Halloween memories

No trick or treaters tonight. Not too surprising since I live in a 10th floor apartment. I did party with my family on Saturday though so I'm not Halloween deprived. Over the years we've had a lot of fun Halloweens. But three especially come to mind.

I have a picture of my son in his first ever Halloween costume. He was the cutest bunny ever but looks a little overwhelmed by the whole process. He was three at the time.

We lived in south-eastern Ohio when our kids were about 6 and 8 years old.  We lived near a very small town, Norwich, and on Halloween the neighbor kids and ours were able to trick or treat through the whole town. The atmosphere was that of a fun old fashioned Halloween.

When our children were teens and older, my husband and I hosted a few Halloween parties over the years.  The one that stands out in my mind is the year my brother, who is 6 ft 6 inches tall, came dressed in a gorilla costume while his wife came dressed as a big game hunter. I didn't actually see this but we were told that as he drove across town in full costume to get to the party he got several startled looks from passing drivers. I bet. Sweet, strange memories seem appropriate for halloween.

The Cubs are still alive

Tonight was the first night I've had a chance to watch at least part of a World Series game this year and I picked a good one. When I flipped over to FOX after watching my don't miss Sunday night show, "Madam Secretary",  I was delighted to discover that the Cubs were in the lead, 3 - 2.  I watched the last three innings knowing that this one was do or die for the Cubs. It looked like it was cold in Chicago, fans were shivering in the stands, but at the end the Cubs' fans were feeling no pain. Of course they still need to win two more games to win this series but at least now they have a chance. I must say, if I have to feel tension while watching TV this is a much more fun way to do it than watching a presidential debate. GO CUBS!!!

National Candy Corn Day

Actually, according to my nifty calendar, tomorrow is National Candy Corn Day but I decided to tell you this evening so you could run out and stock up on candy corn. Truthfully I'm not very fond of candy corn. It's right down there on my list with jelly beans.  Now if it happened to be National Dove Dark Chocolate Day I would be fighting my way through the crowds at the candy counter.

the Common English Bible

We've been doing a comparison study on a relatively new translation of the Bible (2011) called the Common English Bible. I bought a copy and am finding it very readable. Of course part of the reason for that is that I bought a copy in a large print edition.  We've been learning a lot about how a new translation is researched and changes that have been made that I'm not sure I would have even notice if it hadn't been pointed out to me. One example is that this translation uses contractions which makes conversations sound much more natural. But I had never notice that other versions don't use contractions. One of the most interesting facts that was mentioned this past Sunday is the fact that when the King James version of the Bible was first published there were 25,000 words in the English language. Now we have over a million words. Isn't that interesting? I guess I shouldn't be surprised.  I know lots of new words have been added since I was a child. 'Google' is an example. When I was young I couldn't google or go on Google.  Of course we did have 'Barney Google and His Goo Goo Googly Eyes' one of the songs my mother used to sing to us. A classic, I'm sure you'll agree.

a really scary thought

I received a truly scary Halloween card in the mail yesterday. First let me say that it's exciting to get anything in the mail that isn't asking for money or offering to loan me money. On the front the card poses the question "What's the most horrifying thing about Halloween?" The answer inside "There are only 54 shopping days left until Christmas!" Now that's scary.

Some flashing lights are prettier than others.

I like Halloween lights and Christmas lights. They're usually very pretty. I do not like starting my car and having a bright light start flashing on my dashboard, especially when it's followed up by an informative sign flashing in front of my eyes telling me that the pressure is low in my right front tire. I got out and checked the tire and it looked and felt just like the other one so I made the drive I needed to make to pick up a granddaughter from school and take her ti the orthodontist  Of course the tire pressure symbol kept glowing at me for the entire drive. A few weeks ago the same symbol popped up on my dashboard with a sign that my tire pressure indicator did not seem to be functioning correctly. Which message do I believe?  I'm taking my car to the dealer tomorrow and I'll let a mechanic solve the mystery.

another debate and another election possibility

I watched the Governor candidates' debate this evening. Democratic Gregg, Republican Holcomb and I'm sorry but I don't remember the Libertarian candidate's name.  Much like the Senatorial debate I watched, they calmly answered questions about the issues without slinging insults.  At the end of the debate the moderator complimented all three of them on the "tone and civility" of the debate. Isn't it sad that polite, mature behavior even needs to be commented on? The debate didn't change my mind but, as I watched, I realized something. If I am in my second childhood (see an earlier blog) I'm probably too young to vote. Hummm???? I'll have to think about that.

Three special days in one

My sophisticated, serious calendar says that today is United Nations Day and also Labour Day in New Zealand.  OK, it's actually my page-a-day Sudoku calendar but still I trust that this information is correct. Correct but nor particularly exciting. However my other calendar that has told me about so many other nifty days this month informs me that today is "National Bologna Day". Who knew bologna had it's own day?  I haven't eaten bologna for a long time but the thought of it does bring back one distinct memory. My husband and his mother like fried bologna. There's a trick to frying bologna - you need to make little slices around the edges to keep it from curling into a cup shape when you fry it. It's not too bad in a sandwich but I prefer mine cold from the package. I mentioned that I haven't eaten bologna for a long time, but it occurs to me that I have been absolutely inundated with bologna (or is that baloney?) during this election season.

Am I there yet?

Recently I've received two hints that it might be time for me to jump into my second childhood. Last week I got a Halloween card (in the real mail, not email - always fun to get mail not asking for money) with a note from my BFF suggesting that some people think we're too old to participate in the silliness of Halloween but she was inviting me to join her in getting started on our second childhood by enjoying Halloween. Sounds good to me. Then today at church we celebrated "Children's Sabbath" with a worship service that included a wonderful story telling session presented by Janet Steele, a Certified Biblical Storyteller, and the singing of children's hymns.  We sang "This is the Day" as our call to worship, then "Down in My Heart", "Jesus Loves Me", and "This Little Light of Mine". I loved every minute of it which probably means I am right on the brink of SCS (Second Childhood Syndrome). If that's the case, bring it on.

another musical evening

I have enjoyed a variety of musical performances over the last several days. Last week it was the Barber Shop extravaganza. Earlier this week a really excellent junior high band concert and tonight I went with some friends to the Philharmonic - always a treat.  I enjoyed the Mendelssohn symphony and Britten's "Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings" (a new piece to me) but the highlight of the evening for me was Rossini's good old "William Tell Overture."  The whole overture is beautiful with some lovely lyrical sections in the early parts but, of course, my heart beat a little faster when they swung into the fast loud part (I'm sure there's a correct musical term for the fast loud part but you know what I mean). While I saw several young people in the audience I'm sure I wasn't the only one who experienced an instant flashback to the radio, later TV, rousing intro to "The Lone Ranger". I'm pretty sure I even heard a murmur of "Hi Oh Silver, Away!!"

some interesting insights

I watched a really interesting show last night on PBS. It was an episode of their "Frontline"  series called "The Choice, 2016". I was expecting more of the same talking heads reporting on 'he said, she said' and who won the latest debate.  Instead it was a retrospective and pretty in depth look at the lives of Hillary and Donald from childhood on.  It was fascinating to see the backgrounds they came from and how their personalities were formed/  It certainly explained a lot - didn't change my mind about who I will vote for but still very interesting.  I must admit it was also fun to see what they looked like 40 years ago.

more beautiful music

I went to my granddaughter's band concert at Carroll Middle School this evening.  She plays clarinet* in the eighth grade band. I am always intrigued, at junior high concerts, at the evolution you can hear as they wisely let the sixth graders play first, then seventh, then eighth.  Actually this evening they all sounded really good. It was fun to see the sixth graders conducted by their obviously very competent student teacher who was from Ball State. For me it's also fun to see their director/music teacher who, somewhere at the beginning of his teaching career, had my son and daughter in band.  He mentioned at one point that there are 92 students in the seventh grade band.  The other two bands looked just about as large.  I think this all bodes very well for Carroll High School's marching band for years to come.
*About that clarinet, my youngest brother played it in high school about 45 years ago, my daughter played it in high school band about 30 years ago and now my granddaughter is playing it. She tells me it's one of only two wooden clarinets in the band and that it still has a very good tone. Good to know that some things last.

Beauty wins

This morning as I was enjoying a beautiful sunrise, my white bird flew down and landed on the river. Such a beautiful moment.  I know for sure that it's a crane now that I've seen it fly. This evening I watched the last presidential debate. As far as high moments of my day, the bird and the sunrise definitely win and that's what I'll remember as I fall asleep tonight.

Wow, a debate about the issues.

What a concept. I watched the senatorial debate this evening. Indiana candidates for the US Senate Evan Bayh, Democrat, Todd Young, Republican, and Lucy Brenton, Libertarian, stood calmly behind their separate podiums on a stage and thoughtfully answered questions posed to them by Ken Owen, a good, no nonsense moderator. They didn't yell, demean each other (well not much) or rant on about personal affronts. They simply stood there and answered the questions. It was actually quite refreshing. I must say I was quite impressed by Libertarian candidate, Lucy Brenton. I admit I'm also partial to the name. I've never voted for a Libertarian candidate before but there's always a first time. I doubt that she'll win but I won't be surprised if she gets a higher percentage of the vote than any prior Libertarian US senatorial candidate in Indiana

early bird and early boat

I'm used to seeing an occasional boat on the river I watch from my balcony; usually in the evenings cruising from a nearby restaurant. This morning, about 7am, while it was just getting light I saw a boat (pontoon type) chugging along at a sedate speed. I couldn't help wondering where it was going at that time of day. If they're serving breakfast on the river that might be fun.  I wouldn't have even been looking at the river except I happened to spot my white bird again. A few days ago I saw the same white bird swimming along the far bank of the river. I think it must be some kind of crane. It's all white with a long neck but it's body isn't as heavy as a goose or swan. It's very pretty and graceful but it looks lonesome and it doesn't stay around long. I've only seen the one. The geese and ducks who float by here are always in flocks or at least little families. I'll keep watching to see if another one shows up.

Dictionary Day

According to my nifty October calendar, today is "Dictionary Day." Thinking about that, I started scanning my book shelves to see what dictionaries I own.  Strangely the only dictionaries I can find are two old Scrabble dictionaries.  I actually used one of those several months ago when a friend was visiting and we played Scrabble. Now I'm trying to remember the last time I used an actual dictionary in book form. I think it must have been four or five years ago at work.  Doesn't life take strange twists? When I was in high school and college dictionaries and encyclopedias were must have books when it came to writing reports.  If you had told me then that a time would come when I would use something called Google to search out information "on line" (whatever that is) I would have said it was a wild science fiction dream. This past week my grandson had to write a two page essay for his astronomy class. He researched it on line, typed it on his lap top and turned it in to his teacher via
e-mail. So Happy Dictionary Day but I guess it's only for those of us who remember the fun of flipping through the really big dictionary in the school library - back before it was called the media center- and finding new, strange words. Ah, the joys of youth.

What a fun show!

When my friend invited me to attend a Barber Shop Quartet show this evening I said I would go but really didn't know what to expect. I know what Barber Shop Quartets are (not my favorite tyoe of muxical act) but this was a really different and fun variation on the theme. The performance was put on at Concordia High School and I was very impressed by their Men's Chorus, first by the size (at least 40 singers) and then by their truly excellent voices. The first half of the program was presented by them and by the Summit City Chorus who did a fine job performing songs like "Stand by Me" and "Pretty Woman" in a Barber Shop style. The second act was presented by the 2010 International Quartet Champions "Storm Front". Their act was filled with truly funny comic sketches, including the worst magic act ever. Even as I was laughing at their silliness I realized that under all the nonsense we were hearing some truly excellent  voices. All in all, a very entertaining evening and I understand this is an annual event at Concordia. Count me in for next year.

Wodlan vs Adams Central

Last year Woodlan played Adams Central (both undefeated) for the ACAC championship and won by one point in the final minute. Tonight they met again, again both undefeated, playing  again for the ACAC championship and, since it's my old high school, I am thrilled to report that Woodlan won again, this time by a score of 28-16. Go Warriors!! Oh, yes, I think it's worth a mention that the Woodlan mascot is still the Warrior. They showed the image during the sports report tonight, also a quick view of their mascot wearing red face paint and a huge Indian feather headdress. The mascot picture looks just as fierce as it ever did and maybe that's why Woodlan teams haven't been challenged on calling themselves the Warriors. It's kind of hard to claim to be insulted or put down by an image that is so obviously powerful and proud.  Go Warriors!!!

creepy clowns and Ronald McDonald

Recently there have been sightings of creepy clowns around the country.  I haven't heard that any of these weird early Halloweeners have actually committed any crimes but I haven't actually been paying that much attention. Until this evening, that is, when I heard that McDonald's is taking their clown Ronald out of circulation for the time being. I'm not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand there are people like my daughter who think all clowns are creepy and never liked Ronald McDonald. On the other hand can't most people appreciate the difference between a bright clown with a big smile and big feet and a creepy clown with fangs and blood dripping down their mask.  Does McDonald's really think that pictures of Ronald in their ads will drive people away from their Big Macs and yummy fries?  Or, pardon my suspicious nature here, is this an opportunity for McDonald's to get a whole bunch of free publicity?  Noooo, that couldn't be it.

25,000 meals bagged

Tonight, for the third time in three years, 120 people - teens and adults - from our church gathered together in a "Kids Against Hunger" evening of measuring, mixing, bagging and boxing 5000 bags of dried ingredients. Each bag makes five meals of nutritious soup. Our particular batch will be going to the Philippines. We did it in teams of 11 at a long table in an assembly line fashion and managed to finish the job in under two hours. The most fun for me was the fact that all of my grandkids were on my team along with other family members and friends. Lots of teasing and silly banter made the process fun and we still finished our quota of 540 bags in very good time and hey, wow, we just got some coverage on 21 Alive News. A good night's work all around.  Happily there are no existing pictures of me in my ultra fashionable red hair net.

a technology triumph???

I'm always a little amazed when I do something on my computer that I haven't done before or solve a problem I haven't faced before. This evening for instance, I needed to print out some postcards. The lady I work with had emailed the layout to me and all I needed to do was print them out, both sides, then cut and address them so I can mail them tomorrow.  We're only talking nine postcards here, three sheets of postcard stock. My little old printer behaved like a champ, Printing out color copies that looked really good except for one small detail. The first practice sheet I printed out had some bold black lines running down the center and across the bottom. Not a good look if you're trying to attract someone's attention with a post card. Now here's where the mystery comes in. After that first sheet, I sat at my computer, clicking keys, pulling up the postcard image in three or four different ways and suddenly, hey, presto, I could print out a nice clean copy. So while I'm patting myself on the back for getting the job done, I'm deep down admitting to myself that I really don't have any idea what I did and no idea if I could do it again. Ah well, this temporary!!! job is bound to end soon so I may never need to do it again, right???

Native American Day

According to my nifty October calendar today is "Native American Day". I tried to think of something profound to say about that but all that comes to mind is an incident I remember from several years ago when my husband and I were traveling out west.  We visited much of the beautiful (in a hot, dry way) southwest over many years of summer vacations. The particular incident I'm remembering happened somewhere in Arizona or New Mexico in a small city on the edge of a reservation. While we were sitting in a blissfully air-conditioned fast food place enjoying lunch and watching the traffic go by I happened to spot a pickup truck stopped at an intersection.  What caught my attention was the fact that two burly young Native American men were riding in the cab of the truck while a little old gray haired lady rode in the back in the truck bed. Picture "Beverly Hillbillies" without the rocket. My women's lib instincts surged to the surface and I was half way out of my seat ready to run outside and - and I'm not sure what I thought I was going to do - but my calm, common sense husband said "Leave it. It's their culture and none of your business." I know he was right and I know things aren't always as they appear on the surface but I still don't have to like it.

Another Day, Another Debate....

Well, I've watched another presidential debate.  Both candidates stuck to their guns. No great surprises in what either of them said. I don't know how it played with the 'undecideds' but I expect it didn't change the minds of any who were pretty sure who they would vote for before the debate started. It didn't change my mind. I thought the most humanizing minutes of the debate were at the end when they were each asked if they could say anything good about the other. Hilary complimented Trump's children and he said she was a fighter. Nice to know they can still think positive thoughts. That and Hilary's suit were high points for me.

dating was never this hard

I saw a delightful play at Bishop Dwenger High School this evening. It was called "Check Please" and was a series of blind date / first date scenarios. Each scene was a young man and woman meeting in a restaurant. There was one reference to a mutual friend but all the rest seemed to have met on line. The really bad dates included an old lady with a walker, a man who wore only burlap, a mime, a girl who spoke only in text short hand and so much more.  Finding the right man or woman should never be this hard. I think I'm glad I dated before the match.com era.  I only had two blind dates in my life. One was a dud but I married the other one. Since I am single again now, the idea of trying out an on line dating site has flitted through my mind.  Not after tonight.

"Wait Until Dark"

I saw an excellent production at Arena Dinner Theater this evening.  I have seen several comedies there over the years, always fun, but this was the only drama I've seen there and I wasn't sure what to expect. If you remember the old movie from many years ago, it is the story of a blind woman pitted against some really bad guys who have gained access to her apartment while she's home alone. In this production all of the acting was very good and the staging, with very effective use of lighting and non-lighting certainly helped build the tension. A young friend of mine, Chip Davis, did a fine job acting the part of the husband, but Emily Arata did such a amazing job of acting blind that you completely forgot that she wasn't. At least I don't think she's really blind???  And, to top off a great evening, I found, among the paintings for sale (they display the work of different artists for each production) a perfect birthday gift for my daughter.

an interesting question

What would you pick for a super power if you had the choice?  This question came up the other day with a friend who is a lot younger than I am. We discussed the possibilities and she thought she would like to be able to fly. That does sound good. I could take a flying leap off my balcony and soar out over the river but I might run into a goose and that could be messy. Doing magic has always seemed like the best super power to me. Many years ago I loved to watch the TV show "Bewitched". I thought being able to wiggle my nose and have the house instantly cleaned or any other problem solved seemed like a fine idea. Alas, try as I might my nose doesn't twitch. I think that I am actually approaching one super power - invisibility. The older and grayer I get the less any one seems to notice me. It's very freeing.

A coincidence, I wonder?

Last evening they announced on TV that today is "National Walk to School Day" It seems like a fine idea but I didn't think much about it until this morning when I looked at my nifty October calendar and discovered that today is "World Teachers Day."  Now I may simply have a suspicious mind, but I can't help wondering if a bunch of teachers (or is it a 'trouble of teachers'/)  got together and decided that it would make their special day much more enjoyable if their little charges were exhausted and ready to sit still when they got to school. Not a bad plan.  The only flaw I see is that, generally speaking, it's only adults who are worn out after a long walk. Kids are just energized.

the vice-presidential debate

I wasn't expecting too much from the vice-presidential debate, but I must admit it got pretty heated at times. They both did a great job of defending their own ticket mate. I think if Trump is as smart as he thinks he is he'll shut up and let Pence do all his talking until after the election.

Another special day

According to my nifty new calendar, today is "Techies Day." Who knew? Since I was married to one, gave birth to one and am Grandmother to four Techies I guess I'm glad that they have a special day. I also have many friends who are Techies.  Now here's my conundrum - do I tell them all that they have their own special day? If I do, will they expect presents and cake? Should I plan a big Techies party each year? I can see this getting way out of hand. Perhaps I just won't mention it to anyone.

Do you name your cars?

I received a very interesting October calendar on the back of my Apartment news letter. It notes on several days what is special about that day.  For example today is "Name your Car Day."  This will please my grandchildren who are always adamant that I should name my cars. My most recent cars have been named ;Belle" my Buick Rendezvous which I had for seven years.  The Granddaughters named it.  The Disney movie "Beauty and the Beast" was quite popular at the time. Before that there was 'Rose" my red Buick Century and even earlier 'Goldie' a gold color Ford Escort station wagon. I can't remember any names further back but looking at these, with the exception of Belle, it seems that I unimaginatively name my cars after their color.  So it should come as no surprise that my current car, a blue Fiat 500L, is simply named "Bleu." In honor of my daughter-in-law, the French teacher, I am giving it the French spelling. Other than that absolutely no originality. Maybe I'll name my next car Balthazar or Cleopatra. Or, more likely, my next mode of transportation will simply be called 'Bus'.

I walked the whole four miles.

I wasn't the very last one in, probably because there were still marathon runners coming in.  I did get my medal (everyone who finishes gets a medal) and I did hear my name over the loud speaker, probably because there wasn't anyone else coming in at the same time. I started out in a group of 3,200 but walking into the ball diamond there were only about four of us in a very loose group. A couple of people along the way told me I was an inspiration. Nothing like gray hair and a cane to get the sympathy vote. But the big question is will I walk the Fort for Fitness four mile walk next year? Nope, not planning on it. Maybe I'll be one of the volunteers passing out water or beer. The beer was handed out somewhere in mile three, and, even though I'm not much of a beer drinker, it tasted wonderful. Maybe I shouldn't work the beer stand.