Gertrude Gladiola

i have a new name as of recently when I wore this old but beloved dress on Halloween.  I'm still trying to get my money's worth out of it after the styles changed. 

I was glad this pink hat I bought years ago matched it perfectly.  Now I just need to come up with some kind of cute skit to perform.  Maybe the place to preview it would be You Tube.  Who knows I could be the next copy-cat Carol Burnett act.  Time will tell

Henry Has a Halloween Dilema

Trying to decide what Halloween costume Henry should have, his mom bid for and got a Pea in a Pod fleece outfit from e-Bay.  The same day the 'pod' arrived, another package came in the mail from Aunt Alicia.  A black and white penguin outfit was among the goodies she sent.

  Both outfits were tried on and modeled by our little angel.  Which one shall he wear?  Maybe he will make it a duo and sport one in the morning and one at night. 

 

Isn't this young man, penguin or pea pod the most darling thing you have ever seen?   Henry has a dilemma, but will work it out somehow, between naps and such. 

Who Does Halloween Best?

I admire people that consistently set up yard decorations for holidays.  Where do they store these things?  I snapped a few photos to get my fix for the year.  The blow-up decorations are fun and friendly.  Looks like Casper came to see these guys. 

The Grim Reaper with witches and goblins attacked this house and never left.  What about that great spider by the front window?  Gotta love it. 

The painted wood decorations on the roof of this home are set up year after year, with a sign at the top of the street saying "Halloween Display" directing local folk over to them.  Great job guys!

No Halloween is complete without some pumpkins, straw and corn stalks.  The last two sure make a mess and have to be swept up daily.  Happy to enjoy them from others displays. 

My favorite scene at Gardiner Village is the witch riding the bike in the sky.  Shall I add that to my bucket list?  Years ago when I played a witch in a stake roadshow, I was voted best witch and cackle of all time.  Would you  like to hear my cry?  Go to thecrankycrane.blogspot.com for more haunted scenes.

Potato Picking and Packing

A trip to American Falls, Idaho, to see our cousins resulted in caching in on 400 lbs of freshly dug russet potatoes, so fresh we could see the trucks driving straight from the fields and dumping their staples in the hoppers then return for another load.  That fresh earthy smelled floated up to our nostrils making us feel part of this great earth. 

Attempting to grab the perfect spud off the conveyor belt to toss into our crisp shiny white bags was harder than it appeared.  From fist size to chubby foot size we grabbed to our hearts content.  It only took two giant potatoes to finish preparing our meal of roast, carrots, and onions for Sunday dinner.

Touring the 80,000 bag storage huts to see how the potatoes are kept the perfect temperature until needed during the coming year, was a real eye opener.  The metal tubes at the bottom of the pile are spaced ten feet apart the length of the shed and stretch from side to side.  The holes emit cool air pumped under the potatoes to keep them the ideal temperature. 

Daniel Who for Halloween?

We tried this cute racoon hat on Henry, but he didn't like it one bit.  He seems to be saying:

"Mom, If I said it once, I said it ten times.  I mean it, I don't want to be Daniel Boone for Halloween.  It's Daniel Craig I want to be.  You know, Agent 007."

This is just the beginning of many exciting Halloween holidays and costume's for this little guy and his parents.

Very Into Volleyball

Brayle is on the freshman volleyball team.  We attended a tournament this weekend to see them play.  Henry, Breann, Jory, Sarah and the whole clan attended.  This fast moving game has changed since I was a girl. 

 Many rules have changed and others remain the same.   A point is scored every time the ball is served whether it is played or not (new).  A served ball can hit the net and still be played (new).  No one can touch the net while playing the ball (old).  The winning scores are 25, 25, 15 and the winner is still the best two of three games. 

Their team won some and lost some.  It was fun to try to snap a photo before she moved to set-up, spike or serve the ball.  Clearly my camera wasn't fast enough.

40 Fine Ones on Friday the 13th

We celebrated our 40th anniversary on Friday the 13th by staying at the Atomic Chalet Bed and Breakfast and feasting at the Huntsville Barbeque Company just ahead of the crowds.

It's hard to imagine forty years together.  I love you Al.  You are terrific.

It was fun to stroll around the quiet streets, admiring yards with lawns bigger than most parks, count sand hill cranes, geese and herons at Pineview Reservoir and pedal these rustic bikes down a quiet lane stopping on this old bridge to snap a few pictures.