halloween traditions

Ready to carve the pumpkin:
Traditional pumpkin sniffing. This must be done immediately after you cut the top off the pumpkin. Stick your face into the hole and inhale the joyous pumpkin goodness:
Repeat.You can't tell from the photo, but this is a bushel of candy. Yes, I get that many trick or treaters! One year I got almost 300 kids.
The pumpkins are lit:
My house, ready for visitors:
Cerenna the duck, with Kristie:
Sophie the chicken, unhappy:
A child wearing a very convincing "Jim" costume, who ate a suspicious amount of Butterfingers and smoked a cigarette.
Pumpkin seeds, warm from the oven. Made with butter, garlic powder, Cajun seasoning, and salt.And there, you've just joined me on my Halloween evening. And now I'm off to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas. Because it's tradition.

rainy october saturday

Birdbath in my garden.

Mini pumpkins I grew myself, sitting on my sundial.

I LOVE rainy, windy Saturdays in autumn. This morning I went to the theater to finish up painting the Epic Proportions set. The rain blew in spatters against the windows as we painted and outside the leaves were swirling against the gray sky. It was perfect painting weather, tucked away warm and creative in the church fellowship hall, music playing, and chatting with other members. Did I mention that this is our temporary theater home? We're renting out the fellowship hall until we find a theater to call our own. The church members have been so welcoming.

Leaves in my driveway.

Leaves all over my yard!

I went out to lunch with Jim and ate Chinese food, and here I am back at home, relishing one of those rare wonderful weekend evenings at home with nowhere to go. I'm planning on taking a short nap, cooking dinner, watching a movie on the couch, taking a jacuzzi bath, and maybe having a beer or two. Or three. Wearing my softest, least-flattering sweatpants. Hanging out, reading blogs, snuggling with Sophie and the cats.

I've been needing this so much!

life is whirling

Kendall, age 1.

Annabel, age 4.

Cerenna, at her 1st birthday party.

Sophie, shaved down to 1/8".

I'm so far behind with blogging, I don't even know where to begin. So much has happened. Maybe bullet points will suffice.

• I went to Washington, D.C. on business, then visited Laura in New Jersey.
• I went to Cerenna's 1st birthday party at Java Jungle.
• I saw my friends in the play "Steel Magnolias" at Hawthorne Valley.
• I had a blind date in a group setting. Didn't go so well, but at least I'm out there. I guess.
• I've been working feverishly on the set for Epic Proportions, painting camels and pyramid backdrops.
• I hurt my back lifting a fake wooden palm tree down from someone's garage rafters. Don't ask.
• Sophie got shaved at the groomer's.
• I almost went up in a hot air balloon, but it got canceled due to wind. We're trying again this Sunday.
• I saw Morrissey in concert.
• The older of my brothers (I'm the oldest) got engaged.
• My younger of my brothers is going to be a father. It's a long story.
  
• I herxed last week, the worst I have since spring. I'm better now. But it was a doozie that attacked my vision, speech, legs, heart, and breathing. Good times.
• I absolutely love the new shows "Samantha Who?" and "Pushing Daisies". And of course, "Grey's Anatomy" does not disappoint.
  

O.K., now you're up to date! I'm going to bed.

up all night

So worth it to be out late on a Monday night!
(Click photos for larger views).

october wanderings

Photo sent to me via e-mail (no, I didn't take this).

There are few things I find funnier than a pumpkin throwing up. I don't know why that is.

Anyway, I'm off on yet another adventure. This is the last leg of my crazy three months of travel, and then I'm home for the rest of the year. I am out of both vacation time and cold hard cash! I leave Tuesday for a business trip to Washington, D.C., then I hop on the Amtrak and zoom up to see Laura in New Jersey until this weekend.

Then it's back home to put up my Halloween decorations, move some perennials around in my garden, clean out the garage, and get my house and yard ready for winter. I absolutely love October - it's my favorite month of the year. I love the colors and the air, raking leaves, the golden light, squash, pumpkins, campfires, and hundreds of kids running around in costumes on my street on the 31st.

If I owe anyone a phone call, an e-mail, or a personal visit . . . just hang in there. The overtime at work and the travel will soon be done, and I'll be back to normal. Or as normal as I can be.

Oh, and today also happens to be the 3-year anniversary of my Big Breakup. Can you believe it's been 3 years already? Sitting under the walnut tree and breaking up . . . the candlelight, the rain, a fleece jacket, beer. I'll never forget that night. As many of you know, discovering Charlotte Martin's music was a huge part of healing from it; her On Your Shore album got me through some icky times. So it's ironic that I get to see her in concert tonight. She's always amazing live!

Charlotte Martin, February 2005, in Detroit, photo taken by me.