"Live, from California, IT'S... HAUNTED MANSION!"

And the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Maybe that should have been the title of this blog.  You've heard me say before that I'm going to be better about posting here, and every time I say that, I SWEAR it's true.  I just get so caught up in the so-big life that's going on around me, and frankly, there's just not enough me to keep up with work, house, writing, artwork, Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, and the demands of everyday life.  I try, I try!

So what's been going on since August and my last post?

We celebrated Ghoulie's third birthday.  Ghoulie is our youngest Dane, the blind puppy that was nine months old when we made a 4,000 mile car round trip in less than five days to pick her up on the other side of the United States.  Since then she has terrorized us and the other two Danes, loved all of us, and entertained us to no end with her constant grumbling and growling, the way she flails around like a mixed martial arts fighter, and especially the way she charges up the stairs, spins at the top, then guards them by hopping around like a noisy, snarling jumping bean at the bottom.  She especially loves Wes, and cries like an overjoyed lost baby when he comes back from a business trip, sitting and hooking both front paws over his forearms until he gives her enough kisses.  Yep, she's special.

Goblin (who as you might recall from August just turned nine years old) went with us to the Toro Loco Challenge in Eloy, Arizona on September 15th.   Check my Facebook page for the details on why the poor old guy couldn't finish the race, plus some great photos of the fun we had.  He's such a super sweetie.  I'm hoping for lots more years of lovin' from my gentle giant.

Right now, this very second, The Husband and I are at the Haunted Mansion Writers Retreat in Marin County, California.  This is our second time around and things are actually quite a bit scarier this time around.  The house and surrounding heavy woods are lovely, the weather is spectacular.  See that second floor bank of windows above the door in the photo?  That's our bedroom, a nice big room, carpeted and bright, with a fireplace that even though it no longer works just sets the tone for the whole experience.  We're having a blast and having fun and laughing a lot.  But there's also a darkside to this place, a REAL darkside.  There's no sense in me rehashing everything here when you can read the firsthand stories right on the Haunted Mansion Blog.

All kidding aside, this is also a scary-ass place, folks.  The ghosts are real, the fright is real.  Read that blog up there, and know that the humor you encounter every now and then is sometimes the thing that keeps up sane.  This is the last night here, and historically the most active.  That concept is pretty damned terrifying when you consider what happened last night to one of our friends.  Again, read the blog to find out the details.

Stayed tuned.  And keep your fingers crossed for us.