The biggest issue I am having with this blog is that I plan my calendar of posts six months in advance and I write my posts about three months in advance. I spend one day a month posting and “scheduling” for the coming weeks. I also add the photos during the initial scheduling. This all means that I am working so far ahead that I am living through these posts and holidays so far ahead that it is a blur during the lead-up and execution of the events. As I am writing this we ar

I have one cousin on my mother’s side of the family. She lives about two hours away and we rarely see each other (only twice in the last eleven years). She is happy with the arrangement. The family set us up to be in perpetual competition with each other and as adults we have absolutely nothing in common except dead relatives. Today is her birthday and I hope she has a good one. I want her to be happy and the arrangement being the way it is, apparently she is. I have many, ma

​ Halloween is a big time party time for my friends and family. I personally never had to host a party because everyone else did. My friend, Barbe, and I threw the mother of all parties for our theatre company one year and more than outdid ourselves on several levels. We staged her entire house, garage, backyard, pool and hot tub for about 75 of our closest friends and relatives. Nothing was too over the top. We made it potluck so we didn’t have to worry about food. Her husba

In attempting to develop new ideas for a season or holiday, sometimes you have to consult a professional set designer/decorator. I have one of those but I still love to see what someone else does with the same colors and concepts. Being from Southern California, Disney has been my go to studio for quite some time, especially now that they are doing more and more with the holidays. I have hundreds of photos of the Halloween decorations and they serve as my inspiration year aft

Today I celebrate the life of a very good friend of mine who passed away earlier this year. Her family chose to do a memorial and celebration when they were able to travel and inter her ashes within the family plot here on the Left Coast, lower corner. I miss her very much. She loved to travel and decorate and just keep company with me. I’ll have a cup of hot tea in her honor this afternoon and a slug of something stronger tonight. Here’s to us – and those like us – Damn Few!

In order to extend the mood of a holiday, immersion needs to be total. You must see, hear, smell, taste, & feel the experience to know that the holiday is happening. For Halloween, my music collection goes far beyond spooky sounds and “Monster Mash”. We have numerous CDs that deepen the experience. The fun time of Danny Elfman’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” soundtrack may be countered by Manheim Steamroller’s “Halloween”. There are several groups, Midnight Syndicate and N

I associate each season with my senses, unique to that time of year. For Autumn, the food changes and so my senses of taste and smell are more fully engaged. (So are rest with the colors and textures, sound is marginal). I love apples, bacon, pecans, walnuts, squash of all kinds, pumpkin anything, and chicken and turkey goes a long way. I eat lots of yams, cranberries, raisins, and stews and pies. I like brussel sprouts, green beans, cabbage, carrots, and the entire thanksgiv

October 6 – Fall Frolics PHOTO OF CAMPING AND COOKING BADGES When I was in Girl Scouts, the Angeles Council hosted a “Fabulous Fall Frolic” weekend campout. Our troop was put in charge of Saturday morning breakfast and we were to feed several hundred scouts and leaders. We had come in late Friday evening – all our leaders were working parents – and we had slept out in the open because it was simply too dark to pitch tents. None of minde

We have always liked Halloween in our house. We don’t do scary Halloween or horror Halloween. We do cute Halloween. Our ghosts and witches have pleasant expressions and pretty clothes and accessories. We do the complete decorations inside and out with the lights, the effects, the sounds, music, food, etc. Some of our best parties were at Halloween. We also have what we consider “authentic” decorations in terms of spiders and bats. We seem to have an abundance of real ones th