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A boy, a boy, walking down the street,
in search of trick or treats...
>>insert the best ending to this post or come up with a clever description and you may receive a jar of my awesome currant jelly in return<<<
No Joke. It is a contest ya'll. And my currant jelly is really good this year.
My Halloween morning began with muted colors and the observation of new view opportunities yielded by falling leaves. The observance of Halloween as a holiday has gone largely uncelebrated in our family this year. I think maybe living with teenagers is frightful enough year round so one day won't make much of a difference. But I may go to the store and buy some horrid off-brand candy .
A couple of spooky happenings round here:
1) My eldest started dissecting a cat yesterday in her Anatomy & Physiology class. She was almost too delighted in sharing with us the details over dinner last night.
"Mine is extra furry and orange. It isn't as easy to skin a cat as you would think," she pointed out.
2) I worked the ASU-Furman game on Saturday. Strangely, the entire Furman team disappeared during the second quarter and never showed up to play the rest of the game after that. Wonder what happened to 'em?
3) And, I reckon the state of political obnoxiousness has reached an all-time high for when I entered my workplace restroom, I was besieged by a local politician's pamphlets. Pissed me off. Heh.
Dear Annie in England,
I compiled several photos I have taken recently into a slide show for you. I believe you will see many familiar faces and places within....
Your mom said you miss autumn in the Appalachians. She said you told her that as soon as a leaf falls in England, the street sweepers are there to tidy up. It is a shame they miss out on the musty sweet scent of a pile of leaves. This fall I made sure to sit underneath the maples on the lawn of the Mose Cone mansion where I pretended to take photos, but instead enjoyed the fact that I could just 'be' there. I prayed for a leaf to land on my head and eventually one did fall, barely kissing my cheek....
The Valle Fair was exactly how you remember except you were not there to grace us with your effervescent smile....
I saw Ashley G. at the Fair. She was working the Sausage/Portabello factory with Meagan F. I asked Ashley how she liked college at the beach.
"I'm glad I left the mountains because it made me realize how much they really are a part of who I am. I mean, I love the beach, but when I want to retreat, I'll go down to the ocean, but everyone else is there too. There is no place to escape or be still down there," she said.
I believe she was saying that no matter how far one travels off the mountain, there will always remain bits and pieces of our mountain home which remain tucked deeply close to our hearts.
Hope you are well and savoring every second of your adventure....
Sincerely,
Marie
p.s. Ya know, it would be cool if you had a blog....
What can I say? Harley still loves the tennis balls and I still love watching her play with her toys.
A fairy snow visited last night--a light floaty flakes snow. One day I'll successfully capture a fairy snow on film, errr pixels, and show you what I mean. Oh, and did I mention it is cold too. I spent a small amount of time outdoors only to retreat indoors with numbed fingers and red cheeks. I reached for a mug of hot chai tea, my seasonal blend...
Now...while I sip my tea, let me introduce you to A Lighter Way to Enjoy Culture Shock --the mad adventures of a Boone gal living in Moldova. I promise you will enjoy the read.
I walked out barefoot upon the deck this morning and broke the sliver layer of ice in Harley's water bowl with my big toe. I was mesmerized by the alpen glow shining on Matney mountain. Flecks of snow floated through the air. Wish I could have stayed there for a while, but it was too cold...
Nothing says 'Live from Valle Crucis' more than the day of the Valle Fair. It is a Valle thing and even my daughters understand the importance of the day. It is a ritual of community belonging and I will speak more about it tomorrow. But what is also special about today is that Harley and I took our first autumn walk. I cleaned my hiking boots, sharpened my machete and then the two of us covered the mountain. Later my husband made me the first sweet manhattan of the season....yeah, he's sweet too.
Harley and I took a ride up to tranquil Matney yesterday. Tomorrow is the Woolly Worm Festival and the Valle Country Fair which means the traffic through the Matney community will pick up just a wee bit.
After a couple of weeks of parenting upon the precarious perch of teen angst, I have been sent the gift of clarity wrapped in the form of a 25th high school reunion invitation.
Attached to the bottom of the mass email was an innocuous document titled "20th Reunion.doc"
I clicked to open 27 pages of volunteered information about people for whom I hadn't given thought in 25 years. Knowing the people now is not nearly important as was my curiousity to view the 'then and now' of a few particular folk. As I read their answers to the survey, I gleaned parts and packaged them together as a reflective exercise of my own teenage years. After much pondering I conclude and admit I learned absolutely nothing in high school. At best, I fumbled through the social crap. And it was all mostly crap. I was an emotional, social and physical retard. My friends bestowed upon me the nickname 'Retardar'--a moniker I wasn't necessarily proud to earn, but at least I kinda sorta had friends. It is amazing I survived those days. All this worry about my own children's future is as silly and as stupid as the age in which they are in. If'n I can survive the teen years, then there is hope for every 'Retardar' out there....
I'd be curious to read what, if anything, you learned in high school....
P.S. I showed this post to both my girls. Eldest was amused by the first set of answers. Typical reaction for her: "Hmmm, I wonder what I'll answer 25 years from now?" Then Youngest stole my yearbook from me and promised to return it after reading every single handwritten entry. Her last words to me tonight were: "May I show my friends your annual? I know they'll think you and your friends were retarded." My reply: "No, just me, I was the original 'Retardar' and don't you forget it. You are the spawn of the Great Retardar. My legacy."
You can read parts of the survey by clicking. There's some fun stuff in there:
Only 71 days till Christmas!
..and for all my reporter buddies, here is an awesome quote via Lenslinger on his Truisms of Newsgathering post:
"The only folks more irrational than those who wave weaponry at police can be found ogling for face time at the County Commissioners meeting."
...ain't it the truth, y'all...
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