Friday, October 26, 2007

It's a Pumpkin/Apple Friday Five


From the RevGalBlogPals --
All Hallows Eve (Halloween) is near. As a child, Halloween was one of my favorite holidays. We didn’t yet worry about razor blades in apples or popcorn balls or some of the other concerns people have with Halloween these days. Halloween was a chance to be mildly scared, and better yet, to dress up and pretend to be something we really weren’t.
Let’s talk about that a bit, but then let’s add in some food ideas for this year. Where I live the leaves are falling, the temperature is chilly and pumpkins are for sale everywhere, along with many kids of apples. What's more, the "Holiday Season" will soon be upon us. ACK! I could use a new idea for dessert. So, here we go…

1. How did you celebrate this time of year when you were a child?
We went from house to house in our little neighborhood where we got huge amounts of treats from the neighbors. My mom was not very creative, so we always had costumes with masks. Horrible -- my hair always got tangled in the rubber band that held the mask on; my warm breath collected in a damp cloud under the mask and made it wet and clammy; and I tripped because I couldn't really see. I so wished my mother made elaborate costumes like some of the other mothers, but now that I am the mom, I am totally in her corner.

2. Do you and/or your family “celebrate” Halloween? Why or why not? And if you do, has it changed from what you used to do?
We live in the country, so we go to a cousin's house for trick or treating with Nature Boy, who is eight. Nashy, Shiny and Witter are now old enough to be involved in more grown-up activities involving DJs, dancing, and costumes designed to impress.

2. Candy apples: Do you prefer red cinnamon or caramel covered? Or something else?
I never had either until a couple of months ago (they must be a northern thing) when I discovered these in Seattle. Heavenly. They even have a store in the Little Blue State!

3. Pumpkins: Do you make Jack O’ Lanterns? Any ideas of what else to do with them?
Have you never heard of the Punkin Chunkin??? Hundreds of people make crazy machines to hurl pumpkins as far as possible. Here at Old Stone House, we grow a few pumpkins, carve a few pumpkins, and make our pumpkin pie from a can. And although we've visited the Punkin Chunkin, we have no plans to participate.

4. Do you decorate your home for fall or Halloween? If so, what do you do? Bonus points for pictures.
Garden Girl and Nature Boy cut corn stalks from the garden to festoon the back door and we have lots of pumpkins, gourds, and dried ears of corn both inside and outside the house.

5. Do you like pretending to be something different? Does a costume bring our an alternate personality?
I make a living speaking to people, sometimes about very difficult subjects, and I'm pretty comfortable with public speaking, but I'm not a success as an actress. In my current "try anything once, even if you're scared" mode, I am scheduled to audition for the Vagina Monologues, though if the truth be told, I'd rather discuss my own vagina than be onstage as someone else.

Bonus: Share your favorite recipe for an autumn food, particularly apple or pumpkin ones.
You can find a recipe for the best apple pie ever at my partner's blog -- and no, you don't have to grow your own apples! P.S. The real secret is heavy cream, very cold, poured over warm apple pie. Mmmmm . . . maybe we need apple pie for dinner.

9 comments:

revkjarla said...

I loved your play...I am going to have to go out and find a yummy apple like the ones you blogged about and laughed out loud about your comment on auditioning for vagina monologues.
Have fun!

Shalom said...

I loved watching the Vagina Monologues, but auditioning...you are brave. (I think the idea of any parishioner hearing me discuss the hoo-ha would put the brakes on it for me.)

Well played!

Unknown said...

Try anything mode sounds like my career.

Heavy cream will have to remember that.

Di said...

Good for you! I did the Vagina Monologues in college, and I would be part of the experience again in a heartbeat.

Mary Beth said...

Oooh, yes, those masks. I had a dreadful Chinese lady one once that I felt compelled to keep on for 2 straight hours.

Sally said...

Laughing at the Pumpkin chuckin' idea- excellent play

Dr. Laura Marie Grimes said...

Great play!

And you are so right about those Rocky Mountain chocolate caramel apples. We have them in California too though not very near to us that I know of.

Jan said...

When I visited my daughter in Seattle we went window-shopping at the Rocky Mountain Fudge Factory. I still dream of what I saw there! Thanks for playing. I've missed you in the past few weeks.

Diane M. Roth said...

thanks for the link (looks delicious)
and no, I never heard of Pumkin chunkin? (am I saying that right?)