Rain

The cold October rains swept in today and gave everything a thorough soaking. The Reaper has held up fine, no doubt an attribute of the Dryloc waterproofing sealer, several coats of exterior paint, and two coats of deck sealer. So long as the wind doesn't knock him down again I have no concern for his durability.

My zombies I'm a little more concerned about. They seemed to have held up pretty well considering the driving rain that was falling on them, but at about 6:00 p.m. tonight I decided discretion was the better option and brought them inside. I think I should have done that from the beginning.

While they're still maintaining their integrity, I have found a few areas on both of them that feel "spongy." Interestingly, these are also the areas that contained the least amount of newspaper packing inside. For example, the ribs and breastbone on both zombies remains as hard as ever, but between the ribs, sections of the skulls, and certain places on the arms (joints mainly), it has that soft feel. My concern is that water has gotten into them and they will now rot from the inside out...like a true zombie!

So I've wiped them down, used a hair dryer to dry them off, and will keep them inside until the rains pass. I'll then recoat them with the deck sealer to try and protect them further.

It's a little disappointing after all the work that went into them to think they might end up getting ruined. While they're my first attempts at this I want them to remain intact for years. At least a couple. It may mean though that next year (and beyond, if they last so long) I may have to wait until just before Halloween to put them out...which isn't such a bad solution, but I enjoy coming home and seeing their unearthly mouths agape at me.

Rich