It was the best of times...

...and then there was the wind.  Every year.  Every. Single. !@#$ing. Year.  Without fail I go head to head battle with the wind.  This year was the closest I got to being zen about it, mostly because I had prepared so many of my props to combat the wind.  The main thing that went down had to do with the JP gate.  The sign (held up by serious industrial velcro) got knocked down in the first serious wind storm.  It was fine except for some ripped paint on the back and some dings.  So I've now put it back, lashed with cord and actually tied to the porch, which feels much more secure, if a little less elegant looking.  Mom brought me a bunch of her plants that were on their way out, but that look cool and rainforesty and well...provide coverage.  It looks very jungley.  I do have to arrange them a little more, mostly for tripping issues, but I think that'll be fine.  One of the fake trees on the porch has also succumbed to the wind quite a bit--it loses leaves each time it falls, so a bungee cord to the porch has been in order.  As for the front yard, no wind problems, just human problems.  I try VERY hard not to be that guy:

But it is SO hard once all of my stuff goes up and I'm proud of it.  I kinda just want to scream "Do you not SEE the fence?!?!?!?!?"  Because the truth is...they don't. They're kids, the fence is really just a hindrance to seeing all my cool props.  So...ultimately...it's a compliment?  I guess?  So I've gone back out there and added some rope between the fences and through any gaps between the fence and the porch.  Still won't stop a determined kid, but I watched a few of them justify just slipping in between the tiny gaps and thinking it didn't actually count because technically there wasn't a fence there.  Here's hoping anyways.  Still details to do--but for the most part, I've been just chipping away at the inside, cleaning, putting up a few more Halloween (not Jurassic Park themed) decorations.  It'll get there. :)