Happy Halloween 2023

 

October's Party

 By: George Cooper

 

 October gave a party; The leaves by hundreds came— The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples, And leaves of every name. The Sunshine spread a carpet, And everything was grand, Miss Weather led the dancing, Professor Wind the band.

 

 The Chestnuts came in yellow, The Oaks in crimson dressed; The lovely Misses Maple In scarlet looked their best; All balanced to their partners, And gaily fluttered by; The sight was like a rainbow New fallen from the sky.

 

 Then, in the rustic hollow, At hide-and-seek they played, The party closed at sundown, And everybody stayed. Professor Wind played louder; They flew along the ground; And then the party ended In jolly hands around.

 

Halloween At The White House 

( October 30th 2023 )

It's the last day of October, which is, of course all Hallows Eve, but it is also the mid-point of autumn, and simply the last day of the longest month of this year.At least it was the longest month of the year to me anyway. It's been just a sad month, with the war in the middle east, the mass shooting in Maine, and the death of Matthew Perry. Connected to the war, is the rise of antisemitism on collage campuses, and other places throughout the country. Do I blame October? No. not really, it's just that I think I put too much faith that one month out of the year to lift my spirits high enough to pull me from all the sadness and frustration that has built up throughout the rest of the year. 

 

Will November be better? That remains to be seen. But I am looking forward to the clock changing, and bringing with it, shorter days. It's better for viewing sunsets and Sandhill crane. I love the dark rainy days. I love the yummy recipes I am always inspired to try. I love other fall things, such as football, the holidays, and the leaf peeping. I have a great place to begin November with, you see, we are planning to visit Mount Diablo in search of the California Condors, and a trip to Placerville and Auburn are also on the agenda for this week. There is a lot that can lift the stress off of me, and I am going to welcome all of it, so we will see.

 

But for now, l am going to enjoy the Hell out of Halloween. Alan and I are going out to lunch later today, something we haven't done in years. The Arroyo Cafe, here in Stockton. I already know I will be order the cheese enchiladas. They are delicious. A lunch out at Don Jose's Mexican restaurant, in Castro Village, was one of our most loved traditions in the Bay Area, but then we moved out here, and we let go of the tradition like so many other little events we would do in our former life. But it's all just a matter of searching for what we loved, and revisiting what made us, well, us. This will be an excellent start. We are getting older now, life is absolutely changing, but that doesn't mean everything has to.

 

So, on to the business of living in the moment. It's Halloween, and we have a ton of movies all lined up. I will tell you more about it all tomorrow, and show off our awesome Jack-o-lantern. He's a pretty little thing. And hey, if nothing else, the baby Trump's will be in New York, testifying in the civil fraud suit. The one involving the business of all things Trump, like his exaggeration of the value of his various properties and personal wealth. It should be interesting, if for no other reason, then to see if Donald Trump can keep his big mouth shut in front of the judge!

 

Stay tuned!

 

By the way, I spotted these on X and thought they were funny. 

I hope you do too, dear reader, and if you don't... shrug.

 

 

I made this one...

 

 

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice

"October, baptize me with leaves! Swaddle me in corduroy and nurse me with split pea soup. October, tuck tiny candy bars in my pockets and carve my smile into a thousand pumpkins. O autumn! O teakettle! O grace!"

~Rainbow Rowell

Attachments

Alan and I went on our first trip to Berkeley, of the autumn season, yesterday and the leaves were glorious! We didn't make it downtown on this trip, we spent our time in Tilden, just enjoying the fresh air, and the landscape. One of my favorite trees, located near Little Farm, was beginning to show some happy color. Oranges and hints of purple mostly, but there were some green and yellow making a showing as well. It will be another week or so, before the colors go deeper, and then the window for it won't be open long, so it's a matter of keeping watch as much as possible.

 I am not sure how often I will be able to visit, because we have a lot of destinations planned for this vacation, but for the first day, all in all, it wasn't a bad start. After the leaf peeping, it was down to Orinda, for a free showing of Beetlejuice at the lovely old Orinda Theater. If you are a regular visitor to my blog, you probably remember that we, traditionally, start our vacation each year, on the second Thursday of October, which is free movie night at the Orinda! It began four years ago with, Rosemary's Baby, and now it wouldn't be autumn, or vacation time, without it!

 Can you believe, Beetlejuice turns 30 years old this year? It came out just 6 months before Alan and I began dating! The last time either of us saw it, we were just friends, and now, all these years later, we are just two days shy of our 28th wedding anniversary! It was a pretty strange feeling to realize that that much time had gone by. Other than the strands of white hair we both have now, and my arthritis, standing in line felt exactly the same as the first time we  went to see the movie together, in 1988! 

Time goes by so fast, when you laugh together as often as we do!

#21 Leaf Of The Day

October 12th, 2018

Cull Canyon Park, California

~Mood: Happy

~Me :)

 

Meowy Christmas And Happy Pawnakkah

"December is full of the light and love
 that you can bring into your life. 
You can chose to be stressed or you can choose to let the small stuff go and be peaceful this holiday season.
 It really is a choice you make."

~Eileen Anglin

It's Christmas Eve, which traditionally is a bigger deal in our house than Christmas Day is! We have our traditions on snack foods, and board games. We watch our favorite holiday movies, and rag on politicians. This year there is a little bit more to complain about than most years, but also this year we are celebrating the season a bit different than we usually do. You see, as of the time of this post, Alan is in bed with a fever of 102.3 from a head cold, passed along by an inconsiderate coworker! I can feel it, it's coming in my near future, I should be in a feverish haze within 24 hours! Weeeeeee!

Alan and I were both sick with colds last year too! It's our second Christmas in our new house, and it's the second year in a row that we will both be suffering from head colds. LOL. I guess that is just our new tradition! If so, so be it! We have always had weird traditions, so we are just going with it! Christmas might be delayed but it's not like that stopped the boys from making holiday videos for your festive viewing pleasure!

So now, without any further delay, we present...

MEOWY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY PAWNAKKAH

Starring... 
The Brothers Gordon 





I love my boys!

It doesn't really matter how you say it,
 the most important thing is to mean it!

Peace On Earth 

Mood: Happy/Grateful

~Me :)

 

 

Heirloom Ornaments

"Christmas, is a box of tree ornaments that have

 become part of the family"

~Charles Schulz

Decorating For Christmas And Beyond

"Life in the 21st Century means taking the best of history and making it work for you." 

~Miles Redd

One of the things I love most about Christmas is getting all the decorations Alan and I have added, over the course of our 25 years together, and mingling them with the ones we both had prior to getting married! It's a lot of holiday memories and traditions to reflect on, plus it's been our tradition to buy each other a new ornament from the Tilden Merry-Go-Round each year. We purchased this year's on the day after Thanksgiving, because of the move to Stockton, we weren't sure we would get back up to Tilden before the end of the season. And, as it turns out, it looks like we made a good decision. Time has flown by. We might try for early next week, but we have also been talking about taking a trip to the snow to help put us in the holiday spirit. Shrug... we will just see where the time takes us!

 In the mean time, we have the tree up, and the mantle is decorated and both have some special ornaments that date back as far as the 1950's, so it's pretty cozy in the house! The stocking on the far right was Alan's when he was a child, and it is so precious to me! He also has a very old... umm... much loved... Elf on the Shelf elf just waiting for tree placement! When we got married, his mother gave me one from a large set she bought when her kids were just little ones! It made me an official part of the family. I love those heirloom ornaments, and I love the beautiful ones we have chosen together through the years, especially the Tilden Park ornaments, I am still really homesick, but it's getting better, and those ornaments and the memories of buying them with Alan are soul healing.

It's The Holidays!

Don't You Just Love This Time Of Year?

 Leaf Of The Day

December 16th 2015

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

An Old Tradition With A New Life

"As long as we know in our hearts what Christmas ought to be, Christmas is."

~Eric Sevareid 

Tilden Park Christmas Carousel 2012

I found that pretty ornament at the top of the post the other day, at the Tilden Park Christmas Carousel. It's under new management this year, and it's smaller than in previous years, but it is making a great effort to bring some Christmas cheer to those of us who attend every year. While it may be a little sparse this year, I think it will find it's footing and grow into something new, but something really happy and jolly. I like some of the new features, like the extended hours of operations, and the menu at their little restaurant is revamped, another plus being benches to watch the carousel.  But I do miss the many different Christmas trees that lined the windows. 

I really enjoyed the trees with the traditional ornaments for sale, as well as the off beat ones for those who like the lights and fun of the holiday, but who don't have a particular religious belief. I always thought it was a nice way of including the entire community. Several years ago I bought a sparkly brown butterfly ornament that I keep on my desk. It was one of those years when I just didn't want to acknowledge the cold harsh winter that was coming. It was my autumn butterfly! I also bought more traditional ornaments that year, in fact Alan and I always buy each other a new ornament from there every year. It's our little tradition. 

Here are some examples of my favorite ornaments...

Aren't they fun?

Another feature gone is my favorite little band...

He is such a jolly fellow, and his two friends are as cute as can be! But I imagine he has bigger gigs to play, and he is right now entertaining his owners!

I will miss him!

But lets face it... things change. Sometimes great things come along when you open your heart. I am just thankful that the Tilden Park Christmas Carousel is still operating. And I know it will take a while to build it back to it's full potential. I will keep looking forward to it, and I will come back to support it. It has become as big a part of Christmas for Alan and I as decorating the tree, or caroling. It's a new spin on an old tradition. How exciting is that?                                          

                                                  :)

( From 2013 )

If you live in the Bay Area, drop by Tilden Park and enjoy that natural beauty, but stay for the Carousel rides. Just $2 each!

Herschell Spillman Merry-Go-Round

And Now...

The Leaf Of The Day

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Happy December 10th Eve!

"Christmas is a time when everybody wants their pasts forgotten and their present remembered. What I don't like about Christmas parties is looking for a job the next day."

Phyllis Diller

Good grief! It's the Eve Of December 10th! What is December 10th? Well, that's our cursed day! Yes, Alan and I have our very own cursed day, and it's tomorrow, December 10th! Why is it cursed? Well, you see, it has been an annual occurrence since the year of our marriage, in 1990, that on December 10th something odd, usually something to do with finances, takes place on or very near the actual day of December 10th! If you are new to my blog, and this is all a new revelation about me, let me give you some examples of December 10th oddness, in random order...

Our storage unit was burglarized.

Someone claiming to be me, rented a car, on December 10th, had an accident, and I didn't find out until the following March when the claims adjuster called to ask additional details. That was the year we thought we had beat the curse! How this person got my name and phone number, I will never know.

One of my favorite December 10th hilariousness, happened when Alan was nearly arrested for stalking a neighbor! What he was actually doing was checking the roof at my mother's house for lost shingles, due to a wind storm the previous night! LOL. Thank GOD mom was home to identify him! I was there, trust me, he was looking at the roof's shingles!

In 2011, I decided to just completely ignore the day altogether, that DID NOT WORK OUT! I got a call at 3:30 in the morning, of December 10th, from the fraud division of my bank. It seems someone in Illonois was trying to purchase $1,000 worth of assorted items from a dollar store, using a copy of my ATM/Debit card! They had been approved for $100.00 worth earlier in the day! Thankfully, I wasn't held responsible!

Last year, on December 10th, someone did the exact same thing to Alan! Exactly one year apart mind you! They made a copy of his ATM/Debit card and tried to purchase first $100.00 worth of merchandise, then $1,000.00 worth, only this time, they were in Georgia!

Another personal favorite was the year Alan tried to order a garden hose, on December 10th, using a gift certificate he won at an office party, on December 10th the previous year! He ordered the hose, which was free, but when it came it wasn't one hose, it was 2 hoses! No problem, right? Yes... PROBLEM! Two weeks later, another 3 came! It was difficult to deal with, but they understood we didn't need 4 garden hoses! They told us to choose the one we wanted, and send the 3 remaining back. Alan hadn't opened them, so NO problem. It was however, when he opened the hose he decided to keep, the following spring, only to find it was damaged! 

And there are other assorted incidents. I won't share all of them. My friend Paul, of the blog, Aurora Walking Vacation, a kind and rational thinker if ever there was one, has challenged me at times to consider that December 10th isn't really cursed, but rather I am noticing a pattern where there isn't one. Like if I suddenly noticed that on October 22nd, leaves tend to fall from trees, or more in the abstract, every year during our vacation, Alan and I will spontaneously encounter a celebrity. It's happened a lot, and I used to think of it as magical, but in truth I live in the Bay Area, and we do get the ocassional celebrity in our midst. No magic, more just the way things work! If you leave the house, and even if you don't, random things happen! And I believed that for many years, but how many police reports does one have to fill out before you come to the realization, The Curse Of December 10th is a thing? But does it deserve the respect I give it?

I wish I knew. But good, bad or otherwise, 24 hours from now Alan and I are going to watch old movies, pop popcorn, make some cinnamon frosted pecans, play with our new kitten Joey, watch as many Woody Allen movies as we can fit into 24 hours, dance to disco music, play scrabble, play, Quiddler, and NOT ANSWER THE DOOR! USE OUR CREDIT CARDS OR DEBIT CARDS! WE WILL ACCEPT NO CODS! AND THERE WILL BE NO CYBER SHOPPING! Or for that mater, engage in any transaction of commercialism what-so-ever! There... I said it! I am not afraid to admit to this probably unfounded fear! In fact, I am a bigger person for it! And Paul, if you are visiting my blog this week, I will say it right now... YOU ARE PROBABLY RIGHT!

But Happy December 10th Day Anyway! Watch your wallet and bank accounts my friend! LOL!

:)

Mood: Uncertain :)

~Me :)

Dear friends, I will update you later this week if anything happens, so stay tuned!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

"Leprechauns, castles, good luck and laughter
Lullabies, dreams, and love ever after.
Poems, and songs with popes and drums
A thousand welcomes when anyone comes."

~Unknown

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Did you know...

If you forget to wear green, a leprechaun to pinch you!

St. Patrick's true given name was Maewyn Succat

The very first St. Patrick's Day Parade was held in Boston, in the year, 1737

According to Guinness Book of World Records, the highest number of leaves found on a clover is 14.

It has been estimated that there are about 10,000 regular three-leaf clovers for every four-leaf clover.

Each leaf of the four-leaf clover has a special meaning: the first for hope, the second for faith, the third for love and the fourth for luck.

At one time, there were more Irish living in New York City, than Dublin, Ireland

Shamrocks are the national flower of Ireland

The type of tree that Leprechauns supposedly live is the Hawthorn

I can't decide if I am wearing my pretty green skirt today, or my new Old Navy green dress!? I am thinking its all about the skirt today, as I will probably not go out. We'll see. :) This will be the first St. Patrick's Day I have had with Alan in a long time. He is home today because, poor baby, he has caught the nasty cold I am currently fighting! Fortunately, he bounces back from things pretty fast, let's hope he gets through this ailment just as fast!

He'll definitely need the LUCK OF THE IRISH! ;)

"What do you get when you cross poison ivy with a four-leaf clover?

A Rash Of Good Luck.