Chilling them out

Several of my friends are really good gardeners. I am not, except I do have pretty good luck with herbs. I have rosemary, lavender and oregano en masse. I thought about making a wreath but...

This picture from the Internet, showing how to freeze fresh herbs in olive oil, looks likes the perfect, simple weekend project. I am going to try it!

Moving on out

So far it's been a week where I have sat too long. I stayed up waaaay past my bedtime on Election Night, sitting and watching the news and sitting and playing with live, real-time results maps on my iPad. (They were really fun!)

Then, I woke up yesterday to read the papers, watch more news and track the new storm...more sitting. Lots of it. Maybe if I sat and watched the weather, the Nor'easter would miss my mom and kiddoes? Hmmm...

By the time my son sent pictures of snow screaming sideways past his office windows at about 40 mph and learned Mom was without some services again, I decided to make my move. Here's why...

Clearly, it was time to move on out and get off the couch. Good thing...look what I found...

Fall is a stand alone beauty in my book! Love it!

What are your tips for this Thursday thought...how do you move it on out?

It's a great day because

I can freely say this...

For Rachel

I don't let go easily. As a matter of fact, I have large hands and a strong grip. And so, you can only imagine that I pack up Halloween and Day of the Dead only when forced to loosen my hold. Saturday, Mother Nature brought a thunderstorm that pried the festivities away from me. It was either be stubborn and remake the forty or so paper flowers again next year or pack it all away while the afterglow still lingered. No contest!

I get The New York Times on Sundays not because it is THE New York Times, but because it is the same paper my kids read and I feel a sense of connection. It's our "neighborhood" paper and we can discuss things. "Hey, did you see that article on..."

Anyway, there was a great piece on Rachel Carson, author of the famed "Silent Spring", that caught my eye and moved me forward. It is an excellent article, "From Calm Leadership, Lasting Change" and I learned so much about her. I never realized that, like me, she is from Pittsburgh and I went to her Alma Mater for my sophomore year in college!

The article is a powerful testimony to each of us...our power of one. More on that in a minute.

I love farmers' markets and wherever I am, try to find them. Same with "Main Street". When I am home here, I have the best of both worlds...a neighborhood and Main Street farmers' market. I go to both and buy from all my favorites, sometimes twice!

Two days in a row I bought broccoli and almost ate both heads myself. If you have never had just picked, absolutely fresh broccoli, get some. It is so amazingly sweet and tender. I used what I didn't eat raw in a salad that I made "for Rachel". In tribute, it was all green.

Tossing all these seemingly random comments and a recipe altogether, I am also thinking about tomorrow. It's a big day. We get to vote.

No matter who wins, we still have our own power...our power of one, just like Rachel. If we don't like something, we can work to change it. We each have the power to do so. For me, I want Main Street to thrive and small "mom and pop" businesses to have my business. And so that's where I shop and hopefully am making some small, lasting changes.

No matter what, we all have a choice every day to exert our power of one. Here's to a great day of choosing well!

Rachel's Green Salad (get local and/or organic!)

Favorite fresh greens
Fresh broccoli broken into florets
Celery, sliced
Avocado, cut into chunks
Pistachios, pan toasted

Favorite vinaigrette with fresh green herb added (try adding parsley, oregano, cilantro or tarragon)

I lightly blanched both the broccoli and celery slices, just for about a minute and then plunged pieces into ice water. To me, they taste a little sweeter, a little crunchier that way. Mix in with greens and some dressing and then add in avocado chunks. Toss with a little more dressing and top with toasted pistachios.

Feliz Dia de Los Muertos!

Halloween was such a blast! Truly my favorite holiday. The trick or treaters who come each year...about 400 usually...are delightful. So cute in their costumes and honestly, I get more from them than they get from me. Just a joyful group. Love 'em!

I am so glad The Grand Ones had a terrific first Halloween, too, and had their first bites of Witches Brew Stew. One little sweetie dressed as her favorite book character, Nicholas the bunny, and the other as a little blue monster. Both had smiles as big as The Great Pumpkin!

Today the fun continues with The Day of the Dead...a fabulous celebration with roots in Mexico. I just love it and our house this year, inside and out, was a combination of Halloween and Day of the Dead decorations, costumes and food.

And so, imagine my sheer glee when I got these as a gift last night...

Muchas gracias a ti, Victoria, por las calaveritas de azucar y el papel picado!!! Que preciosos!!

Take some time today to discover (if you haven't already!) the traditions of colors, paper flowers and banners, dogs and butterflies, candles, sugar skulls and foods of The Day of the Dead. Have a great one!

Here is a fab photo from NPR and they did a great piece on this joyous holiday. Just for fun, google it.

Meanwhile, I've got to go touch up my makeup, tuck in a few colorful flowers and grab a butterfly. Halloween is so yesterday!!