Slipped A Joker In Your Deck

“Somebody slipped a joker in your deck.”   I laughed out loud.  Detective Tibbs of the TV series In The Heat Of The Nighthad just said that.   

I laughed because it reminded me that Darling Hubby is always saying, “What matters in life is how you deal with the hand you’ve been dealt.”  Good advice.  But then there’s that wild card, the joker!

The other day I cut out material to sew together some plastic grocery bag sleeve-type organizers. I'd forgotten how much I like sewing.  It stirs up the allergies, but I take precautions.

One of the bag organizers I didn't get to finish.  It had a small brown spot on it; so I used a Hint From Heloise and applied salt and lemon, then set the material in the sunshine.  On the picnic table in the sun is where it was left to dry.  Well, that material disappeared.  

Yep, like a laughing joker in a grab-and-run, that thing was gone.  I searched and searched.  I quizzed Darling Hubby, “Did you think it was a rag?”  “Did you toss it in the trash tote on your way to the curb?”  

Under cars, at the base of trees where wind blows trash, around the corner of the house, we searched. Then we went walking the property.  It was nowhere to be found!   The joke’s on me.

Off it did fly

Like a witch in the sky,

Upwards and onwards,

Black cat arched high!

One time we had a haunted house in our garage.  Gray engraved tombstones were sunk in the side yard.  One tombstone read “Here lies Dawn Under”.  Orange plastic tea-lighted pumpkins lined a walk leading to a tunnel of blankets on a clothesline.  That led to the entrance to the garage through the backdoor.  Inside, the first room was a mad scientist’s lab. Second room was a body smashed by a car. Turn a corner and there’s a vampire coffin, and some dropping spiders, and a lot of glow-in-the dark hands that look like they’re coming at you, and a funny mirror and some spooky stairs leading into the house.  

Actually, the stairs led right into the kitchen where we had refreshments for all the visitors.  The haunted garage was such a hit that the neighbor kids would go through more than once.   Darling Hubby, dressed as the grim reaper, scared one little girl so badly she cried, "I hate you!" 

It wasn’t too surprising; yet, the joke was on him!

Boo-hiss to you!

Pranks not a few,

Halloween’s coming,

Yep, trick or treaters, too!

Speaking of treats and tricks, last night we played Euchre.  It’s become a new thing, Euchre on Thursday night.  Sometimes I cook, sometimes the others cook, sometimes we just catch as catch can, but always someone makes a pitcher of iced tea and someone else makes a pot or two of coffee and the games begin.  

We killed ‘em! Daughter-in-law and I were partners and we killed 'em.  Darling Hubby and sis were partners. We won 3 games; the last one was 9 to 1 before the kill, LOL.  DIL laughed her head off because her hubby Clint told her before she left their house to "knock ‘em dead”.  His prophetic joke was on us all.

The gnats abound

Their fruits surround

The windshield’s no longer clean

After wipers crossover

 “That’s me all over,”

The ill-fated bug did scream!

And don’t the merchandizers slip jokers in our decks?   I guess it’s them.  Or do we blame the governments for their lack of forethought when they designated the holidays?

Darling Hubby wanted me to go to town with him, which I normally don't do because of my broken-yet-healing foot.  It was feeling pretty good so I went.  

What a surprise!  The garden center still had plants for sale and most of the plants were 50% off.  Halloween was well displayed in the center of the store with rag-tag witches, and squinty-eyed jack o’ lanterns.  AND CHRISTMAS WAS SPROUTING EVERYWHERE ELSE!   Ugh, three holiday events in one place.  Such an onslaught of the senses!  I wasn’t ready.  

“No merging!” my mind begs, “No bleeding over from one event to the other.”  Division, definitive borders, a start with a finish, that’s more appealing.

Time to deal! When I have to deal with all those holidays at once, I feel like someone’s pulling a joke on me!  Time to deal with the cards dealt, including that joker!

Plants for sale

Ghosts that wail

And Christmas up the wall

Instead, to be frank,

We should pull a prank,

A joke can be fun after all!