Costumes in a Box

Those of you who are my age - give or take a few years - probably can remember going to the local Woolworth's or Kmart as a kid to pick out your Halloween costume. Excited beyond words, you raced through the store, dragging whichever parent happened to be lucky (hee hee) enough to accompany you on your mission by the hand down the aisles until you found it - the costume aisle.

And there they were....rows and rows of costumes! Underdog, Batman,Casper the Ghost, Barbie, Cinderella, G.I. Joe, Frankenstein - almost anything you could think of! All stacked on the shelves in their BOXES.









Yes, boxes. Rows and rows of them!

Remember those thin palstic masks with the eyeholes cut out of the face of whomever it was you were going as, the small elastic band attached on each side to hold it on; the "outfit" consisting of a plastic poncho more or less, that tied behind your neck and your back?













I ran across a costume in a box several years ago while browsing an antique store in Evanston, Wyoming with my friend Rose. I was thrilled to see it! I had all but forgotten that piece of my childhood trick or treating experiences. I wish I would have bought it...just to have that little snippet of Halloweens back in the 'good old days'.

Oh well......there's always EBay.

Moses

"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." ~ Will Rogers

We lost our Moe yesterday. He's running the fields in heaven now. We'll see you later, Moe Mutt. We love you.

Ahhhhhh......fall

Ahhh, fall.

Crisp morning air.
Trees cloaked in brilliant hues.
Sweaters.



Stockpots of stews and soups simmering on the stove.
Sunset comes earlier each day.
Pumpkin everything! Pancakes, bread, muffins…yum!
Hot apple cider.



Flannel sheets on the bed.
The smell of fires burning in neighborhood hearths.
Blankets on the couch to snuggle in watching old movies.
Jack-o-lanterns.
















Corn mazing and house haunting.
The boys of fall under Friday night lights.
Bread baking in the oven.












Ahhhh…..fall.

Bygone Days

When did it happen? And where the hell was I? Am I odd - abnormal even - for wondering where "We" went? I'm sure more couples than I think lose their sense of coupleness. Life's busy. Between school and work and kids and chores...somehow, somewhere in the sea of stuff, we lose sight of us. You and I. Me and you. And then there's just...you...and me.

Over the course of a marriage, things aren't always been a slide on ice. I really don't think I was mature enough to be married when we got hitched. Oh hell - I know I wasn't. I was afraid to speak my mind, to say when I was upset at my spouse. I still can't (it's easier not to. It will be my fault anyway so why mention it?)Lack of communication is a marriage killer. I didn't handle money well or wisely. I've acted like a brat and been downright mean when I felt I was wronged. I've escaped for a weekend out of town just because I couldn't handle one more second without letting off steam. I think I may have even lost my self somewhere along the way. A girls night out at Karen's with my BF or cosmic bowling with her and my niece helped me to remember who I was...who I am. Then there are the small things. Which, more often than not, turn into big things. Big things that cause annoyance and fights until one day you decide its too much energy to argue over or get mad about. Yep, your marriage is in trouble.

But the biggest thing - and I really do believe this - is that couples stop doing couple things. As soon as you lose the romance, stop doing the little things that you did when you were courting, its OVER. Go on dates. Hold hands. LISTEN to each other. Flirt with each other. Dream together. Slow dance in the living room. Watch the sunset. Making time for each other and doing things together (even grocery shopping...really!) as "us" is sososo imperative to the survival of a marriage.

Marriage is hard work. No one tells you just how tough it will be. The preacher or judge doesn't give you a handbook on how to make it work along with pronouncing you man and wife. You both have to work at it, every single day. Otherwise you'll wake up one morning and wonder where "we" went.