08/19/2026
🎃 HIGHLAND HAUNTED HAVEN: DIARY OF THE DAMNED (DAY 8)🎃
Day 8 with no power since last Tuesday’s derecho, and honestly? We’ve officially achieved peak Haunted House realism. The air is thick, the sweat is real, and the overall vibe is "Victorian ghost ship." 🕯️💨
First, the terrifyingly good news: The house survived, and most importantly, the Halloween decorations and animatronics are completely UNHARMED. Priorites, right?!
But let’s talk about the real horror movie we just lived through. When the storm hit, our backup sump pump decided to ghosts us. Cue a grueling, multi-day marathon of manually bailing out water EVERY. SINGLE. HOUR. to keep the basement from flooding. Forget a regular workout—we’ve been doing the "Sump Pump Shuffle" for a week straight. We are absolutely exhausted, but incredibly grateful that we just have a mountain of tree limbs to pick up while so many of our neighbors got hit way harder. ❤️
Today, management gave me the afternoon off to "relax." So naturally, I’m spending my free time unboxing and assembling our brand-new Halloween animatronics from The Home Depot in the pitch dark. 🛠️💀
It’s the perfect way to break up the glamorous daily routine of:
1️⃣ Manning the generator like a frantic ship captain.
2️⃣ Working from home while aggressively sniffing the deep freezer to check the meat.
3️⃣ Refreshing NIPSCO update pages until our thumbs bleed.
4️⃣ Tracking utility trucks down the street like a neighborhood hawk.
5️⃣ Melting into a puddle of pure sweat.
The monsters are ready. The owners are tired. If the power doesn't come back soon, you might just see us out in the yard early, standing perfectly still with the rest of the props.
Stay safe, Highland!
