The Night of the Haunted Museum

Before every Halloween over the last few years the Art and Archaeology Museum has been converted into a Haunted Museum.  Between 6:00 and 8:30, the night before Halloween, the museum is decorated with cobwebs, stickers, crepe paper and posters to inspire awe, delight and amusement in both young and older visitors. So Saturday evening I grabbed my camera and went to take photos and enjoy a scare or two. My husband decided to come along in case I was attacked by a ghoul.   (Remember to click on any picture you want to enlarge.)

The front doors were festooned to welcome museum visitors.






This young lady handed out the tickets.


 The visitors received tickets for the approximately 20 minute tour through the art gallery upstairs from the ticket lady at right. This was just for organizational purposes.  The tours were free. Tour groups had about 15 visitors each and each group had a spooky name such as Ghosts, Werewolves, Vampires, Mummies and so forth.  While the groups waited their turns to be called upstairs, children could take in the Charlie Brown movie, or go into the Cast Gallery to color pictures, get a tattoo  or admire the snakes.

Happiness is......





Click to get a good look at the snakes and snake skins.





 This pygmy rattlesnake is native to Missouri. Yikes!



Coloring is an absorbing activity
even for a lady bug.

 Up in the Art Gallery many mysterious goings-on were taking place.  The reception desk was manned by the Phantom of the Opera.










Youngsters listened to a Lady Hamilton brag about the many portraits an artist named Romney painted of her.

On our left Cassandra blamed her brother, Paris, for starting the Trojan War, and above an Egyptian spirit waited for her audience.

The little group of four on the right patiently posed for this picture as they came down the stairs from their tour.  They are my neighbors and are used to my chasing after them with my camera.

A Greek naiad with her friend  (at left) and the talking portrait from a Harry Potter movie (at right) helped direct traffic and answer questions.

  This family posed for their picture as I found them discussing the headless statue of Nike, the goddess of victory in the Cast Gallery.  I wonder if we would find the statue so striking if she wasn't headless.  Perhaps without her head we are more aware of the sweep of her wings. 

Darth Vader, with his mom and sister, thought the evening was a great success. 

On our way out the door, I spied this little pixie reading a museum brochure. Her mom assured me that she just loves to read.  Well, I guess so! 

 What a perfect evening.

Rolling Bees Wax Candles

I am not crafty or artistic.  Therefore, three years ago,I offered my services in organizing and spearheading the church bees wax candle making in order to contribute to the annual Christmas Bazaar.  Of course there was much to this project that I had not anticipated.  First, in August, I inventory the candles left over from the year before.  Then I order the sheets of candle wax.  About 200.  Once the wax arrives, I count the order to make sure we received the number and colors ordered.  I have help and advice every step of the way from friends and former organizers. Those church members who have expressed the least little interest in rolling candles are on file in my Outreach Express.  I notify them of the day and times we are rolling.  This year we have alternated weeks.  One week we roll candles on Monday mornings; one week we roll on Wednesday nights. Remember to click on any picture to enlarge it.

Cutting board with cardboard template



Sheet of wax ready to be cut





Wisk is laid on the long edge.



Press the wick into the wax as the wax is rolled.

Rune cuts the wicks off the template.

The candle rolling is simple.  First each sheet of wax is cut in half on the diagonal, in order to make the candle taper, using a cardboard template. Wicks are cut, also using a cardboard template, from a huge roll of white cord.

 One sheet of wax makes two candles.  To roll the candle lay the candle wick on the longest edge of the wax sheet.  Getting started to perhaps the hardest part of this craft.  The long edge of the wax must be pinched around the candle wick. 



Now we're rolling!



Many candles are tied together in two's with pretty ribbon.  Sets of advent candles are bundled together:  three purple, one pink, and one white.



Denise ties the bows.





Sometimes choir boys display their own candle rolling talents.



Summer Retrospective

Summer is certainly over now.  I shouldn't complain about it's passing.  Autumn days have been cool and sunny.  We haven't had rain for two weeks.  After grumbling about rain throughout the summer, why do I regret its passing now?  I need to keep a record of the flowers that flourished and the rejects.

 Don't you just love vinca?  They bloom in all weather, rain or drought.  They love the sun, and bear up well in heat. They are still blooming as of today.  What a joy!

More vinca.  Pink and white. I planted them on either side of the steps leading up to the door.

Another winner is ageratum.  They are in their element in cooler weather, although they manage to survive the heat of summer, too.

Cosmos.  Beautiful, right?  Wrong!  What a fraud!  I planted cosmos in the front garden, thinking they would replace the cone flowers when the cone flowers began to wane in August.  These plants grew to enormous heights (over 5 feet) and flopped over.  Yes, they had some blossoms as you see on the left, but mostly their feathery leaves turned brown, shaded the ageratum border and covered the lawn.  I finally cut them down with grim disgust and put them in the trash.




Spring Pansies

Fall Pansies




I filled planters with scads of pansies in the spring.  I rooted them out in July in favor of the moss rose which thrives in the hot sun and endures both drought and rain.

Now I am pulling out the same moss rose, grown spindly with reduced sunlight and warmth, in favor of the delightful pansies again that flourish in the cool fall. 

Zinnias are hearty summer survivors.  I still have a few that haven't surcomed to rust or fungi; these few are still visited by tardy butterflies.  This picture of zinnias, however, was taken in August, and have since been dispatched with clippers.

Finally, last spring my neighbor gave me two English aster plants.  I put them in the front garden between the cone flowers and the now destroyed cosmos. She advised me that they wouldn't bloom until fall.  They grew long stems and fell over, and I viewed them with suspicion.  They looked like weeds to me.  I looked in vain for flowers or even buds.  September came and went and they continued to look weedy.  This week I ventured outside to see how the ageratum and  zinnias were doing and walla!  There they were, English asters:  a brilliant deep blue, even violet, maybe. Hurray!