Happy Halloween

6.9 Billion.  That is what Americans reportedly spend on Halloween each year, making it the 2nd largest spending spree for a holiday.  But I haven’t spent a thing this year and I am feeling a bit bummed about it. Not because of lack of shopping, but because no one will come to our house in the boonies nor do I have my peeps to dress up and take out.

When I was little, I remember dressing up as Pooh with a plastic face mask that was tough to see out of and had a slit at the mouth for breathing, making it hot.  It is my first memory of Halloween.  I went with Anne Annie and she walked me to the neighbor’s house and stood at the end of the walkway and waited for me to go up and knock at the door.  It opened and Mrs. Fisher acted all surprised and dropped a piece of candy in my pumpkin bucket. 

When the girlies were little dinky-doos I made their costumes. I would head off to JoAnne’s fabrics and find the material, a pattern, then sit down at the dining room table and construct the costumes.  One year I made both Emilie and Lulu  bumble bee suits.  Lulu refused to wear the outer yellow and black striped tunic, and so she went as a black fly.  Black leggings, black turtle neck, little black wings and black pipe cleaner antenna clipped onto her hair clips.   The best costume ever was the Holstein cow I did for Emilie the year before.   It was recycled into a rabbit two years later for Lulu and became part of the dress up collection.  Lulu’s best was a snow-white costume, which also became part of the dress up collection.

I love the idea of children being able to dress up and go into the night, up to neighbors’ houses and knocking on the door,  practicing the first little steps of being in the community.  Really the first time a child is encouraged to go up the walkway with parents waiting, learning how to initiate an interaction with “strangers”.   They get a positive reaction and they learn to be social. The night and the costumes giving it that magical feel.

I miss being all a part of it, watching the kiddos go up to the door and the excitement of the treat they get, sorting and counting all the candy after wards as well as being at the door and opening it up to give a treat and see all the fun.   So I think my task today will be to either find a family to go around with tonight, or to find a family or place  where I can help give out candy.  Or maybe I will head off to a Halloween party at the VFW or some such place.  But it ain’t the same, grown-ups dressing up and getting sloshed and stupid.  I think I will go back to plan A and find some fun.

Ya Ya Yacovone

Ya Ya Yacovone

This is my friend Dave with his son Evan in last year’s 4th of July Parade.  Evan is looking slightly embarrassed, possibly because of Dave’s stylish shoes. Dave is having way to much fun here.   I am not trying to be mean, I actually like Dave and am only poking fun at him.

Dave is one of our select board members and has thrown his hat in the ring for next year’s open Lamoille County Senate  seat.  He has served in the  VT Legislature as a Representative for the district and currently lobbies for the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems.  An all around good guy when it comes the philosophy of Service to Others.  And I am not a soft judge on character, especially towards a Vermont Democrat who is also a die-hard Yunkees fan.

(For those from away, a Vermont Democrat is like every one else’s socialist- check out Bernie- while a Vermont Republican is similar to a Democrat in any other state)   But I like Dave and find him tight with the money in tough times and a real fighter for equal rights.  Not entitled rights, but equal rights.  Right on Dave.

I was thrilled to hear that he is running for the Lamoille County Senate seat.  I think he had done a good job with the budget here in Morrisville.  We have disagreed on issues, but I also find him to be one that seeks to move forward by finding common ground.  Something we need in this state.  I am so very sick of all the partisan crud.  The finger-pointing and the blame game that has gone on this past year at the State House.  I want my elected officials to work together, now more than ever.

Dave has spent a good deal of his life giving back to the community and despite the fact he cheers for the team I love to hate, he is a good sport and has my support.

“The American spirit wears no political label. In service to others and yes, in sacrifice for our country, there are no Republicans; there are no Democrats; there are only Americans.”  J.Kerry

 

Steven Gagner finding his 2nd home groove

This isn’t really about Steve.  It is about me writing about Steve and his soap in the next issue of Livin’ the Vermont Way.

I talked with Kyle today over at Elk Publishers, home of Livin’ the Vermont way.  The next edition arrived in the office and I have been so flippin’ nervous.   I love meeting cool people and writing about them.  It is such a trip that folks will talk to me, a complete stranger and basically tell me their life’s story.  And, and, and you find out that most people have really neat stories and so you set out to write about them and share those really cool things with a bunch of random magazine readers, most you have no idea who they are and then,  all of a sudden it hits you.  The person you wrote about will read what you wrote.

God I worry that they won’t like what I have said and now I have said it in print and I can’t delete it and I can’t really take it back. It is especially nerve-wracking when the person is really a good soul.  A one in a hundred that you feel lucky that you have met.

I liked Steve right from the get go.  So I did something I generally never do… I let him get a sneak peek at the story, cus he is in training in Louisiana with the Vermont National Guard and I am not sure I can get hard copy to him there. So when I talked with Kyle, he said he would send a bunch of copies to Steve’s wife and would email him and get his address and would send him some copies down there too.  AND Kyle is going to give Steve a subscription and will send it to Afghanistan so Steve and his buddies can be Livin’ the Vermont Way while they are gone.

Here is the gist,  Steve learned to make soap while he was stationed away from his family and he makes really good soap.  I would post of picture of him, but I am not sure that is an OK thing to do on a blog, given that he is about to take off, into war.  So you all will just have to connect with Elk Publishers and order your own copy to see what he looks like.  Which you all should anyhow, because it is a good read.

And while they are gone, all those men and women who have volunteered to go,  I am hoping that the homemade soup I got from Steve will last.   Steve emailed me today and said that he liked the profile I did on him, so I am thrilled and relieved.   I hope you guys will like it too.  Oh, PS, by the way, if you want some of his soap, drop me a line and I will see if there is any more around for sale.  I am sure his family would appreciate the business.

UPDATE:  email Steve well wishes and inquires on soap at:

2ndhomesoaps@gmail.com  sooner rather than later, as he will be shipping out soon.

Now for some humor

Toes makes me laugh.  This is his impression of a possum playing dead.   Pretty good.  It makes me laugh.

Dream Up

Face book has these funny little games and applications and sometimes a good one comes along.  Today it was: what is the longest word in your name.  So take Alexandra Jump and use as many letters as you can and you get.. Dream UP!  I like it.

It was horribly rainy and cold and miserable today, but Laura and I took off to Essex to mouse around at a craft show.  Lots and lots of vendors and a chance to get a few this and thats for Christmas gifts.  Maple butter, Hickory and Maple smoked cheddah cheese and funny soaps.  Nick nacks for stocking and lots of ideas for things we can make as gifts.  Won’t tell all, it will ruin the surprise.  The best thing that I found by far was wise counsel.  And it was free.

Friends are the people who you bring into your life and they will tell you the truth when you don’t really want to hear it. Friends also understand that even when you hear the truth, you might not act on it right away, and they already know that anyhow and will not hold a grudge when you don’t.  Anybody who says ‘told you so’ ain’t a friend. That is a know-it-all and we have our family to thank for those little crow eating jabs.

Truth is probably one of the most difficult things to see when it applies to you.   I can easily see the truth when it belongs to someone else and I can easily serve up a huge plate of it when it comes to those around me, but I am not so good at eating from my own plate when the truth of the matter is bitter.  Which is why friends often sprinkle a liberal dose of positive sweetness when serving up tough-to-swallow issues.

So this is how it sometimes goes:   Dream up.  Don’t lose sight of who you are and all you have accomplished, but deal with this issue. Deal with it or it will deal with you. True that girlfriend, true that.