Today is Halloween, and the festivities are just beginning. I rather like Halloween; it's not too much work and there is plenty of chocolate and Starburst Fruit Chews for payoff.
Thing 1 has not gone out trick-or-treating for the past few years, feeling she had gotten too old for it. But they both saw "Wayne's World" back in the summer and got the brilliant idea of dressing up as the main characters, so Thing 1 agreed to be the Garth to Thing 2's Wayne. It's Thing 2's last kick at the can, it's nice of Thing 1 to go along with her.
I have a fairly liberal policy when it comes to Trick-or-Treaters here: If you have a costume, you can have some candy, however lame. I figure if kids come dressed up, they get something, no matter how old you are. (Even if 11 year olds come without a costume, I don't mind giving them a Kit Kat bar....you never know what some kids are dealing with at home.) It's sometimes hard to tell anyway; one year a gang of 6 foot 4 guys came to the door, and I almost asked them if their Employment Insurance didn't cover candy, until I realized that they were all in Thing 1's Grade 8 class, and were only 12 and 13 year olds.
Besides, we have "A List" candy and "B List" candy; Cute little 5 year olds dressed up as caterpillars and Ninjas get the "A List" candy, teenagers with a top had or a football helmet get the "B List" stuff.
One year a fairly distinctive van pulled up in front of our house and a whole load of teenagers spilled out of it. I was a little put out; if you can drive I think you're probably old enough to buy your own candy, but what the hell, they can have the "B List" candy. When they came to the door I was amazed; their costumes were unbelievable. One girl was dressed as a fairy, and she must have spent hours sewing on sequins and glittery bits. One of the guys was dressed as a matador, complete with a red cape. They had put some real effort into those costumes; they definitely got the "A list" candy.
A little while later, I saw the van leave, only to pull up again a few minutes later in front of our house. Nobody got out for a long time, and eventually I saw a window open and some smoke come out. I'm pretty sure they weren't smoking cigarettes in there, because when they came up our front walk again I heard one of them say "hey man, I think we've been here already! I remember that pumpkin, that pumpkin freaked me right out before!". They had just gone around the block without realizing it, probably because of the stuff they were smoking. They left, but I think I would have given them some "B List" candy anyway, just because they amused me.
It's supposed to be cold and rainy tonight, so I don't suppose we will get many kids, maybe 25 or so. Which is fine by me; for the first time in 13 years I can let the girls go out on their own. I will hang out here and eat the "A List" candy.
Showing posts with label fall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fall. Show all posts
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Fair Enough.
It was Fair day on Monday; we went with the girls and a few of their friends. A good time was had by all, despite the fact that the Pig and Duck Races were NOT there this year. The weather was beautiful and it was all good.
Part of the fun of going to the fair is the rides...the Mister and I don't partake: too expensive for us. But the girls go on everything, at least once, and don't seem to suffer any consequences from having their brains rattled around like marbles in a jar. Thing 1's friend convinced her to go on one ride that was basically a roller coaster on a track that was one big circle standing on it's end, so that the people on the ride just kept going upside down. Thing 1 did it last year, and had some reservations, but her friend was very persuasive and got her on it. All we could hear was Thing 1 screaming the entire time, and not just occasional shrieks of terror, but a continuous wail like an air-raid siren. The guy running the ride liked it so much, he took everyone on it around a couple of more times. Thing 1 had no idea that was her voice she heard screaming....she thought it was other people, too. At least I could tell her her hair looked bitchin'.
The other attraction at the fair is the food. As my dad has said, "they'd deep-fry the coffee if they could". Fair food is all nutritionally bankrupt and morally dubious. That's what's good about it. They had a new offering at the fair this year: deep-fried butter. Thing 1 and Thing 2's friend and I were all game to try that, and guess what? It was delicious. I thought it would be, well, just what you are thinking deep-fried butter would be like, but it was fabulous. They take a lump of frozen butter, about a half a tablespoon, and batter it and fry it. Then they drizzle chocolate, vanilla, caramel and raspberry syrup on each one...when you bite into it, it's all melty and crispy and sweet and salty and hot and yummy. It reminded me of fresh pancakes with LOTS of melted butter. You can't eat too many of them, your arteries will stop up entirely, and you can't think too much about it when you're eating it, that way madness lies. I think the only thing you could deep-fry that would be worse for you is lard.
We petted goats and watched chicks hatch and saw a milking demonstration. We ate fries and rode on wagons. We saw some pretty interesting fashion choices and the Mister and I were so tired at one point we thought about playing bingo, just for the chance to sit down.
All done for next year.
Part of the fun of going to the fair is the rides...the Mister and I don't partake: too expensive for us. But the girls go on everything, at least once, and don't seem to suffer any consequences from having their brains rattled around like marbles in a jar. Thing 1's friend convinced her to go on one ride that was basically a roller coaster on a track that was one big circle standing on it's end, so that the people on the ride just kept going upside down. Thing 1 did it last year, and had some reservations, but her friend was very persuasive and got her on it. All we could hear was Thing 1 screaming the entire time, and not just occasional shrieks of terror, but a continuous wail like an air-raid siren. The guy running the ride liked it so much, he took everyone on it around a couple of more times. Thing 1 had no idea that was her voice she heard screaming....she thought it was other people, too. At least I could tell her her hair looked bitchin'.
The other attraction at the fair is the food. As my dad has said, "they'd deep-fry the coffee if they could". Fair food is all nutritionally bankrupt and morally dubious. That's what's good about it. They had a new offering at the fair this year: deep-fried butter. Thing 1 and Thing 2's friend and I were all game to try that, and guess what? It was delicious. I thought it would be, well, just what you are thinking deep-fried butter would be like, but it was fabulous. They take a lump of frozen butter, about a half a tablespoon, and batter it and fry it. Then they drizzle chocolate, vanilla, caramel and raspberry syrup on each one...when you bite into it, it's all melty and crispy and sweet and salty and hot and yummy. It reminded me of fresh pancakes with LOTS of melted butter. You can't eat too many of them, your arteries will stop up entirely, and you can't think too much about it when you're eating it, that way madness lies. I think the only thing you could deep-fry that would be worse for you is lard.
We petted goats and watched chicks hatch and saw a milking demonstration. We ate fries and rode on wagons. We saw some pretty interesting fashion choices and the Mister and I were so tired at one point we thought about playing bingo, just for the chance to sit down.
All done for next year.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
That Didn't Take Long
Aaaaand....we're back at it. School started today for both Thing 1 and Thing 2, and we are right back in the thick of it in less than 12 hours.
No dramas today. Thing 1 went to her third year of high school without batting an eyelash. She got her schedule last week, so knew where to go and what to do. Thing 2 started her last year of elementary school, Grade 8, and has all her friends in her class, as well as the teacher she wanted. So she gets to enjoy her one year as a big fish in a small pond.
Funnily enough, I was the one with the dodgy tummy this morning. As I was getting ready for work, I found myself getting all riled up, until I said "wait a minute, MY life doesn't change one little bit today, what am I all nervous about??". Hard to change some habits, I guess.
Both girls came home with a hemorrhage of paperwork for me to deal with this evening. I think I wrote out both of their health card numbers a bazillion times. I checked off dozens of boxes saying I'm okay with them having their pictures taken and I take full responsibility if they trash school property and I understand they are not allowed to dress like little prostitutes. I signed my name so many times it has lost all meaning for me. I stopped even reading what I was signing....I've joined them up to Al-Qaeda and donated their kidneys for all I know.
It's kind of remarkable that one day in, it's like we never left.
No dramas today. Thing 1 went to her third year of high school without batting an eyelash. She got her schedule last week, so knew where to go and what to do. Thing 2 started her last year of elementary school, Grade 8, and has all her friends in her class, as well as the teacher she wanted. So she gets to enjoy her one year as a big fish in a small pond.
Funnily enough, I was the one with the dodgy tummy this morning. As I was getting ready for work, I found myself getting all riled up, until I said "wait a minute, MY life doesn't change one little bit today, what am I all nervous about??". Hard to change some habits, I guess.
Both girls came home with a hemorrhage of paperwork for me to deal with this evening. I think I wrote out both of their health card numbers a bazillion times. I checked off dozens of boxes saying I'm okay with them having their pictures taken and I take full responsibility if they trash school property and I understand they are not allowed to dress like little prostitutes. I signed my name so many times it has lost all meaning for me. I stopped even reading what I was signing....I've joined them up to Al-Qaeda and donated their kidneys for all I know.
It's kind of remarkable that one day in, it's like we never left.
Monday, September 6, 2010
September
It's Labour Day weekend here, which means that the kids go back to school tomorrow. Thing 1 and Thing 2 are okay with that; they've had a fabulous summer, but are ready to start something else. There's only so much computer time and television a teenager can take.
I'm kind of sorry to see them go back; I've always liked having them around the house during the summer. Because they go to school during the week and the Mister and I work on Saturdays, we only have one day a week when we are all home together....Sundays are very precious around here. But during the summer, it's like we have 3 Sundays a week. I'll miss that.
As a kid, I always liked going back to school. (Although I was way too cool to say so.) Even now I feel like I've somehow been slacking for the past two months, and it's about time I bucked up and got back to work, even though I work at pretty much the same pace all year round. I don't think it matters how long you've actually been out of school, you tend to feel like the "real" year starts on the first Tuesday of September, no matter what.
I still like buying new pens and pencils and notepaper at the beginning of September. It feels like I should, even though I don't need them. And the smell of new denim reminds me of September every time I get a whiff of it. It's been a bit cool here the past few days, and waking up into a chilly room while I'm enveloped in a toasty cover cocoon makes it feel like summer is over and autumn is definitely on the way.
It's been a beautiful summer, and it's not over yet, we could still get plenty of hot weather for the next while. (The Mister's birthday is on the 19th, and there have been lots of years where it's been way too hot to make a birthday cake. Thank God for Dairy Queen.) But even if it's physically still summer, mentaly, it's fall.
I'm kind of sorry to see them go back; I've always liked having them around the house during the summer. Because they go to school during the week and the Mister and I work on Saturdays, we only have one day a week when we are all home together....Sundays are very precious around here. But during the summer, it's like we have 3 Sundays a week. I'll miss that.
As a kid, I always liked going back to school. (Although I was way too cool to say so.) Even now I feel like I've somehow been slacking for the past two months, and it's about time I bucked up and got back to work, even though I work at pretty much the same pace all year round. I don't think it matters how long you've actually been out of school, you tend to feel like the "real" year starts on the first Tuesday of September, no matter what.
I still like buying new pens and pencils and notepaper at the beginning of September. It feels like I should, even though I don't need them. And the smell of new denim reminds me of September every time I get a whiff of it. It's been a bit cool here the past few days, and waking up into a chilly room while I'm enveloped in a toasty cover cocoon makes it feel like summer is over and autumn is definitely on the way.
It's been a beautiful summer, and it's not over yet, we could still get plenty of hot weather for the next while. (The Mister's birthday is on the 19th, and there have been lots of years where it's been way too hot to make a birthday cake. Thank God for Dairy Queen.) But even if it's physically still summer, mentaly, it's fall.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
No, No, November
Bliss. We turned back the clocks last night and that extra hour this morning was heavenly. We really should do that more than once a year, it's so very enjoyable.
Apart from the extra hour to sleep, I also enjoy the slight discombobulation I experience all day long, when it feels like it is later than it actually is; it's like being pleasantly off-kilter for 24 hours or so.
It was Halloween last night, and Thing 1 decided she was too old to go trick or treating, so she stayed in and handed out candy. Thing 2 was still game, (and claims she will be "until I'm graduating university".) and I went out with a posse of her friends around the neighbourhood. I've been blessed with good weather all the years my children have been old enough to go out, and I always knew that sooner or later, my luck would turn. Last night was it; man, was it cold. It didn't help that it was hella windy, too. My luck DID hold, though, in that it did not rain. Can you imagine trick-or-treating in the rain? Miserable beyond belief, would be my guess. Apart from the fact that costumes and rain don't mix, (in fact, if they don't actually dissolve in the rain, they get so bedraggled and ratty that you can't even recognize who they started out to be.), trudging around in the cold rain, begging for candy, is positively Dickensian.
Thing 2 went out as a "Glow Stick Girl" this year, which meant that her costume consisted of her wearing all black, and having about 60 glow sticks taped to her body. The Mister was in charge of her outfit, and they taped her up right before we left, so that the glow sticks wouldn't loose their mojo too early. (We shouldnt' have worried; those things were still glowing when I threw out the garbage after dinner tonight.) She looked pretty cool, out in the dark, and it was really easy to pick her out of the crowd.
We had a very lazy pajama day today here, which was fine by me. In fact, I spend an enormous amount of my life scheming of ways be able to avoid putting on real clothes and just hang out at home in my pajamas. I'm so delighted when it works out to my advantage.
And so starts November...which means....here comes Christmas.
Apart from the extra hour to sleep, I also enjoy the slight discombobulation I experience all day long, when it feels like it is later than it actually is; it's like being pleasantly off-kilter for 24 hours or so.
It was Halloween last night, and Thing 1 decided she was too old to go trick or treating, so she stayed in and handed out candy. Thing 2 was still game, (and claims she will be "until I'm graduating university".) and I went out with a posse of her friends around the neighbourhood. I've been blessed with good weather all the years my children have been old enough to go out, and I always knew that sooner or later, my luck would turn. Last night was it; man, was it cold. It didn't help that it was hella windy, too. My luck DID hold, though, in that it did not rain. Can you imagine trick-or-treating in the rain? Miserable beyond belief, would be my guess. Apart from the fact that costumes and rain don't mix, (in fact, if they don't actually dissolve in the rain, they get so bedraggled and ratty that you can't even recognize who they started out to be.), trudging around in the cold rain, begging for candy, is positively Dickensian.
Thing 2 went out as a "Glow Stick Girl" this year, which meant that her costume consisted of her wearing all black, and having about 60 glow sticks taped to her body. The Mister was in charge of her outfit, and they taped her up right before we left, so that the glow sticks wouldn't loose their mojo too early. (We shouldnt' have worried; those things were still glowing when I threw out the garbage after dinner tonight.) She looked pretty cool, out in the dark, and it was really easy to pick her out of the crowd.
We had a very lazy pajama day today here, which was fine by me. In fact, I spend an enormous amount of my life scheming of ways be able to avoid putting on real clothes and just hang out at home in my pajamas. I'm so delighted when it works out to my advantage.
And so starts November...which means....here comes Christmas.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Apple of My Pretty Eye
It's apple season around here, which means it is mandatory to go out to a local orchard and get some apples, whether you want any or not. It's just what you do.
We took the Mister's 83-year-old aunt out to the usual place last Sunday, and although the enthusiasm for picking your own apples was high, we weren't able to do so. We just bought apples out of the bins. Just as well, the weather was horrible, and I did not fancy seeing the Mister's 83-year-old aunt climbing a ladder.
The Mister's favorite dessert of all time is apple pie, which absolutely baffles me...apple pie, as far as I'm concerned, is one the most boring desserts ever. (Plain yogurt at room temperature is THE most boring dessert.) I like apple pie okay, but I don't actually seek it out, like the Mister does. He's actually ordered it in a restaurant, when there were other things to choose from.
I did not make the Mister an apple pie, I made him an apple crisp for dessert that night, because apple crisp is way, way easier to make, tastes a lot like apple pie and does not make me loose my shit making pastry. (I can make pastry, only because I have a fool-proof recipe for it, and I don't have very high standards. But it's fiddly and soul-crushing and not something I take on easily.) He was very happy with the apple crisp instead of pie, and since no one else is particularly enamored of the stuff, he had plenty of leftovers all to himself. (Just to tell you, the last time I did make him an apple pie, he ate the entire thing by himself after I had gone to bed, and had such bad heartburn, he thought he might breathe fire. Really, I don't make pies for his own good.)
The apples have come in very handy for eating this week. It's been easy to grab an apple on one's way out the door, and I've been putting them in all sorts of things. A few years ago, I made the life-altering decision that apples are a vegetable, and everything has been considerably easier ever since.
Every apple season I allow myself this one indulgence: eating a big, juicy MacIntosh apple simultaneously with a Crispy Crunch bar...a bite of one, and then a bite of another. Seriously, it is about the only time in the whole year I eat an entire Crispy Crunch bar, and it makes me weak-kneed with delight. (I'm pretty sure you can't get Crispy Crunch bars outside of Canada, which is a pity. I can start an air-lift, if you like.)
Now, maybe I can figure out a way to make an apple pie with a Crispy Crunch bar baked inside! But then there'd be fights over the pie, and I'd have to make pastry, and presently, neither one of us has to share their dessert with anyone. I will leave well enough alone.
We took the Mister's 83-year-old aunt out to the usual place last Sunday, and although the enthusiasm for picking your own apples was high, we weren't able to do so. We just bought apples out of the bins. Just as well, the weather was horrible, and I did not fancy seeing the Mister's 83-year-old aunt climbing a ladder.
The Mister's favorite dessert of all time is apple pie, which absolutely baffles me...apple pie, as far as I'm concerned, is one the most boring desserts ever. (Plain yogurt at room temperature is THE most boring dessert.) I like apple pie okay, but I don't actually seek it out, like the Mister does. He's actually ordered it in a restaurant, when there were other things to choose from.
I did not make the Mister an apple pie, I made him an apple crisp for dessert that night, because apple crisp is way, way easier to make, tastes a lot like apple pie and does not make me loose my shit making pastry. (I can make pastry, only because I have a fool-proof recipe for it, and I don't have very high standards. But it's fiddly and soul-crushing and not something I take on easily.) He was very happy with the apple crisp instead of pie, and since no one else is particularly enamored of the stuff, he had plenty of leftovers all to himself. (Just to tell you, the last time I did make him an apple pie, he ate the entire thing by himself after I had gone to bed, and had such bad heartburn, he thought he might breathe fire. Really, I don't make pies for his own good.)
The apples have come in very handy for eating this week. It's been easy to grab an apple on one's way out the door, and I've been putting them in all sorts of things. A few years ago, I made the life-altering decision that apples are a vegetable, and everything has been considerably easier ever since.
Every apple season I allow myself this one indulgence: eating a big, juicy MacIntosh apple simultaneously with a Crispy Crunch bar...a bite of one, and then a bite of another. Seriously, it is about the only time in the whole year I eat an entire Crispy Crunch bar, and it makes me weak-kneed with delight. (I'm pretty sure you can't get Crispy Crunch bars outside of Canada, which is a pity. I can start an air-lift, if you like.)
Now, maybe I can figure out a way to make an apple pie with a Crispy Crunch bar baked inside! But then there'd be fights over the pie, and I'd have to make pastry, and presently, neither one of us has to share their dessert with anyone. I will leave well enough alone.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Falling Again
Good God, it is freaking cold here!! It's like autumn showed up with a big attitude and said "deal with this, losers!"
Seriously, last week I wore a skirt with flip flops and bare legs to work and this week I'm wearing jeans, a sweater vest and a leather jacket. If I didn't know better, I'd think I was abducted by aliens, and lost a month.
But, I try to put a good spin on things, so I've been thinking of things that I like about fall:
Seriously, last week I wore a skirt with flip flops and bare legs to work and this week I'm wearing jeans, a sweater vest and a leather jacket. If I didn't know better, I'd think I was abducted by aliens, and lost a month.
But, I try to put a good spin on things, so I've been thinking of things that I like about fall:
- No mosquitos. Evenings spent outside are no longer a protracted war of attrition towards the mosquitos. And there are no more nights where one is drifting off to sleep only to be jolted awake by the zzzzzzzzz one of those bastards strafing your ears.
- Thing 2's allergies have stopped, and she no longer sniffles constantly. God, she is a pity during hayfever season. From the middle of August to the middle of September, that child has a permanently runny nose, watery swollen eyes and the temperment of a rabid dog.
- No sunscreen. Thing 1 has that translucent, Nicole Kidman skin that burns if she stands to close to a strong lightbulb. Years of sun exposure have toughened up my skin, but I still burn very easily. Neither of us can go out to bring in the recycling bins without slathering on a SPF of 50.
- Running is easier, now that I don't have to factor in the time to collapse of heat stroke.
- New jeans. I always buy new jeans in September; a holdover from when I went back to school each year. The smell of new denim always makes me think of fall.
- Oven dinners. My dinner menu is now not limited to whatever does not heat up the kitchen. Shepherd's pie, cheeseburger calzones, meatloaf, lasagne, and roast chicken top the list. And I can bake now, too.
- Good stuff on tv. All my favorite shows are back on the air, and I am amused in all sorts of ways.
- Staying inside without guilt. In the summer, I feel like I should be outside as much as possible, because the nice weather is so short-lived. But sometimes I want to curl up in bed and read, or do stuff that can't be done outside, and it feels like I am shamefully squandering the summer. Cold and rain cure that entirely.
- Cool nights for sleeping. One of the most delicious feelings ever is to burrow down into your nice, warm, cozy bed while a cool breeze wafts through the bedroom.
- Apples, pears and squash are in season. We get apples, pears and squash all year round here, but they are particularly nice when they are fresh and local. In fact, apple, pear and squash soup with curry is epic.
If I just keep thinking positively, then I am bound to forget warm sun, beaches, fresh strawberries and days reading in the breezeway. Maybe.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Fair Fallout
It was the annual Loudshoes family trip to the Fair last night, and we're all paying for our folly today.
- We all have sore feet, from walking and standing for 7 hours straight. The Mister and I stand at work for HOURS every day, but somehow that doesn't seem as tortuous as hanging around waiting for our children and walking several miles in pursuit of yet more nutritionally-bankrupt food.
- The copious amounts of nutritionally bankrupt food we consumed has left us all sluggish and nauseous and intestionally peevish. Is there anything they can't deep fry? That we won't eat? Actually, we didn't give the chocolate-covered bacon a go, not because we were too good for such fare (far from it), but because it was kind of expensive, and part of me was worried that it would be awful, but most of me was worried that it wouldn't be, and believe me, if the Loudshoes family got hooked on chocolate-covered bacon, I am sure that we would lose our life's savings in pursuit of it forever. Also, I think I could make that at home, if need be.
- Our ears are ringing from the egregiously loud music they play at almost every ride in the midway. Seriously, I could feel the beat from the Super Himilaya right through my sternum from about 100 feet away. My heart was beating to the Black-Eyed Peas; I thought I was going to have a stroke. This morning, I still couldn't hear properly.
- Everyone had trouble getting up this morning. We didn't get home that late, and everyone went straight to bed, but I'll tell you, that alarm was not kind at 7 a.m. Thing 2 was groaning loudly as she got ready for school, and when I pointed out that she really only went to bed an hour later than usual, she said "but it was an action-packed hour".
- I foolishly scheduled myself to work this morning, the first Tuesday I've worked in 15 years. (When Thing 1 was born, and I dropped down to part-time, I stopped working Tuesdays. Even when I upped my hours last year to full time, I still didn't work on Tuesdays, opting for 4 longer days, with Tuesdays off. Things have changed and I have Fridays off, with today being the first Tuesday of the new schedule. Very bad planning on my part, to start it the day after the trip to the fair.)
- It's a whole year until we get to do it again!!
Friday, September 28, 2007
I Love Fall
There's a distinct feeling of autumn this evening, a chill in the air and a need to close the windows a tad. Also, my feet are cold for the first time in 5 months. I adore autumn, mostly because I can put on some layers and not have to suck in my stomach quite so much.
Because the air is cooler, I was able to put on the oven tonight, and made shepherd's pie for dinner, the Official Favorite Dinner of Thing 2. (There's a bit of a controversy here surrounding shepherds pie; I make it with just meat and potatoes, and put the corn and peas and carrots on the side. Some people, who are hopelessly misguided and just plain wrong, think that the vegetables should go in the pie, where they would overcook to an indistinguishable mush and be baby food. I wonder how some people get through the day, thinking like that.) Thing 2 was absolutely giddy when presented with dinner. I should be so lucky to get that kind of reception for my efforts every night.
I also made bread, from scratch. (I feel very Amish.) Bread making is one of those things that people who don't cook think is miraculous and like the Olympics of cooking, while those of us who make bread know this is foolhardy in the extreme. Making bread consists of stirring, kneading, waiting and baking. That's about it. It does have an enormous payoff, though, in that people think you are a god, and the house smells really, really good.
I am also looking forward to this evenings activities, which do not have the same cachet in warmer weather. I rarely watch tv in the summer, as there is almost nothing on that does not make me stupid and/or crazy. But in the fall I shamelessly plunk myself down and watch my favorites. (Okay, not quite shamelessly...I am full of self-loathing that I watch "America's Next Top Model" quite as regularly as I do.)
I can't crochet or knit in the summer because when it is 30° out, the last thing I want to have on top of me is an afghan or a blanket. Plus, sweaty palms + fuzzy yarn = yuck.
I'm not a huge tea drinker, but in the cooler weather I crave tea like it is heroin. My mug is my crack pipe. Iced tea is nice, but not the same thing at all.
In the summer, I spend a great deal of time in the cool of the breezeway, but in the autumn it's the couch, with a cozy blanket and a heat-seeking cat. A good book and a cup of tea are the natural accoutrements. Occasionally, I will have an afternoon nap, which, by the way, are the two most beautiful words in the English language. Toby will concurr.
Autumn also encompasses my favorite of all holidays, Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving, because it is really only about having dinner. And only one dinner, to boot. There are no presents to buy, no cards to send and nothing to decorate. There are no expectations of perfection, no ideal to emulate, and no emotional minefields to navigate. One does not have to attend any services, parties or celebrations of any kind. Most of all, there are no Thanksgiving songs to torment and torture me for 3 months beforehand. It's all about having a bang-up dinner, with a large selection of desserts. (My mother-in-law, bless her heart, wouldn't consider showing up with any less than three different kinds of pie. I just love that woman.) At my family's, my niece and myself are the only ones who like pumpkin pie, which means that we don't even have to pretend to be polite about sharing. And by the way? Pumpkin pie makes the best breakfast ever.
So, as reluctant as I am to see the end of a very brief summer, I'm happy to put on elastic waisted pants and take a good, big breath.
Because the air is cooler, I was able to put on the oven tonight, and made shepherd's pie for dinner, the Official Favorite Dinner of Thing 2. (There's a bit of a controversy here surrounding shepherds pie; I make it with just meat and potatoes, and put the corn and peas and carrots on the side. Some people, who are hopelessly misguided and just plain wrong, think that the vegetables should go in the pie, where they would overcook to an indistinguishable mush and be baby food. I wonder how some people get through the day, thinking like that.) Thing 2 was absolutely giddy when presented with dinner. I should be so lucky to get that kind of reception for my efforts every night.
I also made bread, from scratch. (I feel very Amish.) Bread making is one of those things that people who don't cook think is miraculous and like the Olympics of cooking, while those of us who make bread know this is foolhardy in the extreme. Making bread consists of stirring, kneading, waiting and baking. That's about it. It does have an enormous payoff, though, in that people think you are a god, and the house smells really, really good.
I am also looking forward to this evenings activities, which do not have the same cachet in warmer weather. I rarely watch tv in the summer, as there is almost nothing on that does not make me stupid and/or crazy. But in the fall I shamelessly plunk myself down and watch my favorites. (Okay, not quite shamelessly...I am full of self-loathing that I watch "America's Next Top Model" quite as regularly as I do.)
I can't crochet or knit in the summer because when it is 30° out, the last thing I want to have on top of me is an afghan or a blanket. Plus, sweaty palms + fuzzy yarn = yuck.
I'm not a huge tea drinker, but in the cooler weather I crave tea like it is heroin. My mug is my crack pipe. Iced tea is nice, but not the same thing at all.
In the summer, I spend a great deal of time in the cool of the breezeway, but in the autumn it's the couch, with a cozy blanket and a heat-seeking cat. A good book and a cup of tea are the natural accoutrements. Occasionally, I will have an afternoon nap, which, by the way, are the two most beautiful words in the English language. Toby will concurr.
Autumn also encompasses my favorite of all holidays, Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving, because it is really only about having dinner. And only one dinner, to boot. There are no presents to buy, no cards to send and nothing to decorate. There are no expectations of perfection, no ideal to emulate, and no emotional minefields to navigate. One does not have to attend any services, parties or celebrations of any kind. Most of all, there are no Thanksgiving songs to torment and torture me for 3 months beforehand. It's all about having a bang-up dinner, with a large selection of desserts. (My mother-in-law, bless her heart, wouldn't consider showing up with any less than three different kinds of pie. I just love that woman.) At my family's, my niece and myself are the only ones who like pumpkin pie, which means that we don't even have to pretend to be polite about sharing. And by the way? Pumpkin pie makes the best breakfast ever.
So, as reluctant as I am to see the end of a very brief summer, I'm happy to put on elastic waisted pants and take a good, big breath.
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