The munchkins and gnomes will be swarming over the neighborhood soon. Trick or treat hours are from 4 to 7 and it is now 3:10PM. It should be fairly warm and the rain has mostly passed us by so I expect quite a crowd. Hope we have enough. I have five or six bags plus a bag of graham cracker thingies that I can draw on if we run low.

Wonder if we will have any UNICEF collectors this year. It has been a while but I heard some advertizing about it on the news.

Only four more days til the election. I wonder how long it will take for the results to be known. There are already questions about the absentee ballots and about the ballots that have been sent to some areas that are incorrect. My Cadfael Book of Days had a great quote the other day.

God fixes the term, not men, not kings, not judges. A man must be prepared to face life, as well as death, there is no escape from either.

Ellis Peters

We must just face life and vote our conscience as best we can. Trying to sort through the issues and do what is truely for the common good.

I wish you insight.

Mary

What a nice day. It is the end of October and the temperature was up to 66 degrees. I went out and pulled a few dead plants and brought in some of my garden decorations. I had one crack on me last winter so will not take a chance on that happening again.

The Town of Sheboygan (our community) is having their trick or treat tomorrow from 4 t0 7. Kind of silly if you ask me. After all Halloween is SUPPOSED to be All Hallows Eve, the evening before All Saints Day. But we are ready. We have LOTS of candy.

Dick and I always sit out in the garage for the three hours and just wait for ghoulies and ghosties so that Chelsea doesn't get too upset.

So - as the old English Blessing goes.

From ghoulies and ghosties and long leggity beasties and things that go bump in the night - Dear Lord deliver us.


Mary

Here it is Thursday, almost the end of October. This weekend will be a really busy one with the change to daylight savings time and Halloween all rolled in to it.

We still are not sure when the trick or treaters will arrive. Different communities are setting different hours and even different days. Most are sticking to the REAL day, Sunday, the 31st between 4 and 7 or so but Sheboygan (the city) has chosen Saturday between 5 and 7 which means that as we live in the Town of Sheboygan, we don't know WHEN to expect the little "monsters", goblins and ghoulies.

My brother Jeff and I were talking about Halloweens past. Mother is going to find the pictures of us as kids in our costumes. One year she dressed Jeff, who was a really little, scrawny kid at the time, up like a little old man. At that time they had Halloween parades that marched to the park and prizes were given for the best costumes. Jeff won that year. He told Mother he didn't see a thing. His hat and mask fell over his eyes, I had a hold of one hand and Nora the other and he just was dragged along. He remembers that he got 50 cents or something like that for his prize.

When we were really little I remember wearing costumes that Grandma Bowser had made for her kids. They were quite elaborate as I remember. I think there was a fancy Gypsy costume among them.

Have a good Friday.

Mary

usier day than I planned. We went shopping this morning, then bottled the Rhubarb Wine. It needs aging but does have a pleasant taste as is.

Then I started the Marigold Wine in the primary. I needed to clear the marigold petals out of the freezer because I needed the space. I am making two gallons of the Marigold this year because it was so good last year.

Then I made the mistake of starting to clean out the cupboard next to the dishwasher. It mushroomed and I ended up cleaning it AND the spice cabinet. Now I am tired.

I am going down to sew anyway because that is my fun for the day. I found a great pattern for a Halloween wall hanging to make for next year. It is a spider web with orange and green bugs on it. Sounds like fun doesn't it?

I have a lot of overripe bananas. I will have to make a banana cake this weekend.

Here is the recipe that is the best and the easiest that I have ever found.

Banana Cake

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas
1/2 cup sour milk (you can sour it with lemon juice or vinegar as most people don't keep sour milk around.)
1 teasp. baking soda
1 teasp. vanilla
1/4 teasp salt
1 1/2 cups flour

Cream first seven ingredients. Add salt and flour. grease 9 X 13 cake pan. Bake at 350 Degrees for 30 minutes.

Frost with cream cheese or chocolate frosting. Your choice.

Have a great Wednesday.

Love.

Mary

One week from tomorrow is the election. It seems rather early in the month but with the old rule - The first Tuesday after the first Monday in November - that is the big day. I am settling in on my choice. I have found some sites that are giving me the candidate's positions on the issues.

One rather interesting site is www.votingcatholic.org. It has a quiz and compares the candiates postions and the church's positions to your answers. Quite revealing.

Tomorrow we are going grocery shopping. I need to get lemons and raisins. Believe it or not I need both those things to make the Marigold Wine. I finally have enough empty jugs and all so I can get to work on it. I figure I'll be able to make two or three gallons of it. It really is one of my better scratch wines. Next summer it will be ready. Ask for a sample.

Remember the ponchos that were popular back in the 70s. I crocheted a ton of them but did not KEEP even one. They are back. I think I will make another one. They were nice. I have a little yarn to start with and can pick up a skein or two to finish it. I haven't crocheted since I make that afghan for Bobbie a few years ago.

Have a nice evening. I am going downstairs to work on my table runner.

Love

Mary

Our quiet Sunday turned out a bit more hectic than planned. I was spending some time down in the den sewing at about 1:30 when Dick called me up. His right eye was all red and he felt that his right ear was plugged so we went to the walk in clinic. That is the slowest we have ever been cared for. We finally saw the doctor at 3:30. She was very efficient and thorough and diagnosed him with pinkeye. So it will be drops for the next five days and very careful washing of hands etc until that is cleared.

The Packers won handily. By the time we got out they were ahead 17 to 6. They won 41 to 20 so we did get to see a lot of really exciting footbal including a 90 yard touchdown by Green.

Tonight I watched Damian II with Jim. Now I am closing down and heading for bed.

Hope your week is just fine. Mine should be quite quiet. Fine by me.

From the Cadfael Book of Days.

"A pity, a great pity there should be so much hurrying on of death, when it's bound to reach every man in its own good time."

Slow down and enjoy the now.

Love

Mary