Does everyone hear the sound of lawnmowers?

All day long I've heard the sound of lawnmowers nearby and the distant drone of some a block or so away. We've had all these days of rain and the grass keeps growing and no one can get out to mow their lawns. I managed to mow part of my front lawn and side lawn last weekend when I had a break in the weather. Today I finally was able to mow my back yard for the first time in about a month and trimmed down the front and side again. I should be good for the next few days. I think more rain is in the forecast. My next door neighbor has a really loud lawnmower and unfortunately she is out mowing right now. I was hoping to sit on the sundeck for awhile and relax but not with that noisy machine she has. Kerry says its an industrial grade lawnmower, thereby why it is so loud. Hmm, I'm not sure why an industrial one should be louder than a regular household one, but its ear shattering to be anywhere near it. And she's not wearing hearing protection.

Cloverdale Monsoon Friday January 15

Doesn't it figure that the windiest, rainiest days happen in Cloverdale on Fridays - the day we're scheduled for garbage and recycling pick up?

I got my garbage can and blue recycle box out early this morning but neither one of them is full or heavy enough to hold it down in the storm. After running into the street to pick up my recycle box and having to pick up my garbage can, I weighed both of them down with bricks. But I see garbage cans and blue boxes all over the street, or more accurately blowing across the street and ending up in a neighbor's yard.

Fortunately both our collections came early enough today and within minutes of each other that I was at home and able to bring the can and box back to safety.

A few months ago I lost a lid to one of my garden waste garbage cans in a furious wind storm. Even though I hunted the neighborhood looking for it, I didn't find it.

Here's hoping that it may blow back to my yard today. Or one just like it!

Halloween Recap

It rained all day on Halloween. But by late afternoon it had slacked off to a drizzle and for early evening, prime trick or treating time, the rain had stopped, though it was certainly cold and wet outside.

We had about 25 to 30 kids stop by for treats, and some of them were doubles. A couple of times we were out on our covered sundeck doing some work and called them to come back for more treats.

So undoubtedly the dampness kept many of the kids away.

Now what should I do with the leftover goodies?

Halloween is nearly here!

Halloween has always been my favorite time of the year. I love candy!

When I was younger I'd go trick or treating with several of the neighborhood kids. We'd hit every house on our road - about 4 blocks long - then we'd branch out further. I'd often return home with a full pillowcase of goodies that I could barely carry.

Of course the favorite house on the block was the lady who made caramel apples. Some sneaky tricksters went back to her house a few times. And the popcorn balls wrapped in cellophane. Yummy! And the little chocolate bars back in those days were a decent size, about half the size of a regular chocolate bar. Not the little one or two bite chocolates that are sold these days.

And then a townhouse complex was built in 1970. A new thing for the area. This is the 12th towhouse registered with British Columbia. Now the legal descriptions for new condos are numbered in the thousands. 86 units on 5 acres. A bunch of houses to hit in one small area. We all flocked there. Kids from out of town were driven in by their parents. It was a zoo. And sadly by the time we came to many houses they were all out of candy. That townhouse quickly changed its policy for subsequent Halloweens and had all the trick or treaters come to the workshed where a sack of candies is handed out.

I dressed up in many of the traditional costumes associated with Halloween - a ghost, a clown, a witch. I'll never forget that witch outfit. It was pouring rain that night. I was wearing a pointed black witch's hat with crepe paper fringe around the bottom. The rain washed it out in no time and I had black dye running down my face. A truly gruesome looking witch.

One year my parents took my sack of candies away from me so I wouldn't eat it all. And sadly I never saw it again. My parents forgot where they put it. Or so they claimed. Maybe they ate it all.

Now as a homeowner I hand out goodies each Halloween. I have a box of 75 mini chocolate bars and a box of 63 small bags of potato chips. Well those were the starting numbers. Kerry has gotten into both of them. Last year we had between 50 and 60 kids. Tomorrow night the weather forecast is for rain so I expect the number of trick or treaters to be lower. The good thing about the rain is it deters the troublemakers.

And so I'll wait tomorrow night with my handouts, watching the kids slog through the rain, and memories of that witch's hat and the black dye running down my face has been in my head all day.

Happy Halloween!