an apple a day...

here's the thing, it's pink october which all of you know by now is the national breast cancer prevention month. you know my story of my mother who passed away from breast cancer and the dangers of not receiving adequate health care in the three years preceding her diagnosis. all of us have probably known someone that has been touched by this horrible disease in some shape or another. hopefully you know more survivors than you know of women who have lost their life.

prevention is where it's at - early detection can save a life. don't think you're bulletproof. okay? that's me coming at you straight, no punches held back. be safe - just like momma said, safer is always better than sorry. simple but true. don't put it off.

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it seems a lot of people i read are a bit blue and that is easy to understand given the change in season and the crazy weather this fall. but, as i type, the sun is struggling to come out and play a bit. so that is a hopeful sign.

so, i thought we should all share what makes us giggle. after all, laughter is the best medicine they say. so, that good belly giggle that starts down deep and erupts into bubbles of happy laughter - what causes it? for my niece last week, it was playing hide and seek with her stuffed puppy. for me, it was seeing my pug howl a bit for his supper.

i always laugh at 'young frankenstein' and kevin smith as silent bob. facial expressions are key in both really. lately, it's been the show 'glee' - it's such campy fun that i can't help it. and if you want a real live application (for those that don't watch tv), you should check out ps-22 children's choir from new york. (ok, so this is more touching than funny - sorry for the slight detour)

this is what i want to know:
1. your favorite funny movie
2. your favorite joke
3. your favorite funny memory as a child
4. who can always make you laugh?

these are my answers:
1. young frankenstein
2. cinderella comes in late from the ball and tells her fairy godmother to go ahead and turn her into a pumpkin. the fairy godmother hesitates, trying to give cindy a break but cindy becomes more and more demanding. finally, the fairy godmother asks why is she so demanding, did she meet a prince. "no," explained cindy, "there was this new guy there....peter peter."
3. the time that we convinced my uncle (who was a total city kid and scared of anything nature related) to climb up a 12 foot pole and jump into the lake. he split his swimming trunks and was soooo mad. that ties with the time my uncle (another one) came around the slew too quick with my father skiing and slung my father through the woods on his skis. i learned lots of new curse words that day.
4. my sister can always make me laugh - we have the same sense of humor.

good advice

catching up

i know you guys are tired of some combination of nuts, pumpkins and glass. hopefully i can go to the fair sometime this week. today it's cooler and i am going to make christina's rustic apple pie in a bit. i think sitting and watching the leaves fall while i peel apples sounds like a perfect past time for a sunday afternoon (the oak leaves make such a beautiful spiral as they float to the ground). later i'm making taco soup (or chili).

last night i went to see 'whip it' with ellen page and drew barrymore. i know the movie was panned by the critics but i really loved it. i think i remember watching a calmer roller derby when i was a child - but this just looked so fun. it also made me remember that marcia gay harden is just a fabulous actress. she is so subtle and nuanced that i adored every scene that she is in.


omg - this may be the best thing i've ever made - she is right, the orange zest is just everything.

friday night i saw my itty bitty bit of a niece - i won't be able to call her that much longer - she is getting so big. as she played at the dinner table and ate butterbeans off my plate, my heart was filled with so much love that i could just burst. completely burst...and again when she said 'on the lips' when i kissed her goodnight.

this guy has been hanging out on the front porch for a few days now. i think from the pictures i've searched that he's a golden silk spider and he's definitely an orb weaver as his (her?) web covers the entire front of our bay window. shudder. i've tried getting closer but there are what are called warning webs or anchors in the way. though the bite is not poisonous, it can hurt for a few days. (i'm not going to chance it)

this has been a gift of a weekend. it was predicted to be stormy and ugly - instead we have beautiful, cool and the sunset last night was golden and glorious. hopefully we will have another today. hope your weekend is golden and glorious too.