Happy Halloween, Scrooge Style

I still question the sanity of the person who created the idea of trick-or-treating. Unless this person lived in a tiny little community where everyone knew each other, I find the idea kind of strange. Visiting strangers houses in costume for candy? I hate to be ho-hum and not that fun...but I do think it is a bit strange that we make this an annual tradition. Okay, okay...some of my best memories as a kid come from trick-or-treating. We travelled with a group of friends, my mom, and spooky stories as we visited neighbor houses...so, I don't know what I am complaining about.

I guess my Scrooge-ness comes from having Chester and Stanley. I cringe when I think about the hello the boys give guests I actually invite over...let alone small children knocking randomly at the front door for candy. The boys are bigger than most kids combined and have more energy than 10 seven year olds in one room...so the thought of answering the door with Ches and Stan by my side is a nightmare knowing that these trick-or -treaters have not signed some sort of waiver.

So...each Halloween I plan to be someplace else. Tonight Mandy and I went to Olivea for some appetizers and a drink...but now I am home. All the lights are out except the lovely light of my TV as I watch the Next Iron Chef competition. So far, no trick-or-treaters and hopefully that will be the course of the night.

There is nothing better than...

A puppy spa day and new doggie beds!

A good day to lay low

I am going to lay low today. I realized that I have one more week as a totally free woman before I start a new job. I am going to work at Community College of Aurora as a part time academic advisor. I will work Mon-Fri 11-3 from Nov 1 to Jan 31. I am really looking forward to getting back into a routine of work, and having the weekend mean something again. However, I am going to miss these days when I wake up and have a plethora of activities to choose from for the day.

This morning, I woke up a bit creaky and groggy. I walked with a friend and then we did the Friday yoga class at the rec center. It felt so good. I went to Barnes and Noble, got my daily Chai Tea Latte and bought a book-Just Like Us by Helen Thorpe. I came home, took the dogs for a nice walk and now I am preparing to crawl into bed and read. Maybe nap. I do plan to do a little yard work later on, and then I am going to Venice Restaurant with a friend whose parents are in town. It should be a good day-cool enough to justify the coziness of a bed and a book.

Lorrie and I finished up a week of art workshops and we will face next week with the same. We worked with kids from a low income housing area in Lowry and it was tough, but they tried to be good and listen and participate. We got the date of the open house of the building off 15th and Pearl where our art piece will live-December 16th. Expect an email invitation to attend the open house and view the art! Although, we don't really know what it will look like yet...

I will put that worry aside, close the laptop and put the jammies on. I hope you all can enjoy a day to lay low.

An update

Lots has been happening in my life and in my house! I tackled some flooring issues and had tile laid in the back mudroom and office. It is a beautiful terra cotta tile, and it is going to be the answer to all my dirt/dog hair issues. It is a beautiful addition to the house and I have to do some minor touching up in order to really make it shine-paint the trim in the mudroom, the threshold and the stairs. Otherwise, it is really lovely. My office is in a state of "tabula rasa" as far as organization and desk space are concerned. I am going to get a drafting table so I can continue to develop my artistic collage abilities. Right now I am relegated to the coffee table and with the TV, Ches and Stan all staring at me my creative juices are not really flowing. I want a simple desk for my computer and a drafting table, along with storage for my art and office supplies. That should be easily done in the next month.

I thought I should update on how the art program is going with Lorrie. As I may have written about before, we were commissioned to create an art piece for a new Colorado Coalition for the Homeless house community in Capital Hill. One of the requests was that we engage CCH clients in creating the overall piece. Last week, Lorrrie and I began our first of a number of scheduled workshops to help us create this end result. We have no idea what it will look like, but we are instructing the clients on what we hope will the basis of our piece. If I were to be really honest, the art piece itself actually comes in second to the process of working with the homeless clients. We have had nothing but amazing experiences and it really, truly has given me sense a renewed optimism of the human spirit. The people we work with have such complex lives, but truly when Lorrie and I just let go and be us with them...a beautiful thing emerges called kinship. I can't explain it. I would only hope everyone has had the opportunity to look into the eyes of someone else and really feel a connection.

Loss is loss

One of the things I see as positive after losing Mike is understanding another person's loss. Of course I had lost loved ones before, but a profound loss such as of a spouse, parent, close friend, sibling or child allows for a certain kind of empathy that wasn't necessarily there before. I know what it feels like to have good days and bad. I know what it is like to have days I don't remember what happened, or days where laying in bed was the best alternative. I know what it feels like to have to get on, go to work or to go to the grocery store, immersed in people who don't maybe know of the loss, to feel that alone in a crowded room.

This weekend, I learned of the losses two friends have had to endure. One is very recent, the other years ago but never resolved. I know what those feelings are like, from the regrets to the hopes to the memories...and that deep gaping hole knowing that it won't be filled physically by that person again.

I don't think those of us who have lost loved ones will ever be the same as we were before. A profound change happens, and while we can get on and move on with life, that hole is still there. I know I try to patch it up with all different thoughts-that the lost loved one exists in another energy field, or that the loved one is here in spirit. Of course, these are comforting thoughts, but they really don't patch or mend that hole. And I think it is okay for that hole to be there, knowing that it isn't big enough or deep enough to fall into.

Thinking of and loving all my friends and family who endured loss and the bravery it takes to face it.

Absinthe and Dracula

A fine combination, wouldn't you say? One is blood vessel draining and the other is blood sucking. Fortunately, I was smart enough to just observe both. My friend Mandy is an arts and culture writer for The Examiner. Halloween being so close, she is interested in writing about events related to Halloween. I told her about Colorado Ballet's Dracula and she got us two tickets. We decided to start at the absinthe bar adjacent to Z Cuisine on 30th and Wyandot. Neither of us were brave enough to try a glass. She was driving and I wanted to keep my sanity. However, we did indulge in some lovely appetizers-roasted beets and a little cheese plate that we just took our time savoring. It was a lovely prelude to being thrust into the ballet...which was divine. To be honest, I have seen this ballet half a dozen times since I worked there. The magic, though, returned and I was thrust into the world of grace, beauty, drama, and jealously (how can she do pointe on her bare toes????). We had a delightful evening and I can't wait to read her review of the events. We promised each other a glass of absinthe in the future when we can take a cab.

Brussels Sprouts

(This is not my image but downloaded from the Internet)

Leave it to my chef friend Aimee to introduce me to the food that brings back childhood nightmares...the Brussel's sprouts.

I don't believe Mom served these very often. I don't really recall having an adverse reaction to a Brussels sprout. People I meet do: "Ewwww! I hated those growing up!" But...I would have to ask...have you really had Brussels sprouts??

My first adulthood re-introduction came at Piatti in Cherry Creek. Aim and I ordered a pan seared BP with bacon and onion. When I say "to die for" I mean it...especially with anything Piatti has to serve. So, I was at the store the other day and saw them and had a flashback to that amazing dish. I decided to go for it.

Tonight, along with an arugula salad, I steamed some Brussels and then seared them with caramelized red onion and garlic. Need I say De-lish?

Lesson learned: Try things like Brussels sprouts, beets, and turnips now as an adult where there is an understanding of the words olive oil, caramelized and sear. Yummmmmy!

Fall's simple pleasures

Fall for me is a time to slow down, reflect, hunker in, and treat myself to simple pleasures. I enjoyed two simple pleasures today-a walk in City Park and a drive to Evergreen Lake. I haven't had a chance to drive in the mountains and enjoy the fall colors, so both places were perfect destinations-close by, but they had enough fallishness to satisfy my appetite for yellows, reds, and browns. City Park trees are still green so I will probably go back for a few more walks the next few weeks to really enjoy the colors. The best view is from the side of the Museum of Nature and Science-looking at the fountain and the pavillion, the trees all around and the tall buildings that sprout up into the sky. It is truly a pleasant place to enjoy the colors. Evergreen Lake was nice-the swampland grasses are turning color and cattails are popping up everywhere. Yellow trees reflected in the water, and the water was crisp and clear. The drive was nice as well-I passed Lair of the Bear park and decided that, too, would be another simple destination for fall foliage. It had a palette of warm colors from the road above.

Another simple pleasure is turning on my oven and not sweating! It is yet again time for me to start cooking more consistently. Tonight it is a Hungarian dish-pork chops baked on top of cabbage, potatoes, onions and garlic. I love these kinds of meals-they are hearty and healthy and comforting.

Don't get me wrong-I am going to be participating in my fair share of an active lifestyle this fall. I am still practicing yoga, walking every day, and again I am training for another little 5K on October 23rd with Jessica. When the weather turns I will join the rec center and use the treadmill if it is too cold to be outside. But, while these activities get the blood and heart moving, there is still nothing like putting on PJ's on a cool Sunday afternoon, making a hot chocolate or cup of tea, and popping in a movie to the DVD player.