Well, It Happened...

our bedroom fireplace

...heating season has arrived. 

It took awhile, with a summer resurgence followed by some meteorological dithering - hey, it's warm!  nope, scratch that - it's cold! - but now it seems late October weather has settled in for good.

Ergo, all three fireplaces are operational once again.

the bonus room fireplace, keeping Sir Kitschalot toasty...

...and ol' faithful warming the cockles of our hearts (along with the rest of the living room).

Good thing, too, because the power company informed us of a planned overnight power outage on the time change weekend, from 11 pm until 7 am.

That means the furnace won't run and with temps dipping into the low 40's / high 30's at night, we're thankful we'll be able to keep the home fires burning.

And of course we'll have our emergency backup plan in place...

...just in case they don't have the juice turned on by 7 am.

I like warm fires on cold mornings, but wish this was March heading into April instead of October into November.

Heavy sigh.

Speaking of the end of October, we're less than a week away from All Hallows E'en:

In spite of the spooky pic, we shan't be leaning into the graveyard theme on the big night.

We'll opt for a lighter vibe as we have ever since I handed a treat bag to a little tyke and he told me earnestly, "I decided this year I wouldn't be scared".

Karen and I agreed the very last thing we want is to scare kids away, so Vintage Halloween (jack-o-lanterns, black cats, full moons) -

- that's the look we're going for each year.

To be fair, some low key, non-threatening spookification is ok, even desirable.

Most kids like being scared just a little bit - y'know, the kind of "there's he is!" fright you feel when the monster finally appears on screen...

...not the "crazed lunatic with a chainsaw who's trying to kill me!" garbage - or worse - that we see everywhere today.

Given its roots, I understand why there are Christians who have a problem with Halloween.

I went to Bible college with a man who escaped a Satanic cult and trusted Christ as his savior.

Based on his personal experiences, he'd never celebrate Halloween.

For most people, however, it's just a day for kids to dress up, ring doorbells and get candy.

They're excited for the fun and adventure, and you know what?

Parents are going to take their kids trick or treating whether we participate or not.

So we decided, why not use it as an opportunity to spread some fun, enjoyment, and the Gospel?

We strive to make their brief time at our place memorable for all the right reasons.

Elsa and that frozen snowman guy, Ooloo...uh, I mean OOgly...eh, Oddball?  Whatever.

When they leave, we want them to have a treat bag in their hands, a smile on their face and the good news of Jesus Christ in their hearts.

And maybe just a slightly elevated heart rate.

Happy Hallows.

After a summer and early fall of serious drought conditions, the heavens have suddenly opened - and remained open - for an extended period of steady rain, much of it lake effect.

Over the last several days we've gotten more than twice the rainfall of June and July combined.

We definitely need the rain, but it has put the kibosh on my end of season golf plans.

The deluge finally relented, so I ventured forth on Saturday.

It was too wet for featheries so made a slight change to my playset...

l to r: long spoon (20*), short spoon (25*), lofting iron, putter

I wanted to swing my W. Dunn spoon (far left), made by club maker Kelly Leonard from Canada.

Typically don't hit quite as long with that one, but love the feel of the club and when I swing it correctly, they're high, straight shots that are really quite enjoyable.

Took me a few holes to get warmed up, but my scrambling skills were in good working order and I ended up winning the first 2 holes.

#3 tee - a slight fade on this narrow fairway resulted in a lost ball in the brush.  I did find 3 balls in my hunt, none of them mine.

Got in trouble on #3, righted the ship on #4, then stumbled again on #5.

thanks to the recent deluge we have a new, unplanned water hazard in the middle of the fairway on #6 (which happily I avoided)

Thankfully after that I found the groove and won out the rest of the way.

the sandtraps now double as water hazards; managed to avoid them, too

decent tee shot on #7 left me with a reasonable lofting iron shot to the green...

...which I pushed to the far side of the green, but chipped close enough to the hole to save par and win the match, 3 and 2.

It was sunny and mid 40's, just the way I like it.

Hoping to get 1, maybe 2 more outings before this season's in the books.

<insert muffled weeping sounds here>

And finally...it's that blessed time again when we all embrace mass hysteria and storm the exits...

don't blame me...all I said was, "free pumpkin spice lattes for the first 50 customers!"

But first, let's 23 Skidoo...

Some spectacular October sunrise pics, courtesy of Larry from his cottage "up north":

no editing involved, that's the actual mirror effect of the smooth as glass lake

rising mist on the water

...followed by some amazing sunset pics:

love the fire in the sky...

...and waving farewell with a little <nachtmusik>:

Switching gears now...

a recent study revealed 1 in 6 pregnant women in Michigan smoke pot.  in a related study it was discovered that 16.67% of pregnant women in Michigan are morons.

not a great pic, but that's a black squirrel branch surfing while munching red berries

staging area in the bonus room...Karen informed me the heady days of "Occupy Living Room" are over

the stars in their dressing room, practicing for their "one night only" performance

I'm amazed by Isaiah 52:13 through 53:12.

That's the Bible prophecy that tells in remarkable detail about the Servant of the LORD - the ministry and sacrifice of Christ, hundreds of years before it happened.

Verse 12 is the astounding summary:

"12  Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He hath poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."

    - Isaiah 53:12

Written 700 years before His advent.

later, mcm fans...

I Don't Usually Start This Way...

...but our collective futures are up for grabs in less than 3 weeks.

You should read this entire post from Jason@Bitcoin4Freedom on X / twitter.

Continuing...

40 million views and counting.

As you prepare to do your civic duty and vote, it's worth remembering what Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

"That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."

The purpose of government?

To secure our God ordained rights of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

It's not a personality contest, nor a beauty pageant, and we're not hiring a pastor.

We're electing a President whose administration is supposed to protect us, defend the constitution, and promote peace and prosperity for our country.

If you're a fan of inflation, crime, censorship, wars, high energy prices, killing babies in utero and illegal immigration, then Kamala is your candidate.

Otherwise, you know what to do.

Speaking of the walking lie factory, she recently dared to venture outside of her liberal echo chamber and attempted an <interview with Brett Baier>.

You've stepped in mud puddles that are deeper (and cleaner) than her.

Here's hoping that was the self-inflicted knockout punch that ends her sham candidacy.

With less than 2 weeks 'til the big day, it's time to roust out the ne'er-do-wells that inhabit our Walk Of Fear and whip their lazy butts into shape:

last year's snowy, scaled down edition

No...no, wait a minute here...I'm wrong.

Had a sudden flashback to when I was raising 5 sons...

...and it was "parenting" that was whipping my lazy butt into shape.

My, what a difference a few decades can make.

In any event, all I have to do with the All Hallows Gang...

willie the werewolf, the st. james infirmary duo, mr. bolts

the usual suspects

...is make sure they're plugged in / have batteries, and can still handle their spookification duties.

On track for...

Sad to say it's become heating season 'round these parts...

to be honest, I can't remember if that's a malm or preway fireplace; preway, I think...

...so I fired up our bedroom fireplace.

This accomplishes two things:

1) keeps us warm while we're sleeping in our bedroom at night -and-

2) prevents a certain someone from cranking up the thermostat to heat the entire house so we can be warm while we're sleeping in our bedroom at night.

Gonna try and wait another week or two before starting up the one in the bonus room.

I'd like to report I had my best round of hickory golf ever this week...

note the fall colors in the distance and yes, that's the moon just after sunrise

...and you know what?

Through 7 holes, I actually did: 5 pars, 2 bogeys.

one of the many reasons I love fall golf; so pretty

Not saying this is the reason for my improved play, but I did tweak my playset again...

long spoon, short spoon, mashie, putter

...dropping my mid iron and reinstating my short spoon.

Finally satisfied with the gaps between clubs and feeling a little more comfortable with my swing lately, I opened with a chip in for par and was off to the races.

It's true I golf on a bunny course - longest hole is a 400 yard par 5 - and any good golfer would be kicking himself for missing birdie putts...

...and bogeying a couple of holes - but down here in Dufferville where I live, this was an amazing run.

And then I teed it up on #8...

...and that was all she wrote.

Actually had a decent tee shot, right down the middle of the fairway, and I know exactly what I did wrong after that.

Ever have one of those times when you're trying to correct something, but those dominoes keep right on falling...

...and it all goes <kittywampus> anyway?

Yeah; me, too.

So...instead of finishing my round at 2 over...

actual photo of me after 3 putting on 9

...a triple then a double bogey had me staggering off the course at +7.

But you know what?

If you told me before I started that I'd play a little better than bogey, I would have been fine with it.

And in match play format I won 5 and 4, with a final tally of 7 holes won, the last 2 lost (in spectacular fashion).

It's just that - as in life, so with golf - endings matter.

And this one sucked.

We soldier on, still in search of that one complete round.

Alright no more dithering, it's time to...

To wit:

'tis the season

ditto

mr. squirrel, another fan of seafood sensations cat food...

...and even li'l Chip gets in on the action

super moon on the lake at Larry's cottage

Larry and friends offroading on Drummond Island

In this tense season of political discord, when passions run high and rhetoric is shrill, it's worth remembering what God says about our Christian duty in society:

If you're wondering what God's will is for your life, there's your 4 part answer.

later, mcm fans...