Hello People!
I see by my archives that I haven’t posted since July —-wow!
Long stretch.
Here’s why.
I don’t post unless I have something to say. The phrases literally float into my mind, the stories follow, and a blogpost is born.

It is the same way this year’s Halloween costume, makeup and character were born. Around three pm as I was browning the beef roast, I could hear, ” Carrot? Or chocolate?” in my slow, scratchy, witchy voice.

I was thinking of not dressing up to hand out the candy this year, but when I heard that voice in my head, I knew I had to dress to fit the part: tooth black, bone necklace and all.

And blogposts work in somewhat the same way: phrases and bits of story pop up as I am doing dishes, laundry, or crafting.
Weaving them together follows.

And sometimes there are just separate threads that sparkle by themselves and just have to be added to the tapestry.
Like this one: did you know that Trigger was Maid Marian’s mount in the 1938 version of The Adventures of Robin Hood with Errol Flynn and Olivia de Haviland?
That’s a future trivia answer for sure.
You’re welcome.

*****nope, no transition here*********

I like ensembles in my books and tv shows.
Inspector Gamache has his group in Three Pines, Quebec.(Louise Penny, author)
That f@@king Virgil Flowers has his peeps in southwestern Minnesota.( John Sandford, author)
Longmire has his Wyoming deputies, friends, and family in both the Netflix series and the books. And if you haven’t read the books, but you did enjoy the film version, I highly recommend that you read the books. (Craig Johnson, author)

Phryne Fisher has her people in Melbourne. (Kerry Greenwood, author)
Cork O’Connor has his Arrowhead connections and I hear there’s a new one out now.(William Kent Krueger, author)
And now the hubster and I are immersed in the world of Bosch on Amazon Prime. In a twist that I did not see coming, I am not liking the first Bosch book that I am reading.

I do like returning characters. I like to see how they develop and grow, right along with the protagonist.

None of this, however, explains why I like the author I am reading now, or the Netflix series I just watched.

Last night I finished The Frankenstein Chronicles, starring Sean Bean.

Yes, THAT Sean Bean. Lifetime love of The Vicar of Dibley, yet another ensemble cast led by the talented Dawn French.
You may also remember him as the nasty villain of The Patriot Games with Harrison Ford, or Boromir in Lord of the Rings, or Ned Stark in Game of Thrones.

Anyway, The Frankenstein Chronicles is two seasonsworth of historical fiction that is very dark. (quite literally. Sometimes I had to turn out the light over my knitting just to be able to see what was going on while I was watching on my iPad. Many of the scenes are in dark, dank places where Londoners lived in the early to mid 1800’s)

It isn’t ensemble acting. But it did provide something to think about, whether it be corruption, religion, politics, science, or Sean Bean.

Sigh. The guy’s been married five times, but, I swear, he could eat crackers in my bed anytime.

And there are no ensembles in the Leif Enger books either. I’ve read Peace like a River and am now reading Virgil Wander.
They’re quirky. But real. And he’s a Minnesota author.
There’s a truth to them that is lovely and fresh.
I highly recommend them.

******Yep. Not here, either.****

Just the other day I was missing the smell of sawn wood in the hubster’s garage shop. And lo and behold, he announced last night that he is starting a new big project. Involving wood. YAY!! More news to come. Stay tuned.

****hahahahaha. nope.********
I did have two takers on the carrots for Halloween. They were teenagers. They also got extra candy in addition to the carrots. I did have a little girl who chose chocolate but left telling her mom that she really did like carrots, too. And, I quickly gave chocolate to the little boy who was taking too long to decide due to developmental issues. I could tell that the whole trick or treat, go up and knock on a stranger’s door and interact with them was a stretch for him. Mom waited anxiously nearby, hoping that her son would have a good experience in something that most parents take for granted that their kids can do easily. Good for her that she patiently coached her son and stood by as he jumped out of the nest and flew. It was heartwarming.

I’m also here to tell you that if you wear tooth black for Halloween, put it on after you eat corn on the cob for dinner. Tooth black is black wax that you smear on dry teeth to make your mouth look like it’s full of rotten teeth. You scrape it up on your fingernail and rub it across your teeth. And it stays there. Unless you eat corn on the cob, in which case, it rubs off on the cob.

I’m just saying. Eat the corn on the cob  first.

Speaking of corn, to those of you who are still in Red Wing, do they still celebrate Corn Night on 10/30? I have fond memories of the tick, tick tick of handfuls of corn hitting the windows, and the scrunch of footsteps on leaves  and corn while trick or treating.

Another trivia bit: It was in our neighbor to the north where the phrase “Trick or Treat” was first attributed to roaming children on 10/31.  I wonder if it came out as “Trick or Treat, eh”.    Hahahaha. Canadian joke.

They say the snow is coming.  We knew it would. Woolen cowls have occupied my knittin’ sticks for about a month now. Have added toques to the mix in the last few days. Be prepared, I say.

Have a wonderfully wooly  and wacky weekend. Let your light shine. Vote on Tuesday.

Love,

Janet