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The eating season is upon us.

Purists, myself included, might argue that Thanksgiving is NOT the true starting point of holiday gluttony. It’s Halloween, instead, that really kicks off the Season of Eatin’ in my mind. Sure, the kiddos are scarfing down sugar at an alarming rate on All Saints Day; however, only the most disciplined among us fail to hold back our favorite candies from the Trick or Treat Trough for our own enjoyment later, leaving little ghosts, witches and goblins a paltry mix of Dots, Butterfingers and hard candies instead of the really good stuff – Tootsie Rolls, Milky Ways and Hershey bars.

And so it’s Halloween when our caloric intakes begins its steep ascent. By the time we’ve eaten our way through our private stashes of chocolate (and let’s face it – that’s the stuff we tell ourselves we’re buying for the children but we all know we buy those bags of miniatures for US, not the neighbor kids), we’re only a few weeks away from Turkey Day with the named main course, hard to resist side dishes, buns, rolls and pies, pies, PIES!

As we scramble to locate needle and thread to refasten all the buttons that have popped from stuffing ourselves silly at Thanksgiving, our eating thresholds now risen a few notches, the pièce de résistance – the countdown to Christmas! – begins. Endless potlucks, company luncheons, goodies showing up at work every other day, holiday get-togethers and the Big Day itself with ham and potatoes and gravy and green bean casserole and platters brimming with sausages, cheese and crackers. And that’s just the warm-up. The real business is yet to come – Christmas cookies, bars, more pies, decadent desserts of every kind. To wash it all down are soft drinks, eggnog, wine, steaming hot cocoa and apple cider and other choice beverages, several of which are alcoholic in nature.

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The holidays just wouldn’t be the same without the warmly traditional yet rich, calorie-laden, sugary, fattening, gloriously delicious foods of our childhoods. Come January, we’ll pay the price but for most of us, we wouldn’t have it any other way.

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Waiting in the car while my husband picked up some painting supplies at Home Depot last night, I was glad for the small Canon PowerShot I purchased a few months back to leave in the car so I’d be able to snap scenes like this whenever I happened upon them. Nothing award-winning by any means but I do so love me a good sunset!

Special shout out to Julie, my blogging buddy from New Zealand. This one’s for you! 🙂

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What should we do today?

Hmmm. I don’t know. I guess the bathroom could use a good cleaning. We still need to cut down those tall grasses out back and stow away the patio chairs. Oh. And we talked about doing a ‘cook-a-thon’ to stock the freezer with casserole goodies so we won’t have to keep eating out so much during the week.

Uh-huh.

Yeah, okay. I’ll draw up a grocery list. [She pulls out a scratch pad and pen, starts putting together a shopping list.]

Hey. Want to run to Starbucks, read the paper, ‘lax a bit before we start in?

Sounds like a plan. Let me shower first.

OK. I’ll just finish up some work-work while you’re doing that.

Oh. I think I’ll check my blogging stats real quick first… [She scrolls through her Facebook feed, responds to a few posts, accepts a Friend request – looks through his recent activity and photos – laughs at a few posted videos, jumps to her blog stats (sigh – nothing), pulls up her Reader to see what’s new, laughs at some funny photos, Likes a few of them, punches in a couple of witty comments to others, realizes she was going to take a shower, heads to the bathroom.]

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That felt good. Now I am clean and you are dirty. [They both laugh at this long-shared joke.]

So. Do we really want to do this – get started on painting the living room?

Sure. I think it would look better than that contractor-white that’s up there now. [She offers to help as he starts pulling the furniture away from the main wall and removes all the photo frames, the ones he took such time and painstaking effort to put up there in the first place. He then takes measurements to calculate how much primer and paint they’ll need.]

No. Just stay the heck out of my way. [Again they laugh at yet another shared joke. Whether it’s him preparing a meal or doing something of a technical or mechanical nature or anything requiring brute strength, that’s his standard, light-hearted response.]

Remember, we need to stop at Target for my Rx. Then we can get painting supplies and stop at Starbucks for an hour or two.

I’d kind of like to find a place to watch the football game at 2:30.

Right. Well, let’s run our chores first, hang out at Starbucks for a bit and then go to that sports bar across from the mall to watch the game.

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Another disappointing game. Well, there’s always basketball!

I think I’ll stop at Home Depot for a few more paint supplies that I should have picked up earlier today. [She waits in the car and snaps several photos of the gorgeous sunset sky, all lit up in shades of pink, rose, blue and turquoise.]

The wind has died down and it’s not really that cold right now. I’ll get my walk in when we get home.

Yeah, I’ll burn that master copy of Becky’s wedding video while you’re doing that.

Perfect! And maybe a little House of Cards later tonight?

[He sits in the recliner to listen to the post-game show while she checks her blog stats (much better!). Half an hour goes by, then an hour. She’s still sitting there, working on a new idea for her next post, he’s nodded off and fallen asleep. She decides it’s probably a little too chilly now for her walk and besides, she still needs to run to the store to get those groceries they forgot to pick up earlier.]

[And so it goes…]

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Watching the marching band perform pre-game today (another cringe-worthy loss – don’t ask), I snapped this photo of their – what DO they call these things: hats? helmets? head gear? – anyway, the Things They Wear On Their Heads – lined up like so many soldiers standing at attention on a brick wall near Alumni Hall. I like the orderly display of these elegantly adorned uniform pieces, each one outfitted in grand fashion with shiny medallion, gold braid and fluffy white plume.

The cadence of drums and clanging of cymbals, the cheers of the crowd and the pep squad routines all help to fire up the faithful before every game. The crowd claps and cheers their enthusiastic approval under a sunny sky that helps to offset the chilly, breezy November air. Our college mascot, on display throughout the huge tailgate lot on flags, banners, party RV’s, stocking caps and jackets, with our school colors of cardinal and gold, provides a colorful backdrop to bag toss games, grilling, canopies and liquid spirits. The carnival atmosphere, steeped in tradition, brings friends and family together for every home game ensuring fond memories for years to come – even when the win-loss record (such as is the case this particular season) is horribly out of balance.

Go Cyclones!

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Cock your hat – angles are attitudes. ~ Frank Sinatra

How a hat makes you feel is what a hat is all about. ~ Philip Treacy

A crown is merely a hat that lets the rain in. ~ Frederick the Great

A hat should be taken off when you greet a lady and left off for the rest of your life.  Nothing looks more stupid than a hat.  ~ P.J. O’Rourke

I can wear a hat or take it off, but either way it’s a conversation piece. ~ Hedda Hopper

One thing they never tell you about child raising is that for the rest of your life, at the drop of a hat, you are expected to know your child’s name and how old he or she is. ~ Erma Bombeck

 

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I fear, Dear Reader, that my outdated views on this particular topic are an undeniable indication that I have entered that final, sad realm of a woman’s life known as Upper Middle Age and that I am now firmly, irrevocably and forever more considered No Longer With It.

It always surprises me to see women wearing dresses and skirts, their painted toenails jammed into sporty little high heels, and they aren’t wearing panty hose but instead are naked from the hemline on down. Seriously? For one thing, I don’t think it’s a flattering look whatsoever. The sleek, finished look of hose on leg is much more attractive. Why do women think its preferable to go au naturel? It has to be kind of chilly too I would think. Whether it’s the AC cranked uber high in the summer time or the chill of autumn or even – I can’t bear to think of it – the frigid air of winter, I still see women with bare legs sticking out beneath their upper layers. What is up with that? Do they have space heaters ‘up above’ blowing hot air to warm their thighs, knees, calfs (calves?), ankles and tootsies? I also wonder: Don’t their feet get blistered with nothing to cushion their skin against the constant chafing of those leather pumps they’re wearing? And last but not least, I have to believe those Manolo Blahniks get mighty sweaty and stinky with nothing to buffer and absorb the perspiration oozing off their feet all day long.

I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I really am No Longer With It but damn, I’m warm, I’m comfortable, my legs shimmer with a smooth trace of color – a la Barely There and Pearl, two of my faves — and my shoes don’t smell bad.

At least I don’t think they do…

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Sometimes I feel like the world’s biggest jerk. Everyday annoyances and pet peeves – humph. I’m a fool to let such inconsequential things get me all riled up but still they do. My life, while far from perfect and not without challenges or constraints, is holding up pretty darn well, thank you very much. I am fairly healthy and gainfully (and comfortably) employed. My husband treats me like a queen, makes me laugh and is a wonderful BFF. We are financially stable, my son is thriving in both in his career and in his personal life, we live in a beautiful home and we’re happy – plain and simple.

But – News Flash! – I’m human and as such I’m as prone as the next guy (or gal) to grumbling when things don’t quite go my way or aren’t to my liking. And for that I feel pretty sheepish at times, embarrassed even.

It’s just that, well, it’s the way some folks (okay – LOTS of folks) don’t bother to reciprocate during conversations by asking me questions about MY weekend or showing even a modicum of interest in MY life – while I’m happy to query them about theirs and listen patiently with a smile on my face, nodding with interest, encouraging them to go on. Or when people at work don’t bother to clean up after themselves, leaving sinks and countertops sloppy and gooey with coffee grounds or pizza crusts or chili con carne and not wiping up their messes. I also find annoying (and I’ll admit that, yes this is really pretty doggone trivial) the local tradition we learned of when we moved to the Des Moines metro nine years ago known as Beggar’s Night where kids Trick or Treat a day or two prior to Halloween INSTEAD OF just taking the kids door to door ON Halloween. They’ve been doing it for decades and while it’s cute how the kids usually tell a joke to get their candy I still think it’s silly that they don’t do it ON Halloween. What’s the point then of there even being a day called Halloween?

See what I mean? Some incredibly petty things to get upset about, right?

Oh. And can we go back to Halloween for a minute? It IS that time of year, after all. What is up with kids ringing the doorbell, bags thrust forward, expectantly waiting for the candy to fall and not saying a word? When WE were kids (‘Get off my lawn!’), we always and eagerly shouted ‘Trick or Treat!’ as soon as the door was opened. And it was simply unthinkable that we would ever fail to say ‘Thank You’ after we’d been treated. Kids these days!

Indeed, I know what you’re thinking. ‘Julie, you ARE the biggest jerk in the world’. Because I do KNOW that this stuff means nothing. It’s just not worth it to get all worked up over something so frivolous and irrelevant. But there it is and here I am – warts and all. At least, at least I can take some comfort in knowing I am not alone. Everyone gets up in arms over day to day nuisances once in awhile. Mine may not be the same as yours but our shared humanity tells me that we all have our days. Some of those days just may be uglier and more unattractive than others, that’s all.

So to compensate I try to be more positive.  I clean up the spilled coffee and I laugh at all the kid’s funny Halloween jokes and that’s why I’ll continue to sit there, smiling encouragingly and try to put the focus on the other person in an effort to make them feel appreciated, liked and admired despite their cluelessness in not extending me that same courtesy. Sometimes, though, it really is a challenge.