Stephen King Is Right! Pet Sematary Is Real!

Well over a week ago, Bart the Cat was out walking in his neighborhood as he usually does, when he was hit by a car. A passerby declared Bart dead at the scene, though there is no information regarding the passerby, either name or profession.

Bart was taken home, where Ellis Hutson, the man he owned — because, let’s face it, cats own people — was so upset about Bart’s passing that he could not bring himself to plan a funeral, or perform the actual burial, so he asked a neighbor to dig a grave in his backyard, and then Ellis watched as the man placed Bart into the ground; ashes to ashes.

Five days later … five.days.later. .... Bart rose from the dead and dug himself out of that grave.

Oh, but he did. Ellis’ neighbor found Bart pawing around her yard and meowing for food. Bart was taken to the Tampa Bay Humane Society where vets discovered that he had a broken jaw, a busted head and had lost sight in one eye.

The vets told Ellis that the car accident knocked him out, but did not kill him, and that when Bart came to a few days later, and found himself thankfully not six-feet under, he clawed his way out of the grave and back to, at least, his Second of Nine Lives.

Ellis can’t afford to pay the $2,000 vet bill, but don’t worry; no one is going to try and take Bart down again. The Humane Society will cover the bill for Ellis and says that in six weeks Bart will be as good as new.

In related news, Dusty Albritton, the driver of the car who hit Bart and “killed” him, best be on the lookout for a mangy black-and-white cat because …

… Pet Sematary is real, y’all.

Must Have: The Perfect Spot For A Halloween Party

I've never made a secret of the fact that I am not one of those Halloween Queens. It's not a holiday, I particularly enjoy, but, whilst surfing this here web thingy I stumbled upon the perfect place for Halloween Balls.

Balls. Hee hee.

The Castle Mesen, or, as locals call it, Kasteel van Mesen, in Lede, Belgium. Sure, that's quite a hike for a soiree but, judging by the pictures, you may not need that return flight.

The Castle Mesen has quite the history. It was destroyed and rebuilt several times, and the current building dates to around 1628; almost 500 years ago. It was, originally, a major stronghold, though it ceased to be a royal house after 1796.  Since then it has been everything from a gin distillery--Hello Maddie!--to a sugar and potash refinery, tobacco factory and, finally, a boarding school.

Lots of history in those halls, and , judging from its past, not all so rosy.

After the First World War the castle became a school for girls, with tough classes and rigorous discipline exercised in a strict Victorian manner.  The 150 pupils were reportedly allowed one visit per month and could only return home for one month of the year.  The youngest girls were just 5-years-old.

The school was financed by the Belgian aristocracy and days began early, with Mass at 7 in the morning. On top of their academic lessons, the girls received a thorough grounding in society’s highest standards, from impeccable etiquette to managing employees and being able to perform housework expertly. The process took 13 years to complete, with girls of 5-years-olds eventually leaving the school as 18-year-old ambassadors of high society.

Again, Hello Maddie. This could, with a little scrubbing and some fresh paint, become Mistress Maddie's Home For Grande Dames, no?

Once the Ministry of Defence took possession of the castle, which left it to rot for decades while the cost of restoration spiralled to the point that it was considered uneconomical. The powers that be refused to list the castle as a historic monument and so it sits........

Ready for its close-up.

source

There Oughta Be A Law