The neighborhood yards have been transformed into graveyards, ours included. The rain began yesterday, so it's a real change of seasons as we move out of October. "It's the most wondrous day of the year!" I woke up saying. Sophie proclaimed it the best holiday of the year and both kids were ready in their costumes to get to school early. Let me tell you, that doesn't happen often.
Why? Why is this THE holiday? In our neighborhood, it's especially big, and kids and parents come from all the neighborhoods around to trick or treat on our flat, sidewalked, decorated streets.
It's not tied to anything religious, at least not in this country. People get to embody whatever character they want -- and often, the darker the better. My kids left as a Dark Skull Warrior and a Vampire. Anything goes. A house on our block is transformed into a haunted house each year, actually too scary for most kids -- those that go in come out crying.
Is it more about candy or roaming the streets in the dark, with access to every house's front door, and the only requirement to say thank you for the candy, at least when prodded with your parent's glow stick?
What IS it? I think that's what great about Halloween -- there's no hidden agenda or message -- it all flows from the subconscious out onto the streets, something out of our deep pagan past, and so satisfying.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Gettin' Back on Board
Delinquent, that's me. Books due back to the library, permission slips to the kids' teachers, and that desk, that desk I can't find anything on. Oh, and the laundry -- but at least it's clean, just in need of folding. Of course the longer you wait, the less there is to fold as things get snatched out of the basket. But right now, I'm settlin' the score with this blog, and gettin' back on! (I thought I'd try dropping a couple of 'g's, since that seems to be in vogue.)
God, I was sick of talking about sandwiches! And now I'm in the antithesis -- a "Fall Detox" diet with no bread or sugar, among other missing things. But I do get to keep chocolate -- as long as it's unsweetened. And I'm drinking a lovely coffee substitute called Tee-chino, mixed with hot almond milk. The thing is, I'm not a caffeine addict -- really I just enjoy hot drinks -- so that works for me.
I was LOVING sitting at my desk working every morning for a couple of weeks. Then I went and added exercise back in to the equation, and this is my first time at the desk (except checking email) the whole week! Plus I worked in Aaron's Kindergarten classroom Monday - but that was so fun! And, oh yeah, I had to do online traffic school, too.
Last October we had an almost real fall here on the Peninsula, due to an uncharacteristic California cold snap. I love seeing the leaves changes color. I love the feel of fall. I'd hoped to see some change on the way to Lake Tahoe last weekend, like last year, but there wasn't much of anything to see. It was a great weekend, anyway -- a moms' weekend away to scrapbook with a close-up view of the lake and a nice walk thrown in. I laid down pages in our family album for January through June, 2008, so it was like a slowed-d0wn, sped-up version of the first half of the year -- reorganized and stylized and frozen in time on 22 pages. Scrapbooking is a great way to complete a book! While I work on getting my "real" book out into the world. I am still looking for the right agent for the job.
God, I was sick of talking about sandwiches! And now I'm in the antithesis -- a "Fall Detox" diet with no bread or sugar, among other missing things. But I do get to keep chocolate -- as long as it's unsweetened. And I'm drinking a lovely coffee substitute called Tee-chino, mixed with hot almond milk. The thing is, I'm not a caffeine addict -- really I just enjoy hot drinks -- so that works for me.
I was LOVING sitting at my desk working every morning for a couple of weeks. Then I went and added exercise back in to the equation, and this is my first time at the desk (except checking email) the whole week! Plus I worked in Aaron's Kindergarten classroom Monday - but that was so fun! And, oh yeah, I had to do online traffic school, too.
Last October we had an almost real fall here on the Peninsula, due to an uncharacteristic California cold snap. I love seeing the leaves changes color. I love the feel of fall. I'd hoped to see some change on the way to Lake Tahoe last weekend, like last year, but there wasn't much of anything to see. It was a great weekend, anyway -- a moms' weekend away to scrapbook with a close-up view of the lake and a nice walk thrown in. I laid down pages in our family album for January through June, 2008, so it was like a slowed-d0wn, sped-up version of the first half of the year -- reorganized and stylized and frozen in time on 22 pages. Scrapbooking is a great way to complete a book! While I work on getting my "real" book out into the world. I am still looking for the right agent for the job.
Monday, October 6, 2008
And the Winners Are...
Sandwich Week has drawn to a close and it's time to award prizes to the winners!
1st Place goes to Joyce!
For the best and simplest classic sandwich with the best description that made me want to drop everything and make it right away. Also, she said it was "no contest" so I had to give her a prize. And she's my mom, and when I saw the words "no contest" I thought at first I would have to cancel my contest, but luckily that wasn't what she meant. Joyce says:
No contest. The best sandwich is on white bread with a little mayo. Hellmans of course. The sandwich consists of a few slices of fresh tomato(right off the vine) and some lettuce. The secret is the warm tomato right off the vine.
2nd Place goes to Wendy!
Wendy submitted several entries, but the one that caught my eye was this one. Wendy says:
A Hummus-sprout-type-thing with homemade seedy bread that I had in Mexico at a restaurant in the village called S'nice.
Both winners will be receiving a crisp $10 bill in the mail to spend at your favorite sandwich place. Congratulations!
By the way, I had to disqualify Jon (my husband) from entering, as during sandwich week he brought me a sandwich from the local deli - pastrami - which, like Wendy, I haven't had in a long time, but I'd started thinking about. The problem was, Jon had them make it on the usual wheat bread I get sandwiches on, but you must never, never make a pastrami sandwich on anything but rye! Jon made a mistake, and I have forgiven him, but I can't forget how he brought a temporary cloud over sandwich week for that day. But it was nice of him to pick up a sandwich for me. And now, it is time to move onto other things, as this really isn't a recipe blog after all!
1st Place goes to Joyce!
For the best and simplest classic sandwich with the best description that made me want to drop everything and make it right away. Also, she said it was "no contest" so I had to give her a prize. And she's my mom, and when I saw the words "no contest" I thought at first I would have to cancel my contest, but luckily that wasn't what she meant. Joyce says:
No contest. The best sandwich is on white bread with a little mayo. Hellmans of course. The sandwich consists of a few slices of fresh tomato(right off the vine) and some lettuce. The secret is the warm tomato right off the vine.
2nd Place goes to Wendy!
Wendy submitted several entries, but the one that caught my eye was this one. Wendy says:
A Hummus-sprout-type-thing with homemade seedy bread that I had in Mexico at a restaurant in the village called S'nice.
Both winners will be receiving a crisp $10 bill in the mail to spend at your favorite sandwich place. Congratulations!
By the way, I had to disqualify Jon (my husband) from entering, as during sandwich week he brought me a sandwich from the local deli - pastrami - which, like Wendy, I haven't had in a long time, but I'd started thinking about. The problem was, Jon had them make it on the usual wheat bread I get sandwiches on, but you must never, never make a pastrami sandwich on anything but rye! Jon made a mistake, and I have forgiven him, but I can't forget how he brought a temporary cloud over sandwich week for that day. But it was nice of him to pick up a sandwich for me. And now, it is time to move onto other things, as this really isn't a recipe blog after all!
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