Closer, closer, closer...

 

This is my last pumpkin guy for the year! I really pushed his drying time by sticking him out in the sun for a couple of days and then laying him down so the fan could dry out his insides, too. He went into the kiln with the rest of the crew on Sunday (with a one hour preheat and the firing set to "slow") and I have been hoping he comes out in one piece!

 

I honestly love him so much I wish I could keep him! But there's only so much space...

And the waiting. The waiting is the hardest part! The kiln needs to cool to 100° F before I can open it, and then it's the marathon glazing sessions that have to happen, plus two more firings! 

Who needs sleep, right?
 

My Scary Bookshelf

 

Every October, I share My Scary Bookshelf here on my blog, for those who love reading horror as much as I do! While it's impossible to know every single spooky ghost story out there, this is a very good start, which should keep you entertained for the foreseeable future!

Legal declaration: The board has my Amazon Associates link and qualifying purchases can earn me a small commission, though it's about as likely as Hannibal Lecter becoming vegetarian...

Abandoned

“The room was bright and white and still and silent, but soundless sound roared and howled in it.”

― Anne Rivers Siddons, The House Next Door

 

Halloween Song

An absolutely delightful Halloween tune with a stunning and charming animation to go along with it!

Click on the pic for the full experience. 

Oil and Blood

Othello and Desdemona, Alexandre Marie Colin

(Click on the pic for the song)

Oil and Blood by The Unsettlers

She wore a homemade dress made of broken bones
She owned lonely horses with outstanding loans
She cut the head off a nickel for all your bad luck
She pulled out her matches and struck

Oil and Blood in the kitchen sink
And boiling mud I'm on the brink
And I've forgotten her name
And now let me think

While I wake in this valley below

She drinks homemade whiskey and she chews the fat
There's no sense in lying she can smell a rat
She lives with the dead and the stench is foul
She serves hornet pie with a trowel

Oil and blood in the kitchen sink
And boiling mud I'm on the brink
And I've forgotten her name
And now let me think

As I wake in this valley below

She sings

"Mother Mary, go around back

There's a hearse by the side of the road.

Mother Mary, go around back

There's a fair fae lettin' you know..."

She saves her own sweat and she sees the dead to their graves
She sings to the moon while you rant and rave
She has her twin tied up in a church on a pew
She has a plan for her and one for you too

Oil and Blood in the kitchen sink
And boiling mud I'm on the brink
I've forgotten her name
And now let me think

As I sleep in this valley below
She has a velvet tongue and a rattle snake
She goes a thousand days without a break
She has a tombstone for every dollar
She waltzes all night in a funeral parlor

Oil and Blood in the kitchen sink
And boiling mud I'm on the brink
And I've forgotten her name
And now let me think

As I walk in this valley below

She has a razor sharp whisper she's the colour of bone
She sleeps in the attic when nobody's home
She sharpens her teeth to a bevel
Evil Desdemona of the devil

The Legend of the Scarecrow - A ShellHawk's Nest Halloween Tradition

 

A heartwarming tale of a sweet little scarecrow. Click on the pic for video.

The Last Wips

Getting the last of the crew together before my Annual Artist Open House!

 What can I say? It was a busy, busy summer with renovations taking all my time...

On Ghost Riders in Taxi Cabs...

 

Rogers Gardens 2024

Rogers Gardens never fails to deliver the Halloween goodness we all deserve!

Click on the pic for this year's tour!

In Just

In Just

By E.E. Cummings 

in Just-

spring          when the world is mud-

luscious the little

lame balloonman

whistles          far          and wee

and eddieandbill come

running from marbles and

piracies and it's

spring

when the world is puddle-wonderful

the queer

old balloonman whistles

far          and             wee

and bettyandisbel come dancing

from hop-scotch and jump-rope and

it's

spring

and

         the

                  goat-footed

balloonMan          whistles

far

and

wee