Are you ready for a little bit of High School Football? Tonight is the night local High School Football fans circle on the calendar, the night the Mohigans and the Hawks meet up on the gridiron for the 2026 version of the MoHawk Bowl. Clay Battelle also plays tonight as they will be on the road at Madonna. Good luck to two of the three High School teams tonight. Which one am I leaving out of wishing good luck? Morgantown High Class of 82 here.
Big weekend planned for us; we will be attending Abby's (niece) wedding tomorrow at Dani and Roy's house, and I get to bring my camera in tow and grab some pictures for them. The reception (and maybe the wedding if the weather is bad) will be at the Firehall. So, big weekend planned.
Have yourselves a great day.
Hi ho hi ho
Once a week, I like to take a little bit of time out, time to look at some of the 30,000+ photos that I have stored on my computer. Little lost moments in time that I either captured with a lens, scanned, or just stole from somewhere on the internet. I like to find just one and post it up, recalling or reliving the picture to the best of my ability. Sometimes this is a pretty easy task, and sometimes it's not that easy, but one thing is that it has always been a lot of fun.
I'm not even going to attempt to guess the year of this picture or where it was even taken at. I'll say early top mid 70's based on Pam and Gary's age. I will guess judging by the couch covers and the icicles on the Christmas Tree that this was taken at Grandma Hall's house. That was her couch cover that she used and the icicles on the tree was something that she did every year, would you believe she re-used them every year.
I did see another photo recently that I had never seen before. Anyone want to guess who this is?
Have yourselves a great day
Hi ho hi ho
Well, hello there, everybody! It’s me, Lucy, your favorite tan-and-white Shih Tzu, reporting live from the Hall household, where Halloween fever has officially taken over! And let me tell you something, folks, when you put me, Peanut, Kiwi, the Quackers, Gracie, and the Ghost of Maybelline together with Halloween costumes, candy, and a suspiciously large supply of toilet paper, you’re just asking for trouble!
And BOY, did we deliver! 😂
The day started with everybody gathered around the kitchen table for our annual Halloween costume design meeting. Dad had barely finished his iced tea when Peanut, our gray tiger cat, walked in wearing a cardboard box painted to look like a giant can of tuna.
She called herself “The Incredible Tuna Woman.”
Honestly, Peanut, I think you could have come up with something a little more original, but she threatened to sit on my tail if I criticized her costume, so I kept my opinions to myself.
Kiwi, our green cheek conure, decided he wanted to be a mad scientist. He had a little white coat, tiny safety goggles, and a miniature clipboard. He kept shouting, “Eureka!” every time he figured out how to steal a piece of candy from the supply bowl.
The Quackers, our identical twin yellow ducks, decided to go as a pair of flying superheroes. They made capes out of old pillowcases and insisted on calling themselves The Mighty Quack Brothers.
Gracie, our black-and-white Shih Tzu visitor, designed a beautiful witch costume complete with a pointy hat and a broomstick. She spent twenty minutes practicing her evil laugh.
“BWAHAHAHA!”
It sounded more like a squeaky dog toy, but we applauded anyway.
As for me? I designed the most magnificent costume in Halloween history: Super Lucy, Defender of Treats! I had a red cape, a little superhero emblem, and a utility belt big enough to carry biscuits.
Then the Ghost of Maybelline floated through the wall wearing a glowing skeleton costume.
“Back in my day,” she announced, “we didn't need fancy costumes. We just ran around the neighborhood barking at mailmen!”
We all agreed that Maybelline had a point.
As the sun went down, we loaded up our treat bags and headed out into the neighborhood.
I led the way, naturally. A superhero has to make sure everybody stays safe.
At the first house, a nice lady handed us dog biscuits, cat treats, and a handful of candy for the humans.
“Trick or treat!” we shouted.
Kiwi immediately added, “And don't forget the millet!”
At the next house, Peanut tried to convince the homeowner that tuna-flavored treats counted as Halloween candy. The Quackers performed a synchronized dance on the front porch, which earned them two extra handfuls of goodies.
Gracie was collecting treats so quickly that she had to borrow one of my spare bags.
Even the Ghost of Maybelline got something. The homeowner left a little bowl of treats outside for neighborhood pets, and Maybelline floated right through the porch railing to inspect it.
After an hour, our bags were full, our paws were tired, and Kiwi had eaten enough millet to power a small aircraft.
Naturally, we returned home for a snack break.
And that's when Peanut came up with her terrible idea.
“You know what would be funny?” Peanut asked, wearing the expression she usually gets right before something expensive breaks.
“What?” I asked suspiciously.
“We switch costumes and go trick-or-treating again!”
Now, I should have recognized the warning signs. But I am a dog of adventure, and my curiosity has gotten me into trouble more times than I care to admit.
So we switched!
Lucy put on Peanut's giant tuna-can costume. I looked like a walking seafood special.
Peanut squeezed into my Super Lucy cape and declared herself the Defender of the Fish Bowl.
Kiwi borrowed Gracie's witch hat and broomstick. He looked like a tiny feathered witch who had just been fired from a broomstick factory.
Gracie put on Kiwi's mad scientist coat and goggles. She immediately began calling herself Dr. Gracestein.
The Quackers swapped their superhero capes for my utility belt and Peanut's cardboard accessories. They became the world's first duck detectives.
The Ghost of Maybelline borrowed Kiwi's scientist clipboard and announced she was conducting paranormal research.
We looked absolutely ridiculous.
Which, of course, meant we were ready for Round Two.
Now, this is where things got interesting.
Kiwi had discovered a stash of toilet paper rolls, several cans of silly string, some rubber spiders, a few fake bugs, and a collection of harmless Halloween prank props.
He spread everything across the table like a criminal mastermind planning the biggest heist in Monongalia County history.
“Operation Halloween Hilarity is a GO!” he squawked.
Our plan was to surprise our friends with a second Halloween appearance, pull some silly pranks, and make everybody laugh.
We divided up the supplies.
The Quackers were assigned toilet paper duty. They decorated our backyard trees and bushes with streamers of toilet paper, creating what looked like a winter wonderland that had lost a fight with a paper factory.
Peanut carried the silly string. She accidentally sprayed herself in the whiskers while testing a can and spent the next five minutes trying to figure out why her face looked like a rainbow exploded.
I was responsible for the rubber spiders. I placed a few on our own porch decorations and then pretended to be terrified when I saw them.
Gracie carried the fake bugs and made a big show of discovering a giant plastic cockroach in her treat bag.
“AAAAAAAH!” she screamed.
Kiwi fell off his perch laughing.
The Ghost of Maybelline provided spooky sound effects, floating behind bushes and whispering, “Wooooooo! Give me your biscuits!”
We visited a few willing neighbors and friends who were in on the fun. With permission, we used silly string on outdoor decorations, draped toilet paper over our own trees, and staged a few goofy surprises.
We made sure to keep the mess away from people's property, cars, and walkways. After all, there is a difference between a good Halloween prank and having to explain yourself to an angry homeowner.
And let me tell you, the sight of a tuna can wearing a superhero cape, a witchy parrot, and two duck detectives marching down the sidewalk was enough to make even the grumpiest neighbor laugh.
One gentleman laughed so hard he nearly dropped his pumpkin bucket.
“Didn't I just see you guys earlier?” he asked.
“Nope!” Peanut replied, trying to sound innocent while wearing my superhero cape backward.
“We're a completely different group of suspicious characters!”
That was when Kiwi sprayed a little silly string into the air like a victory celebration.
Back home, we held our official Halloween awards ceremony.
The winners were:
🏅 Best Costume: Gracie as Dr. Gracestein.
🏅 Most Convincing Superhero: Peanut, although she spent most of the evening trying to catch her own cape.
🏅 Best Halloween Laugh: Kiwi, whose cackling could probably be heard clear over at the WVU Coliseum.
🏅 Best Teamwork: The Mighty Quack Brothers, who managed to decorate the backyard without wrapping themselves in toilet paper.
🏅 Best Ghostly Performance: The Ghost of Maybelline, naturally.
🏅 Most Likely to Eat the Evidence: Yours truly, Super Lucy in a tuna can.
I would also like to point out that nobody was injured, no neighbors were permanently traumatized, and we cleaned up our decorations and prank supplies before bedtime.
Well, most of them.
Peanut is still trying to get silly string out of her whiskers.
As the night wound down, we curled up together, exhausted from our adventures.
The Quackers were asleep in their capes. Gracie had removed her goggles and was snoring softly. Kiwi was dreaming about a laboratory filled with unlimited millet. Peanut was counting her treats, probably planning next year's costume already.
The Ghost of Maybelline floated near the fireplace, looking happier than I'd seen her in a long time.
And me? I was thinking about how much fun we had.
Halloween isn't really about having the fanciest costume or collecting the most candy. It's about imagination, friendship, laughter, and making memories with the people — and animals — who make life special.
Sometimes you have to be a superhero. Sometimes you have to be a mad scientist. And sometimes you have to be a giant tuna can with a dog inside it.
You just never know what life is going to throw at you.
But if you have good friends, a little imagination, and enough biscuits to go around, you can turn an ordinary Wednesday into an extraordinary adventure.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go check on Peanut. She's been staring at Dad's toilet paper supply for the last ten minutes, and that never means anything good.
Until next time, folks!
This is Lucy, signing off with a wag of the tail, a Halloween howl, and one final warning: Hide your biscuits, secure your toilet paper, and never trust a cat wearing a superhero cape!
🐾🎃👻 HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM THE WHOLE GANG! 👻🎃🐾
P.S. Dad says next year we're all getting costumes that don't require cardboard, glue, or a trip to the hardware store. We have unanimously voted to ignore that suggestion.
* Monday is once again over with, time to start planning out the rest of the week.
* It has been 22,936 days since I was born, that is 21 years using my new, new, new, and improved 1,069-day Calendar. Mom is at 30,578, which would make her 28 according to my new and improved calendar.
* It has been 8,191 days since I graduated from WVU with a Degree in Geography. I love what I do and am thankful to still be working in my field. Has it really been 22 years?
* 6,784 days ago, Michelle and I had our first date together. Life has been much better since then.
* 5,988 days ago, I proposed to Michelle in the backyard at 4:00 in the morning. I've been the luckiest guy since that fateful day.
* It was 5,561 days ago in front of our closest friends and family; for the most part, Michelle and I became husband and wife at the Marilla Center. It was a great day with friends and family.
* I have now lived 3,163 days longer than my Dad did and I'm still going strong, slowing down but still going.
* Michelle has been living a clean and productive life and beat that alcohol demon 1,835 days ago today.
* My older Brother Jonathan lived 21,287 days, I've now outlived him by 1,667 days, making me Senior Supreme Sibling once again!
* Old roommate Gregg proposed to his fiancée 395 days ago, I'm happy for those two. I asked him a couple weeks ago if they set a date yet, he said we would be the first to know.
* I have 1,969 days to go until I retire, give or take a few hundred days here or there, but I love doing what I do. Who knows, though, doing what I do I may never retire.
* There are only 290 more days to go until Michelle and I celebrate our 16th Wedding Anniversary.
* 126 more days until Phil steps to the center stage once again for Groundhog Day. I'm still mad at the damn rat
* 79 more days to go until my Goodbye 2026 Blog is posted.
* There are 72 more shopping days left until Christmas 2026.
* There are 57 days until I hit the age of 63. Yeah, I know, I'm really older than 21.
* It has been ∞ (infinity symbol) days since I have hated both Pitt and Penn State.
* I have written 8,531 blogs in what is now 22 years of Blogging.
* Still working 10's this week and probably next week as well.
* Progress on my Selfie in Space, right here. We are ready for liftoff and holding.
* You know using a PC with a keyboard that connects by Bluetooth leads to so many more misspellings.
* Michelle is talking about going back home this weekend for her nephew Jonny's birthday.
* We are still on a Tessa Baby watch. Inside or Outside camera available for your (and my wife's) entertainment.
* Have a great day.
* Hi ho hi ho
