Repost-A Call For Help For Our Tornado Stricken Animals

Just in case anyone might have missed this, I'm doing a repost:

From the Tuscaloosa Humane Society Website:

Storm damage - The Humane Society Adoption Center and Cat Care Facility on Veterans Memorial Parkway (15th), one block east of University Mall, did not suffer major damage in the devastating storm of April 27th. The power is out, and the water needs to be boiled or carried in, but all of the cats are safe. A large tree fell near the Adoption Center, and the upper part of the tree is resting on the roof (our NEW roof!) of the storage/garage building at the back of the Adoption Center. The parking area is completely blocked. The Dog Care Facility near Northport was not damaged, and all the dogs are safe.

As most of you know, I am an animal lover. With 7 cats, 2 dogs, fish and anything else that comes up that I feed (including a wild raccoon that just made his presence known), I can't stand to see any creature hurt, homeless or hungry. I spoke with the director this morning, they are scurrying to collect food, shelters and medicines for hurt and wandering animals displaced. I recently learned that each animal that is taken in the Humane Society's care is fully examined, vaccinated, treated and housed, and the veterinarian services and the medicines are not donated. This is and will strain the already thin budgets. People here have been generous and I would like to ask for your help if you feel like you would like to.

You will see a Paypal Donate button to the right: this will allow you make a donation. I give you my word that every cent goes to the care, feeding and housing of the animals of Tuscaloosa.

Thank you

Destruction, Devastation, Decimation

You have no doubt by now been inundated by news of the town Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I live in Northport, a suburb of Tuscaloosa, less than 5 miles from the tornado path that ripped the city to pieces. Parts are unrecognizable even to someone like me who has lived here all my life. We never lost power but estimates of more than half people are in the dark here tonight. We were lucky/fortunate/exceedingly blessed.




Please send thoughts and prayers to those that have lost loved ones, homes, livelihoods, and possessions. Thanks.

Fuzzy cute widdle Easter Bunny!

Now you should know better than that from little ol' me!

Happy Easter y'all!  I've been MIA for a while but that's about to change...



MORE kick @$$ action!



Stay tuned...

Winner, stalker and lateness!

Through the magic of Random.org, we have a winner....

Kara of Wicked Crochet!!!

So sorry about the lateness of this, there's really no excuse except temperatures in the low to mid 70's with a delightful breeze blowing in the backyard with the warm sun reflecting off my glistening white legs, (looking not unlike the legs of an albino gorilla).  I've got spring fever...bad!

Oh yeah, my stalker...went to the grocery store last night to pick up some milk (and came out 20.00 poorer with a handful of other needful things like Bailey's French Vanilla Coffee Creamer and some Little Debbies).  Came back to the car and noticed a piece of paper on the windshield under the wiper.  Thought it was one of those annoying advertisements so I got in and drove home with it still on my windshield.  I snatched the paper along with my bags and went into the house.  I looked down...

I'm watching you!

Be careful


Should I be flattered or terrified?  And this is real, I did find that note last night.  I feel all famous now with my very own stalker!  But if you're reading this, Mr. or Ms. Stalker, I should only warn you,  I take my shower with the blinds up and usually sing and dance to Bad Romance by Lady GaGa.

I'm just sayin'...

Giveaway Time...If you make it through the video...

I have been MIA for a bit, so my brother, Bubba Macabre, has taken it upon himself to host a giveaway.

About Crazy Dog T-shirts

Crazy Dog T-shirts (www.crazydogtshirts.com) is the number one source online for funny t shirts and vintage shirts that help you stand out and get noticed. Founded in 2004 the t-shirt empire offers custom shirts in Rochester, NY. They provide customers with a variety of cool t-shirts and crazy shirts.  Featuring both creative original concepts and popular licensed designs.  Looking for a funny t shirt?  They have hundreds of funny shirts which you won't want to miss!

About Nachomamatees.com

Nacho Mama Tees (www.nachomamatees.com) has some of the best offensive t shirts around. Founded in 2004 the t-shirt giant offers funny shirts which include chuck norris shirts, hangover t shirts and zombie tshirts. They provide a variety of funny t shirts and crazy shirts.  With new mens vintage tees and great movie t shirts you are sure to find one you will fall in love with!

I have several...they are high quality tees and with sensible care (I wash mine inside out in cold with Woolite on gentle), mine have retained their vibrant colors wash after wash.

All you need to do to have a chance of winning this zombie shirt is to tell me simply "GIMME DAT ZOWMBY SHURT!"

Winner will be drawn by Random.com on February 25.  YOU MUST HAVE SOME WAY FOR ME TO CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN, I ran out of my Sylvia Browne pills and I've got to get a refill.

Good luck from Bubba and Mr. Macabre!

The Hallowe'en Tree

First of all, I wish to say how appreciative I am for all the very kind words during my father-in-law's passing.  The last words that I told him while he was still conscious and responsive was 'I love you' where he replied 'I love you too'.  The funeral was very nice and we had only a couple of nuts fall out of the family tree.

Back to business...

The Hallowe'en tree I'm talking about isn't from the mind of Ray Bradbury but from the pages of a plant catalog I was flipping through.  I hate those things, I try to throw them away as soon as I see them in the mail but this one snuck past me.  They make me spend money.  They make me spend lots of money on plants in an already crowded yard.  All the pretty pictures of flowers and trees in full glorious bloom entice me, seducing me to grab my credit card while a make a list of what I want like some greedy child at Christmas time.

Enter the Katsura Tree from Gurney's Seed and Nursery Company.  As described from their catalog:

"Delicate, heart-shaped foliage keeps changing; leaves emerge bronze to reddish purple, turn blue-green in summer and yellow to apricot in fall. Big surprise comes last—sweet, spicy aroma that’s compared to ginger cookies, caramel and cotton candy!"

They had me at heart-shaped foliage.  Can you imagine a tree like this in a yard haunt?!  A tree that smells like the essence of fall?!  Of course, I know that this picture is probably of a 50 year old specimen grown in an arboretum and what I get will be more or less a little twig with some spindly roots on it but what the hey, this seems to be truly a Hallowe'en fanatic's tree.

I'll keep posted on the progress...I ordered two :)

Direct link to Gurney's page for this tree.

Makeup Tutorial--Traumatized Finger (Warning, real gross)

So I pulled out the old makeup box yesterday and started twiddling around with it.  I'm not really that much into gore but I sometimes try to push my comfort zone limits a bit.  With a little bit of blue, a little bit of fake blood, a little bit of sealer, a little bit of black paint, I think that I did a pretty good job of making my middle finger look like it had been traumatized:

 Pretty good if I do say so myself!   Let's see any of you hotshot makeup artists out there who think you're bad enough to top this!  You boys have been owned by Macdaddy Macabre!

If only it were true.  Oh how I wish it were true.

This is what happens when you take a 10 ounce framing hammer and hit your finger with ALL your strength, effectively missing your desired target.
I said shoot!
I said doggonnit!
I said dang!
I said oopsie doodle!
I said monkey poo!

Actually I said nothing, just quivering with a little nausea in my stomach, my father was standing right next to me as I was biting my lip in two to keep from saying
%<*!!&*(#@$%*+{=%&@$&#$ H-E-EFFING-HOCKEYSTICKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


We were working at a farm and it just so happened that they had a vet there brushing a horse's teeth (I'm not kidding).  My dad wanted to let the vet drill my nail right then to relieve the pressure.

I politely declined the offer.

Just thought I'd share :)

The Final Unresting Place 2010

Humbly submitted for your viewing pleasure, a bit of Hallowe'en from last year's haunt...My submission to the Haunter's DVD set (you still have time, February 15 DEADline).



Special thanks to Logan Kendell for allowing me to use his rendition of Grim Grinning Ghosts Remix

www.Logankendell.com

Missing in Action

Just a note to let ya'll know I'm still here.  Life has thrown us a curve ball:  Mrs. Macabre's father has untreatable leukemia and is in Hospice.  He just turned 82 and the huge blessing is that he is in no pain, just becoming weaker and weaker daily.  Leukemia at his age is basically unable to be treated, the treatment is worse than the disease itself.

Good thoughts/prayers would be appreciated but most of all, thanks to all of you, I appreciate your following/reading this blog and I will be back on a more consistent basis with more pent-up evil and insanity soon.

And I still managed to get my Haunter's DVD submission ready; I'm waiting for permission from the musical artist to use his rendition of Grim Grinning Ghosts as my soundtrack...so you have no excuse, get yours in production today!!!

Peace and Blessings to you all,

Joseph
aka Mr. Macabre

A Call to Arms-Haunt Video Submissions!

Many of you may not be aware of the yearly haunted DVD set that is compiled that allows you to submit your video or pictures of your haunt and strut your stuff.

Well, now you do and you're invited.

Each year, a DVD set is compiled and people from all over the world submit their haunted lawn art, haunted houses, haunts, parties and whatever else Hallowe'eny to be put on this DVD set and then you may purchase a set when it is finished.  Many a bright cheery spring day full of promise and merrily chirping birds have I watched my sets over and over longing for the gloom and foreboding darkness of Hallowe'en before slithering to the shop to start creating something dead.  In them, you get inspiration, motivation and good old fashioned entertainment!

So make your up to 5 minute video or send your pictures in!  There's about 25 submissions so far (in past years, there have been up to 100!).  Deadline was January 31 but has been extended to February 15.

And a special blood-curdling scream goes out to the Davis' of Davis Graveyard for graciously undertaking this project.

Click anywhere here for submission information and instructions (it's really easier than it sounds)!

Click anywhere here for the Hauntcast page of information reflecting the new submission date!

Now, get to work!

Call to Arms--Support Your Local Hauntcast!

If you aren't familiar with Hauntcast, it's a podcast especially for us--Haunters (I capitalize Haunters because I think that we deserve it as a proper noun) and Hallowe'en enthusiasts/crazies.  For the past couple of years, it's been free to listen to but as you might guess, the talents behind Hauntcast do not have a bottomless abyss filled with money.  If they did, I would offer to be their love slave but that's something that you probably didn't want to hear.  Hauntcast is needing help to survive.  For 12.00, you get a year full of ear full of deliciously decadent haunting interviews, humor, reviews, ideas, and much much more.  Think about it, what will 12.00 buy:  1 meal and tip at a halfway decent food joint, maybe a bottle of cheaper wine, perhaps 3 minutes of dirty talk, and then when it's gone, it's gone.  With Hauntcast, you'll have it and can listen to it over and over. With any of the former, in less than 24 hours, it's gone.
That was kind of crude wasn't it?
Anyhow, please consider subscribing to Hauntcast, it's worth a lot more than what you would be paying for it.
For the numbers and why Hauntcast went from free to fee, this gentleman will explain it for you better than I can...

And don't forget to check out the other parts of the site including the store, the blog and the archives (but please don't go downloading all the past shows without at least donating something for their time and effort, they have to pay for bandwidth and that's expensive, just go ahead and spend the 12.00 and then you're going to have a clear conscience about it and everyone will be happy!).

Happy New Year!

Yeah I'm repeating myself but Tristan Robin Blakeman of Enchanted Revelries sent this and I couldn't resist (or figure how to put it in the comments from my last post so it gets one of its own).  Go visit his blog, the only word I can come up with to describe it is FABULOUS.

Insurance for the New Year...Black Eyed Pea Dip

I'm NOT taking any chances this year.  It's not that I'm overtly superstitious or anything but I have learned that traditions that have been passed down through generation upon generation just may have a grain of truth in them.  Case in point, eating black eyed peas, corn bread and collard greens on New Year's Day for luck.

From Wikipedia:

The "good luck" traditions of eating black-eyed peas at Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, are recorded in the Babylonian Talmud (compiled ~500 CE), Horayot 12A: "Abaye [d. 339 CE] said, now that you have established that good-luck symbols avail, you should make it a habit to see qara (bottle gourd), rubiya (black-eyed peas, Arabic lubiya), kartei (leeks), silka (either beets or spinach), and tamrei (dates) on your table on the New Year." However, the custom may have resulted from an early mistranslation of the Aramaic word rubiya (fenugreek).^[4]

A parallel text in Kritot 5B states that one should eat these symbols of good luck. The accepted custom (Shulhan Aruh Orah Hayim 583:1, 16th century, the standard code of Jewish law and practice) is to eat the symbols. This custom is followed by Sephardi and Israeli Jews to this day.

In the United States, the first Sephardi Jews arrived in Georgia in the 1730s, and have lived there continuously since. The Jewish practice was apparently adopted by non-Jews around the time of the American Civil War.

In the Southern United States,^[5] the peas are typically cooked with a pork product for flavoring (such as bacon, ham bones, fatback, or hog jowl), diced onion, and served with a hot chili sauce or a pepper-flavoredvinegar.

The traditional meal also features collard, turnip, or mustard greens, and ham. The peas, since they swell when cooked, symbolize prosperity; the greens symbolize money; the pork, because pigs root forward when foraging, represents positive motion.^[6] Cornbread also often accompanies this meal.

And I didn't understand half of it except that it's an old old tradition.

Another article from The Houston Press Blog:

 Purists know that the traditional New Year's Day meal also features collard greens, stewed tomatoes, and cornbread. The peas, which swell when cooked, symbolize prosperity; the greens represent money; the tomatoes bring health; and the cornbread is that sweet, sweet gold. The catch, of course, is that the black-eyed peas are the luck staple -- eating the greens without the peas, for example, will not do the trick, and instead bring fireballs, locusts, and acid rain upon thee. Or something like that.

Add a shiny penny to the pot just before serving, and whoever receives the serving with the penny receives the best luck of all.

Again, I'm NOT taking any chances this year, I've alway's liked salsas and I made this one this morning which should cover all my lucky bases.

Black Eyed Pea Dip

• 2 cans black eyed peas (for prosperity)
• 1 can white shoepeg corn (for gold)
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes (for health)
• ½ bunch green onions, chopped (for money)
• 1 tomato, diced (more health)
• 1 yellow pepper, diced (what the heck, I need some more gold)
• 1 purple onion, diced (borrowing from Mardi Gras, justice [grasping for straws here, cut me some slack!])
• ½ bunch chopped cilantro (mo' money!)
• 1 small can chopped green chilies (even mo money!)
• Juice from ½ lime (and some change)
• ¼ cup Balsamic vinaigrette (for taste)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients well. Serve with Fritos Scoops. 

Again, via Houston Press Blog

 Ok, I made up the symbolism, but it can't hurt to be too careful!

And In Those Days...

The bowels of the earth and all that which is foul and unholy shall vomit forth.  The abomination that spews forth will horrify and consume, laying waste to all that is good any holy.

The prophesy has begun. (And yes, it was tempting to gut punch him but I didn't want to listen to it sing)

If I have to suffer, you do too!

I was in Las Vegas last week on vacation.  If any of you live in Las Vegas, let it be known I'm jealous.  Since coming home, I find that I have been on a mediocrity slope/rut for some time now and have been in a generally nasty mood.  My friend Sausage and I went to a Mexican restaurant last night for dinner and the 3 margaritas helped soothe the pain of living here in Alabama...a little.  I'll be better, once I get all the 4 letter words out of my system and forget what a good time I had.  In the meantime, join me in my suffering by watching this, it's in Russian but there's subtitles so you can understand what he's singing about.   Feel free to sing along!  And when the song is fully lodged into your head and has infected your mind to where it's playing over and over, know that misery loves company and you and I are sharing this pain.



Ms. M says that this guy is creepier than the clown in IT.  I have to agree (although I dig the head dance).

My Fun New Toy!!!

Parents, buy your kids a flamethrower for Christmas! They WILL tell their friends that you are the coolest parents on earth!



If you get the air/gas mixture just right...5 FOOT FREAKIN' FLAMES!  Your kids NEED a flamethrower!  YOU NEED a flamethrower!  Trust me, this is da bomb!

I'm going to Las Vegas for vacation tomorrow, I wonder if they would frown upon me taking it with me on the plane?

AWWWGGGGGHHHH!!!! Pains with Windows Live Movie Maker!!!!

For the past MONTH I've been fighting with Windows Live Movie Maker and it's been a pain in the #*$&%!!!!!  Why can't Microsoft leave well enough alone (I say this with Vista in mind, XP was sooooo much better but 7 is pretty good, just a hiked up XP)?  Missed the deadline for a couple of home haunt contests too because of it!  %$#@!!!!!!

Just found a wonderful link from another disgruntled Windows Live Movie Maker user that makes the old version of Movie Maker work on Windows 7 (so far, it works like a charm, I didn't like the other version anyhow, it was harder to deal with).

Here's the link (but like Uncle Gates says, proceed at your own risk [although I had good luck with it]).

And yes, I'm too %$*@& cheap to go out and buy legitimate video editing software.

Historical LOL's

Just a little Tom Foolery from the people who bring you LOL Cats!


see more Historic LOL


see more Historic LOL


see more Historic LOL


see more Historic LOL


see more Historic LOL


see more Historic LOL


see more Historic LOL

DO WANT!!!

If someone gets me this, I will be their love slave.  The miniature Pepper's Ghost effect is stunning!  Be sure to see what this guy goes through to make these pieces, it's incredible!

Breaking Silence--Halloween 2010, A Restoration of Faith

I've kind of kept quiet this past week as I didn't know who may or who may not be reading this blog from the West Alabama Humane Society and I didn't want to spoil their surprise.  Halloween was great, nay, fantastic! Through the kind generosity of the visitors to The Final Unresting Place Cemetery, we collected:

$840.44!

I didn't know quite what to expect and my hopes would have been fulfilled if we had reached $500.00 but the generosity of the people visiting was amazing, above and way beyond what I expected.  We presented the money Saturday and they were surprised, very surprised.  The Humane Society being a non-profit organization here, all of the money will be used for food, medicine, vet bills and shelter for kittehs and puppehs until they can find a good home (8 of my 10 pets are either strays we picked up on the side of the road or adopted from the shelter; it's against my religion to allow an animal to suffer if I can help it).  Here's some shots from the Cemetery:

Unfortunately, I didn't take a lot of pictures but I did take video out of the wazoo.  It'll take me a couple of days to compile it.
I didn't tell anyone but I was secretly testing this year to see if it was all worth it. One person putting all this stuff up is a lot of work, much less creating it during the year.  I was tired, whiny, and had to take the yard down for rain once and reinstall everything and wasn't really sure if this was going to be appreciated or not. All I heard and saw all week was 'Fall Festival', 'Harvest Festival', 'Trunk or Effing Treat' (well, creative license added on the effing) and the like. Was Halloween dead?  Was the magic gone?  Did people need Halloween anymore? Would people come to my little neighborhood and see what I did? And would they like it?  It's not gory, it's playful and almost Disney-esque.  I knew my own brother wouldn't bring his kids (if it's an inconvenience to him then forget it) and my folks had bribed me before with a week's all-expense paid vacation to Disneyworld...that week (They hate Halloween, people worship Satan on Halloween, put razor blades in apples, poison children, worship the Celtic god of death Sam Hain with human sacrifices, and do all manner of evil to good church folk on the devil's birthday).  Would it be worth it?  Do people still care? 


Yes, a resounding glorious yes!


I had people thanking me for bringing back the feel of the old Halloween times, of making it so their young kids could come and see it and not be scared and mostly for helping the Humane Society (they lost a lot of funding recently which is sad).  People would crawl in the coffin to have their picture taken (although a LOT of people were genuinely creeped out by it no matter if I told them I made it or not).  Lots of kids were too scared to come into the yard at first but after a bit of coaxing came in and then didn't want to leave when it was time to go.   I met some other Halloween enthusiasts and saw tons of smiling faces, it was wonderful!
So I'm sitting there on our retaining wall and I see a mom and her daughter approaching me, the little girl having something in her hand...she handed me this:

THAT alone made it all worthwhile and more so.  Have already started planning for next year, hope yours was as happy as mine!

Mr. Macabre