Fall Fun: A Mystical, Magical Weekend, Part I

What a weekend we had!  I'm going to post in two parts, as it is very dense with photos and texts and fun.

Friday:
On Friday evening, our school hosted it's annual Halloween festivities, this year outside as "Trunk or Treat."  Various parents volunteer to decorate their cars and pass out candy; there are also games and a bake sale.  We were there right at opening time--Sis as Black Widow and Bud as Link  (from videogame Zelda)--because experience has taught us that the check-in line gets long quickly.  The kids had 30 tickets for visiting the cars (this prevents multiple visits and un-registered visitors) and some tickets for games and such.  And I let them go . . . . they wandered around the school parking lot with friends, while I wandered around with the other adults.  It was chilly but not the worst we've had (one year it was cold AND so windy that we lasted about 15 minutes, enough time for the kids to make one circuit.)  There were lots of cool costumes--'50s waitresses, (too many) zombies, Katniss, various witches and princesses, a cute Barney, a chunky mouse, My Little Pony.   It was a great way to kick off our Halloween season.  Only one more year of this--I'm going to miss it.

Saturday, through the afternoon:
After our usual kung fu and ice skating, we took off for annual visit to the faerie houses at the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme (see 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2009.  We've gone every year (except when they took a hiatus for a scarecrow exhibition, 2010) since it began.  It's one of our favorite family traditions and permeates our fall and spring as we make our own faerie houses.  This year the theme was Whimsical Castles.

Here are a few of my favorites.

Merida's castle tower and standing stones, one of my favorites.

Hagrid's hut

Hobbit hole

Not a faerie house, obviously, just a colorful handprint on a tree from some other program.

As usual, I like doors and gateways, especially those set in trees.

  

  

And I preferred the more natural-looking houses to the ones made of painted plywood, found objects,  etc.  In fact, the bright green Oz and gold Thai palace, among others, seemed out of place.  

  

 As usual, the kids' favorite part was finding the hidden object in each castle--Merida's quiver (or was it her bow?), the Sword in the Stone, the little bear--some were much easier than others.  (But at least they were all there; one year, we looked and looked for a hidden object, only to learn later that i had been missing for days!)  It wasn't too crowded and the people there were friendly and well-behaved (one year, we kept coming across children who were touching and moving and even breaking things, without any hindrance from parents.  This drives me to distraction.)  It was another great faerie house year.

We had a little time before our dinner reservations so we took the kiddos to the Stonington Lighthouse Museum.  It's a mid-19th-century stone house light, with an easy 29-spiral step tower.  I think it was the kiddos first lighthouse climb!  And they really enjoyed the visit.  Besides the tower, we looked at the various exhibits, including the cistern uncovered below (visible through glass in the floor), antique doll's house, map of lights on Long Island Sound, and other local historical objects.    There was also a fourth-order Fresnel lens, like the one which would have been in the tower.  The kids were pretty amazed that the lighthouse keeper would've climbed the spiral steps and even gone out on the ledge around the light to clean the windows--it was high and narrow, without much of a rail.  Even though you can't even go out on the ledge anymore, I went downstairs before everyone else, a little nervous for the height.

After the museum, we headed for dinner in Mystic, to a seafood place on the river.   The view (nothing like fall colors and white houses lining the water, typical New England) was great, the food just as good.   We could even see the ship where we were having our Girl Scout overnight in the distance.  We supped on pumpkin soup, clam chowder, a seafood pasta, buttered fish, and oysters, with a delicious tres leche cake for dessert.  I was a little edgy--having been the person to organize the trip and the responsible person during the overnight--and kept checking the time (besides, I'm recognizing how anxious I am on a regular basis, but that's another post.)  I couldn't be late after I emailed the troop to be on time!  But we managed to finish dinner and even take a few pictures along the river before heading a few miles down the road to Mystic Seaport . . . .  and then it was time for the big part of our weekend to start.

Fall Fun: Halloween Begins

Tomorrow is the first of a few of our Halloween celebrations.

In a way, we started this evening by "BOOing" some friends.  The kids were BOO'd on Tuesday night--in fact, it scared a few of us.  Mama and I were downstairs, with the kids upstairs, when we heard a distant knock.  The cats all jumped and Albus even growled.  But when I went to check the porch, which door was locked, there was no one.  And Bud said he had been banging around.  But a  bit later, a friend beeped me on FB, hoping it hadn't been too late to leave something on the step.  And there it was--our BOO bag, with candy and such.  So, tonight, we returned the favor, packing bags of toys and candy for a few friends.  We delivered them to a few people this evening (we have a few left.)

Tomorrow is our school party, with lots of kids, costumes, and candy.  We donated about 10 lbs of candy (meant to give just 7 but accidentally sent our bag of candy into school, too.  C'est la vie.)

We still have a few preparations to make--need to get out our favorite Ghostie to hang in the tree and our big orange metal candy bucket, get pumpkins and mums, buy more candy, and catch up on the decorations on the kids' trick-or-treat bags.  See, each bag has little doodles representing their costumes each year, but I don't think we're all caught up.  Here's a list, as I recall it:

Sis (in order):

1. a black cat (2005)
2. a gnome (2006)
3. Baby Jaguar, from "Diego" (2007)
4. vet (2008)
5. Kenai, from Brother Bear (2009)
6. firefighter (2010)
7. Harry Potter (2011)
8. Pikachu, from Pokemon (2012)
9. Quidditch Harry Potter (2013)
10. Legolas (2014)
11. Black Widow (2015)

Bud (in order):

1. pumpkin (2005)
2. a gnome (2006)
3. Mama Jaguar, from "Diego" (2007)
4. Yankee baseball player (2008)
5. Denahi, from Brother Bear (2009)
6. knight/Jedi (2010)
7. Harry Potter/Hermione (2011)
8. Ash, from Pokemon (2012)
9. Percy Jackson (2013)
10. Frodo (2014)
11. Link (2015)

And as I was thinking of what they were for Halloween, I started recalling a lot of my costumes.  I'm missing some, but here are mine, in no particular order, except generally:

• Tinkerbell, with actual jingling bells 
• a pink princess, with bric-a-bac on my diaphanous gown
• Princess Leia, with a tinfoil necklace Gommie made, just like the one in the ceremony scene
• Col. Wilma Deering, of "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century," all in white
• Scarlet O'Hara, in one of Gommie's old prom dresses and Bammie's black fur stole
• Diana, Goddess of the Hunt, with a Moon headdress and a bow and arrow (5th grade?)
• Black cat
• medieval lady--I have vague memories of going in my Ren Faire outfit, with a flower garland
• Sherlock Holmes, with cape, Deerstalker, and pipe (high school)
• Belle, of Beauty and the Beast (freshman year of college)
• Clown in Black and White outfit
• Witch/Hogwarts professor, complete with scarf (church)
• Goody Bassett/colonial woman (church)

Ni Hao, Beijing!

Gommie and her friend Granny Q are on the other side of the international dateline, in China, for two weeks of touring.  We're following along on their itinerary--today is their tour of the Forbidden City and hutongs; tomorrow is the Great Wall and a kung fu show.  Later, pandas, terracotta warriors, a tour of the Yangtze River and Three Gorges Dam, and finally a long visit to Shanghai, where Granny Q's son and grandchildren are.  No doubt it'll be an amazing trip.

Fall Fun: Autumn Nature Mandalas

Having seen some natural mandalas on Pinterest as I continue my exploration of Zentangle and mandalas, I took a little time today to find some colorful leaves--all but the purple ones are from the nursing home where my current hospice patient lives; the purple ones are from our Japanese maple.  

The following photos are just my first attempts.  I can see collecting more leaves, fallen branches, and other items.  The white rocks are kind of "cheating" since they were bought and put in our garden.

You know the most remarkable thing about these mandalas?  I sat on the ground to make them!

Can't wait to try it with the kids . . . .

(Vague memory:  I used to build designs and even little structures on the beach at the bay house.  One time, my Aunt J asked what I was doing and I replied, "Building a temple to Poseidon."  I was really into classical mythology then.  She then asked if I believed in the Greek god of the sea and, while I didn't answer, I realized that I believed he was as probable as any Christian God, prophet, or saint.  Usually my memory of this event focuses on the discussion, but today I had a clear sense of the house made of driftwood, shells, and such.)

Applepalooza 2015

Well, that never happened on Applepalooza before:  it snowed on us!

Okay, more particularly, there were light and short flurries, but, still.  Snow.

It was a great day, even with the flurries and the chill.  The sun peeked out a few times.  And I'd warned everyone to dress warmly.  We also kept the fire pit burning (over its new bed of protective gravel and bricks.  Yay, Mama and kids!)

And, of course, if you give kids a campfire, there must be s'mores.  I think every child--and there were 23 kids (and 25 adults)--had at least one, if not more than one.  And more than a couple of the adults ate the extras.

Almost all of the rest of the food contained apples:  apple pies, apple crisp a la Paula Deen, apple cranberry walnut pie, apple walnut bread, two apple upside-down cakes, baked apple rings, caramel apple dip, salted caramel apple oat bars, apple doughnuts, my apple bourbon bundt cake from the NYTimes, even an apple/leek/cheddar quiche that disappeared so fast Mama never got any.  So many delicious, tasty, yummy (just add more adjectives here) foods!   Mama spent most of the party tending fire and making apple foil packets with caramel or granola to put in the coals.  The apples practically melted along with the caramel.  There were some non-apple items:  pumpkin bars, ghost sugar cookies, and  carrots and garlic dip, which Bud loved.  Plus mulled cider and hot chocolate, of which the kids drank something like 15 cups!

It was a wonderful group of people, some new to our parties but mostly veterans.  We were missing a few of our usual friends (we missed you, Mama Teacher!  And Miss S!) because there is just a plethora of fall activities--sports, scouts, birthday parties.  In fact, I was shocked that we still had almost 50 people.  There were neighbors, bus friends, church friends, playgroup friends, historic house friends, and a coworker of Mama's.  I tried to talk to everyone, but it's hard, especially as I spent extra time with two newcomers--the friend from Mama's office and my friend/ASL teacher and her family.  At one point I realized that we had people from China (not just Mama), Switzerland, Vietnam, (and people with ethnic backgrounds from Thailand, Italy, Ireland, Russia, etc) and, in the US, Texas (not just me!), NYC, and, of course, Connecticut.  Several UUs (obviously), culturally Jewish family (but not religiously observant), Catholics, Baptists (not Southern Baptist Convention), Methodists, Russian Orthodox, and who knows what other religions (I'll guess Buddhism), plus those who aren't.  Lots of bi-racial kids, a few children on the Autism spectrum, and two people who are Deaf.  And of course, lesbians (though, really, only Mama and me.)  There were even a few Republicans and a few men; sometimes the husbands--and the Republicans!--shy away.  I like that we have a variety of interesting friends who mingle so well together; it's always fun when they hit it off and enjoy chatting together.

The kids played on the swingset, climbed on top of (and jumped off of) the little plastic playhouse, played soccer, played chase, colored the driveway with chalk, and climbed trees when they weren't eating.  The tree climbing scared me because they got so high, but, since it wasn't my kids, and the parents were watching pretty diligently, I didn't worry too much.  It was a new sensation for me not to hover, but Sis and Bud fed and entertained themselves without begging or clinging to us.  I think they had a great time (and they had been amazing helpers in the days and hours of cleaning and cooking and setting up beforehand.)

I love these kinds of casual, comfortable family parties (I'm much less enamored of hosting more formal dinner or cocktail parties or luncheons, though I've put together numerous less formal gatherings for my friends.)  There were lots of impromptu parties in the neighborhood in which I grew up:  hurricane parties, crab boils, same big birthday parties.  They always seemed to be in our backyard.  I remember lots of adults, lots of food, and no supervision for hours at a time.  I loved them.  We kids would make up performances, play in the yard, eavesdrop on the adults (whose tongues were always loosened), wander the neighborhood (usually riding bikes in the cul-de-sac or walking to Target.)  There were lots of sleepovers with friends after these parties, too.  Later, the parties at the bay house were very similar, but with relatives not neighbors (we had moved from that neighborhood when I was 14 or so; no parties in the new neighborhood; we spent more time at the bay.)

My Aunt Sis had her own bay parties--big, weekend-long events with cultural or historical themes like the Renaissance or Pirates or King Arthur or France--which were attended by people from all over.  I only got to BayFest once, I think, for Camelot.  I spent most of the weekend with my cousin who has Down Syndrome; we made flower wreaths and baked shortbread from a medieval cookbook my aunt had.  Later, we stayed up late with other cousins, looking at the constellations with my uncle.

As for our own parties, they started in Chicago with our annual Christmas ornament swap and open house.  These were pretty much all-lesbian affairs (no one in our group had kids; partner pairings changed each year!), drawn from the coffeehouse and chorus.  Everyone brought an ornament and hung it on the tree and would then take a different ornament of their choosing home with them.  Once we moved to Connecticut, we had parties starting when the kids were little.  We settled into a cycle:  an indoor brunch for Groundhog's Day and then an outdoor celebration aka Applepalooza.  (We also host a small cookie-decorating party for a few of the kids' friends around Christmas; for a few years, we had a big cookie swap for my adult friends.)  At most of these parties, our dear friend Miss S would arrive first and early, staying until the very end.  But not today . . . .

Today, we dedicated Applepalooza to Aunt Sis and Miss S, both of whom died this year.  They both really loved a good party and so, with a small sign to that effect, we threw one today in memory of them both.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Apple Cheddar Leek Quiche

Single Pie Crust (prebake as per directions on box if purchased, or prebake weighted for 15 minutes at 350)

Leeks (I used 3) chopped

Apples (I used 2 Macouns - but would try granny smiths, mutsus, golden delish) peeled and chopped

Butter or Olive Oil (About a TBSP)

Pepper (we don't use salt)

Ground Nutmeg (I grate it myself)

5 eggs

1 c cream/half n half or your choice (I used light cream)

1 cup shredded cheddar (I used New York sharp shredded by Cabot - my favorite dairy company).

Bake your pie crust.  While doing that, saute leeks and apples with butter in frying pan.  While sauteing that, beat eggs and cream, add pepper and nutmeg.  When apples are soft, and leaks are browned, they are done.  Pie crust is done too by now.  Add apples and leaks and cheddar to egg mix, pour into pie crust, bake at 350 for about 40 minutes.  Quiche will be puffy when you take it out of the oven, then settle a bit.  I used a toothpick to make sure it was done in middle.

Apple Slices

Peel apples.  Slice and remove seed circle.  Put in ziploc/bowl and squeeze lime juice all over slices.  Oven at 350 (I had it at 325 and I think that was too low). Cover baking sheet with foil (spray or grease cause they will stick).  Prep a bowl of cinnamon sugar to your taste.  Take slices and dip one side in sugar mix.  Place sugar side up on sheet and back to your liking.  40 minutes would make the thin slices crispy.  Experiment with how your family likes them.  I prefer thicker and still a little juicy, but original recipe called for crispy (and no lime juice-I added that for more of a tart taste).  Also, next time I'll add some grated nutmeg to the sugar mix, and use big apples to make it easier to cut out the middle and make true circles.  

Relax this week, my friend.  Seems like you've been quite a busy camper!  Thanks again for your hospitality yesterday - the mulled cider was banging!

Judi


Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars

Apple Bourbon Bundt Cake

Paula Deen's Apple Crisp

Fall Fun: Leaf Peeping

After our usual morning of kung fu and ice skating (plus a visit to a friend's tag sale where Sis scored a lovely old portable art box and I got a little picnic basket with a divider to protect pie), we headed way north to the Icelandic Affair, a festival Mama had heard about from work.  It's a small festival with a lot of interesting foods and features.  We mainly went to see the furry ponies, a special Icelandic horse breed.  We arrived just as they started showing off the horse's gaits.  Sis was fascinated and hopped, quite literally, at the chance to ride one of them.  She grabbed hold of the mane, put her boot in a stirrup, and hoisted herself up like a champ; the horse's owner was impressed and let Sis walk around the green without guiding her.  Sis's face just lights up when she's near horses or almost any animal (she enjoyed meeting an Icelandic sheepdog from the RI search and rescue.)

Bud liked the food:  a hot dog with Icelandic-type mayo and mustard and fried onions, trout and Icelandic butter, gravlax on rye, a special seven-thin-layer pastry called Vinarterta (with almond and cardamom flavors and some thin layers of jam and lots of butter cream), some chocolates, a thick vanilla yogurt called Smari, some caramels, and a cardamom sweet roll called something with an S. Mama liked all the food, too.

And I scored with a beautiful sweater.  I had walked past the table when we arrived and saw the black and rainbow-colored hand-knit sweater out of the corner of my eye.  When I went back it was still there, marked "Large Sweater Dress."  And it fit me!  Perfectly. Not as a dress, but as a long sweater (I have a very vague memory of a later 1980s long, multicolored sweater trend--I had several dark ones with rainbow patterns, machine knit, though.)  As I paid the lady, I heard someone turn to a friend, "You snooze, you lose."  I guess someone hadn't quite committed to the sweater.  I loved it.  And I got several compliments as I walked around.  Mind you, hand knit!  It took 36 hours and it's not variegated wool--those are all individual color changes!  And you can't see where the knitter changed rounds.  It's beautiful.

After the festival, we went to a nearby state park for a little leaf-peeping.  A dramatic, cloudy sky and some near-peak foliage made it a perfect day for taking in the scenery.  I love fall foliage and rock walls, of which we saw a lot.  And took copious pictures, after which we stopped by one of our favorite shops, Nodine's Smokehouse, and picked up some ham, meats, and other tasty goods.  It really was a glorious day, from beginning to end (actually, the real end was the kids playing a Beta-test of a new Zelda game and my baking an Apple Bourbon Bundt Cake for Applepalooza tomorrow.)

First Few Weeks of Fall

An update on our fall to-do list:

Done

1. Church in-gathering celebration:  we took water from our rain gauge, excited that it had finally rained
2. Make faerie houses:  our first ones circled the silver maple
3. Comic Con:  always fun, like a big geeky Halloween party
4. Matilda:  excellent!
5. Spring Awakening (adults only):  a fantastic evening of ASL and musical theater, in a story about drastic consequences resulting from miscommunicaitons between horny German teenagers and their parents
6. School Open House:  another year has started!
7. Prepare Halloween costumes:  We have Black Widow and Link all ready to go
8. Nature walk or bike ride:  I'm going to count the Sept GS bike ride.

POSSIBILITIES

1. Applepalooza (our family fall open house, with apple desserts):  it's coming up
2. Apple picking
3. Pumpkin picking
4. Decorate a pumpkin
5. Roast pumpkin seeds
6. Make apple or pumpkin butter
7. Corn maze
8. Florence Griswold Museum Wee Faerie Village--SOON
9. Block Island weekend--SOON
10. Knitting retreat--SOON
11. Indigo Girls concert--SOON
12. Scout overnight at Mystic Seaport--SOON
13. piano recital--now in December
14. Make a leaf pile
15. Trick or treat
16. Backyard fire with foil dinners and s'mores
17. Tent in the backyard
18. Go to a football game
19. Boo gifts for friends
20. Amish Friendship bread
21. Paint pinecones
22. Make candles or soap
23. Yarn!
24. Explore sourdough bread recipes
25. Vote
26. Make pies
27. Get out mittens, hats, scarves, sweaters, etc.
28. Pull out quilts and blankets
29. Watch Halloween film (is it time for Hocus Pocus?)
30. Change fire alarm batteries

NOT THIS YEAR

1. Renaissance festival:  NO, missed it this year
2. Church Harvest festival--NOPE, we missed this

Juggling

I have a several proverbial balls in the air right now.  And while I can juggle, both figuratively and literally, the next few weeks have a lot to oversee.

Sunday morning:  I am the lead teacher for RE.  We'll be continuing our discussion of sacred spaces by exploring labyrinths, both as a metaphor for life or journeys and as actual structures.  The kids will be able to create a labyrinth with painter's tape on the floor or draw one on a paper plate to make a personal finger labyrinth.

Sunday afternoon:  APPLEPALOOZA!  We'll be having our sometimes annual fall family celebration with lots of apple treats.  I'm torn between making apple enchiladas and apple bourbon bundt cake.  We'll see if I don't make both!  It's going to be chilly--the high on Sunday is just 50F, a 20-degree drop from today practically.  So, we're considering lighting our firepit, which opens up all kinds of other recipes--roasted maple or sugar or caramel apples, various tinfoil apple crisps, who knows what else.

Monday afternoon:  I'm running our Girl Scout meeting.  We'll be working on a badge in American Sign Language over the course of two meetings.  They'll do an activity to make them aware of communicating without sound and then learn the manual alphabet; for homework, they'll watch any of a number of clips of deaf people signing to one another.  And for the second meeting, they'll meet my Deaf friend, learn some more phrases, ask about Deaf culture, and eventually, later in the semester, teach little girls some ASL.

Saturday/Sunday:  It's our Mystic Seaport overnight for Girl Scouts!  But Mama and Bud are going, too.  We'll do a "Seaport Sleuth" activity, sleep on a late-19th-century ship, and then in the morning the girls will climb the riggings!   I feel like I've been doing the voluminous paperwork for ages.

Sunday morning (a week later):  I'm teaching RE again.  No clue what that will entail.

Sunday afternoon:  I'm hosting a Wildtree Slow Cooker Freezer Meal workshop here.  I had such fun at the last one I attended--and as a bonus, everyone liked the food--that I chose to host one.  It'll be a small but fun group of friends.  Any chance to get together to chat and nosh is a good one.

Monday:  It's the second half of the GS-ASL class.

Whew.  Mind you, that doesn't include usual piano, kung fu, book club, ice skating activities.  Nor does it encompass possible trips to the Icelandic festival and the fairy houses.  There are also historic house tours, board meetings, hospice visits, at least one movie night, and three Halloween parties!  Plus all the usual laundry, housecleaning (minimal!), and dinners to shop and cook.  Then, after these couple of crazy weeks, we have our Block Island trip, Indigo Girls concert, my knitting retreat, then Thanksgiving here.  Whew.  For a change, December isn't crazy yet, at least compared to this fall.

Inside All Weekend

It was a weekend here in the north--clear skies, cool temperatures--and we spent the whole thing indoors.

But for good reasons:  we went to Matilda and to New York Comic Con (NYCC)!

This was the second October that we've done a Broadway-NYCC combo; last year, it was Les Mis and NYCC.  It's a great way to spend a weekend (even though no one in our family has Columbus Day off, which is fine with us--Columbus shouldn't be celebrated.  Now if it were First Peoples day . . . . )

What can I say about Matilda?  I didn't expect much, though I'd liked the performance at the Tonys two years back.

Everyone had said we would love it; and we did.   Even waiting for the show to start was entertaining, as we did the word search embedded in the proscenium--monster, phenomenon, acrobat, gymnast, joy, heart, incredible, shiny, burp--then, we noticed when the words appeared in the show.

 I had rushed to read the book earlier this week and the show doesn't materially veer from it, except in the addition of the story of the Escape Artist and the Acrobat.  The musical actually has more of an edge to it, particularly in the portrayal of the children and Matilda--this is clear from the very first, ironic (and sharp or minor-key, whatever the term is) song "Miracle," where parents sing about how their own kids are miracles, though they're clearly "naughty," too.  And from Matilda's iconic, defiant fists-on-hips pose.  

I was curious about the depiction of Miss Trunchbull--a strong, big, ugly Olympic athlete who isn't married and doesn't like children.  Think a butch Miss Hannigan.  Was this a caricature of a lesbian?  The character is even portrayed by a male actor.  (Think I'm nuts, just google "Trunchbull" and "lesbian.")  It's unfortunate, really, but perhaps the figure is such a caricatured and old-school stereotype that others don't notice it?  One would hope.   Though, the musical does give her a song about following the rules, which is a little sympathetic, in the way the book doesn't--except as a non-married, athletic, child-disliking woman, she is actually less traditional and rule-following than the musical implies.

The kids loved the show, which was very stylized and memorable.  The ABC song where the actors climb up on alphabet blocks while they are inserted in the scenery was amazing; the desks rising up and sinking into the floor were great, too.  And there was some imaginative puppetry for the telling of Matilda's acrobat story (reminiscent of Lion King.)  Even the choreography was angular and striking, while the songs were sometimes shrill to emphasize discordance.  Dahl's works are never cheery or simple--even good characters have edges and flaws--just like in the show.

All of which is to say "go see it" if you haven't already.  One of the best, for sure.  Our kids ranked it up there with Phantom and Wicked.

We spent Saturday night in the city--at the same hotel where Lambeth and Mrs Lambeth once stayed, over on 8th, with a cafe on the ground floor.  Clean, quiet, and well-located, it didn't have much character, but we weren't in the room except to sleep.  After the show, we stage-doored briefly and got the signatures of some of the adult actors (the children aren't allowed to come out) and took back to our room some cheesecake, chocolate egg cream, cream soda, and Cel-ray soda for our traditional post-theater snack from Juniors.  Then we watched the sunset over the Hudson, rested a bit, and had dinner at Virgil's, on my old block.  As we ate our barbecued ribs,  brisket, chicken fried steak, collards, greens, mashed potatoes, and sweet tea, we realized that Mama and I had been coming to this restaurant almost since it opened in 1994.

Sunday was for Comic Con at the Javits.  We'd been discussing and prepping for this for months.  Sis dressed up as Black Widow, in a black t-shirt and pants, utility belt, holster, and wristlets.  She focuses on the character's skill and strength as a spy.  Bud was Link, his favorite videogame character.  He only wore his Link t-shirt and green hat because he didn't want to carry the heavy shield and couldn't take the sword to NYCC.  I dressed up in 18th-century dress, plus tartan shawl and specially-crocheted cowl--yep, "Outlander."  I think I was the only member of my fandom there! But no worries, I had fun.  We did a lot of looking--looking at all the wonderful costumes, looking at all the merchandise for different fandoms--and a ton of walking.  We saw a couple of Links and Black Widows, lots of Link merchandise, some Black Widow.  There was a great little Maleficent, a wonderful Totoro, a beautiful Zelda, not many stormtroopers, lots of Harley Quinns, and some oddly underdressed people (what was with the guy in his underwear with a couple of Batman symbols hanging on him??)  We didn't do any autograph or photo sessions--last year, remember, the kids met "River Song"--but still had fun.  They say that want to go every year.  Considering that they haven't even started on "Firefly" or "Battlestar Galactica" or "Star Trek," there is still so much fun to be had.

We got home late afternoon, watched the "Doctor Who" that we missed (one of the more confusing episodes),  and fell into bed not long later, humming along to Matilda.

More Couch Love

We're all settling into and starting to enjoy the new couches, even though I've become "screechy mom"--"don't eat near the couch!" and "did you wash your hands before sitting down?"!!  (It won't last long because there will be a first spill, probably sooner than I'd like.)   I've even chastised Hermione cat a few times as she stretched and scratched.  Not that she really cared.  The cats are picking their spots.  Mr. P likes my seat in the corner, though sometimes he likes the ottoman, which is also Albus's favorite.  Hermione likes the back of the loveseat.  

As for people, we can all fit happily (and because the couches are the same support-wise, I can sit anywhere), if the cats aren't around, which is what we did last night when Goo stopped by.  After dinner--no more eating in the living room (screech!)--we all sat around playing SpaceTeam.  If you like cooperative games and science fiction, and have a smartphone or iPad/tablet, give the group game SpaceTeam a try (you must have 2-4 players on different devices on the same wifi network.) We had a great time playing last night, as we piloted our own ship by yelling commands at each other ("Switch on the hyperdrive!" "Set turboquark to 2!" and the like), shaking through asteroids and wormholes, while completing a certain number of tasks to advance--and some of them are really funny, like "infuse the tea!" and "alphabetize the bookshelves!" Such fun, wacky, like our own version of Spaceballs The Movie.  The kids love playing with Goo.

Fall Fun: What We're Reading

Fall is such a wonderful time for many things:  baking, pots of tea, crochet, watching movies, walking outside, and reading.  And my pile of books just keeps growing.  To give you an idea of my current interests, I've got on my proverbial nightstand:

• Wake Up! I'm Fat by Camryn Manheim, whom we just saw in Spring Awakening (the kids were very concerned by the title, thinking it was rude.)
• Matilda by Roald Dahl, since we're going to the Broadway musical soon
• Tea Fit for a Queen by Lucy Worsley, a Royal Palaces historian
• How to Live Well with Chronic Pain and Illness by Toni Bernhard, one of my favorite authors on Buddhism and mindfulness
• Perfect Pies by Michele Stuart, a local award-winning baker whose Australian pie is one of our favorites
• Exploring Midsomer:  The Towns and and Villages at the Murderous Heart of England by Chris Behan, showing actual locations used for one of my favorite shows, "Midsomer Murders"
• The Fairy Tale Girl by Susan Branch, whose watercolors I enjoy
• Voyager by Diana Gabaldon, third in the Outlander series (this one is actually on my Kindle, as is the one below)
• The Symbolism and Sources of Outlander by Valerie Estelle Frankel

The kids are blowing through several series.  Sis just finished re-reading various Percy Jackson books and hopes to start Egyptian books by Rick Riordan, starting with The Red Pyramid, soon; a new series based on Norse mythology just started.  Sis and I will be reading A Wrinkle in Time soon for her book club.  Bud is working his way through the Redwall books, trying to read them chronologically as they happen (not as they were written); I think he is on The Legend of Luke.  I sign their reading logs every night and they read so much that it's never the same book more than a day or two in a row!  I think they also have more than one book going at a time--the library books they get at school, the series books they carry back and forth, and the books on their Kindles, which we don't let them take to school.  So who knows what else they're reading these days.

Mama listens to Audible books.  She's been listening to the Maisie Dobbs books; before that, she was listening to Phryne Fisher books--yes, she's on a female sleuths in the early 20th-century kick.  (I've been reading those, too, but not at this moment.)

What are you reading?

"We Make These Look Good"

Giving it the scratch-and-sniff test.

Ode to a Couch

Today, we bid adieu to our old couch.  Seventeen years and three states.  We bought the couch for my first apartment in Chicago in 1998.  It was a Jennifer Convertible sleeper sofa, in a cream-ish weave.  I think it was my very first piece of furniture and I was very excited.  I had guests on that couch, including Lambeth and Mrs. Lambeth, Aunt Banana, and, later, Goo.  I don't remember the couch much in NYC, though I must have sat on it to work on my dissertation, pet our cat Morgan, and watch coverage of the tragic events of September 11.  It was in Connecticut that the couch came into the real center of daily life:  I slept on it for months partially reclining in an upstairs room when I was pregnant, unable to get comfortable in a bed fully horizontal and then spent the next 10 years with the kids on that couch.  We changed their diapers on it, held them when they were sick, read stories. fell asleep holding them.  Later, they'd sit on the couch and, more than once left markers uncovered, which stained the cushions--yellow, brown, blue.  By today, none of the cushions could be flipped over because of the stains.  Our cats Albus and Hermione also liked to use the edges of the couch for some scratching, though never as much as they could have.  In the last six months, it's really shown the wear, especially as I sat on it recovering from surgery.  There are water marks from where I'd put my drink down, condensing on the fabric, and tears in the weave where I'd rest my shoes.  It has been my favorite place to sit for a long time, curled in one corner or the other, leaning against the arm.  I've had dozens of wonderful naps on that couch; more recently, I've been sharing it with Sis, who sits on the opposite end, oftentimes, curled up behind my knees if I'm reclining (our new cats Mr. P and Mojo spent a lot of time in the beginning in that exact same place.)  Today when we stripped the sleeper bed, there were so many crumbs and dust, though no exotic finds--not even one of Bud's socks (probably because he preferred the loveseat.)  It was so clear that the couch had passed its glory days.  And, though it is gone (to the dump, no less--no one wants a 17-year-old sleeper sofa), we have found memories of almost two decades with it.

Rainy-Day Recipes

It's cold and wet and windy here--perfect fall weather for staying indoors with my crochet, cats, and cuppa.  I was inspired to make "Snickerdoodle Cake" yesterday when it was damp and chilly; today I'm making beef stew in the slow cooker with beef, carrots, potatoes, red pepper, cabbage, and green onions (also red wine vinegar and some WT Rancher's Steak Rub and Garlic Grapeseed oil; it's low FODMAPs.)  Because Sis's Girl Scout movie night was cancelled, we'll stay home and watch something together.  I even promised them hot chocolate when they got off the bus!  It's just that kind of day.


Cinnamon Bars aka Snickerdoodle Cake

2  cups flour                         2  teaspoons ground cinnamon                         1  teaspoon baking powder                         1/4  teaspoon baking soda                         2  cups packed brown sugar                         2/3 cup butter                         2  eggs                         2  teaspoons vanilla                         1/4 cup sugar                         1  teaspoon ground cinnamon                          1  tablespoon butter, melted

First, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan cook and stir brown sugar and the 2/3 cup butter over medium heat until butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat; cool slightly.

Line a 9x9x2-inch baking pan with foil extending the foil over edges of pan. Grease foil; set pan aside. 

In a medium bowl stir together flour, the 2 teaspoons cinnamon, the baking powder, and baking soda; set aside. 

 Now that sugar/butter mixture is cooler, stir eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture until combined.

Pour batter into the prepared baking pan, spreading evenly. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool slightly in pan on a wire rack.

In a small bowl stir together granulated sugar and the 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Brush warm bars with the 1 tablespoon melted butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar; cool completely. Using the edges of the foil, lift uncut bars from pan. Cut into bars.

Better Homes and Gardens 100 Best Cookies (2015)