mstrust's #5- The Reading Tomb

It's Autumn! At least on my thread it is.

I have a huge pile of books to fill my Autumn/Halloween category, so I'm starting. I suppose because this is my favorite season I'm stretching it out as long as possible. Which is two months.

Along with my book reviews, I'll post a daily link that takes you somewhere seasonal. Some links will be informative, some funny, and as we get closer to Halloween they'll get scarier.
And since my favorite flavors are of the season, we'll be talking about food.



The first book for Autumn is 85. Vermont: A Seasonal Celebration by Paul O. Boisvert. Large, beautiful photos from all over the state in every season, but the Fall photos in particular are spectacular. Pastures, forests, city main streets and town meetings, just about everything Vermonty is included. And I like that in the back each photo is listed with the exact place and explanation for how the photo was shot. An excellent choice for either Vermont fans or foliage fans. 4.5 stars

To set the mood, today's link is on that Fall foliage. I went through so many vids with still photography or annoying music before I found this one. It's perfect, and the shots are so gorgeous it's hard to belief they are real, but then a branch will move.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HF1RgFU4VsQ

Autumn/Halloween

1. Vermont: A Seasonal Celebration 4.5 stars
2. The Perfect Pumpkin 5 stars
3. The Colors of Fall 4 stars
4. New Hampshire: A Living Landscape 3.5 stars
5. Maple Sugar: From Sap to Syrup 5 stars
6. We're All Infected 3.5 stars
7. Scary Godmother 5 stars
8. Locke & Key 4.5 stars
9. If You're Reading This, It's Too Late 3 stars
10. Wyrd Sisters 4 stars
11. The Figure in the Shadows 3.5 stars
12. The Woman in Black 4.5 stars
13. Halloween How-To 4 stars
14. Mad Kings and Queens 4 stars
15. Best of Martha Stewart: Halloween 4 stars
16. Sad Monsters 3.5 stars
17. Island of Aunts 3 stars
18. Halloween Night 3 stars
19. Neverwhere 4 stars
20. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter 4.5 stars
21. Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter 2.5 stars
22. Marilyn Manson: The Long Hard Road Out of Hell 3.5 stars
23. Bats: Portrait of the Animal World 4 stars
24. Condors and Vultures 4 stars
25. Death Makes A Holiday 4 stars

Happy new thread! Can't believe it's September already.

For me, it seemed like it would never arrived. Even though it'll be 108 today, the end of summer is within sight.

Ahh, autumn, season of mists & mellow fruitfulness, and far too many tomatoes to know what to do with.

For the Downton fan wishing to indoctrinate the juniors, I saw the perfect book at the weekend. I think this might be right up your street...

Happy new thread! Autumn won't show up here in SoCal for a few more months, so I'll have to pick up a book if I have a hankering for changing leaves. :)

YAY! New Thread!

>5 Helenliz: That's one thing I've never had too many of- lemons and grapefruits, yes, but not enough tomatoes. You must be a good gardener.
And did you see they also have one called Downton Tabby? Cats in suits.

>6 -Eva-: Thanks, Eva. I'm from So Cal, so I know you can tell it's Autumn when it's 70 degrees rather than 75. I still have a few Autumn photography books to list. I'm quickly building a collection of them.

>7 lkernagh: Yay! I've been looking forward to this category. I'm sure I'll find some great stuff.

86. The Perfect Pumpkin: Growing/Cooking/Carving by Gail Damerow. If you know nothing about pumpkins but want to grow a giant, or make unusual products like pumpkin soap or wine, you'll only need this one book. A study of all things about this berry, beginning with their classifications and growing conditions, pest control, carving techniques, the history of giant pumpkin competitions and recipes. The recipes for pumpkin bread rolls and the wine sound especially delicious. Here's a really simple recipe that can be used in place of butter on dinner rolls or toast:

Pumpkin Butter

3 c. pumpkin puree
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook until thick, stirring often. Pour into 3 half-pint hot sterilized jars.
5 stars

This clip is just a minute long but it's pretty cool. It's Canada's largest pumpkin patch and the shot had to have been taken by a drone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVJcdi5xi9U

87. The Colors of Fall by Jerry and Marcy Monkman. Fall Foliage throughout New England. The husband and wife photography team particularly like waterfalls and streams. Lots of good shots of forests in Maine and one of leaves in the process of turning. I'd always assumed it happened from the stem down, like a fade, but this shows it to be spotting, like the measles. 4 stars



88. New Hampshire: A Living Landscape by Peter E. Randall. A pictorial of the state through all seasons, from villages, ports, rivers, marshes and dunes. Some beautiful photos of the local flowers and Autumn leaves. 3.5 stars

This link is for a site with live cams across New England and at Niagra Falls. I bookmark it every year to watch the leaf turning.
http://gonewengland.about.com/cs/fallfoliage/a/aacyberleafpeep.htm

89. Maple Sugar: From Sap to Syrup by Tim Herd. Starting with the history of sap collecting by Native Americans, this book covers modern syrup making, identifying the various maple species throughout North American, and the science behind leaf changing. Then it turns to the syrup- grading and lots of maple recipes. 5 stars
Here's one I'll be trying:

Maple Sponge Cake

4 eggs 1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 c maple syrup 1 c cake flour
1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325. Seperate egg whites from yolks, and beat the whites in a large bowl until stiff. Set aside.
In a small bowl, beat yolks until light and fluffy. Fold the syrup, vanilla, flour, powder and salt into the yolks. Gently fold the yolk mixture into the whites.
Pour the batter into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan and bake 50 minutes.

Here's a short video about the modern methods of syrup making.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGeIvneyI5E

>89 mstrust: - I am intrigued by the small amout of flour in comparision to the liquids in that recipe. Looking forward to finding out how the recipe works out for you.

I've only made two sponge cakes before, a vanilla and a chocolate, but I'm going to guess that the beaten egg whites in this recipe are replacing much of the flour that would be in a regular cake, so you'd have the height but not the crumbly texture.
I will be trying this cake out, but I can't right now as I happen to have a whole bunch of donuts in the fridge. And some of them are maple.

You'll have to let us know how the cake recipe turns out. I think I have only made one sponge cake in my life and that was a disaster, but I would like to try this one.

>89 mstrust: This looks like my sister's standard recipe for sponge cake (with sugar instead of maple syrup) and it always turns out wonderful. The trick is in beating the egg whites stiffly enough, she says. I will suggest the maple syrup to her, it sounds great.

>14 DeltaQueen50: When I do make it, I'll post the pic. That's homework to look forward to.

>15 MissWatson: I'm glad someone recognizes the recipe, and that it should go well. I know a sponge cake calls for height without the density of so much flour.

Which reminds me that I have some pics of maple products that I'll post soon.

Today's link is to a very interesting but quick study of the themes Bram Stoker used in Dracula. As a writer of the Victorian era he couldn't help but be influenced by the contemporary opinions. This article is through the British Library site, so you'll find all kinds of things to explore there.

http://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/dracula

Here's a pic of one of my favorite sodas- Squamscot Maple Cream from New Hampshire. It has real maple syrup in it. If you can imagine the vanilla flavor of a regular cream soda being replaced by maple, that's what this is. FYI, I've let (forced) several family members to try this and nobody likes it but me.

The other soda in the pic is Pumpkin Pie by Main Root. It's really good too, with a mild pumpkin flavor and a slightly stronger nutmeg flavor.

And here's LeMars maple donut. I little while ago I was explaining Le Mars on someone else's thread, because it's a very small chain from the Midwest, I believe, that has just one shop here in Phoenix. Anyway, they make this maple donut year round, and other flavors just for fall. Like Apple Cinnamon Cake or Pumpkin Spice.
And the donut isn't quite as huge as it looks. I got down close to show how much icing is on it.

Apple cinnamon cake, omg need!! :O I've never heard of that place, but I think they need to open up across the ocean... hahaha

Okay, I just now realized you're in Phoenix. I have family in Mesa. When I visit I'm going to ask you to take me to LeMars for maple doughnuts. 'cause dag that looks good! (Maple is one of my favorites too.)

>20 .Monkey.: I know, we're really lucky that the only one in the state is just 10 minutes from us. More donuts for me!

>21 AuntieClio: I'd be happy to. But keep in mind that once you've had LeMars, you'll turn your nose up at KrispyKreme.

>22 mstrust: Hah! That's funny. I save my pennies for Psycho Donuts

mmmmm .... donuts

gasp! The Jasonut! And the Michael Jackson: ..a chocolate cake donut that's become decidedly lighter... Somebody had a lot of fun making that menu. And I think it may be a good thing that there isn't a shop near me because those look awesome and I wouldn't be able to stop eating. Although I wish LeMars had a cinnamon and toasted coconut donut on their menu.

Okay, I almost drooled on my work computer.

Psycho Donuts' counter help dress in nurse costumes. The only quibble I've had with their donuts is the bacon on the maple. That just didn't work for me.

The waitresses at The Heart Attack Grill were nurse costumes too. Owners must think nurses are hot.

I've tasted just one maple/bacon combination, a maple lollipop that had bits of smoked bacon going through it. It was really good. I've yet to be tempted by a big slab of bacon on a donut, so I'd probably pull it off and hand it to Mike.

We shared a chocolate/Guinness and bacon cupcake once and it was good but the bacon overpowered the whole thing.

At some point I'll be discussing Pumpkin Ales here. So many brewers are making them now.

90. We're All Infected: Essays on AMC's The Walking Dead and the Fate of the Human edited by Dawn Keetey. ER A collection of essays on "The Walking Dead", but also on zombie movies in general. The authors are all academics; lecturers, associate professors, a couple of PhDs and one criminology lecturer. Several of the essays discuss the Haitian mythology that zombies come from and the change that happened once the zombie began to appear in American and Western European movies.

Because the essays are written by and possibly, originally, for academics, many start out as dry as sawdust. Some continue that way. But they all have one or two unusual points about TWD. I think the most interesting discussions were about the characters of Rick and Shane, two men who are co-workers and friends, who are very much alike when life is normal. Then the zombie apocalypse happens and Rick does everything he can to remain a compassionate lawman while Shane quickly adopts an us-against-them mentality and they compete for the role of leader.

Some of the arguements made are ridiculous: that the show is racist because the role of T-Dawg wasn't as big as Rick or Shane's, that Rick used Morgan, or that it's misogynistic because Carol is doing the laundry and Andrea is meant to look stupid when she accidentally shoots Daryl. It seems like some of the authors are trying to find anything new to say, even if it's blatantly wrong. Another problem is that more than half the essays went over the same territory of the Center for Disease Control episode, using the same quotes from the show, so the reader was being taken repeatedly over the same situation.

I found myself aware that I was sifting through sentences written to impress highly educated nerds, but when they stopped showing off and just discussed the show, it was enjoyable. 3.5 stars

Here's a clip about the Corpse Flower, aka The Carrion Plant. Nature is fascinating.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-uK5ulLBr8

I agree that I haven't really noticed feminism issues, the ratios are fairly similar, the women aren't weaker than the men, etc (and Andrea was just plain stupid regardless). However, while not racist the show does suffer from token black guy syndrome. If another one comes along, the previous one eats it. It's highly prevalent in Hollywood.

...the show does suffer from token black guy syndrome.
I don't think so. And while that used to be prevalent in movies, that attitude is long gone.
While T-Dawg was the only black male with the group through the first three seasons (and I think it's odd that the author only complained about black characters while not even noting that Glenn remains the only Asian), there are now several black characters, male and female, with large roles. I don't know if that's from the GNs, as I've only read two, or if the show added characters ike they did with Daryl.
But if you enjoy looking for a deeper meaning in the characters, you might like the book.

The attitude is definitely not long gone. As I said, it's highly prevalent in Hollywood. Shows and movies both. It's not overt racism the way it used to be, it's mostly from an angle of ignorance that many white people don't even realize is going on. Same for female roles, hence the Bechdel test.

Well, we don't see things in the same way then. Thanks for coming by.

91. Scary Godmother by Jill Thompson. It's Halloween night and little Hannah is going trick-or-treating without her parents for the first time. She's been foisted off onto her older cousin Jimmy and his friends, who trick Hanna into entering the local haunted house. While the older kids think Hannah is terrified inside, she's actually partying with her Scary Godmother, a vampire family, a skeleton and the monster-under-the-bed.
Such a cute story, with excellent illustrations, also by the author. And I like the t.v. cartoon too. 5 stars

On Rachel Khoo's latest episode, she made a Victoria Sponge Cake, but without telling the viewer what ingredients or amounts she was using because she was assuming everyone was British and knew how to make one. Which made me go through a couple of British cookbooks until I found this recipe for a "true" sponge cake in Marguerite Patten's Best British Dishes. Just three ingredients: 3/4 c flour, 3 large eggs and 1/2 c sugar. I've never seen a cake recipe like this before. I think even those microwave-in-a-mug cakes have more ingredients.

I had already planned on this link for today, but now it fits perfectly. It's from CakeWrecks:

http://www.cakewrecks.com/home/2011/3/31/ghost-taunters.html

I think a viccy sponge is one of those things you make at school (and proudly take it home to your parents) and never quite forget what it is, nor how to make it. The sponge recipe I use is 4 ingredients; eggs, butter, sugar & sr flour. In fact, you don't even need to know quantities - the weight of each ingredient is the same as the weight of the egg. If you use more eggs, you need more of the other ingredients as well. Simples. Oh and jam. Lots of lovely jam for the filling.

I've read about characters having it with tea in plenty of books, but you're the first I've met that has made one. And I woudn't have thought to measure it by the egg, so that's a great tip. The pictures in thsi cookbook show them with jam and it looks yummy. Khoo split hers in thirds and filled it with chantilly cream and lightly stewed strawberries.

In my junior high cooking class, we made burritos :D

Sponge Cake and Burritos both sound delicious. In junior high cooking class we made endless variations of Baking Powder Biscuits!

Now that would be handy to know how to make! I've been told that my great grandmother, who lived on a farm with her 11 kids, kept a big mixing bowl always filled with the dry ingredients because she made baking powder biscuits for every meal.

I see that Target has a small selection of Autumn-ish products for sale, and one of them is Pumpkin Spice M&Ms. I don't know if they're new or if I missed them before, but they must be investigated.

I'm glad to have the computer working, as we had a massive storm throughout the night that woke everyone around 3:30 this morning with the constant thunderclaps and knocked out the power. Our cul de sac and the intersection around the corner are flooded and it looks like they sent the kids home from the school across the street.



92. Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez. Two teenage boys trick their way into the Locke home and murder Mr. Locke, a high school school guidance counselor. Mrs. Locke is able to kill one of the intruders and oldest son Ty beats the other, but he's left alive and sent to a juvenile lock-up.
The remaining Lockes move across country to the childhood home of Mr. Locke, a mansion known as Keyhouse in the town of Lovecraft. Mr. Locke's brother still lives in the house, and while the adults and teenagers try to overcome their loss, little Bode explores the house and finds a doorway that causes him to temporarily die each time he stands in it, and he finds a beautiful girl who lives in the bottom of the well and needs his help. Unfortunately, she's also friends with Sam, the boy who killed Mr. Locke.

This is the first volume of the series, and now I need more. I haven't read many GNs, mainly because I hadn't found one that grabbed me, but this is pretty great. The story is imaginative and creepy and the artwork is so detailed. Great, now I'm hooked on another series. 4.5 stars

Here's a clip from Kenneth Branagh's "Hamlet" with Brian Blessed as his ghostly father. I like Blessed a lot, but I have to think that this was his most challenging role. I picture him on the set bellowing, "Whisper?! How loudly?!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgQiHPDvpx0

A stormy night and a Locke and Key book review. Sounds more like October than September! ;-)

Doesn't it? Sounds like it would be chilly, but it's steamy outside now. We're suppose to continue like this for the next day or two.

>38 mstrust: Oh COOOL, you liked Locke & Key. Like you, it was my first graphic novel and I fell in love. I've read three of them so far, the friend who got me hooked owes me more ;-)

How lucky that your friend happens to have a supply. I'll have to look at the library or Amazon. The story is a bit addictive so I have to continue.

Ahh, monsoon season. That's how I discovered that VW Beetles do float.

And yesterday, one guy discovered that his red Mercedes doesn't. They're still deciding if he'll have to pay for his rescue.

Here's a brief list of some of the Fall Releases:

The latest Tana French came out on Sept. 2nd- The Secret Place
On the 4th, a non-fiction- Mr. Mutter's Marvels
Today- a children's book by actor Jason Segel called Nightmares!
Also today, a new Agatha Christie is released. I know, how? Writing credits are both Christie and Sophie Hannah. It's authorized by the Christie estate. I don't know if that means it was an unfinished Christie manuscript or if they're just allowing Hannah to use the Poirot character. I am not amused.
On the 11th a new Stephen King is released called Revival.
On the 23rd, a new Easy Rawlins mystery by Walter Mosley is released called Rose Gold
And a new Dr. Suess is released today called Horton and the Kwuggerbug and more Lost Stories. It's a collection of stories that had been published once in magazines then apparently forgotten.

Stuck for a costume idea? Let Dean Pelton help.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3c62n5I45U

>38 mstrust:
Ooh, skipping the review since I've not gotten to the series yet, but I did see that 4.5 star rating. Very good news.

I hope you like it too. Get back to me and let me know when you get to it.

93. If You're Reading This, It's Too Late by Pseudonymous Bosch. Cass and Max-Ernest go on a field trip to the seashore and end up tied-up aboard a luxury yacht. They escape with an object that looks like a crystal ball but is actually a Sound Prism that allows them to overhear voices from a long distance. It also leads them to Pietro, a long-standing member of the Terces Society, which Cass and Max-Ernest want to join very badly, and to ancient story of a wizard who was able to grow a man from a pile of horse dung.

This is the second of the series and I haven't read the first, which would have been handy as the story keeps referring back to what happened before, and lots of footnotes encourage the reader to read in order. The book is narrated by an unknown person who is filled with anxiety over talking about the situation and it's overall a lightweight book with a bit of charm and some mystery. 3 stars

Here's a condensed version of possibly the worst movie ever made. Ever. It's "Plan 9 From Outer Space" by Ed Wood, and if you haven't seen it, it's just as awful as you've heard. Not just the often wooden acting, the dialogue, the paper shuffling middle management alien, the serving dome flying saucers on string... The dentist who replaced Bela Lugosi when he died halfway through filming was about 6 inches taller and looked nothing like him, hence the cape over the face. Note the scene when all the cops dive for cover in the graveyard and the "stone" markers wobble. Just awful at a hilarious level.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dUe26lFFlM

Autumn Treats

The other night we went to SuperTarget to see their Halloween decorations set-up, which was surprisingly not even halfway done. But they did have their candy and treats section done and I was able to grab a few things.

Pumpkin Spice M&Ms: I was expecting a sort of pumpkin cream filling, but it's the regular solid milk chocolate with a cinnamon/ginger kick. I think they're great. The spice is unevenly distributed, with some barely having a whisper and others having quite a bit of ginger, but I like it. The discs are fatter than the usual M&Ms. If you like Mexican hot chocolate, you'd probably like these.

Pumpkin Spice Eggos: I went through a couple of boxes of these last year thinking I'd never see them again. Good pumkin flavor, very very mild spice.

Brach's S'Mores Candy Corn: graham cracker/marshmallow/chocolate candies. The graham has an authentic flavor, the marshmallow tastes like butter and vanilla and the chocolate has a nearly no flavor at all.

Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale: My favorite of the pumpkin ales that I've tasted. The pumpkin and hops are balanced and you get a flavorful yet mild ale.

Sam Adams Octoberfest: Do you ever look at a Guinness and wish it tasted as heavy and bitter as it looks. This is your beer.

Let me know if you have a favorite seasonal treat as more and more companies are putting these flavors out.

The BBC's Fear on Four radio series ran from 1988-1993. It was narrated by "The Man in Black", Edward de Souza. I'd been listening to the shows on Youtube for a year or two and just assumed de Souza was a character, but now I find out that he's a well-known actor with a voice that is perfectly suited for creepy introductions. Here's "The Beast with Five Fingers" by W.F. Harvey, starring one of my favorite actors, James Laurenson.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehvUyhi3qvg&index=5&list=PL86550B5AE0B446...

94. Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett. When King Verence wakes up dead and sees his infant son being taken away to who knows where, he haunts the castle and waits for an opportunity. When the three witches of Lancre see the Duke, now the King, they know he's no good. So they become much more sociable than usual to find out how the Duke attained his position and what happened to the prince, even though they maintain that magic and politics don't go together.

What a fun book. It's an adventure with lots of humor and interesting asides. I'll need to pull The Colour of Magic off the shelf soon. And I believe it was AuntieClio who pointed me towards this one, so thanks! 4 stars

Today's clip is "The Monster Mash". Of course I had to put this song in at some point, but this version is by Sha Na Na from their late 70's tv show, which I adored when I was a kid. The show consisted of them doing very good cover versions of 50's songs on stage along with incredibly dumb skits with awful jokes. But this skit of TMM is about the most elaborate and weirdest thing they did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYbWrnVjsm0

Wyrd Sisters was our book group read last month. I was pleasantly surprised how well t wet down. We have a couple of people who simply don't like anything fantastic. And, true to form, they didn't like it. But one of them had at least read most of it, and could identify with the way that Pratchett litters his stories with references to all sorts of things even if it simply wasn't her cup of teat. But one person who started quite hesitant is intending to read a load more, so that's another convert to the cause >:-) . 2 of us who were going to love it (having read them all a squillion times), and a few "it was OK"s. I really ought to do a series read again...

I was a bit hesitant too, just because I'd read Good Omens last year and didn't like it too much even though I'm a Gaiman fan. So I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this one.
I've been in a book group too, and I think it's always as you described. A few people are willing to try anything and others stick to their routine.

Terry Pratchett is also a favorite of mine. I love how silly he can be.

Silly yet never dumb. I forgot that I also have Going Postal on the shelf, which I bought just because of the name.

even though they maintain that magic and politics don't go together.

Do the politicians know that? ;-)

Having watched the TV adaptation of Going Postal any mention of Pratchett's name perks my ears up and catches my attention!

I didn't know there was a tv adaption, so thanks, I'll see if Netflix has it.
It's amazing and sad that we're told that doing mind excercises like crossword puzzles can ward off Alzheimer's, but Pratchett created a universe, and plotted out all these books and still got it.

Here's a clip starring Mark Gattiss (Mycroft Holmes) about silent great Lon Chaney, who is best remembered as The Phantom of the Opera. He was also an incredibly talented and innovative make-up artist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUWgEvxZUFU

>56 mstrust: the follow up question could be how much earlier would he have had it if he hadn't been doing that. You can never travel the other road, so can never know for sure.

Good point!

95. The Figure in the Shadows by John Bellairs. From the series featuring young misfit Lewis, his magician uncle and guardian Jonathan and the witch next door, Mrs. Zimmerman.
Lewis finds an old coin on a chain that his great grandfather had worn for years, one that he believed brought him luck. Lewis finds that when he wears the coin, he's suddenly allowed to play ball with the other boys and he can beat up the class bully. Lewis' friend Rita Rose thinks the coin is bad luck, and Lewis eventually agrees, because now he's receiving anonymous threatening letters and a shadowy figure is following him.

Fast-moving and with just enough darkness to it that it's on the edge of being a supernatural mystery. 3.5 stars

Here's a short clip from the "Horrible Histories" series:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V60mZv1Djc

Here's the Maple Sponge Cake!
I have to admit that it isn't as mapley as I wanted, and I would have liked a little bit of a nutmeg/spice flavor to it, but the recipe worked. I whipped up a maple glaze just to make it pretty.

There was a review in my local paper of The Monogram Murders, that new Christie pastiche by Sophie Hannah. Charles Finch says "...their dignified forewords about "estate approval" never quite drowning out the chime of cash registers. The best I've read in the genus is this one... well-made enough to match a middling entry from Dame Agatha."

The clip today stars Peter Cushing and an actor that most of you haven't heard of, but maybe you've read his books. He's Shane Briant, an English actor most active in the 70-80's but still making appearances today. He was always on the verge of fame, having many prominent roles, mostly playing crazies as it was in such contrast to his angelic looks. He was in a couple of Hammer films, played a serial killer opposite Rita Tushingham in "Straight on til Morning" and had the lead in a tv version of "The Picture of Dorian Grey". Youtube his work and you'll develop a crush.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqjdcBI0TNA

>61 mstrust: - YUM! Sorry to see it didn't turn out as mapley as hoped for, but maple glaze is a good way to add to the flavour.

I ran across a cake on Pinterest yesterday that really sounded good to me. It was a bundt cake with fall flavors, but I honestly don't remember what it was now although I do remember there were toffee chips in it. I'm definitely going to try to make it soon, but it probably won't be for another couple of weeks because of my schedule.

Your maple sponge looks yummy and I am definitely going to give it a try and perhaps add a few extra spices. The glaze would be a big hit at my house as my husband is a strong believer in cakes always having an icing.

>63 lkernagh: My maple glaze was mapley enough-I used both maple syrup and maple flavoring. I guess I'll have to keep baking to find the right cake. Boo-hoo.

>64 thornton37814: Mike likes to point out the different flavored baking chips at the store, as he's intrigued by all of them. Peanut butter, toffee, mint...he even had me Google to find out if anyone makes maple chips. They do.
But I was craving my tried and true pumpkin casserole yesterday so I made that. Luckily I've been stockpiling canned pumpkin.

>65 DeltaQueen50: Mike feels the same way; if I try to pass a cake off with just a sprinkling of powdered sugar, he complains like he's been cheated.

96. The Woman in Black by Susan Hill. Young solicitor Arthur Kipps is sent from his London firm to the far away and isolated Eel Marsh House to retrieve the paperwork of recently deceased client Mrs. Drablow. Kipps puts the anxious warnings from the locals down to the old woman living alone for decades out in the marshes and often cut off from the town, but he soon begins to see and hear a pattern of supernatural events that terrify him.

This story has a long set-up before the scary stuff begins, but once it does it's non-stop ghostly happenings. I think it's set around the 1930's, but it's truly a Gothic, with Kipps being cut off from civilization, with a car or phone. Even his flashlight breaks. 4.5 stars

Here's an appropriate video from the stupendous Ramones.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHvF_ANqAic

>67 mstrust: - I have that one on my future reading list. 4.5 stars has me itching to track down a copy and start reading it now! I do so love Gothic stories. ;-)

You can get maple sugar at Trader Joe's. I use it to make shortbread, which is delicious.

>68 lkernagh: Yes, I do too, although I don't read them often enough. I'd seen and liked the movie, which has a beginning and ending very different from the book. So you'll still get surprises when you read The Woman in Black.

>69 RidgewayGirl: You just made me remember that I have a jar of maple sugar in my pantry that I'd completely forgotten about. Topping shortbread with maple sugar sounds so good. I'll remember that. And one of Mike's customers just gave us two jars of Trader Joe's Pumpkin Butter, which I haven't tried yet.

97. A Halloween How-To by Lesley Pratt Bannatyne. Instructions for decorating the yard, indoors, for a party and ideas for costumes, music and movie suggestions. Also, recipes, a section on Halloween destinations throughout the country and the history of Halloween and its myths. I got some ideas and a handful of recipes that sound good. Like this:

Pumpkin Dessert Dip

2 c. powdered sugar
8 oz whipped cream cheese
15 oz pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger

Mix all together and chill for 1 hr. Serve with gingersnaps (but I think Nilla Wafers or pretzel rods would work too). 4 stars

And here's a link to a whole bunch of great Fall cocktail ideas:

http://www.saveur.com/article/-/Cocktails-for-Fall

And a heads-up that the new Miss Marple series on PBS starts Sunday night. They're showing two in a row that night-The Caribbean Mystery and Greenshaw's Folly.

I love The Caribbean Mystery starring Joan Hickson! I went to check the PBS listing and noticed a different actress playing Miss Marple. I get so confused when they do that! ;-)

You can use the maple sugar instead of regular sugar for shortbread, too. Here's the recipe that I love:

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/maple-shortbread-recipe

I don't use maple flavoring, because the sugar gives it this intense, but subtle flavor on its own.

And now I'd like to make some. As soon as the house guests leave...

>74 RidgewayGirl: Thanks for that link, interesting recipe. I think I'll try this...

#73. Lori. I really like the Joan hickson version too. Donald pleasance was great in it. Julie McKenzie has been playing Marple a couple of years now. I think she's the friendliest and most timid looking of them.
#74. Yes Thank you for that recipe And the tips. And I happen to have that exact cookie cutter!

#75 Isn't it great to find a new recipe You want to try?

Due to computer problems I'm having to write this On my phone. I hate that.

The clip of the day is from Disney's "Fantasia".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLCuL-K39eQ

98. Mad Kings and Queens by Allison Vale & Alison Rattle. The first line of the introduction reads, "They don't come more appalling than aristocrats." This is a look at about forty royals who behaved very badly. Included are the ones you know, like Vlad the Impaler and Elizabeth Bathory, but there are the less famous, like Charles VI of France, who had iron rods sewn into his clothes because he believed he was made of glass and was afraid of shattering. Philip V of Spain became so mad that he believed his feet were too mismatched for him to walk, he attacked people and bit chunks from himself. Anna I of Russia had overweight woman force-fed until they fainted and made noblemen impersonate chickens.

I devoured this book quickly as it's so interesting, but I have to take half a point off because some of the people weren't mad, so didn't belong in the book. Rulers such as King Henry VIII were cruel or selfish, while others suffered from depression. So many of these bios start off with the fact that the subject didn't have much of a chance at being normal due to the amount of in-breeding for generations. 4 stars

Now for some snacks. I really like Entermann's Pumpkin Donuts, which are out just for the season. They're basically a buttermilk cake with a little pumpkin flavor and a powdered sugar glaze.

And I've seen that there's a wine called Downton Abbey, but I haven't tried it. It's a Bordeaux Claret from France.

Here's a very short clip from The Young Ones as they try to get rid of the body of the vampire they've killed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fb33PrnxtA

>67 mstrust: I'm happy to hear you like The Woman in Black. It's my favorite Susan Hill novel.

>78 mstrust: The first thing I thought when I read your review of Mad Kings and Queens was in-breeding. Thank you for the review.

You're welcome! And I'm glad you liked the hill book too. I was surprised to see how long ago it was written.

99. The Best of Martha Stewart Living: Halloween. Ornate pumpkin carving, outdoor and indoor decorating, fantastical costumes, party ideas and food & beverage recipes. Lots of good color photos too.

Mauled Apple Cider
serves 12

20 whole cloves 5 apples
1 gallon apple cider 2 cinnamon sticks
zest of 1 orange in large strips
6 star anise

Press 4 cloves into each apple. Put cider, cinnamon, zest and apples in a large pot & warm over med-low heat. Let steep 1 & 1/2 hrs without boiling. Garnish with star anise. 4 stars

Here's a short that I've always loved and I try to watch it every year. It's Disney's "Trick or Treat" starring Donald and Witch Hazel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skdVouumMk4

That video short is awesome! Thanks for sharing!

My October treat is a bottle of pumpkin cider I found at TJs over the weekend. I haven't opened it yet, was kinda hoping my brother would be back in town today so we could share. :-)

>82 lkernagh: Was that the first time you've seen it? I love the Disney stuff from the 50's. My elementary school used to show Disney's music shorts and "Peter and the Wolf". They were old even then but I didn't care.

> 83 I haven't seen pumpkin cider, so you'll have to let me know how you like it. It sounds good, even though I know I'd be the only one in my house who would touch it. Pretend you're at Hogwarts when you drink it.

My boxer has been been sick, refusing most food and throwing up water and we thought at first it was because she's 10 and had just been in heat, but Mike took her to the vet yesterday and x-rays revealed that her stomach was filled with stuff that hadn't discharged. Her uterus was infected and the vet said he had to operate immediately because the stuff was toxic. So she was there all day and while removing her uterus and cleaning out her stomach, he found a mammary tumor. We got her back late last night and she's doing as well as can be expected. We feel lucky.

I made delicious homemade pumpkin pecan ice cream the other day. Just pumpkin puree, cream, milk, cinnamon, sugar, a little maple syrup, vanilla, salt and toasted pecans.

And if you haven't seen it, the Halloween issue of Martha Stewart Living is on sale. And she's back on the cover. The issue is middling- not as good as they were doing ten years ago, but much better than they've done the last 2-3 years.

Here's something cool. There's a town in Michigan called Hell and they have hearse gatherings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPFHCpWC9ME

Oh, poor puppy!! Hope she continues improving. How scary!!

>85 mstrust: I'd go to a hearse show, that's cool.

Hope your puppy continues to recover.

Sending hugs to puppy and hoping she continues to improve! Poor girl.

>86 -Eva-: >87 AuntieClio: >88 rabbitprincess: Thanks a lot. She's walking, actually more of a confused pacing. She's still refusing to eat but this morning she was willing to sniff what was offered, so improvement. I think she's going to hold a grudge for awhile. She gets her stitches out in 8 days.

>87 AuntieClio: I'd go too. My husband is from Grand Rapids and knew of Hell. He says it was a population of maybe 2000 people when he left the state. So a small, creepy place, I guess. Sounds like fun!

100. Sad Monsters by Frank Lesser. A collection of essays by or about monsters with problems. A vampire tries to smooth over the girl he dumped because he doesn't like her enough to make her immortal, there's a glowing reference from a cryptozoological researcher trying to help The Abominable Snowman land a job at Vogue, a note from the roommate of Dorian Gray asking him to remove the hideous portrait from the dining room and stop requesting a three-way with the guy's girlfriend. Also, the scientist from "The Fly" teaches Introductory Physics using much of his personal experience.

"Yes, you in the front row, a question? Ah, yes, you're wondering about my right arm, which I have as yet failed to mention. I should apologize for this oversight, but you see, I often forget that my right arm is also the arm of a fly, because I GET DISTRACTED BY MY GIANT FLY HEAD."

Lesser is a writer for "The Colbert Report" so it's no surprise that this is so quirky. 3.5 stars

100!!!

In other book news: Chris Stein/Negative: Me, Blondie and the Advent of Punk is a new release on my must-have list. Stein is the guitarist and co-writer for about 75% of Blondie's stuff, and I believe this is his first book of photography.

Food Stuff: One of my favorite yogurts is Brown Cow Maple, found at Sprout's in my area. I'll also note that I saw a report on sugary yogurts that listed it as one of the highest, which is strange since it has a tangy, rather than sweet flavor. It's really good though.

And here's a great old trailer from the Christopher Lee 50's flick, "Horror of Dracula". When vampires were tall and manly and their victims wore negligees and bled in technicolor.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTyBClMmoyQ

In our house, we have unanimously decided that that is One Cute Dog.

And a friend came to visit from Canada, bringing the most delicious maple hard candies sent by her mother. There was much rejoicing.

>100 cammykitty: That sounds like so much fun! Would it be appropriate for a high school library?

>91 RidgewayGirl: Oh, thank you. She is universally adored and she knows it. But I spoke too soon earlier, as we've just taken her back to the vet's due to her vomiting. They'll be hooking her up to an IV. We hope to get her back late tonight but maybe not til tomorrow.

I haven't had maple hard candy, just seen it on Amazon (yes, I actively search for maple stuff), so I'll bet you were happy. I love the maple sugar candy in the shape of leaves.

>92 mamzel: Yes, I think it would. There's nothing graphic in it so it should be a good fit.

>84 mstrust: - Yup. I have watched a number of older Disney shorts in the past but that was a new one for me. I love 'the boys'... they are just so darn cute. ;-)

My memories of "Peter and the Wolf" are of a community ballet presentation that two of my young school chums were in. I haven't seen the Disney version of that either.

Glad to learn that your adorable Boxer is now back home with you. Sending best wishes that she continues to improve. Wait.....did I see a mention of pumpkin pecan ice cream? YUM!

I don't really remember why, but I think we were shown Disney's "Peter and the Wolf" so many times for music appreciation. Either that or the teacher was obsessed. See if it's on Youtube, because it is cute.
The vet let us pick up Ava last night right before closing, just so she could sleep at home. She still has a catheter in her leg and we have to bring her back this morning. Good news is that she ate two biscuits while she's been here.

Yes, my mom gave me an ice cream machine a few years ago and it's had some miles put on it.

I have found something so great and bizarre. This is Alice Cooper hosting "The Muppet Show" from 1978. At one point he sings "You and Me", his song about domestic bliss, to a sequined muppet bird, which makes the lyrics take on an unintentionally freaky tone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbLG7KvzmmY

Oh, and I visited the Fall Foliage site I linked on the 3rd, and the leaves are turning! There's a particularly good view from the "Vermont View from Middlebury College" cam.

I had applied to Middlebury, but alas, did not meet their standards.

>97 mamzel: Their loss! I've actually never heard of that school, but they were kind enough to point a live cam right at their trees.
My husband's aunt and uncle live in Putney and we've visited them. Even went to the Vermont State Fair once.

Keeping my fingers Xed for good news tomorrow!

Poor Ava!!! Was it pyo? That stuff is pretty dangerous, and from what I've heard, hard to catch in time. Hope the tumor turns out to be something benign. Glad she's eating. I'm sure she appreciated being at home.

I'm sorry to hear your puppy is sick. She is a real cutie! Will send her and her mom good thoughts!

>99 -Eva-: I have it! She came home last night looking great and ate some crackers, a dog treat and a buttered tortilla. Not the best diet but very light, bland and after so long without eating, I gave her whatever she'd eat. And she kept it down, so a big relief.

>100 cammykitty: Hi, Cammy- I think you're asking about parvo? No, that's something lethal dogs get when they haven't been immunized. Ava's tumor was luckily a fatty benign one. And I can say that she is very happy to be home, and her sister is happy to have her back. They mope when they're separated.
**Warning-skip this bit if you don't want to know, because it's graphic** Ava's illness stems from inadequate discharge while she was in heat. Her body retained the pus, which infected the uterus. My husband saw the x-ray and said her stomach was filled with balls of pus, like golfballs, and they were pushing on her organs. Happy Halloween!

>101 craso: Thanks so much, and I'm very happy she's doing so much better. We just have to take her back today and have them say she's well enough to stay home, and take the catheter from her leg.

Here's "The Mummy Song" from "Mad Monster Party", another movie from my childhood that was played on our local station often enough to be deeply ingrained in my brain. My sister and I would break out into "It's the Mummy..." as kids. With the voices of Boris Karloff, Phyllis Diller and Gale Garnett.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89sL4R50Z6E

Just want to note that it's the birthday of the late, great noir author Jim Thompson, a huge favorite of mine. His work was most prominent in the pulps of the 50's, but if you've seen The Grifters or After Dark, My Sweet or The Killer Inside Me (the Casey Affleck version, not the terrible Stacy Keach one), those are Thompson's. And there's your excuse for having a shot of whiskey today.

The Killer Inside Me was really creepy! I want to read The Getaway by him but the library doesn't have it. It does have the movie though.

I happen to have just DVRd "The Getaway" a few days ago, but haven't gotten to it yet. I read the book a few months ago and wanted to see what Peckinpah did with the story.
The Killer Inside Me is a great book and I was so happy to see this latest version followed the book. The 70's version should be burned. I stopped watching about 20 minutes in.

I hit Trader Joe's yesterday (between storms) and they have everything pumpkin. Pumpkin granola, toaster pastries, body butter, macarons, filled croissants...I came home with a box of mini ginger cookies/ pumpkin ice cream sandwiches, spiced roasted pumpkin seeds and pumpkin spice caramel filled chocolates topped with sea salt, which are delicious. I had to put the box away after two and the half that Mike wouldn't finish. He didn't like the spices.

There's a scenario going around in my head about this clip. I think the children belong to the crew members, and they've been listening to their parents discuss Martha Stewart over the dinner table long enough to form an opinion about her. One day Stewart tells her crew to bring their children in to film this scene. When the parent goes home and tells the child, the children say they don't want to meet Martha Stewart and please don't make them. But the parents say, "Tough. If I have to know her, so do you." So the children are brought to the set and put in costumes and forced towards Stewart, who cackles, and the children know that's what a witch does before she eats you. Which explains this scene, with the kids staying far away, looking fearful and wanting nothing to do with "blood" and "fingers".
Or maybe I'm over thinking it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwFVO6Akah8

T.V. Alert- the Science channel is showing 8 hours of Punkin Chunkin today, and tonight's Miss Marple is Endless Night.

@102 No, I didn't mean parvo. I meant pyometriousis or however it's spelled. It's an infection of the uterus dogs get. Several of my friends are breeders and they've had to deal with it. Matter of fact, there's some new evidence showing that spay/neuter deprives dogs of hormones that keep them healthier than if they hadn't been so we've been having pro/con discussions and a lot of the breeders say spay spay spay because pyo is so dangerous. Last time Wanda came back from her "camp" where she goes when she's in heat, I was following her around with a thermometer because we were worried about pyo. It was a false alarm. It sounds like Ava did have pyo. Or at least something close enough. Yuck! But I'm so happy the tumor turned out to be benign. And she'll probably be happier without that mass in her.

Even though the vet didn't say that term, it has to be something like it then. I don't think he gave a term at all, but her billing chart says one of the things they charged for was 'Pyometra Spay". I've never heard the word. Her first vet kept telling us to spay her, but she was still a puppy then, and we didn't like him. And she's been very healthy, aside from hyperplasia (know that's spelled wrong) about 4 years ago. I'd never heard of that either until she had it, and I was raised with Boxers and my parents were breeders when I was a kid.
She is now living on whatever is feed to her by hand from Mike. She won't eat it if it hasn't been in his hand first.

>106 mstrust: I like your Martha Stewart scenerio, those kids are definitely not liking the vibe she's trying so desparately to put out there.

I think Stewart is better off with the format she's doing now, where she's alone and just speaking to the camera rather than trying to interact with others. Putting her in front of a live audience was the worst idea. But I really miss her holiday specials.

101. Island of Aunts by Eva Ibbotson. Three elderly sisters each choose and kidnap a child, taking them back to their secret island home to care for all the exotic creatures who need their help. Minette and Fabio quickly become enchanted by the giant bird, magical seals and especially the father and son krackens, but Lambert never stops conniving to see the aunts punished.

I thought this one was less humorous than previous books from Ibbotson I've read, and it gets preachy in parts as its message is one of ocean conservation. 3 stars

This is an excellent POV tour through Disneyland's Haunted Mansion. Very good camera work.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOJdC_7vlus

LOL! My boy Sage won't take treats unless they are from someone's hand too. Which is weird because he's so shy. Now he takes treats from strangers by stretching his neck really long, as close to a giraffe as he can get.

Yup, she had pyo. Ick ick ick!!! Very glad you caught it on time! I totally understand why you didn't want to spay her before she had even quit growing! US English Shepard Rescue requires people to wait until their puppies are 1 year old before spaying for health reasons. But I've seen a puppy spayed at 7 weeks too because the rescue insisted on spaying before they adopted the animal out. Lots of sides to the argument!

Not sure what to think of Island of the Aunts. It sounds like it's supposed to be funny, but has a dark side too. Kind of a hard line to walk.

Island of the Aunts is an environmentalist' fantasy. All kinds of magical creatures who need special people to care for them. It was just o.k. for me, while I'd gobbled up her older, funnier books.

Ava ate out of her bowl this morning for the first time in over a week, so I guess she's re-learning to feed herself.

Here's a clip from "The Mighty Boosh" where Vince and Howard have a date with Goth girls. Such a great show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8OGjBpv-IU

LOL - Never seen The Mighty Boosh before. The Young Ones would approve.

>102 mstrust:
Yey - so happy to hear that!! Go Ava! :)

>115 cammykitty:
The Boosh are so great - highly recommended!

I'm glad Ava's recovering. But she probably still likes being fed by hand.

And I'd never heard of The Mighty Boosh! I'll have to look into that.

>115 cammykitty: >117 RidgewayGirl: The Mighty Boosh got their start at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and have had a couple of series since. I first saw them many years ago when Cartoon Network aired the shows around 5 a.m. and I got hooked. They still tour and Noel Fielding does lots of guest appearances on t.v. I'll post another snippet.

>116 -Eva-: Thanks- she feels so much better she even danced a little last night.

October 1st! Finally, all this Halloween obsession will seem appropriate.

T.V. Alert- KUTP begins airing the first season of "The Walking Dead" today.

Here's a great site from Tom Nardone, the guy who puts out the Extreme Pumpkins books. You'll find cool carving ideas (I've stolen a few), along with patterns and the annual carving contest. It's a fun place.
http://www.extremepumpkins.com/

O.k., here's another clip from "The Mighty Boosh". The guys discover that their look and sound are being copied, so they try desperately to create the next big cultural movement, and this is what they come up with.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtRXK5wKZCk

102. Halloween Night by R.L. Stine.Brenda's cousin Halley comes to stay while her parents are divorcing, but Halley is a bad house guest. She borrows Brenda's car all the time, then steals Brenda's boyfriend, then the boyfriend of Traci, Brenda's friend. But Brenda and Traci plan to murder Halley at the Halloween party and make it look like Brenda's ex did it.

I'd never read Stine before and wanted to, since he's lasted for so long. This was a quick and undemanding read that also shows Stine to know little about teenage girls. What sixteen year-old would see another girl stealing her boyfriend and say nothing, and then allow that girl to borrow her car? Also, what teenager would be described as "all messed up" by their parents divorce in 1993? Sad and angry, sure, but not on the verge of crazy. But I'd read another if I come across it. 3 stars

This is a really good one. It's The Tractate Middoth, aka " A Ghost Story for Christmas", by M.R. James, updated by Mark Gatiss. Is he everywhere?
Bonus: lovely scenes in an old library.
Double Bonus: It stars my favorite- John Castle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1HCkAQj-WE

I breezed through more than 10 Autumn/Halloween books without even noticing that I'd completed that category.

If you're a fan, Amy Poehler's non-fiction, called Yes Please, will be released Oct. 28th.

This clip is from a show I loved, "Reaper", which ran from 2007-2009. It was about Sam, who learns on his 18th birthday that his parents sold his soul to the devil before he was born. Sam works at a DIY store, but the devil makes him spend his time off chasing down demons that have escaped from hell and sending them back inside of a vessel. Of course the portal back to hell is located at the DMV.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE54L1Qiqzc

I finished watching Endless Night, the PBS Miss Marple that aired Sunday. ***Spoilers***
It was good, the actors, the setting and village were all perfect. There were some things I didn't like, such as, why stick Miss Marple into a story that was meant to feel so isolated. The book has a Gothic feeling because Ellie seems almost cut-off from the world. But this version has Miss Marple popping up so often that she seems like a stalker, walking uninvited into their home and the folly in the woods. Even I was sick of seeing her turn up. Also, Miss Marple crying as she confronts the murderer?

Here's a great blog- one lady reviewing one candy at a time, with each one photographed really well. She's doing Halloween reviews right now.
http://www.candyblog.net/

>123 mstrust: Yeah, I was not crazy about them adding Marple to that story. Haven't watched it on principle! The book is great though.

I believe the precedence was set by a previous Marple being stuck into Endless Night, but I haven't seen that one. I can't help myself. And now Suchet is doing specials about Christie's personal life. "Masterpiece Mystery" knows that Christie fans are addicts.

It's a lot of fun to have a Halloween Movie Night. People can bring their favorite movies, have some appetizers and snack on candy for hours. Here are some movie ideas, but feel free to add to the lists.

SCARY
The Crazies, Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow, Trick 'R' Treat, The Exorcist, 30 Days of Night, The Midnight Meat Train, The Last Exorcism, The Grudge, The Ring, The Haunting of Hill House (original), The Wicker Man (original)

FUNNY
Dawn of the Dead, Swamp Zombies, The Raven (Karloff/Lorre), Warm Bodies, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Plan 9 From Outer Space, Welcome to Zombieland, Suck, Bubba Hotep

FAMILY
Disney's Ichabod Crane (The Legend of Sleepy Hollow), Monster House, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Hocus Pocus, Beetlejuice, Scary Godmother

Here's a disturbing skit from Key and Peele:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxwMTAy1gP0

>125 mstrust: Is he? I did not know that! I did see his documentary where he travelled on the Orient Express. That was fun.

Good list of movies! I'd add Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit to the funny category. My BF and I still quote from it on occasion.

Yes, this past Sunday the Miss Marple was followed by a show that had Suchet doing a bio of Christie. I wasn't able to see the whole show, but he went to Christie's home and met with her grandson again. He showed Suchet personal photos from Christie's life.
I watched the one on the Orient Express and really liked it. Suchet is such a cheerful guy.

I haven't seen the Wallace and Gromit but I'll look for it now!

>126 mstrust: I'm a big fan of Hitchcock movies for Halloween. Also, "The Corpse Bride" and "The Nightmare Before Christmas" are good family-friendly options.

103. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. Richard Mayhew's whole life changes when he stops to help a bleeding girl on the sidewalk. Not only does his fiancee break up with him, but his co-workers no longer recognize him and strangers can't see him at all. Richard knows it has something to do with the girl he saved, so he follows her underground, to London Below, a place where angels and mythical beasts exist. Becoming part of Door's group, Richard goes on a quest that may kill them, but may give him his old life back.

I could see many inspirations to this story, from Grimm's Fairy Tales to "The Wizard of Oz" to a bit of "It's A Wonderful Life". I'm glad I finally pulled this one from my shelf. 4 stars

This is a site that covers just about any Halloween situation. You can see how to make props, decorations, food and costumes, plus they have contests for all those categories.
http://www.instructables.com/halloween

I'm almost done baking my fair entries, which are being turned in tomorrow. The lemonade cookies and cinnamon pecan coffee cake are done, and the banana nut cake has just a few more minutes cooking time.

Good luck with your entries. I hope you get all blue ribbons!

Yay, Neverwhere! Nice spooky cover too. That's the cover I have :)

>132 mamzel: Thanks! I hope so too! I'll put up pics if I win.

>133 rabbitprincess: Yes, the cover art matches the story. It is spooky, like a weird Victorian picture.

Fingers Xed for the fair entries - they sound delicious!!

I hope the hurricane didn't interfere with turning in your entries. I used to live a few blocks from the fairgrounds, and the smell of the Indian Fry Bread drove the dog insane with desire.

Good luck with the fair!

>135 -Eva-: Thanks! It's too bad the cakes have to be turned in whole, because I could demolish that coffee cake.

>136 RidgewayGirl: We're due for a bad storm tonight and into tomorrow. Clear skies currently. Last night I checked on the fair map and found so many new foods on offer: deep fried avocado, deep fried salsa, deep fried nutella (sensing a trend), deep fried doritos, chocolate pickles, bacon nachos and....maple bacon frybread.

>137 lkernagh: Thank you! I'll take all the luck I can get. And the banana nut cake came out of the molded pan perfectly, so I'm feeling lucky already.

You didn't think we'd get through October without Elvira, did you?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWRWBq09-lc

Oooh, it's Edgar Allen Poe's death day!

Good luck with your fair entries - they all sound quite delicious!

>140 LittleTaiko: Thanks! I'll know how things went when we go to the fair Friday.

More Pumpkin:Magic Hat Brewery has a good pumpkin ale. It's out of Burlington, Vt/ Rochester, NY, and has a slightly stronger spice flavor than the Pale Moon version.
And last night I picked up a bag of Tollhouse Pumpkin Spice Baking Chips.

This is the coolest version of Poe's The Tell Tale Heart. The animator shows the frantic horror so perfectly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDLLHTdVSgU

I found some more pumpkin spice items. Have you tried any of them?

Ha! I've seen the Tampax but not the others. And I don't think that's an area that I want spice. But I'll admit that when I saw the words "Pumpkin Spice" and the pumpkin on the package, I went "oooh!" Then I saw it said Durex. Hee!

I've been reading some of Edith Wharton's ghost stories as they're on the Halloween group reading list.
"The Eyes" is seemingly about a small gathering of well-to-do friends where the host tells of a supernatural occurrence. *SPOILER* But it's really about him coming out to his friends.
"The Lady's Maid's Bell" creates an effective atmosphere of gloom and isolation along the Hudson. There's an apparition, but for me, the reason for the ghost and the apprehension of the servants remained unclear and the ending was even more confusing. I got the gist of it, that *SPOILER* the Lady and the Dr. were having an affair. But what did that have to do with the dead maid? And why had the maid appeared in the Lady's closet?
I'll read another, either "Pomegranate Seed" or "Kerfol". If anyone has read either, chime in.

>143 RidgewayGirl: Really?! Why would you? I mean why??

>146 Helenliz: They're fake mock-ups. I guess some people think we pumpkin spice fans have gone too far. I say, "where's the pumpkin pizza?"

>143 RidgewayGirl: - Okay, that made me laugh out loud while at work!

>143 RidgewayGirl: - OMG! That is all I can say on those products. While I get the 'idea' of a two of the items coming in a flavour, the third one just baffles me. ;-)

>119 mstrust: They aren't going to attract many girls with that new gig! ROFL

My daughter just told me about some pumpkin spice flavored pumpkin seeds. I had to laugh! It seems that Trader Joe's has gone off the deep end with pumpkin spice.

>148 LittleTaiko: I didn't expect that either! And they look so real.

>149 lkernagh: Two out of the three?! I'm sort of afraid yet thrilled by your message.

>150 cammykitty: Later in the episode they perform that song in public. It did not become a movement.

Here's a short scene from my favorite Tim Burton movie. Uncle Vern finally gets his.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31Q9JbHAzjA

For the first time ever in Phoenix, I'm pulling mushrooms in my backyard. And not just little ones, no, these are 6-10 inches and pure white. Like I'm in a forest. That made me remember seeing this species, the Jack O' Lantern mushroom. A pale orange in daylight, they glow bright green at night.

Here's the entire 1922 horror film "Nosferatu". Turns the lights off, because it really is creepy and the make-up was amazing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO5mMVeFZEQ

Mom's coming in from Vegas today and we'll go to the fair tonight, so I'll see if I won a ribbon. And we might eat a little something.

Neil Gaiman's birthday!

*fingers crossed*

Have fun at the fair and I'll cross my fingers for you to get a ribbon. Can't wait to hear what goodies you found to munch on.

>156 mamzel: >157 DeltaQueen50: Thank you, and your crossed fingers did the trick.

Success! My cinnamon pecan coffee cake won first place and both the lemonade cookies and banana nut cake got 2nd. So I was happy. I forgot my phone so the pics are on Mike's. I'll get them up here very soon.

As to what I found to eat, umm, a lot.We shared a Navajo fry bread taco, a hand-rolled big German pretzel and a deep-fried s'more on a stick. I also had a swirl ice cream cone and we brought home a small bag of caramel corn, a massive bag of kettle corn and a slab of rocky road fudge. All of us were full and waddling.

Here's Vincent Price's version of "The Raven". Fun facts: he cultivated that British-ish accent but he was from Missouri, and he was a gourmet. I have a cookbook he wrote with his wife of recipes from famous restaurants.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuGZ_wp_i9w

Yay! Congratulations! Although I wonder if the awards are worth not being able to eat the baked goods yourself.

Congratulations on the ribbons. Excellent results.

I love to go to the fair and eat my way through it! That's why I try to restrain myself and only go every few years. We have a yearly fair here in Vancouver called the Pacific National Exhibition, but I really love to attend the State Fair in Washington, they have everything!

>159 RidgewayGirl: Thanks! I leave my entries untouched in exchange for those ribbons. Once I'd gotten my first, I was hooked.

>160 DeltaQueen50: Thank you! We make pigs of ourselves. We get the map and decide what we're eating. In fact, last night when we got home, Mike didn't ask if I'd had fun. He asked if I'd eaten everything I'd wanted. Oink oink!

The Walking Dead starts tonight!
Here's a deleted scene from Season 3. Remember when Rick was wandering around outside the prison gates, just losing his mind?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4oKMC8YhnY

104. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith. From his childhood to his term as President, Lincoln hunts and destroys vampires in retaliation for the murder of his mother and first love. Eventually the killings become politically motivated as Lincoln finds a link between slave owners and vampires.

Written realistically and using journal entries, along with actual historical events. This is adventure mixed with biography and done so well. I'll look for more from the author. 4.5 stars

Congratulations on your ribbons!! If only we could all sample what you made.

Congratulations on your ribbons! Not much else to say.

Big congrats!!!! If you don't mind, send some fry bread my way, would you? :)

Congrats!!! Sounds like a good time was had by all. Do you have seed art at your fair? We've got seed art, and a local artist that is just crazy. You thought Velvet Elvis was tacky? Try Elvis in seeds.

I've had Ojibwe Fry Bread Taco, but the way I've heard fry bread raved about is simply with honey. I'm thinking I haven't met "real" fry bread yet.

>162 mstrust: Watching tomorrow -- we had Thanksgiving today so we had to set the PVR. But we did catch some of the marathon on Saturday afternoon.

BF: *looking in TV guide* "Hey, there's a Walking Dead marathon on AMC."
Me: "Is it a Governor episode right now?"
BF: "Yes."
Me: *turns on TV*

Ended up watching about five hours' worth, which is way more TV than I've watched consecutively in a very long time. Not doing that again anytime soon :P

>164 LittleTaiko: Thanks! My husband also complains that they don't give out free samples.

>165 AuntieClio: Thanks!

>166 -Eva-: Thank you! And if fry bread could still taste good after shipping, it would be the most popular food on earth. Deliciousness for everyone!

>167 cammykitty: Thanks! I haven't noticed any seed art, and we do walk the art section. I was actually considering entering the tiki carving I've been working on in the woodcarving competition, but I didn't finish it in time. I'm glad though, because we saw the carvings that were entered and it was highly intricate with lots of tiny cut-outs and detail. Probably someone who'd been carving for decades.
Honey on fry bread is the way we ate it when I was growing up. My grandma made it at home. Of course, the honey one was preceded by one top with ground beef, lettuce and cheese.

>168 rabbitprincess: I watched the episode last night even though I'd been planning on watching today. I haven't seen the "Talking Dead" yet. I would have watched the whole marathon probably but my mom is visiting and she doesn't like the slightest trace of blood or scary stuff. Like with "The Hunger Games", which she asked to see because she'd heard the name. I had to stop it when they were on the train going to the capitol because she just knew something bad was going to happen.

Anyway, what did you think of the episode? ***Spoiler***
So many questions answered! What was going on at Terminus, how they'd get out of the train car, would Rick see Judith again. It felt like such a meaty (ha) episode.

Here's a fun, fast list of scary books for people who don't really want to be scared.

http://bookriot.com/2014/10/10/scary-books-for-scaredy-cats/

1st place- cinnamon pecan coffee cake



I know it doesn't look appetizing. In fact, four days after it was baked, it looked like a brick.

2nd place- lemonade cookies. They look very plain but have a strong sweet lemon flavor. And I don't have a pic of my other 2nd place winner, the cinnamon banana nut cake. I pointed to the case it was in, told my husband the shelf, and he somehow took a picture of someone else's cake.

>169 mstrust: My favourite part was when Carol blows up the propane tank! She is AWESOME. It was very intense!

***Spoiler***
I know, Carol is always ready for a fight! I kinda wondered how she could shoot Darrel's crossbow so well, as I don't remember her ever firing it before, but I'm not going to over-think it. She did it! She saved our guys from the trough killers.

>152 mstrust: - cannot help beyond what I said. Your mind will have to fill in the gaps.

>158 mstrust: - Congratulations on the placing of your entries! That is awesome! Give yourself a pat on the back from me!

>170 mstrust: - PICTURES! I don't care how plain the lemonade cookies look - they look wonderful!

>174 lkernagh: Thanks! I think the yellowness of the case lighting went with the yellow cookies. And the greasy doilies with the crumbs.

Pumpkin Alert- And for once it isn't edible. I have the new Glade Pumpkin Pie Diner home spray. It makes the room smell like 3-4 pumpkin pies are in the oven. Which is still yummy.

Here's a clip from a great Halloween movie. It's the bus story from "Trick r Treat".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouLG5hX1JmE

This is the last day of Mom's visit. We've been to the Mexican bakery this morning and we have a corn maze for this afternoon and we'll have dinner at an Indian fry bread house.

I know how hard it is to photograph something in a case but the cake and cookies look positively scrumptious! congratulations on your excellent results! I bet those lemonade cookies would be yummy using Meyer lemons.

My daughter was in 4-H and entered a number of things in our county fair. She won a best of show for a Dutch oven dump cake. Another year she won best of show for Dilled Beans. 4-H has a Country Store where the members can sell items they've learned to make in their projects. Her beans sold out the first day and she even sold the ones in the prize display to one of the ladies working in the building. She still makes those every year. Monsieur loves them!

>176 mamzel: Thank you! I think any lemon would work, provided it's organic because the zest is used more than the juice. And your daughter must have made an outstanding cake to win Best in Show. That's the best of the best.
I've never heard of Dilled Beans before.

Here's more Pumpkin: The Trader Joe's Pumpkin Body Butter smells like plain pumpkin-no spice or other scents, just pumpkin, which is a gentle scent. It's the same formula as their Coconut Body Butter, so it's very thick.

Mom just left for her home, so today will be laundry and a long nap.

Here's a documentary from last year about the Ripper case. I pretty much watch any new theories about this case and the Lizzie Borden case. I don't know why they are endlessly fascinating.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9nhDAvMXZ0

Edited to add: Ooooh, it's P.G. Wodehouse's birthday! Maybe I should call my aunt.

Your Aunt Agatha or Aunt Dahlia?

My mother comes from a large family, so I have a sweet aunt, the very elderly aunt who is infamous for making inappropriate comments and a few that can go either way. Maybe I'll just send cards.

Have you been to a Halloween Superstore? They're like a haunted house filled with animatronics and special effects you can play with. They're still stocked with a slutty costumes for women, but there's lots of fun stuff. And they have a beer glass with Darrell's picture on it.

Mom and I went to a nearby farm on Tuesday to go through their corn maze. They actually had two, one for adults and a very quick one for children. The mazes were fun and cool, as it was 91 that day. Too hot for October. The real mystery was why there were about 200 children brought in on school buses on a school day.

Here's a clip from a George Romero movie, "The Day of the Dead". When I was a teen, I loved Romero movies. I loved Tom Savini's make-up effects, and the general camp of it all. As an adult, I see what a bad screenwriter Romero is, and probably a lousy director too. He does have a way of pairing really bad actors with really good ones. Btw, if you watch "Day of the Dead" you'll see a young Greg Nicotero, director and head honcho of "The Walking Dead", in a bit part as one of the soldiers. He was one of Savini's make-up crew, and was plopped in with a few lines. So his history with zombies goes back to at least 1985.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kLbYI7qm8Q

>180 mstrust: Woo-hoo! Those sausage-like intestines get me everytime!

Ha! In barbeque sauce!
There's actually a funny story about what happened to all those meat products during the filming of "Day of the Dead" (I've said before that I was a big Savini fan and "gut wrangling" was part of his job. Also, I know way too much about Romero movies). Much of the gore you see in this film was butcher or slaughter house stuff. There were sausages and cooked chicken for the zombies to actually bite for the close-ups, and the stuff on actors was make-up, but the majority of the mess that got slopped around the floors was real and so was the stuff that came out when a character was ripped open. So they were filming in this underground bunker and broke for Christmas. When they came back they found that someone had unplugged the fridge that contained all of this meat that they had been re-using take after take. They had to complete filming with the rotten, stinking meat, including the scene in the clip above. Once you know that you can see that the zombies stick nothing in their mouths. I know there are clips on Youtube that show this scene being filmed, and immediately after you hear "Cut!", the actor being torn apart has a look on his face that is nausea and repulsion at their most acute. It's hilarious.
Don't ask me why they didn't just go buy fresh meat.

I'm seeing more combinations of pumpkin and chocolate this year, so I had to try a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie. It was from AJ's Fine Foods, a small chain of gourmet grocers here in Phoenix, but I don't know if they're in other cities too. Anyway, the cookie was moist, full of chocolate bits rather than full-sized chips and tasted so strongly of ginger that I would have called it a gingerbread cookie with chocolate. Nice, but not something I need again.

And has anyone been watching "American Horror: Freakshow"?

Here's an episode of the British show "Apparitions". It ran for just one season a couple of years ago and starred Martin Shaw as a priest in London. The people around him- disciples, other priests, a nun- are attacked one by one by demons who want to discourage Father Jacob from becoming the next head exorcist.
To my fellow Americans, this show will likely be shocking. It covers issues such as abortion, rape, Muslim faith, incest, the Serbian war and homosexuality in the Church. Pretty much anything that makes people nervous. All in one season. It was cancelled not because of the topics, but because it was beaten out in ratings by "I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here". Unbelievable. If you don't want to see the whole episode, go to about 39:30 and this will be the exorcism scene.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mo_a3qQtl-Y

"because it was beaten out in ratings by "I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here""
That makes me sad.

>183 mstrust: - I love the idea of pumpkin and chocolate but not with ginger. Hum, you have me thinking about maybe attempting a muffin or scone recipe with that flavour combination.....

>184 -Eva-: Doesn't it? It was a challenging and brave show with really great writing, and it was ignored in favor of more mindless crap.

>185 lkernagh: Let me know if you find a recipe you like. I think pumpkin and chocolate sounds good together, and I really like the combo of chocolate and cinnamon. I just think the baker of that particular cookie was a big ginger fan. I'll bet a standard pumpkin pie with a thin black bottom would be good.

105. Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter by Nancy Atherton. An American living in the English countryside, Lori, her husband and their 5 year old twins have dramatic lives. They've survived various attempted murders, but now the boys are in school and take riding lesson at a nearby manor. When her children draw a picture of a vampire and tell everybody that they saw him, Lori takes it seriously and goes looking for the neighborhood vampire.

This is my first of the Aunt Dimity series, and I believe it's around the eleventh of the series, so not the best place to start. There are some good things to say. Some of the characters are interesting, and her conversations with long-dead Aunt Dimity, via book just like Harry and Tom Riddle in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, are a good way to inject an adult voice next to Lori's, who behaves like she's barely older than her children. This is the problem I had with the story; I didn't like the main character. I know it's fantasy and not meant to be taken seriously, but it irked me right from the beginning that Lori wrings her hands over a meeting with the school's headmistress, she talks to a toy and she immediately believes that her 5 year olds really saw a vampire. She's immature, yet I think she's suppose to be charming or quirky.
I have two or three more from this series on my shelf already. While I didn't hate it, I don't think this series is for me.2.5 stars

Today is the famous Keene Pumpkin Festival in New Hampshire. Check out the site for photos and recipes. This is where I got the pumpkin casserole recipe I've been using for a few years and the photos of the wall of jack o' lanterns is beautiful. Oh, I wish I could go.
http://www.pumpkinfestival.com/

Sorry, while shopping today, I decided on pumpkin, pecan and butterscotch chips as a muffin combination instead. I am still keeping pumpkin and chocolate in my mind......

Lori, no need to apologize- I change my mind often enough! Let me know how you like your new creation.

Here's an appropriate little ditty from King Diamond:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-9uuxpoaZA

Bonus clip just because I think it's hilarious: King Diamond being interviewed by Joe Franklin. No one on the couch knew who anyone else was, Franklin certainly didn't know who Diamond was, and he's so lost that, because Diamond is Danish, he asks him about Hamlet and the exchange rate. So much awkward fun!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhsbJjg2MKE

Some of my Halloween decorations. This is the front hallway.



In the same hallway. The giant pumpkin is blown glass.

Here's a scary one. It's the ending to "Freaks", the 1930's horror. If you haven't seen it and you want something scary, this will do it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaGjhx_jFDE

I've just watched last night's episode of "The Walking Dead".

***Spoilers***

Oh Bob, Bob, Bob. Were you the only one who didn't realize that your sudden happiness and sunny outlook would lead to something really awful happening to you?
And did anyone else get the feeling that Rick has become Shane and Carl has become old Rick?

>183 mstrust: I've been watching it but I haven't decided if I like it or not. Creepy is definitely on my top list of definitions. That clown is . . . wow!

I know what you mean. I stopped watching the original "American Horror Story" because it was too disturbing. This one is scary, and disturbing, but I'm pinning my hopes on Kathy Bates that it won't be as bad as the first version. I actually googled the show to see if the circus people were real or not, and guess what I found? The clown is played by Frances McDormand's gentle husband in "Fargo". So I keep telling myself that when he's onscreen. :D

>190 mstrust:
I'm thinking of doing all ravens this year - Poe-themed Halloween can't be wrong!

>189 mstrust: - The new creation is a keeper, probably for year round baking, not just fall. My other half devoured two muffins yesterday with a glass of milk and commented that he thought they were really good. I love looking at pictures of places decorated for Halloween! Out of curiosity, what is the jar in the front hallway picture?

>194 -Eva-: A Poe Halloween sounds pretty great. I've never done a theme as I have a mish mash of scary/Autumn stuff. But I've been making a scary book display for a few years.

>195 lkernagh: They do sound good. If you mean the small jar with the books, that says "poison" and has a flickering light inside. I got it from Target a few years ago. If you're asking about the big glass jar on the wooden chest, it's a very big candy jar filled with Hershey's bars and Three Musketeers.

Here's my favorite part of "The Monster Club". The movie was a collection of three tales of monsters, with songs performed inbetween stories, and the monster world being explained by a vampire to a human. It starred Vincent Price, John Carradine, Donald Pleasance, Britt Ekland and James Laurenson, who played the Shadmock. This is a story of unrequited love.
The movie did so badly upon release that it bankrupted the studio.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqAXEdd48v8

106. Marilyn Manson: The Long Hard Road Out of Hell by Marilyn Manson and Neil Strauss. Manson's autobiography that follows him from a thirteen year old sneaking into his grandparent's basement to uncover his grandfather's secrets, to his school years full of insecurities and petty theft, to starting a band that eventually became Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids.
I haven't read many autobiographies, but I think this one is unusual as it seems to intentionally work to keep the reader on Manson's side, and whether that's Manson's need to manipulate or Strauss' writing skill is anybody's guess. It begins with that opening tale of two cousins discovering how screwed up their grandfather is, then the weird boy next door and Manson's parents forcing him to attend a Christian school where he didn't fit in, and it creates a sympathetic and relateable picture. His teen years are difficult for no particular reason and he begins writing dark poems and stories about murder, and doing drugs. But it's the sections about music and fame, forcing his band mates to look and behave as he wants, claiming almost all the credit for their success, blaming failures on others, abusing groupies and talking about himself as a God that takes the reader to a level of narcissism that only happens in show business or politics. It's actually a well-written and very interesting book, and I think that much of the accessibility is due to the author always taking the reader into his confidence, like "these other people don't understand me, but let me explain it to you." But be warned that Manson admits to some really heinous things. 3.5 stars

Yesterday was the husband's birthday. We didn't do anything big as we'll be going to the fair again on Friday and we'll be in Vegas for Halloween. But, did you know that Denny's still gives a free Grand Slam for your birthday? Ha!
I made him the dinner he requested, which included grilled steaks and cupcakes and a nice cabernet. And he got the new Jack White CD he wanted, along with some drag racing swag.

Here are some cool jack O' lanterns that I wish I had the skill to reproduce.

http://bookriot.com/2014/10/22/15-awesome-bookish-jack-olanterns/

>198 mstrust: Those are amazing! Although I think my favorite is the Comic Sans one. :)

I think my favorites are the Alice in Wonderland and the Melville collection. I'm hoping my new-found wood carving experience will help me with this year's jack o' lantern, because usually you can see the hack marks I leave.

I might attempt the Nevermore one, but the others are waaay above my skill level (not that mine would be anywhere near as pretty as theirs, obviously!).

That one was really cool. I just assume that the people who can do that kind of carving have an arts background, like sculpting. But I also like Tom Nardone - not much finesse, but original and funny ideas.

107. Bats: A Portrait of the Animal World by Andrew Cleave. An excellent source for info and photos of bats around the world, including their feeding habits and how they care for their young. There is information about the declining bat population, and myths, such as bats having bad eyesight or living in bell towers, are shown to be false. The photos above are all bats, but not from this book.4 stars

Sorry, even wrapped up in a blanket like a baby, there is something about bats that give me the creeps!

>204 DeltaQueen50: A lot of people would agree with you. I look at their faces and see a dog, deer, fox or monkey, so they don't scare me. And they're really in trouble now, like the bees. That's not to say that I'd like to find one climbing on me though.



108. Condors and Vultures by David Houston. Houston is a doctor of ornithology and has spent decades studying birds of prey. This book covers the life habits of vultures and condors around the world, including the California Condor, the Turkey Vulture and the only vegetarian bird of prey, the Palm-Nut Vulture. It also discusses the methods used to save the dwindling numbers. 4 stars

Many years ago, when we lived about an hour north of Phoenix, I was driving and Mike was sleeping in the passenger seat. We're going through the canyons and twisty roads, and I round a corner on the two-lane road and there, sitting on the guardrail a foot from the road, are two massive Turkey Vultures, side by side, just watching the road. It was so sudden and they are huge birds, but most of all, they are incredibly ugly. Bright pink bald heads sticking out of a big, hunched over black body, like Uncle Fester. That's my vulture encounter.


Turkey Vulture

Here's what traumatized me as a kid. A babysitter made us watch it when I was four or five and I've hated spiders my whole life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzTGSKNjrp4

Yes, I do know that bats are needed to keep a healthy balance with the insects so I certainly don't want to see them endangered just far away from me. ;)

I've popped open a jar of Trader Joe's Pumpkin Butter and it's delicious. Lots of pie spice and the consistency of apple butter, it's very good on toast, but I could see spreading it on apple slices, pancakes or swirling it in oatmeal.

This is a clip from "Shaun of the Dead" where David is trying to shoot Shaun's mum.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbrN51dPm0I

We went back to the fair last night. Best thing was the Maple Bacon Funnel Cake, which was topped with homemade whipped cream so thick it was nearly frosting. And we had a look at the baking entries. I had expected to see some moldy messes, but everything looked pretty much as it had two weeks ago.

Also, I saw a cute zombie movie called "Fido" starring Billy Connelly. If you ever wish that Wes Anderson made a zombie movie, here it is. I didn't see Anderson's name anywhere but the style was so much like "Moonlight Kingdom".

If you've never been the Knott's Berry Farm in October when it transforms into Knott's Scary Farm, try to make it. The whole park is turned from the Old West them to a haunted house, with multiple mazes, the traditional witch burning on the square (in which the most reviled people of the year are murdered. Think along the lines of Jersey Shore) and costumed monsters and ghouls roam. This is one of the mazes that must have been very popular. I went through it in 2011 and it was brought back the following year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN8cYbHxQck

>203 mstrust:
Aw, so cute!!!

Eva, I think so too!

Here's a list of the scariest short stories, according to flavorwire. I've read some- Dahl, Lovecraft, Matheson, Bierce. I think I'll get to a few more today if I can, but today is a big library sale. Yea!

http://flavorwire.com/483530/50-of-the-scariest-short-stories-of-all-time/view-a...

And here's a radio drama version of the Harlan Ellison story, with Ellison himself playing the part of AM.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSwfpVRVWlo

The Strand Bookstore's sign

Back from the sale and here's the haul:

No Touch Monkey!
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Tales of the City
Up In The Air
The Pilgrim's Progress
Which Brings Me To You
Then We Came To the End
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
cookbook on olives
The Late George Apley
The Shakespeare Thefts
Kartchner Caverns
Hard Times
The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton
Tales of Unease
The Night's Foul Work
The Delectable Apple
The Mushroom Cookbook
Broken Harbor
The Victoria Vanishes
Camille
My Life in Heavy Metal
Lost Horizon
Common Sense
Letters from the Hive
The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog, and of His Friend Marilyn Monroe
The Silent Traveler in San Francisco
and two guitar playbooks-The Art of Kirk Hammett and The Raconteurs: Consolers of the Lonely

The copies of Lost Horizon, George Apley and Camille are beautiful embossed leather, with Camille being very old but in great condition.

>211 mstrust: That looks like a Cranswickian haul.

Wow - very impressive haul!

A woman after my own heart! It's lovely to see someone else returning from a book sale with a generous pile. Both Then We Came to the End and Broken Harbor are fantastic.

>212 thornton37814: I'll take that to mean "extra-large". My rolling shopping cart lets people know I'm serious.

>213 -Eva-: Thanks! I found some great ones.

>214 RidgewayGirl: I'm glad you liked those. I grabbed Then We Came to the End without reading the blurb as I knew I'd seen the title on LT several times. The same with the Chaing Lee and Fred Vargas. I read and use the reviews here.

The Walking Dead- ***Spoilers*** Bob had the most lead up to a death, yet the most gentle actual death I can remember on TWD. And Gareth and his Terminus gang should have known better. As they were creeping around the church, I was thinking that they had spent who knows how long living inside a compound, not living in the wild and hunting like Rick and Daryl. Gareth over-reached.

Here's one of the songs from the Canadian vampire movie "Suck". It's actually a really good comedy, starring Megan from "Mad Men" (can't remember her name), Malcolm McDowell, Alice Cooper as the Devil, Iggy Pop, and the guitarist from Rush. The guy singing is the lead singer from the band The Burning Brides.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqV7FTetNQc

YAY! Book Haul!

>217 mstrust: My feelings exactly!

Speaking of the book haul, I'm going through The Mushroom Cookbook and it's full of great recipes, everything looks good, and then I find "Mushrooms with Banana Sauce". I'm not kidding. It's battered, fried mushrooms covered in a sauce that includes garlic, mayonnaise, nutmeg and a mashed banana. Nobody dare me to make it because I won't.

Also found in one of my purchases was a handwritten note that reads "Good Name For A Band-------Suicidal Fish" I love finding stuff like that in books.

Here's a great clip from "30 Days of Nights" which features the scariest vampires.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btmHEjVMlCE

109. Death Makes A Holiday: A Cultural History of Halloween by David J. Skal. Written in 2002, Skal investigates both the origins of the holiday and the modern interpretations. He writes about the single case of candy tampering at Halloween that has been prosecuted, that of Ronald O' Bryan, who in 1974 gave his children and his friend's children poisoned Pixie Stixs. O'Bryan's son died and he was executed. There are chapters that include the rise of adults celebrating, the rise in popularity of high cost costumes rather than homemade ones, the history of police and anti-gay groups clashing with celebrants in San Francisco and NYC, church sponsored "Hell Houses" and profiles of "yard haunters", people who go all out to turn their homes into haunted houses. Really interesting and goes into territory that you usually don't find in "history of Halloween" books. 4 stars

Here's a scary clip from the Japanese original of "The Grudge". This is considered one of the scariest Japanese movies ever made, so enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJpooPuCUT0

Just one more day!



Come and play with us, Danny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMbI7DmLCNI

My entry in the All Hallows contest.

>220 mstrust: Love it!

Thanks! I see now that the room was a little too dark, but you get the idea.

Have a fun holiday!

And here's the final clip. Of course it's from the scariest movie ever.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYbKYyYkx1o

Happy Hallowe'en! And thanks for the help choosing movies for tonight's teenage horror movie sleepover.

I was happy to help. It sounds like you're in for a scary Halloween- have fun!

Happy Halloween!

>187 mstrust: -- I read my first Aunt Dimity book this month as well. I read #17 in the series. I've no idea what mysterious beings Lori has run into in the previous books, but, I imagine if a diary speaks to you maybe you believe in the existence of vampires as well.
Nice Halloween decorations. Love the pumpkin. That reminds me, I should post a pic of my Halloween Potions Lab -- it goes with my challenge theme.

I've seen Freaks! That was a good movie! Certainly has more plot than the one I saw for Halloween. Plot was they all get killed one by one by rabid humans. Hope you had a great Halloween and still have candy left over.

>227 VioletBramble: I tried to go along with the story, but it wasn't the fantasy parts that bothered me so much as the main character. And since she'll likely be the focus of every book, I decided that wasn't a series for me. No loss, as there are so many others to get hooked on.
You should post your pics!

>228 cammykitty: "Freaks" is very effective. And yes, for anyone who thinks that it's just a showcase for the circus people, there is an actual plot. It's good vs. evil, but if you clicked on the link I provided, you already know who wins.
I have so many bags of candy in my deep freeze now! Between the after-Halloween sales and the leftover candy Mom sent home with us so she wouldn't eat it, we have enough to last us until next Halloween. I'm really not kidding.

We just got back from Vegas yesterday afternoon, so I'll post my Halloween activities in my new thread #6. Join me!