Halloween Spooktacular

For the Hanson Annual Halloween Spooktacular, I decided to revisit a costume I wore several years ago. Little Miss Muffet. Frankly, the costume is rather comfortable and too difficult to clean up after the party is over. I think the giant purple and black spider adds just enough to the overall effect. My nephew, Kenny, and his father came all the way from California to attend the event. Okay, that's a stretch. They really came to go to the Chiefs/Seahawks game at Arrowhead. See, my husband is a big time Chiefs fan and his brother is a big time Seahawks fan. They both were backed into a corner as far as costumes go because they were in my house during the Spooktacular, thus requiring them to play along.

Unfortunately, my husband was sick and didn't partake in his usual 100% self. He had intended to come as a trampy Raggety Ann, but settled on something much more simple.
He chose to wear a cape over his regular clothes. Then, opted to change his regular clothes to all black clothes. At least his heart was in the spirt of the evening even if his body was too sick to really enjoy himself.

September/October Activites Are Finished

My mother, in her infinite wisdom, once told me to not to wish my life away. I find myself remembering her words every time I wish my hurried schedule over. Now that September and October activities are complete, I have too much time on my hands. Funny how when I want to have a day to myself to get to all the times I have postponed, I find myself doing absolutely nothing with my free time. It's a drag, actually.

The October dinner theater rotation is finished. The Madam Cunundrum production was less satisfying than I had expected. Poop. I enjoyed playing Madam and the subsequent dead Emma Wolf, but my time in the spotlight was nominal. As those characters, I spent most of the show (two full acts out of four) behind the scene waiting for my return. Bummer. During the down time, I decided that I am a DIVA. I missed being the center of attention.

So, when the next show debuted, as Larissa Culaard, I was thrilled. Even though I wasn't the main character, I stole the show. Another minor character, Catherine de Medicci played by a senior in high school, Erin Darley, also rose above the written words and became a grandious spectacle. She and I played off each other and personally, I think we were AWESOME!

I had gone shopping with my mother when she came for a visit. We had super fun time. She bought me this outfit, everything except the red boots. I bought those a few weeks earlier. My amazing husband didn't think they were a practical purchase. COME ON! These are red boots we're talking about. OF COURSE they are PRACTICAL!! Frankly, I think they make the outfit.

She gives hugs. I love her so much. One day...

Cadance tasted her very first apple.

October Activities

The brisk fall weather was cut short by record breaking high temperatures for three days straight. YUCK! But, it seems that we are finally on a declining degree slope. It's about time. Unfortunately, my amazing husband is in a funk about the whole situation. Turns out that he loathes the fall season. He said he'd rather experience a summer in Iraq than tolerate an autumn. Dang. That's bad.

What a shame. Autumn is my favorite. How can two people so completely different be perfect for one another?

My October schedule is jammed packed with activity. The farm is keeping me busy during the days and rehearsal keeps me busy in the evening. We did have a show cancel, but it's okay because I picked up another job for that night. Well, it's not really a job because there is no money involved. It's more of a volunteer gig. I think it'll be super fun.

Fort Leavenworth offers tours of the haunted homes on post. The Rookery is a particularly noted haunted house. Folks who have lived there claim to have seen the ghost that still resides in the home. She's the Lady in White and apparently not the nicest ghost around. She likes to push people.

For the touring visitors, I shall portray the Lady in White. Hopefully, I won't have a run in with the real Lady in White. If I do, I shall ask if she approves. They say imitation is the highest form of flattery. I have a spectacular ghost costume complete with crazed white wig. I'll also have a fog machine and strobe lights. It'll be a gas.

Summer is over

Now that the fall season is upon us, my schedule is crazy.

Between Wanda's place and Red Barn Farm, I work every single day from now until the first weekend of November, with the exception of home football games. Even then, I have to miss at least two of those games because of dinner theater rehearsals. Yep, toss in a few rehearsals and performances into the mix and I have a whirlwind fall season planned.

Amidst all of this, the Hanson Halloween Bash will be held this year. Last year was a bust. We had only been here a few months and didn't know enough people to actually have a memorable event. BUT, this year is different.

Our foreign exchange student, Mona, is excited about Halloween, American Style. She already has her costume. I have to get her a big pumpkin so she can carve her very first jack-o-lantern. Although there are not nearly as many trick-or-treaters here as there were in Germany, it will be fun for her. She has already said she plans on taking every kids' picture.

Kansas City has several permanent haunted houses that go all out for Halloween. We did not attend any of them when we were stationed here in 2001 nor did we attend any last year. BUT, this year is different.

I anticipate a super scary encounter. The haunted houses that show up in Golden, Colorado are scary. Much more so than I would have ever suspected.

The haunted house experience in Germany was NOT scary at all. Despite having ambulances at the ready for anyone having heart palpatations, the scariest Halloween event in Germany was mild compared to Golden's production.

I can only imaging what big time haunted houses in a metropolitan area can produce.

YIKES!

Evening horse chores

Wanda and Dick decided they needed to take a vacation. They also needed someone to look after the horses while they were gone. Naturally, I was at the front of the line to take on the responsibility.

I was to arrive at the farm early to get them fed and turned out into the pasture. I also had to feed the barn cats and the new bunch of kittens. Some horses needed medication and some needed supplements. A few needed more hay than others and some were to receive no hay. All needed love.

On days when I would be unable to return to the farm late in the day to bring the horse back into the stalls, another woman provided that service. Sometimes, we flip-flopped.

One particular evening, I arrived with my amazing husband around 6:00 p.m. As he is definitely NOT a horse person, I gave him brief instructions for putting on a halter and the proper leading technique. He is an animal lover and a quick study. He did beautifully. Just when he was gaining confidence, he was challenged.

In one pasture, three mares anxious waited by the gate. Mae, a saddlebred with an intimating personality, Chancey, a spirited pinto/quarterhorse, and Molly, an elderly passive girl. Out of the three, I thought my husband would be most comfortable with Molly. She would give him no trouble. Unfortunately, I had misjudged.

I had haltered Chancey and Kirby had Molly haltered and ready to go. Mae, the dominate mare of the bunch, protested. Chancey, with urgency, backed away from Mae and closer to Molly. Chancey spun around presenting the business end to Molly. Not wanting a confrontation, she pushed against Kirby. Although, my husband is physically fit, he is unable to stand tall against a motivated horse. As Molly invaded his personal space, he backed away and into the fence.

"Hey!" he yelped. "Is this fence electric?"

"Yes. Why? Did you get zapped?"

"Yes. Stupid horse. She tried to kill me." He scowled.

"Oh, she did not. She was trying to get away from Mae and Chancey."

Once those three were safely put away, we moved onto the next pasture. Sailor and Flame are two energetic geldings. Flame is the more docile of the two as Sailor has underdeveloped social skills. I have had him rush the gate and shove his way past me and gallop toward the barn. I didn't want by husband to be too overwhelmed by the evening, so I opted to take Sailor. He led Flame. Neither of us had any difficulty.

Walking past the pasture holding Legacy and Cody, I noticed Legacy remained standing in the corner while Cody walked to the gate. Normally, the horses known when it is time to come inside and they all wait at the gate. Legacy's behavior surprised me.

After Flame and Sailor were put away, I directed my husband to retrieve Cody. He's a pony and friendly. Legacy is a loving recently gelded stallion. Sometimes he tosses his head and to the unknowing, this action can be scary. When I entered the pasture, I expected him to approach. He didn't. He stayed where he was, tossing his head and calling to me. I immediately knew something was wrong.

I was correct. After putting on his halter and gently encouraging him to walk, he didn't. He would put no weight on his left front leg. He stayed put. I decided to let him alone while I brought all the others inside.

Kirby and I tended to Brittanee and Zoe, two big girls. As I haltered Zoe, Kirby attempted to halter Brittanee. I reassured my wonderful husband that Brittanee would give him no trouble. She is a well-behaved girl and eager to come inside for her dinner. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out like that.

Brittanee was agitated. She refused to hold still, wouldn't put her head down and huffed and snorted. She stomped her back feet and shifted from side to side.

"Screw this!" Kirby exclaimed as he threw down the halter and lead rope and quickly walked away from Brittanee.

I couldn't see what the problem was until Brittanee shoved passed Zoe and me. She started bucking and spinning around. That's when I noticed the giant horsefly buzzing at her withers. Brittanee HATES horseflies. I quickly came to her rescue, shoeing way the fly. Once it was gone and no longer an issue, she settled down immediately.

I told my husband everything was okay.

"Did you see that? She tried to kill me."

Eventually, my amazing husband was able to put the halter on her and calmly lead her to the stall.

We brought all the horses inside without further incident. All except Legacy. He was still standing in the same place.

When I initially noticed something was wrong, I put a call into the emergency vet and contacted Linlee, another farm helper.

She came most haste and together we brushed Legacy and kept him company. I didn't know how long he had been standing there so I brought him his grain and a bucket of water. His injury did not hamper his appetite and he got straight to work gobbling down his dinner.

As the weather turn ugly, Linlee and I decided we needed to get Legacy inside away from lightening. I didn't force him. I didn't even use a lead rope. I softly encouraged him to follow. He was clearly in pain and each step was agony. It pained me to watch.

Around 9:00 p.m. the vet arrived. He examined Legacy, took his temperature, gave him an injection of anti-inflammatory/pain killer and handed me a tube of medicinal paste to administer over the next two days. Legacy was to remain in his stall for the next two days as the ground was muddy and slick. Were Legacy to slip and fall, he may do further damage to his leg. I was given instructions to give Legacy his paste and call the vet with his status in the morning.

For an activity that should have taken no longer than an hour, the outing to the barn lasted nearly four hours.

By the next evening, Legacy had recovered and all was well at Oakmont. My husband, however, took a little bit longer to get back to normal.

I Need a Massage

My agenda is jam packed! Between dinner theater, Red Barn Farm, Oakmont Farm, video productions and substituting (yes, already) I have little time for anything else.
Well, yesterday I did, but I didn't do anything.

I woke up. Ate. Watched TV. Ate. Napped. Watched more TV. Accomplished ZERO.

The night before, I had a dinner theater performance in a town about an hour away from where I live. Well, my wonderful husband did not attend that performance. That meant, I had to drive. Not too big of a deal except that I don't see well at night. The entire drive home I was a tense bundle of nerves. The next morning...MAJOR BACK PAIN. Yep. My back was in a giant knot. It took all day sitting with a heating pad and a rub down with Tiger Balm before I could turn my head without wanting to cry.

All is better today. But...I have a show tonight in a town about an hour away. Thankfully, my amazing husband is taking the afternoon off to drive me to the restaurant. He is so wonderful. He's doing it out of the kindness of his heart. He won't even get dinner out of the deal. This particular venue does not provide any complimentary meals to the actors. It's a bummer. As the meal/show ticket costs $35 and he has already seen the show, he is opting for no meal. I suspect he'll drop me off, drive around town and see what else he can see then return to pick me up. It's all good.

I'm so thankful he's doing this for me.

I have to substitute tomorrow. I can't imagine how miserable I would be trying to tame 6th and 7th and 8th grade children with a muscle cramp in my back.

Dirty Little Secret

During the week long orientation for the new employees of the very first T-Rex restaurant, I was my typical self. Very motivated, excited and enthusiastic. I was encouraged by the members of the store's management staff and by members of the company's management staff to keep up the positive energy.

Once we finally were able to enter our section, the trainers and a retail manager encouraged me to find a "shout out" to keep the employees excited and generate curiosity as to what all the excitement is about. I decided to shout out "Meteor shower! Duck and cover!" every time the meteor shower roared through the building. They told me is was a great idea and to definitely do it.

After about three times, I was told in no uncertain terms to stop.

So, the morning of the grand opening, I was asked to take half a group of Boys and Girls Club children through the Paleo Zone. Of course, I would. That's why I was there, to entertain and education children. Excellent.

Shortly before the media crews were invited in the restaurant for the first time, I was taken into the back room by my area manager. Apparently, he was told by his superiors to address my attitude. I was "too flag wavy" and should be asked to refrain myself from the media attention. Although I didn't have to disappear, it would be better if I simply kept to myself and keep my excitement to a minimum.

Imagine my surprise. I was hired for my positive attitude, for my effervescent personality, my outgoing and energetic demeanor. I was hired specifically for the Paleo Zone, specifically to interact with children. Swallowing my disbelief, I told my manager it wasn't his fault and I went back to the Paleo Zone to sweep sand.

That's when a friendly voice advised me to not listen to what had been said. Apparently, my co-worker had heard the discussion. Well, actually, he had heard the conversation between the higher-ups and my manager.

Instantaneously, my callous facade burst and I made the decision to go home. I headed for the back room, my eyes welling up. By the time my manager shut the office door, I was sobbing. With great effort, I spoke as precisely as I could between tears and sniffles. I explained that upper management had errored when not discussing my "flag waving" enthusiasm in private. I explained that the majority of my life had been shadowed with feedback describing me as "abrasive, harsh, brash, flippant, abrupt, cold-hearted and as a bitch." Never had I been counseled for being too happy. I explained that I had wanted the job. I didn't NEED the job. I WANTED the job. I was under the impression that I had been hired because of my energy to work with children. Being told to keep out of sight simply because media would be there, was a slap in the face. I would not be treated as a dirty little secret, nor would I be swept under the carpet.

My manager, also upset and teary-eyed, apologized for the whole situation. He, too, had been under the impression that my attitude was a positive thing. I had been his "prize" hire and they were please with having "crazy Kelly" working with them. I told him that I didn't hold him responsible for his superiors' mistake, but I would be leaving and I would not be returning.

And....so ends my career with T-Rex.

My Calendar

Turns out that my deep subconscious freaks out when a blank spot appears on my calendar. For some unexplained reason, a mystery of the universe, I am compelled to fill each box with some type of scheduled activity.

Recognizing this flaw, I went out and got myself yet another job. Yep.

Just call me a Paleo Activity Guide. There is a new shopping center called Village West. It's about 18 miles from my house and near the speedway racetrack. It is an outdoor mall complete with fountains and bronze sculpture. Lots of benches upon which visitors can rest and watch the people. There is a movie theater, Dave & Buster's, Home Decorator, Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, Hot Topic, American Eagle, Outback Steakhouse and many, many other eating establishments and shops.

T-Rex is a prehistoric family adventure where visitors can eat, shop, explore and discover. It is similar to the Rainforest Cafe. Being owned by the same parent company, it makes sense. So, it is now my job to host tours of small children to a place where Dinosaurs come to life among caves, waterfalls and geysers. Children can practice archeology and dig for bones and/or pan through the water runoff for bits of bone fragments. Additionally, children can mine for geodes and even "build a dinosaur" in a similar fashion to the "Build a Teddy Bear" store. It all sounds exciting.

During my interview, I was certain to mention that I currently give barnyard tours to children in an educational setting. Same job, different topic. Instead of cows and chickens at Red Barn Farm, I'll be doing Brontosaurus and Tyrannosaurus Rex. On the farm, visitors don't have to worry about being eaten by the attractions.

My calendar no longer has vacant boxes. T-Rex starts July 10th. There are several managers at T-Rex, one for each area (restaurant, retail, paleo, etc). I informed the big-wig manager that I would give full-time, but they would have to work with me so that I can still do Red Barn Farm, Dinner Theater, Oakmont Farm and eventually substituting in the fall. Additionally, if filming of the "movie" begins, I'll need time to go off and do that. THEN, if something pans out with Exposure, Inc. , to which I submitted my packet this morning, I'll have to have some time off for that.


All of this frenzied activity does have a purpose.
There is a reason for the maddness.

A day at the Red Barn Farm

The other day at the Red Barn Farm, I was giving my normal tour to elementary school children. Just as I was escorting them to the restroom to have them wash their hands, I noticed they were not behind me. Several were distracted by something near the mule barn. That caused others to investigate. Pretty soon, I was standing by wondering what my children were examining.

Then I heard the word snake.

Well, being Farmer Kelly and wanting to present a good impression to the children, I made a conscious decision to pick up the snake. See, we teach the children that Black Snakes are the farmer's friend because they eat the mice and rats that eat the animals feed and grain. They also are territorial and keep away other "bad" snakes.

I figured that if we teach that Black Snakes are good, then why shouldn't I accept this snake as any other barnyard animal and pick it up. I pick up the chickens, the pigs, the lambs, the calves (okay, push them around), the ducks and the geese (when they aren't attacking me). All of those animals are friends of the farmer. So, I picked it up.

Outside, I told the children all the wonderful things that Black Snakes do for the farmer. Inside, I kept thinking "WHAT AM I DOING? I SHOULD NEVER HAVE PICKED THIS THING UP!!" Another farmer tour guide, Judy, asked me to hang on while she got her camera. In my best I-am-not-worried voice, I said okay. Inside, I was screaming, "HURRY UP!"

While telling the children all the wonderful things about the snake, I noticed it kept sliding its head out of my grasp. I had to make adjustments to keep its head in control. Its body touched me bare arm and I was surprised at how cold it was. That's probably why it was so easy to catch: it was cold. Still waiting on Judy, I stood there and let the children touch it. I was careful to keep its head securely in my hand. Oh yeah, I was wearing gloves. No way would I have picked it up without gloves. Anyway, the children were fascinated.

Then it maneuvered its body around my leg and really grabbed hold. Even though I knew in my mind that this was a friendly snake and not a poisonous snake nor a constrictor, I was distressed having it securely affixed around my thigh.

"Oh, Judy. You really need to hurry up. Farmer Kelly really wants to put this guy down."

"Oh Kelly, I'm sorry. I forgot my camera today. Go ahead and put it down."

"Thanks, Judy." Hmmm, thanks a whole hell of a lot. "Okay, children. Farmer Kelly is now going to let this big guy go on about his business. I'll just put him right back where I found him. Okay."

After that, just as smooth as you please, I lead the children off to the restrooms to wash hands before lunch. They all thought I was absolutely amazing. Inside, my stomach was flippy-floppy and my heart was pounding.

Seriously, though....WHAT WAS I THINKING?!

Hurry up, Judy! I want to put this thing down!!!

What was I thinking? Just another day at Red Barn Farm.

Happiness Is...

I rode Blue this morning. As always, she is a delight and can do no wrong. Even when being recalcitrant, Blue is perfect. Folks may talk about that big horse who chooses to defy by being lazy, and I have to respond, "Not Blue. She would never do such a thing."

I progressed to a trot. Then, accidentally, to a canter. Oops.

No harm done. Actually, I learned why Blue had transitioned to a canter. It wasn't her fault at all. It was all my fault. By loosing balance and focus, I unintentionally asked her for a canter. Turns out Blue is one smart horse.

Oakmont Farm finally has their website up. I invite you to check it out and learn more about where I spend several hours a week.

My time is divided between Oakmont and Red Barn Farm. Both are equally fabulous and are synonymous with happiness.

Yep. I took this picture. I also planted the bulbs. I think this could be a postcard or maybe blown up to an 8X10 print.

Aren't they pretty?

This is my desktop picture.

The bulbs were planted last November.

Flower in my garden.