HALLOWE'EN FUN

WHILE WE'RE STRONGLY in favor of tradition, it's kind of fun for each celebration to have a personality of its own. I've not kept a record, so I can't say 1984 was the year we did such-and-such. It would be interesting if we could. 

Am I going to be reading this year on October 31? I doubt it.

Will we be going out to choose pumpkins at our favorite produce stand? No.

Will we be shopping for costumes and decorations? Probably not.

 




Will we
be getting ready to go trick or treating? Not this year.

How about carving a jack-o'-lantern? Possibly. Possibly not.

Might we be horsing around with Hallowe'en tricks? Not likely.

Will we don costumes to greet neighborhood children? No.

Instead of the above,

we'll be doing

what you see below.

Surgery is scheduled

for 7:30 a.m. on

the morning

of 

Hallowe'en.

I've birthed three babies, always in a hospital; had two cataracts removed as an out-patient and the picture above was taken when I had a digestive system malfunction a few years ago. Now it's time to go to the hospital again, for a mastectomy. Not my idea of fun, but a sure way of remembering Hallowe'en, 2011. 

On Hallowe'en the thing you must do

Is pretend that nothing can  frighten you

And if somethin' scares you and you want to run

Just let on like it's Hallowe'en fun.                                                    ~Author Unknown

TMI

The season isn't even right for this entry, but if you stick with us, you'll learn more about poinsettias than you either wanted or needed to know.

I was inspired by seeing this group of plants about to be put out to pasture or whatever in the world gets done with poinsettias after the holiday. One year when I had the store I took the time to cut each bract (what we think of as petals, only they aren't) into a heart shape, thereby creating a Valentine plant. We in retail dash from one holiday to another and Valentine's Day comes next.



And then, right around the corner from the Manor parking lot, I spied this which used to be a common sight in Southern California before the Birds of Paradise took over the title of the ubiquitous plant of the area.


Our own potted plant which Nadine gave us ahead of Christmas, is ending its life in an unusual manner. It's dropping one leaf at a time, one bract at a time, but as long as it holds on, I'm going to leave our little cheerful wooden sign leaning against the pot.

Actually, it may end up being a Valentine's Day plant.

We visited the nursery in Encinitas which produces many of the world's poinsettia plants. It was mind boggling. Mr. Bob and I were too busy deciding which plant to buy to take time to sit on the poinsettia throne, but I snapped a picture of it when 2 of the ladies on our outing took advantage of the opportunity.

Nearly everyone buys such a plant for himself during December. Even the carwash (above) and most of the households of my acquaintance. I used them in quantity in the store and used to fret a bit lest a child ingest part of a plant but of late we're told that poinsettias are not poisonous. Whew!

I had Mr. Bob dig out our copy of a Leo Politi book entitled "The Poinsettia". He's so good natured when I ask that sort of thing of him. It was not an easy task and he did it with no complaint whatsoever. I'd have said, "You want me to do WHAT?" He's a far better person than I am.

 The book chronicles many of the holiday celebrations that take place in and around Los Angeles. To think we purchased this book 40 years ago when it seems just yesterday. That's the sort of thing you hear a lot at the Manor as we oldsters wonder where in the world the time has gone. It's a reminder to make the most of each and every day.

If you progressed this far, you're a trooper. Many thanks.