A WITCH IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Somewhere between Raising Hell and  Amazing Grace is the Neighborhood Witch, Jan Stewart. I'm sure she didn't start out to be a witch, but it happens every year about this time.

 She brews up potions. She claimed to be out of eye of newt, but this stuff looks suspicious to me. It had a medicinal taste. Yes, we tried it.

 This one was not finished brewing.

 This one was very sweet. Witches do not use alcohol, but you'd never know it to taste this stuff.

She claims to have eyeballs in the jar above, none of us were brave enough to trust to a taste test.

And this, believe it or not, is a decorated jawbone of a buffalo. Indians used them as weapons, Jan uses them in spells. You may think this is fake, but it is a real buffalo jaw bone. Some witches are quite creative.

I don't know if this helps explain anything or not, but, its the parking sign in her yard. We know to laugh a lot in our neighborhood. I think this part is Hell Raising. Hope you enjoy Halloween.

CELEBRATIONS ARE AS INDIVIDUAL AS THE PARTICIPANTS

Some people just can't allow a birthday to pass without getting in their licks. That would be my neighbor, Jan Stewart. She's always been a rabble rouser. What is a person to do when you'd prefer to let 70 pass quietly under the radar? Or even better, turn it back to 69 for awhile longer.
It was just a simple- "come on over for dinner" invitation among neighbors. My birthday was days ago.

And my neighbor and house-sitter, Karen, is just as bad. She brought me a bouquet of roses and baked me my favorite dessert, home made apple pie.

  At Jan's, the table was set for she and Jerry, Jim and I and Karen with one space for Karen's blind date.

A talking head.

With mic in hand, Jim spoke through the head and gave it some salacious dialogue. Talking heads at Jan's? Nothing surprising there,  so, I still think this is just a crazy-like-Jan dinner.

 Then they haul out the birthday stuff, cards and presents like Cheap Slut hand soap, body finger paint that glows in the dark, (which we immediately had to test. It glows.) Some questionable candy and other stuff came out of the package they presented to me. Plus a delightful cake. There is no slipping under the radar with Jan in the neighborhood.

Now I get to spill the beans. Jan is a Wiccan and that is NOT mistletoe she and Jerry are testing. Its oregano, and I have no idea what that means. But I do know, we always have fun at Jan's.

GOLD IN THEM THAR' HILLS

Not everyone has a Jan Stewart in their life. Lucky me that my neighbor is a gold aficionado and loves to take people out digging for gold. My crew had a taste of panning at Columbia Park and decided they'd like to try the real thing.

We toured an old hard rock mine. Then we dug dirt from an old dry creek bed and hauled it to Murphys Creek were we washed the dirt for nuggets.

We got small nuggets but tossed the many gold flakes since we didn't figure to sell our gold anyway. It was fun. Even so, my guests learned what the old timer's learned long ago. Finding gold, digging and panning, is hard work. No one regretted the experience, even if the temperature reached 97.
Earlier in the day, we visited Big Trees State Park. A phenomenal, not to be missed, experience for anybody who visits Calaveras County.
This tree is the Old Bachelor, one of my favorites.
Marie and Bernice stood in the root hollow of this fallen giant. You hear about them, you see pictures of them, but to actually stand beside the giants is an awesome experience. To be a sightseer in Calaveras County is as valuable as our gold.

EGYPTIAN/AMERICAN MUMMY MEETS CHINESE AND AMERICAN STUDENTS

Eleven year old Cathy and twelve year old Zoe came to the United States with about 100 Chinese students, to learn English, and in the process, American ways. This sarcophagus, or mummy, as most people refer to it, is a ceramic work of art made by American Artist Jan Stewart. Here Jan explains the significance of this Egyptian/American piece of art. Egyptian/American because the piece is an Egyptian talisman with definite American symbols. Jan inscribed a cross for her religion, her credit card, paint brushes and car keys to take into the hereafter, and Uncle Sam grasping for the heart as it sits on the scale to be weighed. It must weigh less than the feathers or her journey to the hereafter will be troubled and unhappy. Oh, my. Jan's grand daughter Cali is having a great time with her new friends, and I had a great time showing off Jan's talent in this wonderful piece of art that is the centerpiece of my art collection.
Art is life, as they say!