Breaking Up is Hard to Do

 

Well it has come to this - I must break up with Google because they are kissing maggot butt and I can't stand it.  I already gave Meta the boot.  Google has its greedy hands on everything I do.  Remember when they were cool?  You could hit I feel lucky and a funny anecdote about George W. Bush would come up. Not anymore.

It is hard to do - I have been using this platform since 2011 and am really familiar with it.  His Lordship just got me a google phone so you can imagine the nightmare that presents.  Still there are alternatives to everything google offers so it is just a matter of learning new programs.  It is good for the brain or so I keep telling myself.  Anyhow, I have launched a prototype over at word press -  https://ladymshauntedparlor.wordpress.com/.  See if you can interact and give me a little feedback.  I will leave this up as an archive for awhile if you want to talk here. Love and kisses to my lovely readers.  

Elvira Donates Tesla

 Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, donated her Tesla to NPR.  The car sports a personal message for leon skum 

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/3/1/2307114/-Elvira-donates-her-Elon-SuX-car-to-NPR

Phone Photo Dump

In a parking lot in Colorado Springs

At the back of the Loft Espresso.

From the Margaret Brown House

In the Manitou Springs Heritage Center in front of the Van Briggle Exhibit

American Classics Marketplace

From Darpino Gallery in Manitou Springs

For sale in The Cauldron in Manitou Springs

Rolfs Yard

The local vulture gang
 

Spooky Celebrities of Colorado Springs

 The Colorado Springs Pioneer Museum has an A-Z display about interesting things in the springs.  For the letter E, we have none other than Cassandra Peterson aka Elvira.

L is for Lon Chaney, another actor from Colorado Springs who invented infamous dark personas.

 

The Bogie Book

The Bogie book was a Hallowe'en party manual published annually by the Dennison Manufacturing Company about 1909 until 1935.  It gave suggestions on how to host a successful Hallowe'en themed events including adult and children's parties, dinner dances, club meetings, bridge evenings and other functions.  Much of the manual gave instructions for creating decorations and costumes out of Dennison's many crepe and card stock paper products.  What a brilliant marketing ploy!

Halloween parties became increasingly popular in the early part of the 20th century, due largely to Dennison's commercialization of Halloween through the Bogie Book.  In addition to decorations and costumes mentioned earlier,  other content included stunts, games, invitations, favors, menus, themes, and ghost stories .  Some books also had ideas for Thanksgiving.  If you wish to learn more or even read some original Bogie Books, the Food Historian has an excellent blog.  Also Framingham History Center has an interesting slide show about the Dennison Manufacturing Company.  The company has since merged with Avery and moved to California.

Why this deep dive into the Bogie Book?  I have committed to do the Manitou Springs Heritage Center skeleton window in 2025 in a Bogie Book theme and am learning all I can about the books.  My favorite thing I have gleaned so far is how to dress a pack of cigarettes up as a Halloween prize or favor.  Very few of Dennison Paper products have survived into the present day and what has is viciously expensive.  So I will have to recreate from scratch.  There are a few good resources out there such as this video from Nick Alcaraz at Peculiar food.  As the books are in the public domain, copyright is not an issue.

I have a lot of studying to do as well as getting creative.  Luckily crepe paper can still be found as well as card stock. Wish me luck!

Darn Tough!

 Darn Tough socks are my favorite and for good reason - they last a long time and are guaranteed for life so if one gets a hole, you send it in and they send you a new pair.  They are made in Vermont and as far as I can tell, treat their workforce well with 3 weeks of vacation, benefits and other perks.  Last fall they finally introduce some Halloween socks. Baby M got them for me for Christmas and I love them.

These are squirrels eating pumpkins

Here's Dracula cutting a rug.

If you are looking to ditch cheap socks that wear out quickly, I highly recommend Darn Tough!