Chocolate Perfection

Bought this at World Market the other day. Tried it for the first time last night. Oh My Goodness!

This is "drinking" or "sipping" chocolate. It is rich, thick and deserves to be served in a demitasse cup. Unfortunately I gave mine to my daughter several years ago. I'll wait until my Christmas china with smaller cups come out of storage on December first and enjoy it then. Meanwhile, if I make it again, I will just go with a regular cup. 

It calls for 3 Tbs (or more) of the chocolate mix to 1/2 cup of water. I started with 4 Tbs. It was Wonderful and my writing skills do not do it justice. I suggest if you like dark chocolate, go to your local World Market and purchase this extraordinary drink. Do your best to sit in front of a fire but if that is not possible, at least snuggle up with a really good book and enjoy the sensation. 

"He's the Man!"

I have been with the Little Man several times this summer and noticed that he really likes machines and working. I decided he needed a truck. When we came to his house this week, we discovered there was a pool being dug in his back yard. All the more reason for a truck. I found a good old fashioned Tonka dump truck. Simple, uncomplicated.

Big sister started him off, showing him how it all works.

And then the Little Man took over.

Strong boy!

Pile them up in the truck.

"I can do it!"

"I did it!!"

"I'm the Man!!"

A Halloween Coup

It was a great party!!!  Mandy had chili - someone brought mac ’n cheese (which was delicious under the chili), someone brought a cheese and meat platter, and Mandy and the girls had made chocolate chip cookies. Oh - and someone brought lemonade which I was the only one who drank. So grateful. Dave stayed home and gave out candy and I went with the girls and Mandy. The neighborhood was Full of kids and folks with fire pits burning in their driveways, and lots and lots of candy. 

So here was my coup of the evening. Mandy and Dave had set up a large screen with Looney Toons Halloween cartoons (Tom and Jerry) playing. They put out chairs and blankets and let people sit and watch. So I have finished my rotations with the kids and am standing outside when  a couple of teens arrive. I give them candy, they notice the cartoons, I tell them they are welcome to sit and watch. They thank me politely and leave - talk to three more of their friends who are waiting on the sidewalk and come back and take me up on it. They must have stayed for 30 minutes. At one point I took out popcorn, told them a movie needed popcorn but they had to share. They passed around the bowl, ate it all, had a great time and left, thanking us (Mandy was back by then) profusely. I think it made their evening. It certainly made mine.

I Have a Hat!

I have always enjoyed Halloween from dressing up and racing from house to house as a child to sharing that time with my own children. There were a few adult parties over the years for which I was able to throw together some sort of costume. I know I was in theatre and I scrupulously avoided the costume department so I really did improvise at Halloween.

When I moved to Tahoe 16 years ago, Dean told me there would be no children coming by. Hoping he was wrong, I had candy. He was right and we have had no spooky visitors in all that time. I did go to Carson City once with Michelle, Meredith and Trinity and we went out as our own family coven. 

This year I am going to be with grands in Southern California over Halloween and have learned that there is a block party with lots of kids and open houses and visiting neighbors. I have no idea if the adults dress up or not. I am going to. And I have already started planning. 

I have a hat! And it is purple - my color, so coordinating my outfit will be no problem. I am having such fun planning ~ and of course I have to have everything ready to take with us when we travel. You will see the whole outfit on the day but for now know that I am enjoying gathering my costume and becoming a purple witch because I have a hat! 

I Am Not a Fax

I am not a fax machine! There has been a company that for a long time has thought I was a fax machine. Irritating. Finally this morning, the third time the call came through, it dawned on me I could Google them and find out how to contact them. They are a very legitimate company as far as their website goes - and Bethany, the receptionist, was very helpful. She is going to do what she can to find the right person and stop faxes to my home phone. She was also rather amazed that I was not a client, had no account with them, and had never heard of them until the fax calls started coming. Lovely if it is finally over. Now I know what to do as their are several others like this — and why I haven’t though of it before, I have no idea. Phew.

October De'lish

The first frost was coming so I brought in the three tomato plants and lined them up in the bathroom. And haven't moved them since! I suppose we could have taken them back out to get more sun and brought them in again at night. We didn't though. They sat in their warm corner where steam from the shower would bless them and the heated floor gave them some protection from the cold. The result was little clusters of tiny sweet tomatoes. They ripened one at a time until today when there were enough to pick and picture. So good. And such a delight to have summer flavors in October.

“They want to call you?”

It is 25 years ago. Michelle is pregnant with Joshua, and yes, we know it is Joshua who is coming. My friend Anne comes late to dance rehearsal, apologizes and says, “Cory wanted to call and talk to his grandmother.” Cory was about 3. My immediate and excited response was, “They want to call you??”

Wow! Grandchildren might want to call their grandparents. I could hardly wait. And sure enough Joshua was born, grew up enough to want to call his Mama Susan, recognize the weekly postcard and finally find it amazing that when he came to our house, I was actually there.

Time passed. When he was in high school we lived close enough that we saw each other every week or so and therefore the need or desire for phone calls was not as great. 

College years passed quickly (for me - not so much for him) and we saw each other when I could make it to Ashland. He graduated on a Saturday and on Monday started a new job that he enjoys. Once in a while I would see a post of some kind on FaceBook and in the last week I saw him on my chat list. As happens a lot, as I was typing a message, he signed off. And then the other day, my phone rings. It was Joshua!

My excitement was just as great after 25 years, as that earlier anticipation of just the fact that they might want to call. I’m not sure grandchildren understand how much their grandparents love them until they themselves become grandparents. I find myself thinking of my grandmother and some of things I was told she said about me. Even after all these years, I wish I could call. 

Mama Dear and Susan in 1943; Joshua and Mama Susan at graduation in June.