospital, I could sense that it was still draining the life out of you."

"But what about mum?  Who will take care of mum?"

"Mum has been gone for a long time, Clarence.  Remember?"

"Oh.  Yes.  I do remember now.  Where will we stay when we get to Germany, Albert?"

"I thought we would stay first at Bremerhaven, and then see how you were feeling.  Maybe travel inland.  Visit some vineyards or some castles.  Take a cruise down the Rhine River.  What do you think?"

"That sounds nice.  I think I should like that very much.  Do you think we will see Elsa?"

"I don't know, Clarence.  I don't know."

savor the memories ...

"Albert?"

"Yes, Clarence?"

"Know what I wish I'd done different?"

"What's that?"

"There was this beautiful fraulein I met once down at the pub.  She was here on holiday, and I saw her walk in on her first night here.  I said to the blokes, that she was the one I was going to marry.  They all laughed right hard at that.  They knew me better than I knew myself, I guess.  But I went up and introduced myself to her, and we chatted the rest of the night like we'd been friends forever.  She met me there every night of her holiday.  A full fortnight it was.  It was the most amazing time.  Her name was Elsa."

"You've never told me about this.  When was it?"

"Oh, it was ages and ages ago.  You were still in the Army, and I was taking care of mum."

"Well, what happened to her?"

"She went back to Germany, and we promised to keep in touch.  I told her I'd come visit at Christmas time, and that I'd write her every day.  I did for a long while, and she wrote back every day too.  We talked on the tele about once a week."

"And?  I don't remember you ever going to Germany."

"I didn't.  Mum got worse, and I couldn't leave her alone.  I told Elsa and promised I'd come as soon as you came home, but then you decided to re-enlist and not come home for a while.  I still wrote her every day, but she didn't write back as often.  I still called her every Saturday, but her mum sometimes said she was out with her friends.  Then I didn't get any letters from her for a week, and when I called, her da said to not call any more."

"So if you could have done something different, you would have gone to see her?"

"No.  I don't think I would have gone to introduce myself to her.  If I'd known how much it would hurt to love someone, I don't think I ever would have wanted to fall in love."

last week...

 A brief break in the story of Clarence and Albert ... I got the art word prompts Saturday, that will wrap up the 100 Days of Wonder, and will work on the art today.

Last week I worked on painting a buffet cabinet.

This was the before ...

This is 95% done now.

This was today's art project at the Wren's Nest
 after I embellished it with some birds.

My forever home is coming along, and I plan on being moved in by the end of June.  The amount of stress this is adding to me right now is just overwhelming.  I'm a horrible procrastinator when it comes to actually packing and moving.  Packing for a trip ... I'm packed two months in advance.  Packing for a household move ugh ... I will be throwing stuff into bags and boxes at the last minute.  Except for this time.  I hope to get a lot of the little things moved one room at a time, which I think will make it easier when I have to get the big stuff moved in a day.  I've had to rethink some things ... such as beds in my bedroom and the guest bedroom since on a 2nd look, the rooms were much smaller than I imagined.  Color themes changed for rooms.  Both bedrooms and the kitchen will now be blue.  The living room for now will be a neutral taupe, but eventually, I want to do a water wash color on the walls that is the same color as the buffet.

I suppose I should get to sleep  It has been a long day  Charlie is already in bed and snoring.

Hugs, Ci 💚

vultures ...

   "Clarence?  What are you looking at?"

   "Those birds.  Soaring in circles up there.  What kind of birds do you think they are?  Ravens, maybe?"

   "Not likely.  Probably vultures.  Why?"

   "Hmmm.  I see them quite frequently circling over our house, Albert.  Do you think they are an omen?"

   "I think they are too high up in the sky to know exactly whose house they are circling over, but no.  I don't think they are an omen.  Vultures are scavengers, and they probably smell something in the forest."

   "Hmmm.  Have you ever thought about the people that have lived and died in our house, Albert?  I mean, really thought about them.  What their lives were like.  Whether or not they knew they were going to die when they moved into the house.  What their last thoughts were about.  I went through some of the trunks in the attic and there have been a great number of tragedies.  Did you know that?"

   "I suppose I suspected, but never really thought about it much, Clarence.  It is a very old home, and I'm sure that before modern conveniences like electricity, indoor plumbing, or even automobiles that took someone to the hospital, there were several deaths there.  It stands to reason there may also have been some births there as well."

   "Perhaps.  But it seems that there have been an extraordinary amount of tragedies.  Parents lost at sea.  Suicides.  Mysterious drownings ~ both in the lake and in the house.  Disappearances.  And now this ... this spider that we have unleashed upon the village.  I just don't know how much more I can take."

   "Clarence, we don't know what happened there while we were gone.  The police found no evidence of the exterminator in the house and their investigation didn't even turn up any evidence of the spider.  They haven't been able to find him at all.  His employer said that he had always seemed a bit off and was extremely unreliable.  Perhaps when he realized that he had damaged the tent while removing it from the house he decided to quit the job and leave the country.  It's my understanding that tents to fumigate a house as large as ours can cost over £200,000.  I'm certain he was afraid he would have been held responsible for the damage."

   "Do you think you are safe there, Albert?  Really safe?  I feel the house is cursed.  Haunted.  There has been so much pain and sadness there.  I wish at times it would just burn to the ground.  I don't want to go back there.  I can't.  I won't."

   "You needn't worry about that right now.  Just focus on becoming well.  We can talk about it all when the doctor says you are well enough to leave the hospital."

   "But I worry about you being there alone, Albert.  Please promise me that you won't go back there tonight.  Stay here with me.  Please.  Please, Albert."

   "Shhh, shhh, shhh.  Don't get yourself worked up about it.  I will stay with you until your medicine takes effect and you fall asleep.  If it will make you sleep any better tonight, I will take a room at the inn to be closer to you until you are well."

rosemary for protection ...

 May 17, 1930

Dear Mabel,

Thank you so much for the condolence flowers and card.  Mother is just so devastated.  Father blames himself.  He says that if he hadn't forbidden Gregory from going into the cellar, he would not have been tempted to sneak down there.

The oddest thing though, is that no one can understand how he could have drowned in such a small amount of water, or even where it came from.  Mr. McGowan, the caretaker, insists that the cellar has never had water in it before and that the old well wasn't even in the cellar.

I took solace in the attic after Gregory's funeral.  One of the old trunks had beautiful dresses in it that must have belonged to a girl my age.  They fit me perfectly!  I also found a diary in the trunk that must have been hers.  Her name was Catherine, and I think something horrible happened to her.  Mabel, I think her room is the same one that is now mine!  I think that she died in that room.  She wrote that she had been locked in the room by a woman who must have been the housekeeper and simply forgotten.  There were a few other short entries after that one, but then nothing.

I can't help but wonder if it is her presence I sometimes feel in my room.  It is such a sadness that I feel that I'm often brought to tears for no reason at all.  Except lately there seem to be too many reasons for tears.  I miss Gregory so much, Mabel.  I just can't believe he is gone.

Please come visit soon.  I need you.

Catherine

Lost and found ...

 

May 16, 1929

 Dearest Mabel,

 We've just arrived at the new house and it is so large I think I will have to leave bread crumbs to follow whenever I leave my room!

Father said that the house is over 200 years old.  I can't wait to explore the attic to see if anything was left behind.  Wouldn't it be wonderful to find an old trunk filled with dresses or jewelry?!?!

There is a cellar also, but Father said it was off-limits.  I wouldn't want to go down there anyway.  Probably spiders down there and I would simply die if one of them crawled on me.

Gregory, of course, is more interested in exploring the forest on the property, and the lake.  Typical boy.  Father, however, forbids him to go exploring alone.  The forest is very dark, not because of all the trees, but because it feels threatening.  Evil.  It is hard for me to explain, but there is no worry that I will ever go in there with or without him.

You will have to come to visit soon.  I miss you already!

Elizabeth

Virginia

May 15th, 1828

Dearest Diary,

I almost escaped.  I took a train two weeks after my last entry down to the harbor and booked passage on a ship leaving for America a week's time.  I spent my days talking with a girl my age who was returning to Virginia and she promised that I would be able to stay with them when we arrived.

She told me how beautiful it was there, and of these little blue flowers that looked like bells, and how large her father's house was.

I was so excited, Diary.

But then Grandpapa's men found me and took me back here to this horrible, horrible house.  He was in a rage when we arrived.  Even angrier than I'd ever seen him before in my life.  His face took on a resemblance to the gargoyles up on the widow's walk, and I feared perhaps he had been possessed by one of them.

For the past year, he has kept me under lock and key, constantly watched by Mrs. Abernathy or one of his men.  I've not even been allowed to bathe myself alone or use the privy!  This house has become a prison for me, I've not seen as much as a tree or bird outside because all of the drapes have been pulled close in front of the windows.

Grandpapa would not even speak to me, choosing instead to spend all his time in the cellar.  I heard him talking at times when I put an ear to the door, but what language he spoke I know not.

Today, Mrs. Abernathy locked me in my room before the sun was even up, and she has not yet come back to bring me breakfast or supper.  I have been able to hear a great many people coming and going from the house, but don't know who or why.  Some of the women have been weeping and praying.  I believe something has happened to Grandpapa.

I am afraid.  I am afraid I have been forgotten.

Catherine
 

Dear Diary ...

May 14th, 1827

Dearest Diary,

I feel so silly at times writing in this journal as if you were a dear friend with whom I can confide all of my deepest fears and strongest dreams.  Yet, here I am once again.

The events of the last fortnight have been most disturbing.  The disappearance of my sweetest little cousin after she chased an errant puppy into the cellar ... Grandmother's unexpected death in the night as she slept ... then sister Elisa's fiancee's sudden suicide on the grounds! 

It has all been far too much for us.  So much sadness.  I feel as if there is an evil presence here, and truly wish we had never come here.  This house had sat empty for so long.  Who knows what kind of people lived here before, or where they went.  I know Grandpapa thought this would be the perfect opportunity for us to finally have land and a home, but I rue the day he set his eyes upon it.  There has been nothing but heartache, pain, and misery in his family and my own since we moved in with them after mother and father vanished at sea on their way to America.

I wish at times I had died with them.  My heart is so heavy with grief.  I am so weary, dearest Diary.  So weary of crying.  I long to set my eyes on happier times, but have no idea where to look.  Perhaps I shall just board a train and get off somewhere that no one knows me.  Pretend I have lost my memory and start my life anew.  It is such a tempting thought.

Catherine

The threshing ...

   "I have to admit, Albert, getting away this past week was just what I needed.  I forget that those in the southern hemisphere don't have the same seasons we do, and it was fascinating being able to take part in the fall harvest in Australia."

  "It was indeed a different experience, Clarence.  Although now that we are back on home soil, I am a little concerned that we haven't heard from the exterminator to let us know that the house was safe to enter."

  "I imagine if the tent is gone, it would be safe, wouldn't it?  Didn't he say it would take three days under the tent, and then three days with the windows open to air it out?"

  "Yes, but I assumed he would call and confirm that everything had been cleared out.  Especially the basement.  I've been calling him for several days now, and he hasn't returned any of my calls."

  [Their car rounds a corner and the house comes into view with the tent partially covering the house.  The exterminator's truck is still there, with the driver-side door open.  Albert and Clarence exchange worried looks.]

  "Should we go in?"

  "I think we should call the police.  We don't know that it was our unwanted house guest, and I'd rather not walk in unarmed in case it was.  But judging by the condition of the tent by the door, I would guess that our guest was not happy with the eviction notice being enforced and decided to leave before the fumigation was finished."

  "Oh, dear."

lights in the sky ...

   "Albert, I'm not sure tonight would be the best time to clean out the basement."

  "Why do you say that?"

  "I feel it will be unwise right now.  The new moon will make it darker than normal with the predicted solar flares tonight.  I don't think it would be a good idea."

  "Don't tell me that you are falling for those old woman stories about ghosts and goblins lurking about on nights like tonight.  Clarence, I know you've always been a little more open-minded than I am, but I have to draw the line at all this supernatural hocus pocus."

  "It's not hocus pocus, Albert.  I mean, we have a giant ... you know what ... in the basement.  How normal is that?  And all the other things that have happened in that house.  The deaths.  The disappearances.  Be honest, Albert.  Strange things happened in that house even before we lived there.  We can't be sure all of them were from the same ... you know what ... in the basement.  Maybe there is some other reason for it all."

  "I won't deny that the house has a history that hasn't exactly been unblemished by tragedy.  But I think we can discount what has happened there as simply being a coincidence and dysfunctional family drama."

  "I didn't think you believed in coincidences, Albert."

  "It doesn't matter what I believe.  What matters now is that you get better.  A night or three out of town on holiday would be the best thing for you now.  In fact, I will join you.  I'll arrange for an exterminator to tent the whole house and fumigate it.  That should solve all our problems, don't you think?"

  "I hope so, Albert.  I really hope so."

jumping in the deep end ...

   "Albert!  We're going to be late for the wake!  Why haven't you dressed yet?"

    "Clarence, the wake was last night.  Don't you remember attending when we got back from the physician's office?"

    "Don't be daft.  Today is Friday!"

    "No.  Today is Saturday.  We came home yesterday afternoon and you insisted upon going to the wake, wearing your kilt, with no knickers I might add.  Then you proceeded to pick Elisa at least three dozen primroses from the garden.  You were quite subdued at the wake, and everyone was very concerned about you.  You don't remember any of that?"

    "I don't recall any of that.  I remember talking to the physician, and getting a shot of something, but everything after that is quite fuzzy.  What did he give me?"

    "It was just something to calm you.  When he asked about your nightmares, you became very agitated, and he thought it would be best to give you a light sedative to relax you."

    "Well, I hope I didn't say anything to embarrass myself in front of Elisa at the wake."

    "No.  You were very polite and offered condolences.  We didn't stay long because after that you just sat in a corner of the pub and didn't say anything at all."

     "Hmmm.  Will I have to have another of those shots?  I don't think I like it much if it made me forget the evening."

     "No.  I picked up a prescription for you this morning of something that will help you to sleep at night.  Clarence, there is something I do have to take care of this afternoon, however, and I think it would be best if you weren't home.  I'd like to take you to Elisa's house if you don't mind for a few hours.  How does that sound?"

     "What are you going to do that I can't be here to help you with?"

     "I'm going to clean out the basement."

lines of the times ...

  [speaking into the phone] "Yes, yes.  I'll hold.  Just tell him it is about Clarence and it is quite urgent that I speak to him.  Thank you."

  "Albert?  Who are you phoning?"

  "I'm phoning your physician as we discussed this morning.  Remember?  You were sleepwalking?"

  "Don't be absurd.  I never sleepwalk."

  "You don't remember being outside in the garden this morning?  You said you were looking at the moon, but there wasn't a moon.  Even if there had been, it was quite foggy and you couldn't have seen it.  You said you heard Mary calling you."

  "Mary is gone, Albert."

  "Yes.  I know.  That's what I told you this morning.  You also said that you'd been dreaming of spiders.  Do you recall that?"

   "I don't recall telling you that."

   "I just think you've been under a great deal of stress lately, and that it might be good to see the doctor.  Perhaps to help with the nightmares?  Neither of us are young men anymore, Clarence, and I'm concerned that you were outside in the fog too long.  Your skin has become too thin of late, and your hands especially are showing your age.  I think that having the physician give you an exam would be best."

  "Fine.  Whatever you think will be best.  But Albert ..."

  "Yes?"

  "What if it is watching and will follow us?"

  "What if what is watching us?"

  "The spider."

  [muffled voice on the telephone]  "Nevermind.  Just tell him that we are on the way now.  This cannot wait any longer."

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  Suteka is such a company.

  I recently purchased some plain white dishes to replace the mix-matched sets that I have been using for the past few years.  But white can be boring after a while, and I'd seen advertisements for Suteka on Instagram.   Food safe and FDA approved!  So I purchased three sets to dress up my whites.

 My first attempt was worthy of a Pinterest fail post, but it was my own fault (arrogance) for thinking I knew what I was doing without watching their helpful video and just reading the extremely simple instructions.  Frustrated, I reached out to customer service.

  Not only did they send me another set, but they were very fast to respond, helpful, and extremely NICE!

 Each set had nine decals, with a mix of large and small ones, that were more than enough to cover my service for six!

  They have lots of fun designs, and I can't say enough wonderful things about their products, but especially about their wonderful customer service!

dark side of the moon ...

   "Clarence!  It is well after midnight!  What are you doing outside skulking around in the dark?  You nearly gave me a heart attack when I found the front door opened!"

   "Oh, hello, Albert.  I was just looking at the moon."

   "Are you sleepwalking?  There is no moon tonight.  It is a New Moon.  Not to mention we are completely fogged in.  I could barely see you.  Are you certain you are awake?"

   "Mmmmm.  Perhaps not.  I thought I heard her calling to me and so came out to find her."

   "Her?  Her who?  Clarence, should I call the physician?"

   "Mary.  I thought I heard Mary calling me.  It sounded like her."

   "Clarence.  Mary is gone.  She could not have been calling you.  I think you have been under a great deal of stress lately, and perhaps it is affecting you more than I was aware.  I suggest when the sun has come up that we go to see your physician."

   "But if the sun comes up, then we won't be able to see the moon anymore."

   "We can't see the moon right now as it is.  I think that it would be best if you came back with me to the house.  I'll get you tucked back into bed and sit with you for a while.  Perhaps I could read to you, would you like that?"

  "Yes.  I'd like that.  It won't be a story with spiders in it, will it?  I've been dreaming of spiders.  Large ones.  Some of them have Mary's face on them.  They aren't very nice."

  "No, I won't tell you any stores with spiders in them.  I promise."

  "Pinky swear?"

  "Pinky swear.  Now, let's get out of this cold fog and back into the house.  Come, come."

prim & proper ...

   "Do you think she'd like these flowers?"

   "What?  Who?"

   "Mary's daughter.  I was going to bring her some out of the garden on Friday."

   "Clarence.  What is going on with you?  First a kilt, now primroses.  Why are you suddenly so interested in Elisa?"

   "Well, I just feel a little responsible."

   "For what?  We don't know that your spider killed her, although if she had a reaction like the officer did it is highly probable that it contributed.  There was no way to conclusively show how she died.  She could have fallen down the stairs, breaking her neck.  It could have been natural causes, she wasn't a spring chicken any longer.  She could have had a heart attack.  Or perhaps a panic attack if her mind slipped and she simply didn't know where she was.  We don't even know for sure that she saw the spider while she was alive.  We only know that IT saw her at some point after she died."

   "For all of that.  I was the one who suggested that she would find more berry jam in the cellar.  I sent her down there."

   "You are too soft, brother.  And perhaps soft on Elisa now as well?"

   "No.  Although she did make a very good pie, I'm just too old and set in my ways.  But, it is unfortunate that her mother died under such odd circumstances, and I feel as if we should have a little more compassion for her."

   "Agreed.  We still have to address the issue of your spider.  We can't pretend it doesn't exist because we could have another unfortunate accident.  While I don't miss going into the basement, I am concerned that it may find a way out."

lost in translation ...

    "Clarence!  What on earth are you wearing?"

    "The family tartan, of course."

    "Yes, I see that.  But why?"

    "Well, I thought I'd see if I remembered how to wear it.  I wanted to wear it to the wake for Mary on Friday."

    "Please tell me you have knickers underneath that.  And remember that we are only half Scottish on father's side.   Mother would not approve of you wearing it."

    "Yes, well, mother isn't here now, is she?  And I thought it would be an appropriate way to honor Mary who actually was Scottish.  Did you know that ..."

   "Oh, blessed joy.   Useless information for 500 Mr. Alex Trebeck."

   "... arse.  I was going to say that the American and British manufacturers appropriated tartan patterns without any regional significance like the Scottish tartans have and began calling them plaid.  The Scottish Gaelic word 'plaide' means blanket, and tartans were initially considered outerwear."

  "And that is important why?"

  "You know, Albert, not everyone wants to be like you and live in the dark ages.  Some of us would like to experience a little more of the world."

  "Hmpf!"

pie ...

  "Detective Griffiths!  What an unexpected surprise.  Do come in.  Tell me, how is your officer doing?  Has he been released from the hospital yet?"

  "No, unfortunately, not as yet.  They are running more tests on him because he seems to have suffered some type of brain injury.  He has been raving mad about a spider the size of an Irish wolfhound.  But I actually came to tell you that we've found Mary."

  [Albert and Clarence exchange looks.]

  "Really?  Well, that's marvelous!  Had she been on holiday and neglected to tell her daughter?"

  "Sadly, no.  She seems to have met with an unfortunate accident in the woods near your property here.  Some young men who were truant from their classes were in the woods and stumbled ... literally ... across her body."

  "Oh my!  What on earth was she doing in the woods, I wonder?"

  "Her daughter said that lately, she'd been having episodes of forgetfulness and had gone for walks and forgotten how to get home.  Most of the time in had been in town where someone had recognized her and brought her home.  However, there were a few times she had taken a path through the woods thinking it was a shortcut home, and been lost for several hours.  It would have been helpful to us if she had mentioned this earlier, but I don't know if it would have made a difference."

  "How so?"

  "The medical examiner believes that she may have suffered a heart attack, but it would be difficult to say for sure.  By the time she was found, it seemed that the elements and nature had their way with her.  She was wrapped in a sheet, but her daughter identified it as one of hers and thinks that she may have been outside hanging laundry when her mind slipped away.  She was also covered in thousands of spiderwebs so we suspect that they may have taken refuge under the sheet as she lay on the ground."

  "Tragic.  Simply tragic."

  "Oh, I almost forgot.  Her daughter gave me a box for you two.  One moment, let me get it from the boot of my car."

  [The door opens, and the three men step outside to the front of the house.  The brothers watch as the detective goes to the rear of his car.]

  [whispering]  "Albert, this is quite a stroke of luck."  "Yes, it is.  Shhh, here he comes."

  "I apologize for the condition of the box.  I hit a hole in the road and it must have flipped over in the boot.  I'm not sure if it will be any good now."

  "You know what it is?"

  "Yes.  It is a berry pie.  Mary's daughter baked one for Clarence's birthday and sent belated wishes.  She knew you were fond of her mother's pies."

  "Oh my, well, I'm sure we will try to salvage it!  It is, after all, my favorite.  Please tell her thank you for us.  Do you know when services will be held for Mary?"

  "I've been told there will be a wake on Friday down at the Elk and Hound Pub.  Her body had to be cremated because there were still some spider egg sacs hidden in her hair, and the medical examiner thought it would be the safest thing to do."

  "Of course.  We shall tell her ourselves then when we see her on Friday.  I do hope that your officer recovers soon."

  "Unfortunately, I think it will be quite a while for him.  His career as an officer may well be over.  I was told that there was a spider on the outside of the hospital window that he caught a glimpse of, and they had to physically restrain and sedate him."

  "That is unfortunate."

  "Yes, I must be going now, I've got to start interviewing for his replacement this afternoon.  I will see you both on Friday."

weekend ...

 Today marked the end of my 62nd trip around the sun.

I've been 'celebrating' all weekend.

^ This is a view from the Greenbrier Resort's Art Colony.  I've been wanting to go to see the shops there since I moved here, but finally made time on Saturday.

I also popped into the museum, the last stop on the Art Colony row, and just loved the wall murals.

I made an offer on a house that was accepted this past week.  Exciting times are ahead and I'm trying hard not to stress too much or feel too overwhelmed by all the tasks ahead of me.

Easier said than done.

I will share pictures when it is officially mine.

I also made a decision that I want to retire at the end of my 65th trip around the sun, so I have a lot more planning to do to make that feasible.  Three years will fly by faster than these first 62 have.

Bipan leaves on Tuesday, so tears will be shed.  He will be off to new adventures in California.

It is going to be an emotional month.

Mabel ...

  "Albert, did you see the hoarfrost this morning?"

  "Clarence!  What a rude thing to say about Mabel!  Why on earth would you call her a whore?!?!?!"

  "I wouldn't dare!  But I wasn't even talking about her!  I was talking about the frost on the flowers in the garden this morning.  Why on earth would YOU assume I was talking about Mabel?  Didn't you date her at uni?"

  "I misunderstood you.  And no, we never 'dated,' we just ... never mind.  We did not date.  I wasn't aware that the temperature was going to drop overnight.  It is a bit odd, isn't it, for this time of year?"

  "Global warming, I think.  Who did you date at uni?  I was certain it was Mabel."

  "It wasn't.  And it is none of your business.  Do you suppose that the frost could have killed those spiders?"

  "Oh no.  Spiders are really fascinating creatures.  They don't necessarily hibernate, but they will hide in protected areas, like under logs or fallen leaves.  Then they can go into diapause when the temperatures drop."

  "Like suspended animation?"

  "More or less.  Only the egg sacs will.  It is a suspended development.  The 'adult' or 'children' will simply find places to hide that protect them from the cold.  We'll have to go out and bury Mary, won't we?"

  "Do you suppose there is anything left of her?  Wouldn't they have eaten her?"

  "Actually, no.  And while 'our' spider did make a rather spectacular egg sac, I've been doing some research since that evening and discovered that she wouldn't have laid her eggs 'in' Mary.  She, however, may have eaten Mary."

  "Wait.  Are you saying that what we took out to the forest may not have actually been Mary?"

  "It may have been what was left of Mary.  Did you actually see the spider when you went into the basement?  How large was it?"

  "It was QUITE large.  I would say that it may have been the size of a large dog.  If it had been the size of a normal spider, I doubt very much that the officer or I would have even noticed it.  Or that he would have reacted in the dramatic fashion that he did."

  "Hmmmm.  Interesting.  I would like to go see if we can find Mary.  I'd be interested in seeing if we can tell how she died."

   [Loud knocking on the front door ...]

indecision ...

   [The sound of something heavy being dragged through the woods.]

  "Albert?"

  "Yes, Clarence?"

  "Do you suppose we will have to move now?"

  "Oh, I don't think so.  If we were suddenly to leave town after two police officers came to see us, it might just look a little suspicious."

  "But we didn't do anything."

  "No.  We didn't.  But we could have, and that's what people will focus on.  Watch the head there.  You don't want to hit it on that big rock."

  "Oh, right.  Sorry.  I wasn't watching where I was going.  Albert, what is your favorite leaf color?"

  "What?  Leaf color?  What on earth are you talking about?  Watch where you are walking!"

  "I am watching!  I was just wondering what your favorite color is for fall leaves.  You know.  Red.  Yellow.  Orange.  Which one is your favorite?"

  "I don't know.  Yellow, I suppose.  Although red is a beautiful color.  Orange can be also, in the right light.  I really don't know.  Mind this log here.  You'll have to lift higher to clear it."

  "It sounds to me like you like the indecision leaves the best.  Oof, this seems to be getting heavier by the minute.  How much farther now?  Are you really certain this was the only option?  My back is going to be killing me for a month after this.  Tell me again why we couldn't use a car?"

  "If you would complain less and walk more it wouldn't be taking nearly as long.  And yes.  This was the only option that would protect us.  We couldn't take a car because we don't have a car that runs, remember?  SOMEONE keeps forgetting to get a new battery ordered.  And what the bloody hell is an indecision leaf?"

  "Why should I be the one that has to order a new battery?  You're the one with the license AND who knows how to drive.  An indecision leaf is just that.  A leaf that hasn't made up its mind what it wants to be, so it just has all the colors on it.  Even still a bit of green.  You know, we really got lucky that the officer had arechna ... arack ... had a fear of spiders.  Who would've thought that a grown man could scream like a little girl?"

  "Ha!  Don't flatter yourself.  It sounded just like you when you thought that odd bit of yarn of Mother's was a snake."

  "I was five years old!  What was I supposed to sound like?"

  "That was just last week when you were cleaning out the pantry looking for sweets, and don't try to be coy.  I came running to see what was wrong with you and nearly gave myself a hernia laughing when I saw what it was.  But yes, we were lucky that he fainted as well and hit his head.  With all of the chaos of calling the hospital and getting an ambulance out for him, the detective never even thought to check the cellar himself."

  "Albert."

  "What is it now, Clarence?  If we don't get Mary buried before dark, we will never find our way back, and I for one don't want to be out here in the dark with her.  It's bad .... why did you stop?"

  "Albert.  She's moving.  She's moving under the sheet."

  "What?!?!  Don't be daft.  With all the webbing that spider of yours spun around her, she can't still be alive and ... what is that?  Is that a ...."

  "It is.  It's a baby spider.  It must have laid its eggs inside Mary and now they are all hatching from her.  What should we do, Albert?"

  "RUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNN"

oliver ...

   [A]  "Clarence.  So kind of you to finally join us.  Detective Griffiths here would like to ask you a few questions about Mary."

  [C]  "Mary?"

  [A]  "Yes, Mary.  The woman who used to cook for us, remember?  Perhaps that skunk addled your brain as well as fouling your clothes?"

  [C]  "Yes, yes.  I know who she is.  I just don't understand why he wants to talk to me."

  [G]  "It's really just a formality, Clarence.  No need to worry.  Her daughter told us that the last time she spoke to her mother, she was planning on coming here as usual to cook weekend meals for the two of you?  Did she arrive?"

  [C]  "Hmmm.  I'm not quite sure.  How long ago would that have been?  My memory is not what it used to be at times."

  [G flipping open notepad back a few pages] "I believe that would have been on the 19th."

  [C]  "Ah, yes.  She was here that day, but as I recall, she left before preparing any dessert for us for the weekend."

  [G]  "Oh?  Why was that?"

  [Nameless Officer] "Excuse me, sir.  There seems to be a door we've been unable to open."

  [G] "Albert?  I thought you said we would have full access?"

  [A]  "Oh my.  He must be talking about the cellar door.  We haven't been down there in decades.  I wasn't even aware that it was locked.  Perhaps it is just stuck. Let me go see about it now.  Clarence, you carry on with Detective Griffiths.  I won't be but a minute."

  [G] "So, Clarence.  Tell me what you were doing in the woods today."

  [C]  "What?"

  [G]  "Your little walk in the woods where you encountered the skunk?"

  [C]  "Oh yes, well, I went to speak to Owliver."

  [G]  "Oliver, eh?  And who is this Oliver?"

  [C]  "No, not OLIVEr.  OWLiver.  An owl that I see on my walk occasionally.  We have a 'hoot' of a laugh and ..."

  [Crashing sounds of something falling.  Sounds of a loud struggle in the hallway.  A scream ... then silence.]

virtues ...

   "Clarence!  Clarence, they're here!  The police are here and ... oh my goodness, what is that smell emanating off of you???  It's ... is that a woman's perfume?"

  "Albert, you know I'm nervous about what the police might find.  And when I get nervous, I sweat.  And when I sweat, I smell.  And ..."

  "Yes, but you DON'T smell like a woman!  What did you do?"

  "I couldn't find any of your cologne, and I couldn't find mine either.  I found a bottle of something called The 7 Virtues Lotus Pear Eau de Parfum in the back of a drawer in your desk, and ..."

  "YOU WENT SNOOPING IN MY DESK?!?!?  How dare you!  That was actually a gift for ... well never mind who it was a gift for.  I shan't be giving it to them now.  Had I known that the smell of it would make me feel less than amorous, I wouldn't have bought it.  In any case, you reek of an old woman who has been dead in the grave for ... oh, my.  That was a bad reference, wasn't it?  Disregard that thought.   But we will have to do something about how you smell, and ..."

  [Loud knocking at the door.]

  "Damn it all.  Clarence will you get ... no, I'll get it.  YOU go upstairs straightaway and take a bath with lots of vinegar to get that wretched odor off of you."

  [Footsteps running up the stairs.  Slower, measured ones going towards the front door and hesitating.  The sound of water running upstairs.  The door opens.]

  "Gentlemen, do come in.  I apologize for my brother not being here with me to greet you.  He's just run a bath upstairs.  It seems he ran into a skunk, literally, while he was out walking earlier."

  "That's quite alright, Albert.  We can speak with him later.  Do you mind if my colleagues have a look around while we chat in the kitchen?