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Archive for October, 2014

Bah, Humbug

OK, it’s confession time.  I’m about to say something that might cause quite a stir.  Today I’m going to admit to the entire universe that…

I AM THE SCROOGE OF HALLOWEEN

That’s right, I’m just not into it.  I talked to my friend MaryAnn today and told her about my aversion to Halloween and she simply couldn’t believe it.  “I thought you loved Halloween,” she said.  I told her that might have been the case in the past, but these days not so much.

I really want Halloween to be my favorite holiday.  I want to get into the spirit of things (no pun intended), but it’s not in me.

I’d love to make beautiful and scary Halloween treats…

So cute, but so not high on my list of priorities.

I’d love to have an eerie ambiance in my house…

So my style, but so not worth the effort.

I’d like to project an enthusiasm for the season outdoors and give the trick-or-treaters something to be wary of…

These would look so cool hanging from the tree in my front yard. Not gonna happen.

It would be cool if I could give myself a zipper face…

How much would this scare the living daylights out of the kids?

The thing is, as much as I want to put on a show for Halloween it just doesn’t seem worth it for me.  I don’t want to bake.  I don’t want to decorate.  I don’t want to dress up.  I don’t want to answer the doorbell every three minutes and hand out candy to little beggars.

I know!  I’m the Halloween Scrooge!  I’m ashamed to admit it, but it’s true.

The perfect Halloween for me would be if I were the one indulging in chocolate instead of giving it out to other people.  It would be complete bliss if I could spend the night with a really scary movie (not slasher) or to read some Poe in a dimly lit room with ambient music playing softly in the background.  Or maybe burn a single taper candle and fool around with a Ouija board.

So mystical.

I wish the spirits of All Hallows Eve would give the commercialized celebrators a run for their money, floating and moaning in the night air for all to see, forcing trick-or-treaters into their homes to huddle in the corner with fear in their eyes.

See?  That’s me, the Halloween Scrooge.

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The autumn season has begun here in Minnesota, and I couldn’t be more thrilled.  August and September were such busy months for me, and now I look at the calendar and see October is more than half over!  Here’s what I’ve been up to…

1.  The Minnesota State Fair was the highlight of August.  One special thing Husby and I had the opportunity to do, in recognition of our contributions to the Minnesota State Fair Foundation, was dedicate a bench.  (Benches are a necessity at the fair ~ I’m finding that out the older I get.)  We dedicated it to Dad and my brother Diggy, who died just before his 26th year of working at the fair with Dad.

The small plaque on the back of a bench dedicated to Dad and Diggy and twenty-five years of working at the fair (and taking bench breaks) together.

2.  September was full of craft shows.  I was at the Dancing Dragonfly Winery, the Chateau St. Croix Winery, and the Baker Orchard, all in Wisconsin.  I love Wisconsin.  I went into each of these shows with doubts of one kind or another, but they all turned out to be fabulous.  The organizers of the shows did a tremendous job, it was a blast to spend weekends with my fellow artisans, and of course the food and music at all of these events were wonderful.  Husby and I have a special place in our hearts for Dave Ybarra and the Northside Dukes, who have twice invited us up to the stage to do the Hand Jive.  They played at both winery festivals, so we got our share of the blues.

Dave Ybarra (center) and the Northside Dukes. Premium blues band.

Husby and I aren’t the only ones who like to dance to the music at the festivals…

Four ladies dancing it up in front of Auntie B’s Wax’s canopy.

3.  Then came October, and Husby and I went to our beloved Door County for a bit of R&R after three consecutive weekends of craft shows.  Our trip this fall seemed to be much more relaxing than the visit we paid in the spring.  We managed to see a bunch of stuff we hadn’t seen before, and plus discovered some new restaurants that will surely become favorites for us.  Not only that, we got to lounge around and do whatever we wanted whenever we wanted, which no one can do unless one is on a true vacation.  *deep sigh*

A lovely autumn in the County of Door.

4. There was also a trip to the family cabin to close it up for the winter. There was much raking and other miscellaneous chores to be done before the cozy little cottage is left to weather the forthcoming winter on its own. One never knows how it will fare, as it was built in 1950 by Grandpa Mike…from scraps.

Work gloves and rakes were the tools du jour at the family cottage.

One leaf of millions.

What now?  There’s still a lot to do, but the chaos of deadlines is behind me for the moment.  This is the time of year I cherish and I plan to enjoy it to the hilt.  I have lots of projects in store for our home and a list of hot, comforting food to make during the chilly and downright cold months to come.

I also hope to visit this site more often too, documenting happenings at the Auntie B’s Wax World Headquarters.  I’ve been away too long.

Here’s to a bright autumn and a peaceful season of dormancy.  *squeal*

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One Moon

I went out to my deck tonight and looked at the moon, and reminisced to when I looked at the same moon rising over Lake Michigan just yesterday.  The same moon.  It’s hard to believe.

What makes the moon so much different viewed from a spot on earth three hundred-forty miles away from my home?  Yesterday I saw the moon rising over a body of water that reflected tiny pinpoints of light.  Tonight it illuminates my back yard.  Yesterday the moon shone over a vast area as far as the eye can see.  Tonight it peeks between treetops and the tops of houses.  Yesterday the moon was the center of the universe.  Tonight it was merely a reminder of the universe.

The same moon from a different place on earth.  Why do I feel more in sync with the universe when I see the moon rising over the water?  Why do I simply wish for other things when I see the moon rise over the rooftops?  Sunrises don’t touch me as much.  The moon, that’s something completely different.

The moon over Lake Michigan makes my mind soar.  It makes me wish for things I know aren’t practical.  It makes me part of something I can’t explain.  Potential.  A Divine plan.

I’m tucked into my comfort zone once again and the moon is quite a sight.  But yesterday, over the great lake, it was a beacon of possibility.

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