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The Lure of the Moon
So far, this post has generated more personal comments to me than any other of my newspaper columns. People tell me this one is clipped, and hanging on their fridge. We start out by identifying clear boundaries: You cannot hide on the roof (anymore), inside of cars or, definitely, in the house. Warmer Octobers, unlike this one, have, in the past, led us to impromptu games of Ghost in the Graveyard. While summer traditionally holds hosting rights to this game, October offers an enticing venue for this nighttime version of hide-and-seek for two reasons: primarily because it’s a frightful game, tying in perfectly with Halloween, and secondly, and more importantly,…
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He made it
He fought an uphill battle all week to get ready for this night. The little storm trooper had a little trouble keeping up with everyone else, and his helmet kept bugging him bu he completed the night halfway through by saying, “I have everything I need.” Ahhh, to feel complete.
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That bag ain’t heavy; it’s my brother’s
The boys are concerned that little brother will be too sick to go trick-or-treating, and, horror of horrors, will get NO CANDY! So, they’ve devised a plan. The little boy made his very own H1N1 sign (“How do you spell H1N1?”) and drew an unhappy swine. The brothers will take the photo, along with an extra bag for candy, and trick-or-treat for him.
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Talks about color and temperature
The flu has arrived here — we have no idea if it is H1N1, or if there is something worse yet to come. But it doesn’t really matter. We are alive, and we’re all taking very good care of each other. We started with the herbs right away and the Oscillo stuff seemed to help the most. Although the sickness seems to have affected the grownups less severely than the little ones. In fact, it is the littlest one who is the sickest. His cough is so persistent and you can see in his eyes just how worn out he is from coughing. He evokes pity. Last night, a friend…
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Turn A Pumpkin Into A Pie
Making a pie from a pumpkin is as easy as baking a potato. Yet, some of you are as mystified as Cinderella’s stagecoach by the whole concept of turning a pumpkin in a pie. It’s so easy! The important thing to remember is to “let the oven do the work for you.†Just like a baked potato. Let me show you: First, you need a pie pumpkin — they are much smaller than regular pumpkins. Wash your pumpkin, and cut it in half. Scoop out the seeds — and roast them. Next, place your halved pumpkins, cut side down on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in the oven at…
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Head Lice Prevention with Rosemary
Two letters have already been sent home from school this week — “Headlice in the classroom.†Who wants to deal with the laundry, the chemicals and incubation periods? Not me. Some local hair salons are selling over the counter spray, full of Rosemary Essential Oil, to prevent the lice from even thinking about jumping on your head. But you can make your own cheaply. Rosemary is a great lice preventative, because headlice cannot breathe through the smell of rosemary. It’s pretty easy, and inexpensive, to make you own head lice spray. Here’s how: Pick up a bottle of rosemary essential oil, which you can find at Whole Foods. Just put…
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Cook Fried Chicken AND Soup at the Same Time
I’ve been telling all of my friends about Tessa Kiros’s method of making two meals at once by first boiling your chicken, and then frying it — because I love multi-tasking. (Really, I like taking the night off once in a while.) I stumbled upon this recipe while reading the House Beautiful review of Tessa’s new cookbook, Falling Cloudberries: A World of Family Recipes. I ran out and bought my own copy. The book is part memoir, part cookbook, (400 pages!), coffee-table style. Exquisite — reading it is like traveling to Europe for the afternoon. Boiling the chicken first ensures the chicken is done — and simultaneously gives you a…
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Our Search For the Great Pumpkin Continues
We started our search at the barbershop, where I managed to squeeze four boys into the cue before the lunch crowd hit. There were some grumpy old men sitting in those chairs while they waited for one boy, then another… and then… well, you can imagine. “Never before have I had to wait so long to get a daggone haircut,” one said. “I kept my head buried in a magazine.” Next, we stopped off at my favorite kid restaurant while my 13-year-old ate a plate of meatball sliders (must try this recipe at home); the other kids ate pizza, while I had the goat cheese bruschetta with the chopped salad.…
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Casper and Casper Junior
I found this idea for lighted outdoor ghosts in that crafty magazine that Lowe’s sends us every three months. This would be a complete no-brainer — unlike all of those other Halloween outdoor decorations. However, we made some adjustments that were kind of skipped over in the magazine. We took a tomato cage and wrapped Christmas lights around it. (I just happened to have a very large topiary.) We stuffed plastic grocery bags inside another grocery bag for a head, and used a rubberband to secure it to the cage at the top. Then, we covered the cage and with an old sheet and the other one with an drop…
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