Be safe on Halloween

Image via WikipediaFor so many people, Halloween is their favorite day of the year.

Maybe I have just become a crotchety old woman, because I don’t necessary share that view. There may be a little of that, but mostly, I am just saddened by the way things have changed in my lifetime.

Halloween was a magical time for me

While I have fond childhood memories of Halloween and I loved participating in the seasonal festivities when my two children were young, times are very different today. Attitudes have changed. Horror and violence seems to permeate our society. The world is a much scarier place than it used to be. Much of the innocence during the time of my youth is gone.

Like all kids, trick-or-treating for me was just so much fun. Not only was it all about the candy and playing dress-up, but it was also all about endurance. Trick-or-treating reinforced the lesson that we must earn the things we want. There were no hours imposed back then, so we were able to go out from dawn until dusk, picking up as much candy as we could.

It was especially fun when Halloween fell on a Saturday. I can’t count how many times my older brother visually mapped a course for us so we could swing home to empty our bags, only to go out to fill them up again, without much back-tracking where we’d already been. When I was really little, we lived in the City of Chicago, in the Back-of-the-Yards neighborhood.

I’ve seen those very neighborhoods where we used to innocently collect candy house-to-house, on the news. Gunshots are commonplace. Murder happens on a much-too frequent basis. It is certainly not the same place it was when I was a kid. I cannot imagine what it would be like to be a child there today.

When I was seven, we moved to the suburbs. Safety was never a concern when I was a kid—at least that I was aware of. I recall some of those outings on Halloween. Once I was a sailor, dressing in my father’s old Navy uniform. Another time, I wore my cousin’s prom dress. I was a princess. We never considered buying a costume. We always used what we had; we always improvised.

Fun with the kids

Halloween was big when my kids were young too. I recall the parties at school when all the kids dressed up, usually in homemade costumes. Their grade school would hold a parade where all the costumed kids would walk dutifully around the school grounds. Some of the moms and neighborhood seniors would come to admire them. Then they would have a party in their classrooms. Some of the costumes were really clever.

We lived in a small town, where everyone knew each other. The neighbors pretty much watched over the kids. Homemade goodies still appeared in trick-or-treat bags. That isn’t advisable anymore. In fact, it is now recommended not to eat, say an apple, because people have actually placed razor blades inside them.

I think my dislike for Halloween began when my daughter came home from school one year with a tube of fake blood one of her friends had given her. She wanted me to put it on her face so she would look really scary. I refused. I told her there was no way I wanted to see her beautiful face covered in blood—fake or not.

Even when my kids outgrew it, Halloween was still fun for me. I worked for a local newspaper, so at times, I took pictures of some of the most interesting costumes.

I enjoyed watching some of the little kids amble up the steps of our big, front porch in their often over-sized costumes. Often times the little ones were accompanied by their parents. Seeing them had an atmosphere of being like visiting with neighbors. As the little hands reached into our big plastic pumpkin filled with candy bars, gum, and suckers, it was like they were on a mission. Most of them were polite and said thank you before they walked away. If they didn’t their parents would remind them.

Halloween started to lose its luster for me

Every year there were more and more kids. It was hard to judge how much candy to buy. It started to get really expensive. Almost every year we had to sneak to the local grocery store to buy another bag or two, just to get through the night. Sometimes the store ran out too. The designated time was usually only three hours, but in that time, it was often non-stop kids that came in droves. Many were unknown to me. Some were clearly not of an appropriate age for trick-or-treating. Not all of the kids originated in our town; they came from the country and even other towns, by car. The traffic became horrendous.

Finally when the porch light went out at the designated time, to signify that trick-or-treat was officially over, the little witches and goblins returned home to admire their stash.

That was when the trouble would begin. In our small town, when the police were summoned, it was usually for petty incidents of smashing pumpkins, stealing lawn decorations, or other types of mischief. But that isn’t always the case, according to crime statistics. There are real concerns for kids these days.

So many people are armed with weapons; some are concealed, some not. Not only does it seem that people are less protective of kids, but they are less tolerant of them as well. Violence is glorified on television, in video games, and in music. Horror is celebrated. We seem to be totally desensitized to violence in general. An unhealthy obsession with death and destruction seems to accompany Halloween.

I’m not certain when Casper the friendly ghost turned into Freddie Kreuger, but I know I just don’t like it. I abhor violence of any kind. Crimes have become more heinous than ever before. And crime statistic generally show an increase on Halloween.

I know kids today probably love Halloween as much as I did in my youth, but for me, the thrill has been replaced with extreme caution.

So how ever you plan to celebrate Halloween, please just stay safe.

Looks fascinating, doesn't it?

l. to r. Ryan, Kenni, Kasey, and John 

Sometimes I really have to wonder about my family.

This was the scene in the living room the other night, quite the distraction from a good night of television viewing. My husband John, that's him on the right, saw three of our four girls first. They were obviously enchanted by something on the ceiling. We couldn't see a thing, so we were really perplexed about what was so enticing up there.

Finally, I looked up again only to see a bug walking along the tiny craters of our popcorn ceiling. Gosh I hate that stuff, but it was here when we bought the house. I have no idea whatever happened to regular drywall.

At any rate, apparently this brave critter was hiding behind one of the popcorn kernals, probably aware that our kitties would make short work of any critter of the non-feline or canine variety. The poor thing was probably hanging on up there for dear life.

Finally, John rescued us all, paper towel in hand, as he squished the thing.

Alas, all the excitement was over, but not before I could grab the camera to capture the scene for all eternity.

By the way, there is one more cat in our household-- JR--and a dog named Shadow, although they were amusing themselves in other ways at the time.

So this is Autumn…

I don’t mind saying that the coming of Autumn is a relief after the blisteringly hot summer we have just experienced here in Arkansas.
Probably the best way to measure the summer of 2011 would be in my garden. Sad place…I’ve had some real challenges since moving to the natural state, from the Illinois bread basket of the nation, but this year was the worst.
This year’s challenge has been the deer that ate all the fruit and tops off my tomato plants. But even absent the hungry rogue deer, I can’t imagine that I would have seen many home grown veges.
But it isn’t over ‘til its over. As the growing season winds down, my tomato plants are flowering once again. Things are looking good in the garden.
Flowers, severely pruned thanks to rogue deer family, are growing once again, and looking vibrant. The last rose of summer syndrome has taken over the garden once again. For me, that just translates into pure joy. 

Got Quirks?

Image via WikipediaI suppose we all have our quirks. I never realized some of my own, until I started to really think about it.

This morning, while eating a bagel, it dawned on me that I always eat the bottom of the bagel first; I leave the top of the bagel for last. I have become Robert Barone!

He was the character played by Brad Garrett on the vintage hit comedy, Everybody Loves Raymond. Robert's quirky habit was to touch his chin with his food before putting it into his mouth to eat it. I always thought that was weird. I'm not much different, since I now realize that I have to look at the underside of my bagel before deciding which is the right side to eat first.

I do have a method to my madness, however. The bottom of a bagel is usually bigger; it is crispier when it is hot, fresh from the toaster. The top is smaller, and less dense, so it stays crisp longer.

I started thinking about it and realized there are some other "rules" that I happen to live by:

• When eating a hot dog, the opening of the bun has to be on the left side. I have no idea why, but it just doesn't feel right the other way.

• The toilet paper always has to roll from the top down. My daughter describes this behavior as a family trait. Apparently she has inherited the 'toilet paper from the top' gene.

• When eating corn on the cob--and this is tricky--the kernels must be eaten from left to right, one row at a time. When holding the cob the large side must be on the left.

• If there are two pieces of candy, and one is bigger than the other, I will always eat the smallest one first, savoring the best for last.

• The same holds true for crackers. The broken ones are eaten first, leaving those fully in-tact for last.

• When cooking, I always use is the right front burner.

• When putting on shoes, first both socks, then both shoes, right one first.

• I prefer pizza cut into squares, rather than like pieces of pie.

I'm sure there are many more examples of my own quirky behavior, but I'm at a loss as to what they are right now. I wonder how many people think about these things? I asked my husband his thoughts on the subject.

He rolled his eyes a bit and said simply, "I don't pay any attention."

Do you do things every day that others might consider quirky? Have you ever thought about such behavior? Let me know. I'm really curious.

We must remember the whole story of 911

Image via Wikipedia
For the husband who told his wife I love you one last time before his plane went down in a field, for the wife who stopped in the stairs to call her husband to say I will love you forever, for the mothers and fathers who kissed their kids goodbye the morning they died, for the policemen who rushed in with the firemen to help get others out only to die themselves, for the soldiers who fought back and lost their lives. today, tomorrow, ten years from now, we will remember.


This statement was posted on my Facebook page by a well-meaning friend on the morning of Sept. 11, 2011, to commemorate the tenth anniverary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, and Pentagon.


While I agree wholeheartedly with these sentiments and vow that we will always remember that terrible morning when a country lost her innocence, this is not the whole, complete story. We must not forget some of the hideous results that followed that horrible day.

We went to war with a country that had nothing to do with the events of Sept. 11. We went to war based on lies. 


In Iraq alone, since March 19, 2003 when the occupation of Iraq began, there have been 4,474 members of the military who have died. Of those who survived, 320,000 veterans have significant brain injuries. How many came home missing limbs? How many committed suicide?


Yet, that pales in comparison to the loss to the Iraqi people killed due to the U.S. invasion of Iraq. That staggering number of dead is upwards of 1.4 million people, which also includes mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, and brothers. There were also 348 journalists and 448 academics killed in Iraq. This is according to the website, http://antiwar.com/casualties/list.php

I for one, will not forget them either. Nor will I forget that they were murdered as surely as the victims in the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and aboard Flight 93. The worst part is that they were murdered in our name. 
These staggering numbers do not even include the invasion of all other Middle Eastern countries in what has resulted in the longest and costliest military action in our history. I cannot even conceive of the financial price we've paid, because frankly, when it comes to trillions of dollars, I just can't get my head around that. 


So on this solemn day, isn't it time to consider that perhaps there is a better way to solve our problems? I mourn for the loss from that horrible day, but I also weep for those who have died because of it. I certainly hope we remember the entire story.

Computer woes solved!

I cannot begin to total all the hours I have spent trying to get my ancient computer to operate efficiently, or at some times, even at all. My husband and I, each have at least 20 years experience with computers. We devoted countless hours and all we have learned over the past 20 years to try to solve my problems. It still wasn't enough. Last Saturday, thanks to an offer at Staples that we just couldn't refuse, we broke down and bought a new computer.



That was a week ago. I am now happy to say that I've finished downloading, transferring, and even tweaking some of my favorite old programs. I am writing this blog post on my new computer (and old software). I'm getting to know and understand Windows 7. I'm sure that in time, I will be as thrilled with it as I have all the previous versions I've used (all of them). 


It is pure joy to be able to turn the computer in the morning and watch it start, as it was intended. My old computer refused to do that. It would restart itself, intermittently, sometimes six or seven times, before it finally loaded my desktop.


This new computer, by Hewlett-Packard, has much more memory on board too, so I can listen to music, play a game, and download incoming mail, all at the same time.


I've decided that one of my favorite things is tweaking software. I might even be addicted to it, if that is possible. While function of a program is of course the most important, to me, that is followed only by how it displays. With a tendency toward art, color is very important to me. The right color can change my mood; brighten my day. It can also have the opposite effect, if it just isn't right. 


I tweaked my new Windows 7 to use a desktop theme based on my favorite photo--a sunflower that I shot myself and that I happen to love. Other colors are set to a pale lime green with partial transparency. Nice!


When I started my Microsoft Office 2003 software, I opened MS Word. The program displayed a hideous bright blue color that was painful to look at. It was oblivious to the pretty theme I had just created. I'm a writer. Trying to write when the ugly color on the screen stabs the eyes is not a good thing. When I ran this program on my old Windows XP-loaded computer, I was able to tweak all the colors of the various components. But, with Windows 7, the theme default colors don't translate into Office programs.


So, to have that bright blue from MS Office in the way; well, that would never do. I finally found a tweak online that I tried and it worked. It involved changing the setting for default colors in the Office 2003 settings back to a more pleasing gray that blends nicely with my other theme colors. 


By the way, I've tried to retrace my steps so I could give a shout out and hearty thank you to the brilliant person that revealed this illusive tip, but I can't find it again. 


If that person ever sees this post, my heartfelt thanks. 

This summer sucks!

It's official--I don't like summer--at least not this summer anyway. 


With temperatures hovering well into the triple digits for days--as high as 114º yesterday--things are looking pretty grim around here. Most of my plants are dead; only one or two flowers remain close to the porch. That is only because I water them. Even my house plants on the shaded front porch are suffering even though I water at least every other day. There will be no fresh tomatoes to can this year--at least not from my garden. I am beginning to feel like a shut-in because it is just too hot to go outside. 


Thank goodness for Netflix. We have taken to watching movies during hot afternoons or evenings. 

The weather has taken its toll on the wildlife as well. Deer have actually come onto the front porch to eat my flowers. That may not be weather related--it might just have to do with the rascals thinking they can get away with gourmet dining at my expense. They already ate a hibiscus and newly-planted crab apple tree. 


Their behavior does seem rather odd, however. For a time they were here every day. There was a buck, a doe, and two fawns. I haven't seen any of them lately. I'm sure they abandoned our desert landscape in favor of river or lakeside property. And who can blame them? 


The hummingbirds which generally flurry from flower to flower and to the sugar-water feeders we keep on the porch, are now just sitting listlessly on the feeder, their long beaks parted. It is so sad. This morning while watering my plants, I found one had died in a pot of coleus. Just yesterday I saw her perched on that pot. 


We have tried to keep the bird bath full and cool.


I have always been fond of the rain, which is now so scarce. The drought is getting very serious. The last nice rain we had was in June. I can barely remember the dance of the raindrops and gentle sounds, not to mention the smell of it. Chanel No. 5 has nothing on the scent of rain in the woods.


There has been some rain in the area; showers and some storms have popped up on radar images. And we did get a few drops the other night, but it was hardly enough to wet the sidewalk. The clouds seem to form close by only to go some place else to release their precious moisture. Instead, the outdoors now smells like a newly-mown hay field--which is in reality just dying Bermuda grass. It is hard to believe that we enjoyed 11 straight days of rain yielding more than 30 inches just a few months ago. 


As August marches on, there will be more moderate temperatures, at least for a little while. It won't be long before I harangue about how cold it is outside and how I feel like a recluse again. Funny how that works?


It isn't just the weather that promises annoyance. During this respite from the out of doors, the news was all about our country's political divide and lack of compromise among the nation's leaders. During the winter months, we can look forward to the 2012 campaign season which promises to highlight perhaps a greater political divide.


Yes, thank goodness for Netflix.