Ghost, goblins and Harry Potter

I love Halloween. It’s the one night of the year that I can pretend that I like children.

Just kidding!

Ok, ok. Kinda kidding. Kids are OK. I wouldn’t mind being a grandmother, but I’m not ready to be a mom yet. That’s a full time job and I already have one.

But I do like handing out Halloween candy. I don’t even mind handing out candy to older kids. I remember being older and still wanting the loot on Halloween. If they make the effort to dress up, they get the candy. I did have to interrogate two girls this evening to see what they were. They were dressed in plaid with a tool belt. Construction? Lumberjacks. So I gave them the candy.

I also buy good candy. No Tootsie Rolls or Dum Dums in my candy bowl! This year, it was an excellent mix of Reese’s, Milky Way, Snickers, and Almond Joy. OK, ok. So I may be the only person who likes Almond Joy. Why did you think I bought the bag? I let the kids pick out their own candy and I KNEW that no one would want that. MORE FOR ME!! The Reese’s were the big winners this year. I bought two bags and those were picked clean in the first hour. Remind me to only buy Reese’s next year.

This year, I asked kids to only take one piece of candy because I didn’t buy all that much. It was really funny but the teenagers were only taking one piece without being asked, but the younger kids were little piggies! I had one kids reach his hand in and try to take as much as his hand could hold! The little plague carrier probably infected the whole bowl.

I almost turned the lights out at 7:30PM but decided to take my chances on someone showing up while I was eating dinner. I only had two more people show up and they were just about the cutest costumes too! My favorite was a little boy in a spiderman costume, head covering and all. He had the sweetest little voice. When he reached in to get some candy, he picked out the Almost Joy. I was so happy that I gave him a handful of candy to reward him.

So happy Halloween all you ghosties and ghouls! I’m sitting on the couch the rest of the evening watching a Ghost Hunters marathon.

Garden transitions

I have a feeling that today was the last nice day to work outside until about April. And unfortunately, I had procrastinated my way into a HUGE backload of work. I had to write two exams, finish the joy that is assessment of the student research program and write lecture notes for my class on Wednesday. That last one sounds like I’m trying to get ahead doesn’t it? Ha! Next week is advising week, which means that I meet with each of my advisees for at least 30 minutes. I have 22 advisees. None of this includes all of the stuff at home that needs to get done. My poor orchids are starting to droop. The carpet is starting to move, even though all of the cats are sleeping.

The garden is in a sorry, sorry state. I did take a few minutes to rake up some leaves which were killing the grass. I also cleaned out my water feature. My sad water feature. I loved having it during the summer, but come to find out guppies don’t like it when it gets cold. They die. In droves. I’m also wondering if a raccoon decided to use it as a buffet.

Here are a few pictures that bid farewell to summer.

The tomatoes didn’t fare too well this summer. Between the deer and the slugs, I think I got one whole large red one. The yellows pears did better. They made a really yummy bruschetta.

I harvested a few more even after the first frost this year. The frost caught me by surprise this year. I lost my African violets and didn’t get in any of my basil this year. Thankfully I moved my orchids in about two weeks earlier.

My geranium didn’t do too well this year at all. It never filled out. I wonder if that is because the birds were using it as a place to eat the sunflower seeds. Too bad the deer like sunflowers as much as I do.

There is one last splash of color in the garden – the gaura. This is my second time planting them in my perennial garden. If they don’t make it, I’ll probably keep planting them. They are so beautiful and vibrant in the bed. I love how the flowers dance at the end of the stalk in the slightest of breezes. Plus, the deer leave them alone. What more can I say?

I picked the wrong branch of the sciences

I was surfing today and found a very interesting article:

30 Jobs That Pay $80,000

It was a pretty cool list. Nineteen of the thirty jobs are either science or engineering related! Of course, there were the ringers of the lot: 12 – Producers and Directors and 5 – Agents and business managers of artists, performers and athletes. But the rest of them all require at least a four year college degree.

This is the one that I found most interesting:

4. Atmospheric, earth, marine and space sciences teachers, post-secondary
Do this: Teach courses and research topics in the physical sciences, except chemistry and physics.
Get paid: $81,470

At first, I started looking forward in the list to see if Chemistry and Physics Post-Secondary teachers get their own entry with an even higher salary. Then I looked at the salary again and was a little surprised. Really? I could be making that? I’m at the wrong college… When I didn’t find a separate entry for physics and chemistry, I realized that we must be below the 80K cutoff. Bummer.

I also didn’t see “wine maker” on that list. Because that would be my second choice.

More photos

More photos from wine tasting last weekend!

I never realized that wine grapes were so small. I guess it makes sense when you think about it because you want lots of skin contact for the beautiful purple color of wine. But there so small!!

Booker Vineyards, a new winery that Husband has found. The story behind the name is really great. The Booker brothers were adopted by a farming family. They never married and because a fixture in the Paso Robles area. When they died, they donated a lot of money for academic scholarships. I think this winery is located on some of the old Booker land.

When we left Paso Tuesday morning, we drove east to I-5. The route is through some of the emptiest land I have seen, and I grew up in West Texas! It really had a beauty all of its own. The mountains in the distance were gorgeous, even if there was lots of haze. (And the photos were taken from the window of the car at 65 mph!)

We passed through some pistachio or almond farms located in the middle of nowhere. There was probably two miles of trees that went back further than the eye could see. Then all of a sudden, they stopped. It was kind of odd.

It was also odd when we passed through about half a mile of oil derrick farms.

I couldn’t believe how close they were together. I thought that they would bump into each other as they started their “Oil Rain Dance”.

We got out of California just in time. The rains started coming down and LA was featured on StormWatch! You know we got back to MI to balmy weather and sunshine.

OK, I lied. We got back to highs in the low 50s and snow on Friday night. Life sucks.

Pictures from CA

Photos from our latest wine tasting adventure!

Well part one. I need some fodder for tomorrow. These are photos from the Melville Harvest BBQ. Too much fun and lots of wine!

It was an amazing day:

Cold, but beautiful.

How could someone leave a wine glass unattended?!?

Once again, Claire was the smart one. She brought her gloves!

Cover of Wine Spectator anyone?

Action shots at dinner:

Waiting our turn for food.

Can you see the purple teeth? How about the grey hair?

Get that damn camera out of my face!

Husband just about thought he died and went to heaven.