it's pumpkin time!!

 last night i worked on the walrus pumpkin carving.  free hand...getting better at these.  haha.  I'm still pretty unskilled compared to many others.

 this one by SH turned out super cute. we had the massacre, which was fun and well attended.  i need a bigger house.  oh well, that is not in the plans.

 got the house cleaned and decorated a bit.  always fun

 some of the younger carvers!!  they are growing up.  so cute.  gave them little goodie bags which i think they enjoyed.

 some great appetizers from the guests..these adorable owls by GT! so talented.

 the table was packed with pumpkins...a true massacre occurred.  guts all over the place.  Jake was the roomba for the evening and i had as clean a floor in the end that i started with.  he loves pumpkin it seems. 

 SH gets down at the dogs level..brave soul.  we were all laughing as Ivy was sedated when ever she had a costume on.  if i took it off, the old crazy Ivy was back out there, terrorizing the guests.  hehe...so back on the costume went and then she'd just go into sad mode. poor girl

 lots of love given to her for her dramatics so don't feel too badly for her.

 it's cloudy out today. I'm slow getting my day started.  i am showered but it looks rainy and cold out there.  nice Monday walk yesterday...we will get out when i finish this though. 

 so the first real gathering since the kitchen got completed.  the new room held up well i think. 

 I've been cooking down the pumpkin guts and seeds the past two nights. 

 will freeze the guts and i can make more pumpkin bread over the winter which will be great.  i did manage to make some loaves before the party.  made the house smell good and it tastes delicious.  that has been breakfast these past two mornings.

 my sweet girl. 

 i may need another slice of the bread before our walk. 

 a few nights left before i head back to work for a long stretch.  3 on, 1 off and then 3 on...at least i get Halloween off.

 rumors are my boss is leaving us...I'm so bummed.  she and the boss before her have been awesome...she will do great in whatever she does....i just hope we don't get a raw deal.  I'm selfish that way. i want the good boss. the area she is going to has been a mess for a long time.  one can hope that she will spread her good management skills around to other units and that she will have left a positive influence in ours that will carry on. 

 Jake has a long tongue.  i think he had a fun time at the party.  below is how Ivy spent much of her night...look depressed in costume.  this was a pretty tiny costume but she still looks sad

 when you get down on the ground with the pups you tend to get mauled. 

 group shot by SH..thanks!!  a few more showed up later.  these gatherings are usually only a few hours as we all massacre pumpkins and then head out.  kids had school the next day anyway.

 a bit of food eating.  i made some cheese stuffed shells...no body should be hungry

 master carvers!!

 moving the furniture worked well.  the room looked pretty tiny with the big table up though.

 no plans on changing locations any time soon...i want to enjoy the new kitchen.  still more projects to do.  will have to see what i can come up with for flooring. 

 would be great to have that done.

 i just have to do some research and make some decisions

 carving pumpkins is a messy business

 happy my friend from Homer came by.  always funny how we do all have connections to each other.  GT used to live in Homer as well and AR and CD both grew up in Texas.  CD and i worked together in Ketchikan...that is our connection.

 others know SJ, who know her.  Tusker mostly wore the pumpkin costume. I'd gotten Ivy the spider but i think that was the one that she freaked out about.  he was supposed to have the jockey one.  seemed easier for her to wear that one after her spider debacle. 

 the old ghouls showed up for the gathering. some of them no longer make the noised they used to. 

 a mixture for Halloween eating...everyone had their favorites.

 we had a Birthday as well to celebrate!! 

 LM stopped by after work to do a bit of massacring.

 haven't decided where to walk today.  perhaps just the airstrip. 

 my knees are better but still get pretty sore after longer walks...or hills. getting older can be a bother at times.  resting does seem to help though.

 my back was a bit sore today...probably moving all the furniture around the other day wasn't all that helpful. :-) 

 the spread of snacks i placed out there.

 AR took this of the girls.  they seemed to be having a grand time!!

 Ivy in her spider costume...she really doesn't seem too negatively impacted in this shot.

 CD does an artistic white pumpkin!  impressive

 Ivy seemed to tolerate the lights the best...though she did seem interested in eating them so this was short lived as well.

 Tusker is dressed, the table is ready for guests! 

 hosting is always a bit nerve wracking.  back in my church days people were more obligated to show up to events....now I'm happy people come...i mean now it means they come because they want to not because they are obligated too. 

 the swans are still making their way through Anchorage area. fun to run into them. they have been at the dog park. i guess the other day there were several pairs and some babies.  well mostly grown babies but they are all making their way south.  i just had a stellar jay on the tree outside.  i think he's on the roof now.

 this came out well...saw it on pinterest.  those are oreo's that i decorated.

 Speedy with their creation!

 guess i better eat and walk these beasts....it was sunny when the day started, but i was too lazy to get started when it was sunny.  I'll be fine once i hit the trails though.

 enjoy your day....enjoy some Halloween fun!! always a favorite.  it's a holiday dedicated to fun.  low stress i find.  no obligations.

thankful for: A.  friends and fun gatherings  B.  that my brother and niece and crew were safe in their closets and had little to no damage from the storms.  C.  my new kitchen!