Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch Changes!

First the down and dirty nitty gritty:

For the past year and a half we have been managing a golf course...  more accurately we were involved in a lease option to purchase contract.  We had the opportunity to spend two years on the course, check out the business and the area and decide if we wanted to take the leap and purchase.   Well... to put it simply we found within just a few months after taking over that we would not be purchasing.  There were significant problems with the property and the business that were not disclosed to us.  Finally, it appeared to all parties involved that it would be best for us to be released early (8 months early) from our lease period.  The release papers were signed and we literally jumped in our pre-packed truck and trailer and drove away with dust billowing behind us.

Now the good part... the very good parts:

I am very close to my family again,

We are somewhere we have always enjoyed,

We can hear ocean waves crashing at night... 

and we have a new pretty big project on our hands!

Gotta find our hammers and paint brushes.

 

and by the way... 

Happy Halloween to you all!

We had our very first trick or treaters knocked on the door a few moments ago... two brothers perhaps 5 and 6 years old dressed as knights!  The younger boy's helmet covered his mouth but his parents explained who they were dressed as. They said the boys were the knights of the round table.

   

I was pretty impressed and was curious how the boys had been introduced to those stories at their young age...  turns out I did not have the right knights.   

Their Dad chuckled and explained that the boys recently got into watching 

Monty Python's Holy Grail... 

so they were dressed as THOSE knights of the round table... silly me!

Stay tuned for pictures of my Grandson Donovan's Halloween Costume this year and lots of photos of our new project.  We are tearing out walls, putting up fences, re-plumbing the plumbs. 

Makes me tired just thinking about it!  Tired and very happy!

TO THE RESCUE!

 

 

 

As the scene unfolds we find our hero relaxing, enjoying his afternoon... and then the phone rings.   

 

 Always at the ready, Super Donovan responds quickly as he knows he must.   

 

 

 

 

 

"Don't worry Momma and Auntie Bethy! I will be safe... but for now I must MAKE HASTE!"  

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I wonder what super power will be needed this time. Leaping tall buildings with a single bound?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Or perhaps bending steel?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Wait... 

I think I know just what is needed..."

 

 

 

 

RUN AND LAUGH!

  

 

 

AND LAUGH AND RUN!

 Ladies and Gentlemem note the blinding speed with which Super Donovan moves... it is difficult to catch it on camera he is so fast!

 
"Well... my work here is done and my Momma said I did a great job with all that running and laughing business."  

 

 

 

 

 

 

A mere 5 minutes later we find our hero:

Happy Halloween!

  Here we are again already... the wheel has turned, harvest is in...

(yes I had a harvest... finally)

and time for family gatherings before winter makes her appearance.

 Not goona say whose family this is.

Wild Thing!

Anyhoo, I am anxiously awaiting photos of Donovan's costume this year.  Last year if you recall his mother made him a wonderful "Max" costume from "Where the Wild Things Are".   

He was a bit more horizontal last year so she didn't have to worry about the practicality of his outfit. Look at the great claws on the hands and feet!  Love it!

This year though he is mobile... and is he ever! 

 He likes this walking around business and keeps everybody on the move.  I just love how they take off in a direction they are not supposed to go and then turn around and look to see if you are following them.  They train us well.  

He also likes to make noise... not talking yet but singing and vocalizing at all levels.  I hear he really likes the stairwell because of the echos it makes. 

Rumor has it he will be the man of steel this year. I am hoping to see photos soon... hint hint.






We had some goings-on this year at the course so  I was slow to decorate.  I actually did not dig my decoration box out until early this morning and pulled out some of my favorites and placed them around the clubhouse. Just a few though this year.  We sent out a coupon for half price if people wear their costumes and I thought it would be best that the participating golfers be greeted with some halloween decor. 

I also did a fast  search on the internet for some fun pictures, for inspiration, and of course searched around on Etsy.

I just love Etsy.  One of the artists on Etsy does Dia De Los Muertos sculptures and I have linked to the shop on halloween before. I figured I might check her shop and she what she had going on this year...  she did not disappoint. Not as festive as the one I posted before... but I like this one.. It is called:

Best Friends Forever

 

J.T. Nee Sculpture Etsy Shop

Nice.

 And now for your spooky viewing pleasure...

The night was dark and dismal... (isn't it always!)

Anyhoo...

  The night was dark and dismal, yet the form of the unknown might now in some degree be ascertained. He appeared to be a horseman of large dimensions, and mounted on a black horse of powerful frame. He made no offer of molestation or sociability, but kept aloof on one side of the road, jogging along on the blind side of old Gunpowder, who had now got over his fright and waywardness.

     Ichabod, who had no relish for this strange midnight companion, and bethought himself of the adventure of Brom Bones with the Galloping Hessian, now quickened his steed in hopes of leaving him behind. The stranger, however, quickened his horse to an equal pace. Ichabod pulled up, and fell into a walk, thinking to lag behind, --the other did the same. His heart began to sink within him; he endeavored to resume his psalm tune, but his parched tongue clove to the roof of his mouth, and he could not utter a stave. There was something in the moody and dogged silence of this pertinacious companion that was mysterious and appalling. It was soon fearfully accounted for. On mounting a rising ground, which brought the figure of his fellow-traveller in relief against the sky, gigantic in height, and muffled in a cloak, Ichabod was horror-struck on perceiving that he was headless! but his horror was still more increased on observing that the head, which should have rested on his shoulders, was carried before him on the pommel of his saddle!

     "If I can but reach that bridge," thought Ichabod, " I am safe." Just then he heard the black steed panting and blowing close behind him; he even fancied that he felt his hot breath. Another convulsive kick in the ribs, and old Gunpowder sprang upon the bridge; he thundered over the resounding planks; he gained the opposite side; and now Ichabod cast a look behind to see if his pursuer should vanish, according to rule, in a flash of fire and brimstone. Just then he saw the goblin rising in his stirrups, and in the very act of hurling his head at him. Ichabod endeavored to dodge the horrible missile, but too late. It encountered his cranium with a tremendous crash, --he was tumbled headlong into the dust, and Gunpowder, the black steed, and the goblin rider, passed by like a whirlwind.

~From "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving 

 

Where the Wild Things are on Halloween!

A man's first Halloween costume is an important thing.

It might just set the tone for the rest of his future costumes and might even hint at bit of his personality. So since Donovan is unable to choose his outfit for this special evening his mother Amber thought long and hard about what costume to bestow upon her son...

she thought and thought, toiled and troubled... and look what she did!

No pumpkin or cat will this lad be.. nor a race car driver or even a vampire.
Instead... he is a wild thing.
Stand back.... be careful!

In his Grandma's mind.. and I am sure in his mother's mind as well...
he is King of the Wild Things...

No not Don King... but King Donovan!

TAAADAAAA!

Let the wild rumpus start!

Pick your poison

Ahhh yesssssss. 'Tis the season and our thoughts turn to pumpkins, witches, spiderwebs, ghosts, spooks, and monsters. It certainly makes sense in our macabre state of mind at this time in October that there have been numerous horror movie trailers and horror movies of the week being played on television.

You know the ones... Scream 1, 2 and 3... Poltergeist... Nightmare on Elm Street.. Saw 99... Halloween 172

blech.
No thanks.

I am not a fan of horror flicks even though I admit that I have seen a couple. I would argue though that the films of which I speak are not simply horror movies but instead they dance on the line between the "horror" and "suspense" genre. (I don't know if having your eyes covered during half the movie counts as actually "watching" a movie though.) But as I said, I will admit to having seen a couple.

Heck, I'll even admit to enjoying one of them...

But come on... gimme a break!
What a story that was!

Shh... quiet.. think about it now... and listen to your memories. Can't you just hear the tires of the little boy's big wheel going round and round on the carpet down the endless empty hallways? I remember it clearly and thinking about it now I can hear the little bump sounds the wheels made when he rode over the strips joining the carpet as he went around the corners... and what exactly was he going to see around the corner!?!?!

Phew.
Don't wanna think about it right now.

As I was saying, I personally prefer a good spooky suspense type movie/story that makes you sit on the edge of your seat. I know it's just a matter of preference though, because there are (obviously) tons of people who love horror flicks. Some folks LOVE movies with blood splashing, knives flailing, and chainsaws roaring... the more blood the better. People running and hiding INSIDE the actual house where the raving lunatic killer is located instead of running away from the danger. Nope. I'll pass.

YOU go ahead and stay to see what is behind that blood covered door...

I am outa here!

I prefer the story... the suspense... resorting to gore is just too easy. That is not 'scary'... that is just revulsion. There is truly an art to 'the startle' or 'the scare' in word or on film.

Ever try to write a scary story or tell a frightening tale? Your audience is always trying to guess the outcome, what is around the next corner... I guess it's hard not to. Human nature I suppose. I even know quite a few people who read the last chapter of a book, or even just the last page before they ever start reading the first page! Or now with the internet try to look up spoilers regarding the story line and/or outcome of a movie before they go see it! Now what's the fun in that!?

But the peeking around the corner, reading ahead in the book, opening the present early is just people try to avoid the surprise... even though the surprise is exactly what they want... and if you think about it... they didn't really avoid the surprise they just found out about it early and usually out of context. Kinda funny huh?

It does not matter though. Folks just want that little burst of adrenaline. Just a little adrenaline is intoxicating isn't it? Just go ask someone in law enforcement, a bank robber, or an X-game athlete.

A little harmless scare is fine for me. I will pass on the nightmares that a movie like the Excorsist would give me thank you very much. If I am going to watch or read something scary to get in the mood this time of year it would most likely be one of the classic yet unreal type stories. I don't care for the realistic daily news type of tales. I was a probation officer for too long reading police reports, looking at crime scene photos trying to come up with a way to explain what actually happened to a judge. The real stuff wears on you. So, I will pass on the 'real life' scary stuff. Beleive me there is a big difference between the fantasy and the realistic.

For example.. this guy is great fun:

That character may be very loosely based on a real person... and even more so on that person and a combination of old mythological stories. However, he has been providing many years of frightening fun... because he is unreal.

However, one of the inspirations for that character was this guy:

Vlad Dracul... perhaps better known as Vlad the Impaler. Now, he was real... and truly terrifying. See what I mean? Not so much fun anymore is it? Now, if you don't know much about this Vlad the Impaler guy, and you don't like REAL horror stories... then don't look him up. Trust me on this one.

I will stick with the mostly imaginary tales.
Some favorite scary stories:
Edgar Allen Poe's The Black Cat, The Tell-Tale Heart,
The Cask of Amontillado...

Some scary movies:
Just about anything directed by Alfred Hitchcock... all day long.
The Rear Window, Vertigo, The Birds, Rebecca,

and THE classic scary ass movie...
Psycho.

Some others are Frankenstein, Dracula, Bride of Frankenstein, Young Frankenstein.

Some of my favorite monsters?

Cookie, Animal, Godzilla, Wild things, Bride of Frankenstein, Nazgul / Ringwraiths.

My not so favorite monsters?
That's easy:

Either way, it is Halloween time!

Have a fun and safe Halloween! Choose your frights carefully.

Remember... don't be afraid. It's all in your imagination.

Isn't that right... Norman?

Forgotten Trees and Winter cuts in

Winter is making her appearance and
there is nothing anyone can do to prevent her arrival.

She is tapping Autumn on the shoulder saying...

"Thank you my dear. I WILL be cutting in now."

Autumn's dance this year was short and sweet.
Now she has to find her shoes and her handbag and make her way home.

David and I are also hoping to skip out of here as soon as possible
so that we can start on our next adventure in *? *
before Winter makes it hard to get around.

As I am writing I have some lentil soup in a pot upstairs for lunch and I can hear the stove popping behind me. Yes… that would be the wood stove. The weather has definitely taken a turn and it has been a struggle getting the temperature to break a high of 50 degrees the last few days. As for the low here is what my little weather widget told me a couple mornings ago:

EXPECT A KILLING FREEZE. A FREEZE WARNING MEANS SUB-FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE IMMINENT OR HIGHLY LIKELY. THESE CONDITIONS WILL KILL CROPS AND OTHER SENSITIVE VEGETATION.

That's ok. Really it is.

None... I repeat none of the plants I put into the ground came up this spring / summer as it never got quite warm enough at night, and never got quite enough water during the day. Bad gardening year up here apparently. However, even with the cold and the onset of winter, I have to say I think that autumn may be my favorite season.

The colors have changed and leaves are starting to fall. Every where you turn you are surrounded by tones of rusts, yellows, greens, browns, and reds.

A fallen leaf is nothing more
than a summer’s wave good bye

It looks like a fiesta and in many parts of the world this is the time to relax and enjoy the past year's toil. The spring and summer long nurturing of crops is finally over; it is time to bring in the food, and settle in for the long wait through winter until spring. There is lots of partying going on this time of year and the vibrant mixed colors of the surrounding landscape just seems to lend a lovely décor to the partying attitude.

(I bet she dances that little deer right into the freezer!)

Speaking of parties, David is on a group email address list for one of his friends... we will lovingly call him Napa Valley Matt. Well, Napa Valley Matt sent us an invitation for an Oktoberfest party in St. Helena. Folks are to bring their dancing boots, a flashlight, and you are assigned a dish depending on the initial in your name. Oh yes and since it is an Oktoberfest there will be beer and since it is in the wine country... well, there will be wine. It sounded like great fun and if we happened to be in the wine country in the next couple of weeks we would definitely join in. And for those of you who don’t know… in case you are feeling bad for those California folks and their year round sunshine? There still are visible seasons and the wine country is as beautiful in the fall as it is the rest of the year.

Halloween time back home is fun as well. While I have never gotten my act together in time to go, an old work buddy and his wife have a Halloween party each year and I love hearing and seeing the photos of the costumes people wear each year. I am sure they will have another this year for which I bet they are plotting and planning right now. I can not wait until November to find out the details!

However, along with the celebrations Autumn is also a time of year that makes people contemplative and maybe even a bit blue.

I suppose it is the odd contrast of the joy of harvest and the melancholy of the year coming to an end. Maybe our response is a reflection of what is happening in nature. The riot of color that we see and enjoy in the leaves and plants... is actually occurring because the leaves are dying. A cycle is coming to a close. Happiness, relaxation, contemplation, ...death. Some pretty heavy emotions. That is probably the reason we have several universally themed type holidays coming up in the next month or so...

Man oh man I just love Halloween!

Pomona
Roman goddess of Fruit Trees

The Forgotten Trees
Good grief. Pomona must love the U.P. because everywhere you go when driving around the countryside there are apple trees.

Apples everywhere growing wild.

When you come across a single apple tree standing alone in the middle of the forest it quite possibly might be a bird turd tree. (technical landscaping term) However, others you can tell were once part of someone’s homestead as there are several trees are still growing in a row. David and I have been driving around in the middle of nowhere and we have seen hidden amongst the maples and pines small abandoned orchards with numerous trees.

The one thing in common this time of year here is that these forgotten trees whether one or fifty is that they are absolutely bent nearly double with apples. Apples that are turning just as fiery red and yellow as the maples that are slowly over-taking them.

As you may or may not know, apples have quite a history... from the story of the Garden of the Hesperides, the Isle of Avalon (probably from the Celtic word abal: apple), the Norse myth that apples provide eternal youth, the Judgment of Paris, Atalanta's race, Hercules' 11th trial, and then of course there were these two characters.

Sometimes the apple's history was good, sometimes not so good...
It sure got Paris into a whole lot of trouble.

Either way this fruit has been around a long time, and I can see why. These forgotten trees are survivors. The house belonging to the person who planted the trees may have long since disappeared back into the earth. Any remaining barns, wagons, horses, or even automobiles might also be found buried somewhere under these tree's boughs. To be honest, not only has the sower of the seed probably long since returned to the earth as well… it might be a good bet that so has his or her descendants. Yet the apple trees continue to grow and give fruit. They thrive even when there is no one left to pick them. No one that is but the birds, deer, squirrels, and bears.

So, in honor of the resilient apple... and the buckets of apples filling the pantries of all our neighbors... I have included my mother's apple cake recipe below.

Very tasty, very easy, great for home and potluck alike.

The rules are follow the recipe once, then adapt as you like in future bakings. ::wink::
I don't quite use the whole amount of sugar but I eyeball it anyway
so you are going to have to figure it out for yourself.

Apple cake
First batch mix in this order stirring with a fork:
1 egg
1 cup sugar
2 cups rough chopped Granny Smith apples
½ cup chopped walnuts
¼ cup oil
Second batch mix in a separate bowl:
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg.

Add the dry mix from the bowl into the apple mix and stir well. This will be thick and it might seem like there are too many apples and not enough batter… that is just the right consistency. Pour into 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 pan spreading with spatula. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. This recipe easily doubled to put into a 9 x 13 pan. (Granny Smith apples are the bright green tart apples.... I know I know ! That is not a granny smith in the picture. I just had used them all so did not have one to photo.)

I am rich today with autumn's gold,
All that my covetous hands can hold;
Frost-painted leaves and goldenrod,
A goldfinch on a milkweed pod,
Huge golden pumpkins in the field
With heaps of corn from a bounteous yield,
Golden apples heavy on the trees
Rivaling those of Hesperides,
Golden rays of balmy sunshine spread
Over all like butter on warm bread;
And the harvest moon will this night unfold
The streams running full of molten gold.
Oh, who could find a dearth of bliss
With autumn glory such as this!
- Gladys Harp