Oh No.. Someone Stole Patti’s Birthday Present

Hey folks, on another tack, I wanted to share a sad story with y’all. Last November Annette and I spent a week in Portland and while there happened upon an oak tree with acorns all over the ground. I picked up 3 of em and brought em home with the intent of germinating the little things.

So, we put em in a pot of dirt, set em on the basement windowsill and watered them with the other plants Annette brings in for the winter. December goes by, nothing, January, February, nothing. Then one day in March, lo and behold, a seedling.

Well, this little guy started to grow and after about a month we started to put it outside when the temp got above 50.

This went on for a few weeks and one day Annette said “hey, what happened to the sapling?”.

Turned out some damn rabbit came along and bit off the little trees right at the ground and then left them cause they were to  hard to chew. I took the 2 plants, slit the stalks suspended them in water with some plant food and hoped they wood root again. They lasted about a month but finally withered and died and went to the happy compost pile in the sky.

 But with most things in life there is a ying and a yang. Sunday I had Hassenpfeffer.

Happy Birthday… hopefully one next year if you don’t expire from heat exhaustion and dehydration if the deserts of Arizona..

Date and Time – Sunday – January 26th – 3:00 PM
Place – The Michael Lyons Residence 1436 Columbine Dr, Schaumburg
RSVP by Phone – Chris Lyons 847-567-0344
RSVP by Email –     sue.benker@comcast.net or chrislyons@yahoo.com

Please RSVP January 24 or sooner
Upon RSVP, you will receive the secret password.

Speakeasy Appropriate Appetizers Will Be Served. Please Bring One to Share.

The Gangster Murder at the 1920’s Speakeasy

The year is 1922 and the act of prohibition has forced all drinking establishments to close. Without easy access to liquor and establishments, “Speakeasies” such as The Caterpillar Club have sprung up all over the country, however this is the first of its kind in this city. It’s a usual night at The Caterpillar Club – until, that is, the biggest organized crime boss and mobster in the city is found dead! Suddenly, the patrons find themselves suspects in a murder investigation that has to be kept “hush hush” in order to keep the coppers away and the speakeasy open!

So You’re Attending a Mystery Party…

Mystery parties are a lot of fun. If you have been invited to a mystery for the first time, you’re in for a real treat. How to play a murder mystery game at a party There has been a murder or a theft! (*gasp*!) But we all know that – that’s the reason we’re getting together, after all. The suspects, anywhere between 6 and 18, will quickly make themselves known. Perhaps you’re a suspect yourself, but you may just be an ‘investigator’ or ‘sleuth’, questioning the suspects, gathering intel and piecing together the puzzle in order to correctly cast your accusation at the end.

If you’re merely attending as an investigator, this sleuthing is the extent of your role. In preparation for the big event we recommend screening old episodes of Murder She Wrote and Agatha Christie movies. Plan out some questions in advance, like ‘where were you at the time of the murder?’ ‘can anyone verify your whereabouts?’ or ‘did you have anything against the deceased?’. From there as you ask the suspects questions, their answers will lead you to more questions. Regardless of your current experience or comfort level, you will quickly find yourself cross-interrogating suspects to identify holes in their stories.