Author: Rene

Three! It’s a new record for our recent Halloween attendees. A trio of lovely girls came late, around 8:30 pm, and of course, our delight resulted in their haul.

There aren’t any young ones in this neighborhood anymore, and the houses are too far apart for a good intake of sugar. We still purchase treats though, ”just in case.” I don’t don my witches garb to dole out candy, but we do put the porch light on, ”just in case.”

It was refreshing to have a few trick-or-treaters this year. It scared up a little nostalgia for Halloweens of yore. And there is plenty of ”just in case” for us to consume!

My two Sunday crossword puzzles were printed with a missing column of ”down” clues. It was not a satisfying experience yesterday.

The upside is that we received an actual hard copy of our paper. It’s so much more pleasant to complete a puzzle the old-fashioned way rather than printing and solving it on a thin sheet of paper. The ink flows better on newsprint.

My daughter suggested I research the puzzle online to get those elusive clues. I tried late last night, because an unfinished puzzle is rather defeating. Still no help. I did complete the LA Times, but the NY Times had too many absent clues. It will have to be an unresolved issue for the beginning of my week.

Looking forward to next Sunday already!

One year I went to a Halloween party as a rose garden. I had a long grass-green-colored robe on which I pinned fake roses. There were no prizes for costumes or I would have won.

My best costume was the Starbucks cup of coffee, made from descending-in-size hula hoops with a sheet, accurately painted as a cup. My hat was a dollop of whipped cream. It should have won the best prize. I lost that contest to a pre-purchased costume.

I love the play-on-words, clever ideas, odd portrayals that make you think. If I had thought of this one, and if I had the time, and if it weren’t a midterm election year, I would have recreated this, political or not.

I’ll continue the search for my next costume which probably resides in my closet. Happy Halloween weekend! Let the festivities begin.

My daughter sent me this photo of her closet with the note: ”This is the TRUE realization that you’ve become your mother…shoe rack doubles as the clothes hanging rack for, ”can be worn again.”

Guilty. And, I’m sure there will be many more illuminations on this subject as time marches forward. I predict snakes in your future, Daughter.

Tuesday was ”Zoo day.”

It was thoroughly enjoyable with my daughter and granddaughter, looking through the lens of each age. It brought back memories of attending years ago with both of my children, and the visit culminating in running through the gift shop post-animal viewing as they examined everything within reach.

Among the stuffed animals on display then and now were colorful snakes. I remember the young ones being enamored with them, and I, promising to sew them snakes when we got home.

I sewed snakes. How easy? Two extra long pieces of fleece, stuffed, with button eyes. The kids stood by me and watched as I churned out three-foot long snakes for them. One of those reptiles is still slithering around somewhere.

Those 4-H sewing skills still come in handy. No snakes this visit, but I did just complete an octopus costume!

We can only hope. The two-lane roads I drove Sunday were littered with the little carcasses, and they were pretty fresh. With my penchant for keeping tallies, I decided to spend ten miles counting them. Eight in said miles. It was some serious roadkill.

Yes, the drive can be monotonous. However, it was something to do while I wrestled with the wind yesterday and deftly passed high-profile vehicles swaying in the ”breeze.”

It’s good to be home.

My travels brought me to the stomping grounds I traversed over 40 years ago. I hadn’t been back to my college town for as long, so I gingerly drove through the city ignoring my GPS and taking the back roads I recalled.

My graduate pal, ”Paroline,” kept me entertained on the drive as we reminisced. I took her advice and blasted 70’s music whilst on the highway. To be honest, I could only give it twenty minutes and I had to move into this century. Side note: I listened to an hour of the band, ”Wheatus,” sharing their favorite music. I had never heard of them, nor their blockbuster, ”Teenage Dirtbag.” However, every song they had on their playlist was on mine! Musical highlight on a rather lengthy, dry drive.

That could be the highlight, too, unless I go to the Hard Rock Cafe. Good thing that wasn’t around 40 years ago!

Strange phrase – presumably coming from colonists bartering over the exchange of wild turkeys, according to my investigation. Turkey has come up a lot recently in our household.

What are we doing for Thanksgiving this year? Inviting family or enjoying the holiday? (kidding!!!) Going somewhere or staying plunked watching a parade of little value and watching college football games of no interest?

St. Nicholas’s tomb was ”recently” discovered in Turkey. It was interesting to note the tomb was in the church of St. Nicholas. Strange.

Should we go to Turkey? Istanbul is a happening place! I’m thinking we should talk turkey about turkey in Turkey.

It’s good to plan ahead.

One of the most influential people in my life was Dr. Jim Redmond.

Jim, as I was privileged to call him in adulthood, was my college English professor, who gently encouraged me to continue exploring the world, not just through literature, but through experiences. He’s probably the reason I write this silly inane musing.

How many people correspond with college professors throughout the years? It’s a gift I was given, mostly because I felt compelled to send Christmas cards every year to the people that mattered most to me 40 years ago. Dr. Redmond always responded with handwritten letters to my handwritten missives, both of us ruing the lost art of letter writing. He called when he was in town and continued to encourage me by merely phoning randomly and asking about my life. It was a mutually beneficial friendship, because I felt acknowledged by someone who was a genius in his field. I’m sure he felt somewhat inspired by a student who continued to explore the world – he enjoyed my travel writings pre-blog, and I began to feel like we were becoming the same age. What a lovely convergence.

I will miss his ”out of the blue” calls. He was a true educator. He was a friend.

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/james-patrick-redmond-obituary?id=36839638

Yesterday I attempted to bake little gingerbread skeleton cookies. I made the dough Sunday evening and finished cutting the gems Monday morning. This is what I hoped for as the outcome:

Cute, right? Nothing too difficult, maybe just a little time-consuming. When my frosting appliance did not pull through for me in defining the skeletal sections, I switched to making gingerbread mummies.

Every pastry chef has her tricks!