Autumn Memories

The chill in the autumn air
brings back memories of Oklahoma,
and Grandma's home made cookies.

Every year for Halloween,
she made cookies for the neighborhood children,
who all called her Grandma.

She always made oatmeal-raisin
and peanut butter cookies;
she always knew who
not to give the peanut butter cookies to.

It was a different time,
you knew everyone in the neighborhood,
and knew who you could trust
and who you couldn't.

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Happy October

Happy October 

Pumpkin spice coffee ice cream 

Or pumpkin spice coffee cake 

Happy October 

Candy corn with black coffee 

Halloween coming 

Happy October 

Memories of my lost childhood 

Return make me smile 

Midweek Reflections: Halloween Memories

'Idal (Justice), 13 ‘Ilm (Knowledge), 172 BE - Wednesday, October 28, 2015 about 5:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time

Halloween memories
like trick or treating children
come knocking at the door of my mind
bringing back sweet candy smiles.

That is a good start to a Halloween poem. I have so many pleasant Halloween memories that I don't know where to start. Perhaps I should use a specific form to focus the memories. Halloween is still three days away so I have a few days to work on this.

Midweek Reflections on the Last Full Week in October

‘Idál (Justice) , 8 ‘Ilm (Knowledge), 170 BE - Wednesday, October 23, 2013 about 8:41 AM Pacific Daylight Time

It is Wednesday of the last full week in October. I know this because I checked the date on my "Happy writing.com Anniversary!" calendar.  My anniversary date is October 31 and I have been a member writing.com since 2002. I joined this writer's website on a whim one Halloween Day and I have remained a member ever since.

This is the last full week in October and I am in the process of downsizing. I have to downsize because I am moving from a three bedroom house to a studio or one bedroom apartment. I have gotten rid of a lot of stuff, but I still have more to either give away or throw away. This morning I put the dining room table with its four chairs on Free Cycle. Hopefully someone will want the table and chairs before this coming weekend.

Since I am moving to a smaller place, I am taking a small black breakfast table and two chairs with me. I am also going to take at least one of the bookcases. I may take the other bookcase with me, but I am not sure at the moment. I have a lot of books to give away, so I should put some of those on Free Cycle. I know what books I want to take with me and what books I want to give away. I need some boxes to put the books in I want to transport to my new place.

It is the last full week in October, I am looking forward to moving. I am not looking forward to packing up everything. I am having difficulty deciding what things I want to take, throw away, or give away. I am making those stressful decisions and learning to let go of the past. I am moving forward one step at a time.

An Interesting Request

Jamál (Beauty), 9 Mashíyyat (Will), 170 BE - Sunday, October 5, 2013 about 9:44 AM Pacific Daylight Time

I had an interesting request this morning, a man knocked at my door and ask if he could have one of the limbs that are lying in my front yard. The limbs were cut off the pine tree a couple of weeks ago and are still waiting for someone to carry them away. I told the man he could have the limb, I did not ask what he was going to do with it because it was none of my business. I glad to have one of limbs gone because it means one less item for me to deal with.

This close to Halloween, I suspect he wanted it for some type of yard decoration. People in this neighborhood are starting to decorate for Halloween. The neighbors across the street have a jack o' lantern grinning from their front window. I suppose a dead tree limb would make a interesting and possibly scary or spooky yard decoration.

I do not decorate for Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, but I like to see how other people decorate for those holidays. One of my fondest Christmas memories is driving around looking at the yard decorations on the weekends before or after Christmas. Since I do not get out much at night, the only yard decorations I see are those in my neighborhood.

Staying home on Halloween is fun

Jamál (Beauty), 17 ‘Ilm (Knowledge), 166 BE – Sunday, November 1, 2009 about 2:13 PM Pacific Time

I enjoyed staying home last night and giving out candy. I gave away all the candy I bought, it felt great not to have any Halloween candy left over. The kids that came to the door were dressed in creative costumes. I had fun last night. I am going to stay home next Halloween and give away candy.

I bought two large bags of candy this year. Toward the end of the evening, I got a bit stressed that I would run out of candy for the kids coming to the door. Next year I think I'll buy three large bags of candy. That way I know I'll have enough and won't get stress because I'm afraid of running out of candy.

I enjoyed the costumes the children wore. Everyone said thank you after I put the candy in their bags. Every child who came to the house were with their parents. It's nice to see parents going with their children on Halloween night. It brought back memories of my childhood, when my grandfather would go with us on Halloween.

I am staying home and leaving the porch light on

Jalál (Glory), 16 ‘Ilm (Knowledge), 166 BE – Saturday, October 31, 2009 about Sunset Pacific Time

Normally, we go out on Halloween night; however, tonight I'm staying home and leaving the porch light on. I bought candy (probably too much candy, because I always buy too much candy). I bought candy that Mom and I will eat, so if there is any left from Halloween night there won't be a problem. I'll put the leftover candy in the freezer and we will eat it a little at a time.

Halloween candy
brings back childhood memories
Grandma made cookies.

As a child, I enjoyed Halloween, but now it's just another day. When we were growing up my Grandmother would make cookies for the Trick or Treater's. All the neighborhood kids would come to our house because they knew they would get homemade cookies. Grandma enjoyed making the cookies. The neighborhood kids enjoyed getting the cookies and their parents didn't have to worry because they knew who made the cookies.

I bought some Halloween cookies

Jalál (Glory), 14 Mashiyyat (Will), 166 BE – Saturday, October 10, 2009 about 1:59 PM Pacific Time

I bought a tray of two dozen Halloween cookies yesterday. The cookies are chocolate and vanilla decorated like carved pumpkins. There are enough cookies to last several days because the only one's in the house are my mother and myself.

I had two cookies for breakfast this morning. I found one disadvantage to having false teeth and eating cookies. I can't seem to bit off a piece of the cookie. I think the issues is getting used to the dentures and I'm sure I won't have this problem very long.

I solve the problem this morning by dunking my cookies in my coffee. I like to dunk my cookies in coffee, so not being able to bit off a piece of cookie isn't a problem. Dunking a cookie in coffee changes the taste of the cookie and the coffee.

Chocolate cookies
and hot coffee for breakfast
morning happiness.

I Want Halloween Cookies

Istijlál (Majesty), 12 Mashiyyat (Will), 166 BE – Thursday, October 8, 2009 about 4:15 PM Pacific Time

I want cookies decorated for Halloween. I want cookies decorated with orange pumpkins carved to resemble smiling faces. I want cookies decorated with black cat designs. I haven't found any cookies decorated like that in the stores. Of course, I haven't went into very many stores this October.

Halloween cookies
smiling orange pumpkin frosting
coffee is perking.

I want Halloween cookies to eat with a hot cup of coffee. I want Halloween cookies to drink with a tall cold glass of milk. When I was a child, Grandma always baked us cookies and served the hot cookies with a cold glass of milk.

My Grandmother Baked Cookies

Halloween cookies
chocolate peanut butter
baked fresh by Grandma

I remember Grandma's cookies. She baked cookies for all the neighborhood kids on Halloween. Grandma celebrated every occasion by baking cookies, pies or cakes. She always made sure that there were cookies for the neighborhood kids who came to the house any time of the year. Grandma liked to bake.

Happy Halloween

Istiqlál (Independence), 16 Ilm (Knowledge), 165 B.E. – Friday, October 31, 2008 about 7:56 AM Pacific Time

Happy Halloween
Happy Nevada Day
Happy writing.com account birthday.

Mom and I have to catch a bus to do some stuff today. Since this is Nevada Day, it should be interesting to see which stores and businesses are open. We're going to the mall, then to pick up some of Mom's meds and have a prescription for me filled. I know the schools and state offices are closed today. I think the banks, or at least some of them, may be opened, but I don't know that for sure. The pharmacy is open, but I don't know whether they open at 8:00 AM or at 10:00 AM.

For some reason I'm not stressed or in a hurry this morning, which is odd since we have so much to do and have to take a bus. I'm not even sure whether the bus is going by it's regular or holiday schedule. Therefore, we may have to wait a while on the bus and transfers. There isn't any use getting in a hurry anyway, it doesn't bring the bus any sooner or get me anywhere any faster.

It's cloudy outside right now and looks a bit like it may rain. I certainly hope not, but if it rains then it rains. I can't control mother nature. All things considered, there isn't a lot of events in this world I can control. Actually, the only thing I'm in control of is my emotions and the way I react to the events in my life.

I’m dreaming about my grandparents

Jamál (Beauty), 11 Ilm (Knowledge), 165 B.E. – Sunday, October 26, 2008 about 9:40 AM Pacific Time

I've been dreaming about my grandparents lately. I'm not sure why, maybe it's because the holiday season is here. Grandma enjoyed Halloween; she loved baking cookies for all the neighborhood children. Grandma would bake the cookies and wrap them in clear food wrap. When the neighborhood children came Trick or Treating, she would give them all cookies. Grandma backed two different kinds of cookies for Halloween. She would bake both oatmeal raisin and peanut butter cookies. She wrapped them seperately and gave one each to children who came to the door.

Grandpa would take my sibling and myself Trick or Treating. He begin with the neighborhood he and grandma lived in. After we went to all the houses there, then he took us to our own neighborhood. I enjoyed picking a costume and going from house to house. It was fun and grandpa never let us go by ourselves. I don't remember ever going to a Halloween party when I was growing up in Blackwell, Oklahoma.

Another reason I may be dreaming about my grandparents is that I miss them so much. I don't remember missing this much at other holiday seasons, but this year I'm missing them very much.

A new week begins on Sunday

Jalál (Glory), 10 Ilm (Knowledge), 165 B.E. – Saturday, October 25, 2008 about 4:57 PM Pacific Time

A new week begins on Sunday. October is almost over, which leaves two months in 2008. Then a new year begins. I am weary, perhaps part of my weariness comes from walking one mile to work and one mile home. I know since I've started the two mile daily walk my knee is more painful. When I come home I'm just so tired I can't focus on anything for a while. Perhaps I should have worked up to the two miles a day, but that isn't an option.

I have to get to work and I don't have a car. Sometime I can get a ride part way to work, which helps a little. Also I have increased my intake of protein and this helps some. However, nothing seems to help the knee pain. I suppose I should feel triumphant that I can make the walk, but for some reason I don't. Im tired and wore out after I arrive home.

Monday I'm going to have to go to the bank. Fortunately, there is a bus on Sahara, I can take, but I won't arrive home until late and days are getting shorter. I'm not afraid of walking in the dark, not even in Las Vegas. I'm more worried about being so tired after the walk. True I'm 61 years old and have a bad knee, still I don't think I should be as tired as I am. Oh well, next week I only have to worry about making the two-mile walk three days instead of five.

Thursday I'm taking off for a dental appointment and Friday is Nevada Day. That means I'll have a three day holiday before having to go back to work. In November I'm taking off the 4th because I'm working the election poles. The walk to that station isn't as far from my house as my normal work location. However, I'm going to have to go to one of the early voting locations and vote before then. Early voting ends on October 31.

Holiday Memories

Istiqlál (Independence), 14 Mashiyyat (Will), 165 B.E. – Friday, October 10, 2008 about 5:05 AM Pacific Time

The holiday season is here and holiday memories are arriving, memories of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I suppose I should start the holiday writing season with Halloween Memories. I have a lot of those because Grandma and Grandpa enjoyed taking my siblings and me "Tricker Treating", as well as giving out treats to the neighborhood kids.

Thanksgiving is another holiday, which has good memories for me. Grandma loved to cook and she made her own pies for Thanksgiving for several years. I enjoyed Thanksgiving at my Grandparents' house. There were all sorts of good things to eat and the entire family sit down to meals at Grandma's kitchen table.

My birthday is on Christmas Eve, so my Christmas memories are a mixture of happy and sad. Let's face I have or at least had Christmas Issues. Since I no longer celebrate Christmas as a gift-giving or receiving holiday, those issues don't seem to matter except when I go to write about them.

There are other holidays or rather Holy Days I celebrate this time of year. I'll go into those in another blog entry. For those days I'll explain why I celebrate them and how I celebrate.

Candy Corn

October is here and it means I can buy candy corn. I don't see it any other time of year, but in October around Halloween I can get it in stores. It's probably just as well I can't get it the other twelve months. If I could, then I'd eat it all the time and that wouldn't be good for me.

I saw an ad in a health magazine discouraging people from eating candy corn and other sweet treats at Halloween. I know too much of it isn't good for me, but I like it. A little bit of candy corn isn't going to hurt me. I'm going to get a bag or maybe two bags of it. Mom likes it as well, so I better get two bags. That will give each of us a bag of our own.

It's interesting when I was growing up nobody ever worried about things like that. We were more interested in other stuff besides the candy we ate. Actually, at present I'm more interested in other things besides whether the food I'm eating is good for me or not. I'm not going to deprive myself of something I like simply because it isn't good for me. As long as I eat candy corn in moderation, it's all right to eat it.

October brings Memories of Halloween

Jalál (Glory), 8 Mashiyyat (Will), 165 B.E. – Saturday, October 4, 2008 about 3:14 AM Pacific Time

It's the first Saturday in October, the first full month of autumn. October always brings memories of Halloween and my Grandma Newland. Grandma and Grandpa lived in a much simpler and safer time. Grandma began preparing for Halloween seven days before the event.

All the living kids within three or four blocks of my grandparents called them Grandma and Grandpa. Halloween was a big event for Grandma, not as big as Thanksgiving or Christmas, which required more preparation, but Grandma gave Halloween a good chunk of her time the week before.

Grandma would bake cookies and put them in plastic sandwich bags to give to the Trick or Treater's on Halloween night. Every year Grandma always did this and she would stay home on Halloween night to pass the goodies out while Grandpa took us Trick or Treating. If she were alive today, she couldn't do that, but then everyone felt safe accepting and eating homemade treats from the neighbors.

Work Schedule

12 Mashiyyat 164 B.E. - Saturday, October 7, 2007 about 8:28 PM PDT

I'm going to have to set up specific time for Internet, writing and other work. I've tried getting everything in without a schedule and it isn't working. I can't seem to get everything in, I'm not worrying about getting everything done. If I just "keep plugging away" I'll eventually get the important stuff accomplished. It's not that I have a social life anyway. My social life lately has consisted in taking my mother to doctors appointments and Feasts. We (Mom and I) did go out to eat on Monday, but that's the first time we've been to a "sit down" restaurant in a long time.

This month my social life improves a bit. The Interfaith Forums 2007 starts on the evening of October 14, then on the evening of the 15th I'll go to feast. There is a holy day celebration on the evening of the 19th or is it the 20th, I don't have a calendar near me right now. The 20th is the Birth of the Bab, so I think the celebration is on the evening of the 19th. What else is going on in October?

On October 31 I celebrate joining writing.com, also that is Nevada Day and Halloween. I'm not sure that I'm going to be home that night. I usually don't stay home for "Tricker Treaters" because we never have a lot of them and I usually have candy left over. The last thing I need is more candy in this house. I've still got a box of candy in the refrigerator that I received back in April or was it May. Maybe we ought to finish that candy off in the next few day. I think I will get some Candy Corn, I always like those and Halloween is the only time I can find them.

November is NaNoWriMo, I'm planning the novel this month. I don't have a lot more to go only the scenes in the chapters. I have the main characters planned and the conflict figured out. I have to write one sentence about the scenes I want to put in, the first chapter scenes are figured out. I can't actually start writing the novel until November 1. The idea is to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. The daily word count goal is 1,667 beginning the first of November.

As for the work schedule, I think I'll keep early morning and late evening for writing and surfing. The daylight hours for other chores and going out of the house; of course, there will be times when I can't write or surf at night because of commitments such as Feast, etc. This should work fairly well, especially if I expected interruptions and down time. As long as I keep a mental list of other things to do or a prayer book handy during the down time there won't be a big problem.