Kathleen Recommends

It's late All Hallows Eve, and here be Wall-E, two witches, and a rock star, all safely tucked in bed now.

My granddaughters are the two on the right, their friend in the middle, and the amazing Wall-E costume hand crafted by my youngest for his son out of cardboard, paper and aluminum foil. The arms move. The front opens and the loot bag emerges. He was quite a hit on this beautiful fall night.

But for the cold nights ahead, I give you a couple of recommendations and ask for yours in return. First a DVD. "Leaves of Grass" must have moved in and out of the theaters like a hummingbird. We snatched it up the day it came out. Enthusiastic thumbs up from both the Indian cowboy and me, and that's unusual with a comedy. After the movie we played the bonus features, and Clyde googled on the laptop. Discovered the move grossed $68,000 at the box office. Sad, especially when you think about some of the poor excuses for movies that are making money.

And the talent in this one--Edward Norton, Susan Sarandon, Richard Dreyfuss and Tim Blake Nelson--is top notch. The minute Clyde saw Nelson, who played his favorite character, Delmar, in "O Brother, Where Art Thou," he was hooked. Turns out Nelson wrote and directed "Leaves Of Grass." But it's Edward Norton who brings this one home with his portrayal of identical twins as you've never seen it done before. Watching him play off himself, you'll swear there's been some cloning. Bill is the Ivy League classics professor who has done everything he can to divorce himself from his rural Oklahoma roots. Brother Brady is a genius, too. He takes his grass growing very seriously.

But this is not a Cheech and Chong-type comedy. Nelson has worked on numerous Coen brothers projects, and this one has a bit of a "Fargo" flavor to it. Apparently Nelson wrote the screenplay with Norton in mine, and he says in the interview that "there was no second choice." Norton is a favorite of mine, and he's great in this flick, which is downright funny.


Next, for your reading pleasure, I recommend COWBOYS NEVER CRY by Tina Welling. I read this one in advance, and my endorsement is quoted on the back cover. A good contemporary Western romance is hard to find these days, especially in single title. This is the second book I've read and enjoyed by this relatively new author.

The young widow of a mountain climber, takes a summer job on a dude ranch near Jackson Hole, where she meets and locks horns with the owner's son, a disillusioned and erstwhile self-destructive movie star. He's cool and cocky, but he's just out of rehab and still rocky. She's no shrinking violet, but putting her life back together has been a struggle, both emotionally and financially. Welling is a skilled writer, and she knows how to bring characters to life and tug at the heart strings. Good stuff.

It's comin' on cocooning time. What's the best book you've read lately? How about the best movie? Give me some titles to put on my list.

Halloween Grinch… What are you doing for Halloween?

Do you love Halloween? Do you decorate? Do you dress up when you hand out treats? Or do you turn out all the lights and hope for bad weather?

Some people get into the spirit and it’s fun to watch. Such as Lois Greiman’s daughter and fiancée. Aren’t they adorable?

And whoever would have thought our own sweet Christie Ridgway could be so creepy? Look what she did to her house and her favorite Halloween cat.

And Kathleen Eagle's graveyard! Where did those dark tendencies originate?

Deb Dixon says she'd love to get into the Halloween spirit, but no one comes to the door trick-or-treating anymore. Once there are grandkids to "scare" she'll start "haunting" the stores for great Halloween decorations. Until then she contents herself with a Mummy plaque for the front door, which she actually painted herself. (Because it’s not enough that she is a great fiction and nonfiction writer, editor, publisher, and speaker… She has to have other talents too.)

Me? I’m a Halloween Grinch. I don’t mind giving out the candy. It’s the whole jack-in-the-box thing from the doorbell ringing and the dog barking… followed by a pause when I sit down…. then more ringing and dog barking and jumping. Plus I don’t like scary or gross stuff. I remember going to a haunted house when I was a little girl where I walked into a dark room and was instructed to put my hands in noodles and told they were brains. Peeled grapes were eyeballs. YUCK I remember wearing the plastic costumes and getting cold, yet somehow sweaty at the same time. I collected the candy and “saved” it. Seriously I can remember finding a hidden bag of Halloween candy in my closet… at Easter. Petrified candy. How much candy can a child eat? Don’t answer that. I also saw instructions on what kind of candy to buy for Halloween and I broke the #1 rule. Don’t buy your favorites. Oops.

Even though I don’t love Halloween, it’s fun to see kids get excited about it. Like Cindy Gerard’s goblin grandchildren.

And Helen Brenna’s son with his friends. (He’s in the sombrero).

And then there’s that time I dressed my dog, Bijou, as a princess.

WHAT ARE YOU doing for Halloween? Share, share! We all want to know!

XO,

Leanne -- BOO!

Look What's Rising In Kathleen's Garden

This was my raised bed garden back when all that was planted in it was alive and well.



















This is my raised bed garden with everything mostly dead and nearly buried.












Both of these projects were orchestrated by my grandchildren, and they've been thrilled to show them off to visitors. They love reading the grave markers aloud and setting the bones to their satisfaction. The little ghosts hanging on the potting bench were last year's kid craft--styrofoam balls, pipe cleaners and cheesecloth, which is best stuff for Halloween decor. We draped the Amish rocker in it. The ghosts that replaced the hanging flower were easy--white wire hangers make the frames. The big spider web was purchased, but the kids made the spiders from pipe cleaners and puff balls (or whatever the craft store calls them) with pony beads for eyes. We bought a couple of big, hairy spiders to attach to the screen, which has to be replaced come spring anyway. It's been raining like cats and dogs lately--perfect weather for ghoul gardening.


















I do love to watch the holidays come alive in the eyes of children. Christie's costumes are fantastic. Did anyone see "Mad Men" on Sunday? The Halloween scenes brought back memories. The little girl comes out in a costume we Boomers remember well. "Do I look like a gypsy, Daddy?" And the boy is a hobo a la Red Skelton. We didn't put up decorations back in the day, but we put together our costumes from the trunk in the attic or the "rag bag."

And we got to wear makeup! In "Mad Men" the kids are told that those costumes you got in boxes at Woolworth's were "cheap." Mama's words exactly. Cheap meant poorly made, not inexpensive. Store-bought costumes are big business nowadays, and they may be cheap, but they're not inexpensive. Ah, but they're made well enough to provide hours of dress-up fun over the winter. And we do love to play dress-up, don't we, girls?

What's your best Halloween memory or party treat or decor trick? Ever been room mother for the kids' class party? How did it go? I'm helping out in kindergarten tomorrow, and I'm in charge of the cookie decorating station. Wish me luck. Oh, and it's not a Halloween party. It's Harvest. Don't get me started.

Trick me with a comment, I might treat you with an autographed copy of IN CARE OF SAM BEAUDRY. I'll draw the names of 2 commenters tonight. Sam's brother Zach's story comes out around December 1.

Eeewww, gross, Kathleen!

We're having a Halloween party. The 4-, 5- and 6-year-old grandchildren enjoyed it so much last year that they've decided to make it an annual event. They don't do Halloween parties in school anymore--it's a "Harvest" party, and this year they're not even allowing costumes--so I'm game, if for no reason other than to get another wearing out of those adorable costumes (Ariel, Snow White, Spiderman). Looking for new party ideas put me in mind of an old recipe that I thought I'd share. You've probably seen it and been totally grossed out. If you're adventuresome, maybe you've tried it and know that it's really quite good and can be the hit of the party, depending on your guests.

I discovered the recipe in the newspaper back when my daughter worked at Petco. We made it, and she took it to the store's break room for Halloween. She enjoyed (and related in detail) the responses, from the initial disgust to scraping the box for every last crumb. So for my contribution to recipe month, I give you....

Kitty Litter Cake

• 1 German chocolate or spice cake mix
• 1 (or 2 for better fill of the box) white cake mix
• 2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 (12 ounce) package vanilla sandwich cookies
• green food coloring (and/or blue, as per your favorite kitty litter)
  
• 1 package small Tootsie Rolls (but a few large Tootsies can add variety)
• 1 small kitty litter pan (unused)
• 1 poop scooper (also unused)
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare cake mixes and bake according to package directions (any size pan).
2. Prepare pudding according to package directions and chill until ready to assemble.
   
3. Crumble sandwich cookies in small batches in a food processor, scraping often. (Or put them in a plastic bag and smash with a hammer. Good therapy, less cleanup.) Set aside all but 1/4 cup. To the 1/4 cup add a few drops of green food coloring and mix.
4. When cakes are cooled to room temperature, crumble them into a large bowl. Toss with 1/2 the remaining cookie crumbs, and the chilled pudding. You probably won't need all of the pudding, you want the cake to be just moist, not soggy.
5. Line kitty litter box with the kitty litter liner. (Or not. Your litter box is new and pristine.) Put cake mixture into box.
6. Put half the unwrapped tootsie rolls in a microwave safe dish and heat until softened. (Not runny. That would be gross.) This is the part the kids really like: Shape with pre-washed hands (use tongue for post washing only) to look like...you know. Bury tootsie rolls randomly in the cake and sprinkle with half of the remaining cookie crumbs. Sprinkle a small amount of the green colored cookie crumbs lightly over the top.
7. Heat 3 or 4 of the tootsie rolls in the microwave until almost melted. Scrape them on top of the cake and sprinkle lightly with some of the green cookie crumbs. (By this time the cat was clearly disgusted with his people, so I think we skipped that part.) Heat the remaining tootsie rolls until pliable and shape as before. Spread randomly over top of cake mixture. Sprinkle with any remaining cookie crumbs. Don't hesitate to hang one tootsie roll over the side of the box and sprinkle with a few green cookie crumbs. And, of course, erve with the pooper scooper.

Probably not Martha Stewart approved, but perfect for 6th grade boys, and teenagers have a great time with it. Since I won't be serving it to my wee ones, I'm still flipping through magazines. Any tips you care to share? What's your best--or worst--Halloween memory?

Halloween Frights

Helen here.

I grew up in an old house. I’m talking brick exterior, high ceilings, cracked plaster walls, the whole shebang. It was actually a rectory built in 1905. We had a full attic complete with creaky wooden floors and the occasional flying bat. With uneven cement floors and walls that seeped, our basement was right out of that ending scene in Silence of the Lambs. We even had a hidden staircase off the kitchen. If ever there was a fitting place for ghost hauntings, my childhood house was it.

Amazingly, while I was growing up, I don’t remember feeling nervous or afraid, even when I’d lie in bed in the dark and hear the old walls settling in for the night. In fact, I relished the opportunity to watch scary movies in that house, especially when no one else was home, which didn’t happen often with eight kids in the family. When it did, I was in pure heaven.

There was only one time I remember being truly frightened in that house.

I’m laying in bed and wake up in the middle of the night. A strip of moonlight slashes through my window, and the shadow of the branches of a towering Boxelder tree shift on my bedroom floor. Creeped out, I glance around. There’s a person standing by the door. He doesn’t move, doesn’t say anything. I’m too scared to cry out.

Long minutes pass while I pretend to be asleep, thinking this will save me from certain death. Still, he never moves. This murderer is really patient. When I finally summon the nerve to sit up and take a better look, it turns out the menacing man at the door is really a shirt hanging on a hanger.

Something similar happened when I took a trip a three-week trip out east with two girlfriends. It was right out of college, so we couldn’t afford many hotel rooms. We camped much of the time. Anyway, we’re in New Brunswick, Canada, on our way to Nova Scotia. It’s early June and the campground is empty, and I mean truly deserted. We were the only campers in the entire park. We made a fire, ate supper, turned in early.

Yes, there was alcohol involved, but that’s beside the point.

I’m sound asleep at the edge of the tent, when Kendall, safely ensconced in the middle, whacks me, really hard, and whispers, “There’s someone outside our tent!”

Bleary eyed, I look up. Sure enough, there’s a huge man shadow looming down at us. She whacks Maureen, whispers again. Now the three of us are awake and about peeing in our pants. Bold Kendall—in the middle, remember?—suddenly says, “Who’s out there?”

Nothing. All we hear is the wind rustling through the tops of the big oaks.

Suddenly that hulking shadow morphs into a different shape. I start laughing.

Kendall’s indignant. “What’s so funny?”

“It’s a tree!”

Clearly, my imagination has a tendency to run off on its merry own way. I think many of us lean in that direction.

What I don’t get is why? Why do we love Halloween? Why are campfires the best place to tell spooky stories? Why do we love scaring ourselves?

Got a favorite scary story you’d like to share?

Happy Halloween, everyone!