Happy Halloween

Today I saw a sign on a church advertising a "Festival of Lights" for the evening of October 31. I'm sure my conception of this is very different from theirs. My ideal would be all these kids dressed in costumes carrying flashlights or lit up pumpkins throughout the neighborhood where all the windows have illuminated Jack-o-Lanterns or glow-in-the-dark black cats or witches...... cackle cackle.... boil and bubble, toil and trouble..... wingardium leviosa. Please can I have some extra candy????

But this is a special time of year for the denizens of the CPS Nargle. Obviously they can't have chocolate and too much sugar is worse for their teeth than for the average kid. But they get excited none the less.

Captain 'Roid has been plotting in the Nargle about vengeance on the cats. Her musings are interrupted whenever anyone goes into the kitchen, however. The Captain is the original chow hound. You can see from her face she just was giving orders ending in "ARRRRGH". Just look at that scowl!!!! Lord help whichever cat she has decided to take action against.

Now First Mate Leny has just returned from her patrol of the perimeter of the yard. Her primary duty is to bark and hassle any travelers in the alley behind the house. She also keeps a wary eye out for any stray cats who happen by. Her favorite prey is Skippy-Kee who loves to tease and run. But have you ever seen a cuter pirate dog?

Lookout Weetzie keeps both eyes peeled for trouble, especially in the form of joggers or walkers in front of the house. Her assignment is to nag the First Mate until the latter goes to the window and acts ferociously enough to deter any passers-by. Even though Weet's right eye doesn't look all that clear in the picture, she doesn't miss a trick---or treat.

After all, isn't that what this holiday is all about?????????? So be generous, especially if these three come to your door:

Happy Halloween from the Pirate Dogs. Remember, they love you and a little treat goes a long way----Trust me, you don't want their "TRICKS."

Sunday Thoughts

Sunday morning----- Sitting in a recliner, relaxing with coffee, reading the Sunday New York Times (online---wouldn't get it until Tuesday by mail here). I just finished mowing the lawn and doing some other chores that don't get done during the work week. Sunday mornings.......

I just read a segment somewhere that talked about the "liberal religious" movement. What??????????? Today's "religious right" would definitely not be confused with any progressive agendas. Anti-abortion, anti-same-sex relationships, anti-Muslim, anti-immigration, anti-just about any kind of social progress it seems. (Just for the record, being "pro-choice" is NOT the opposite of being "pro-life." I personally find the use of abortion as a means of birth control unacceptable. It's a failure to excercise the plethora of choices and options already available. It mocks the very term "pro-choice.")

Take the modern harvest celebration. The Christian Church around the corner is having a "Fall Festival"; the Nazarenes down the road are having "Neewollah" (isn't speaking backward a sign of demonic possession----just asking). I like the idea of putting Christ back into Christmas and also favor putting the Witch back into Halloween. I hate the political correctness namy-pamby-ism that doesn't allow parades of costumed kids on the last day of October. We make sure that if there's candy left over, it's the type we like best!!!!

By the way, the liberal religious movement I referred to above was the Berrigan brothers and other clergy opposed to the Vietnam war. I wish our present day clergy had the same moral fortitude, but seeing the size of some of these churches, I guess the need to fill them with donating worshippers frequently overrides a sense of moral conviction. As the ad for one of the Baptist congregations states: "Religion with a casual approach." Now if that's not an oxymoron.........