Archives - Weekly Update

We got smart this year...or at least my husband did. We bought Halloween candy early instead of my hitting the store the day before Halloween and grabbing whatever is left on the shelves. Luckily, except for Peanut M&M’s (which I like), all the other candy that he picked out belongs in the “non-faves” department and easily can be forgotten. Last year, we got one crowd of 20 children, and I panicked that we would run out of candy, but they were the last trick-or-treaters we saw for the night. Kids tend to migrate towards the “high-reward” neighborhoods where there is less space between the houses.

This time of year brings out some of my favorite produce, including watermelon radishes. We went to the farmers' market last week on a quest to find these. I found some amazing long fat radishes, but I was told that the watermelon ones are a week or so away. But at least I know which farmer is going to have them. I bought some fat carrots and am thinking of what to do with them. I also bought some sinfully rich cinnamon raisin bread that is beyond decadent. I love the smell of eucalyptus and how it looks dried out around the house. I held off on buying bunches last week as I did not have time to get them arranged, but this is a project on the list for the next few weeks. I do love the stunning purple color of the mums (pictured above) that come out first this time of year.

Last Friday and Saturday brought on a whirlwind 24 hours. Lisa Hickman and I headed into the city on Friday later than we had planned as “work got in the way!” We got caught in horrendous traffic --- as in WHY were the express lanes on Route 78 closed on a Friday afternoon, WHY was the traffic on the helix completely insane, WHY were there cars in the bus lane when the sign clearly said they were not supposed to be there, and WHY was I not allowed to park at the garage where I prepaid?

Book events are often an author reading, a discussion and a signing. And then there are events like those that Mary Kay Andrews does; she knows to be sure there is a party when she is on the road. We saw it in person for her latest book, BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CHRISTMAS, but we also saw other pictures from the tour on her social media.