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Halloween is such a wonderful day......all about fun, candy and alter egos! Does it get any better ??? However, I understand that since Halloween falls on a Sunday this year that many locales had kids Trick-or- Treat last night on Saturday. I protest !! I remember a lot of the excitement of Halloween was seeing what day it would fall on each year......and it never mattered if it was a school night.....kids were allowed to run wild regardless !! In fact, staying out late, running in a pack was so much more sweet on a school night ! Also, back when, the church folk were not so threatened I guess.......Halloween reigned supreme! .....Sunday be damned !!
I bought Jim this Halloween candy AND just in case some poor soul wonders up our driveway tonight ! These are Jim's favorite two candies and thankfully some of my least favorites ! However, I just found out on one of my NPR podcasts that Robert Welch.....founder of the John Birch Society.....was not the owner of Welches grape jelly, like I always thought, but actually owned the candy company that makes these little Sugar Babies and Suger Daddys. Had Jim known this before he most likely would never have cultivated this craving for Sugar Babies ! Well, we all have our small failings in life and I love Jim in spite of it all !
Yesterday was a wondeful day for me. I went down and met a ,literally , lifelong friend . Belle and I first met when I was 2 and she was 4. We were close friends until she left to attend UC Berkeley in the mid-sixties. We had so much fun and mischief during that early sixties period......two cutie blonde surfer girls looking for trouble ! ........and we usually had no trouble finding some ! We hadn't seen each other for about 20 years , but the love was still there, we've made plans to see each other often. Belle lives in Berkeley .....always one of my favorite places to visit.
All is not lost for Northern Californian sports fans......the San Francisco Giants have prevailed!! It was indeed torturous to watch, but they're headed to the World Series !! They're an easy team to love.....quirky, a group of misfits.....easy senses of humor.......for sure, my kind of team ! So another week of spine tingling games.......we'll be cheering them on every step of the way. Speaking of cheering.....we had a pretty good cheering section up here last night. It was very impromptu, not coming together until late in the afternoon. Luckily I had stew makin's on hand and whipped up some gingerbread for dessert. Jim and Ross even managed to get in some music playing. The game was so exciting ......Jenny was in the house also and didn't know what to think of all the yelling and jumping up and down.......she finally decided being outside on the porch was more to her liking !
Speaking of outside......over 5 inches of rain has fallen since last night and it's still pouring outside. It's supposed to continue until tomorrow morning.......glad we live up on a hill.....no threat of flooding here !
Even though the sun shines today my clothesline is empty ! It's just too cool out for anything to dry and so I put to bed my favorite chore of the day......no more hanging out the clothes until warm weather returns. Inside here my dryer is clunking around , making a racket, not nearly as calming and peaceful as hanging the wash out in the sun.
The birthday celebrations of this month are all over for another year. Of course, I forgot to get photos of any of the celebrations, but they were all a lot of fun. Last Saturday we had 16 people up for a big Fall Birthday Bash......my Mom, father-in-law Jerry, brother-in-law Jack and big brother Dennis were the birthday kids. Lots of hilarious gifts, way too much cake and lovely Fall weather. It was a fun day and thanks everyone for coming......hope to see you all again soon !
Last night my Mom hosted a party for Denny, it was his "real" birthday. I think there were about 12 of us there. Mom made a delicious lamb dinner and I brought down some pumpkin pies for dessert. It was a lovely party.......Mom continues to create great dinners for us all........even at age 88 !
Today I spent the day packing up Ebay orders and getting more items listed.....business seems to really be picking up.......wish me luck !
As I was putting up our Halloween decorations last week I was once again distracted by how exciting this day used to be for the kids. It wasn't just Halloween they were excited about , but the portal it opened.......2 months of exciting holidays, presents and treats. When I came across this little decorative box I so vividly remembered the day my good friend Terry gave it to us. When you lift it up out comes an eerie little tune. Not such an astounding feat in this era, but back in the early 80's it seemed like magic ! The kids were in awe of it.......I think they believed it possessed magic powers and so they were always very careful not to "lift it" too often least the magic disappears ! Well, to this day.....some 25 years later......it still emits it's magical scary sound when lifted ! It either has the world's best battery or it is indeed magical ! I think it must be the latter, because when I lift it I hear the hustle and bustle, the shrieks of delight and can just about reach out and hug each of those precious little witches and goblins of mine.
Happy Birthday number 88 to my wonderful Mom ! I'm so very lucky to be living nearby so we're able to spend so many wonderful days together. And......yesterday was one of the best !! Molly and I picked Mom up about 10:00 and headed toward the coast.......stopping in Davis for some decadent coffee to go. We arrived at Bodega Bay about 1:00 and stopped at The Tides restaurant for some delicious chowder and sourdough bread. We had a great table on the water and it really felt like we were on vacation .......a feeling I barely remember !!! We drove up the coast aways and found a pull-out and stopped and enjoyed the sights, sounds and scents of the ocean. It's been a really long time since my Mom's been to the beach and I know she really enjoyed it. We drove a few more hours up the coast.....it was so hard to turn around, it gets more beautiful the further you drive. When we got back to Jenner we headed down the Russian River.......a journey of memories for me as it was my home in the late 60's. We stopped in Forestville for a milkshake and Mom opened her presents at a wooden picnic table..........quite the party as across the street we had some drunk white boy rappers serenading us ! We got home about 7:30.......exhausted.....guess we were just partied out !!
Also Happy Birthday today to my awesome brother-in-law Jack !! Jack has the gift of being able to always make the most of life ....a trait I very much admire.
My old friend and neighbor.......who now lives in Portland......is nearby ! Pam is staying "down the hill" at her daughter's house for a week minding the grandkids while her daughter and husband enjoy life on the beaches of Hawaii. She called the other day and we made plans to hang out together today. Pam was my Foresthill walking partner for about 5 years and also a "Mom " to a large family......she loved living out in the middle of nowhere and together we roamed the most remote trails nearby......usually ending up in scaring the sh** out of ourselves , but it was always a fun distraction from , in those days, the near constant cooking , cleaning and chauffeuring!
It was great to see her and, as always, it's like we still talk everyday. The conversation flows easily, the laughter almost constant and a bond that will exist forever. I'm so lucky to have so many "close" friends that are actually very "distant" friends.......living hundreds of miles away, but my relationship with them all remains so strong. I've never collected a lot of friends, but manage to hold on to the ones I've made !
This Saturday....the day before my Mom's 88th B Day.....Molly and I are driving my Mom to the coast for a festive lunch.......hopefully a bowl of killer chowder ! I haven't be to the coast for quite a while ......I think we're all looking forward to the day. Hopefully I-80 will cooperate and traffic will be light.
Cold and cloudy up here today and I wrestle with the dilemma of when it's appropriate to start having a fire going. I think of all the work involved in getting a year's worth of wood and .........it's hard to strike that match. Sounds like it may warm up a little this weekend.......maybe no decision needed for a while !
It's happened....I can stop holding my breath......there'll be no fires to threaten life and limb............the rains have started !! There's always such tension this time of year.......waiting for the rain. The trees and bushes are parched , the ground has become cement and my patience is tried. One hour of rain and all that disappears.......all living things breathe a sigh of relief.
Saturday Jim and I took advantage of the seemingly last day of Summer and headed to a little lake we've never explored. It was not as scenic as we'd hoped it would be, but we had a nice little stroll along the beach and even Jenny waded out to test the waters. We haven't had the time for many hikes this Summer, but there's still time before the snows impose their will.
It's cold here today........I'm not giving in yet though......no fire going....... just a cozy flannel shirt. Big pot of minestrone soup on the stove and the first of the Winter squash from the garden baking in the oven.
