Happy Halloween!

Halloween is my husband's favorite day. This year, since there's been talk of trying to sell the house, he is going all out (more than usual) with the decorations.

Since we moved into our development eight years ago, we've become known throughout the neighborhood and the neighboring neighborhoods as the scariest house. He's done everything from chasing screaming kids down the street with a chainsaw, to jumping out of our hurricane debris pile as a mutilated creature, to placing himself in his handmade electric chair (that was the year the kids felt they got some much-deserved vindication).

This year, there's a six-foot devil greeting trick-or-treaters by the mailbox, mechanical creatures that moan and light up and whose heads turn around, and a black tunnel the kids have to wander through to receive the night's greatest reward: candy.

In the past, we've had some kids who won't even venture up the driveway, sending their parents up instead, who are in awe of what he has created, to get their candy. Others have spilled their entire pillowcases of treats on our sidewalk in their haste to get away.

It's always fun to see the reactions and just how scared everyone gets when you blast some spooky music and shine some strobe lights on the yard. Of course our yard is full of tombstones with skeletons and monster hands escaping the earth. That might have something to do with it.

Not only do we have tons of scary do-dads, but we also have a ton of candy in preparation for the Friday night onslaught of greed. Our first year here we had no idea what to expect, but part way through the night as the bowl ran low, Wes was forced to make a candy run. We've since upped our candy count.

This year, since it is on a weekend night, we are expecting a few hundred visitors. Hopefully they make it up the front walk so we can get rid of all the candy!

Sweet escape

I’m one of those people who love to read bumper stickers stuck to other people’s cars, but will never stick one on my own car. Yesterday I saw a great one that said: Escaped from Wisconsin!
Of course the notion is relevant because most people come to Florida to escape the cold and bitter winters of the north. And yesterday, and the rest of this week for that matter, the weather was, and is, supposed to be particularly gorgeous.
The thermometer has finally dipped below the 90 degree mark and, more importantly, the humidity is all but gone. In fact, today we may not even reach 70 for a high and we could wake up in the 40s tomorrow morning. For myself, whose blood like water, this is sweater, boots, and heavy jacket weather.
Despite the chilliness, there’s a palpable energy in the air that comes with the change of weather. It reminds me of that first day up north when the blast of cold, winter air dims to a light breeze and suddenly the sun is shining bright and the warmer temperature allows you to turn off the heat and roll down the car windows.
That’s what yesterday was like here in Southwest Florida. Except instead of the heat, I turned off the air-conditioner that’s been on non-stop since probably April, opened up the windows, and turned up the radio. Everyone else must have felt the same way because drivers were driving crazier than usual.
I, for once, was content to drive behind every slow poke, relishing the sunshine, the bright blue sky, and the wind through my hair. I did everything I could so my day stuck in a windowless cubicle could start later than normal.

Walking the boards in Jersey

New Jersey was another of our destinations this summer, and beings that I am from Jersey, it would be all-out rude not to include it in my blog.

Yes, even from a very young age, I was always eager to leave Jersey, but believe it or not there are many things I do miss about it. Mostly food related, of course.

Many of you reading this might be thinking what is so great about Jersey?!

I'll never forget one of my college boyfriends being literally shocked to see stretches of farmland in a state he thought only consisted of refineries. I was pleased that his visit dispelled that myth.

Where I'm from in Central Jersey, that's really all there is ... farms, farms and more farms. So naturally the only thing to look forward to is food ... oh, and the shore. Yes, I may live in Naples and the beach is just minutes from my home, but that's all it is ... a beach. Sand and warm water. Woo hoo.

In Jersey, there's the boardwalk with skeeball and mini golf and batting cages. More importantly, there's pizza and boardwalk fries and fudge and waffles and ice cream and funnel cake ... now I'm hungry!

Thankfully this time we visited Jersey in early September so the boardwalk was still open before closing up for the winter months. Don't get me wrong ... even when we have come up in the winter, I've made a trip to the boardwalk just to walk the boards even if I couldn't buy fries and fudge and ... well you know the rest!

So our evening at the boardwalk involved lots of noshing and lots of skeeball. And with all our skeeball tickets we got bracelets full of glitter, a tribute to our glory days back in the 80s.