Never too old to celebrate. . . .

I'm a little long in the tooth to go Trick or Treating, but I simply can't resist using Halloween as an excuse for posting this adorable photo. The kid in the pumpkin, in case you don't recognize him, is my great grandson, Grayson Max Anker.

I remember the excitement of Halloween when I was a kid back in Mount Vernon, NY. In those days our parents didn't demand wrapped candies or worry about us traveling in packs around our neighborhood. When Andrea was a little girl, it was still safe to go with her friends around the islands we lived on. Just over the bridge from our house lived the singer Anita O'Brian, the one who was such a religious fanatic and rabid homophobe. In addition to those lovable characteristics, the kids all knew that hers was the only house in the neighborhood who wouldn't answer the doorbell to trick or treaters. For that alone, we all hated her.

These days I live in a condo and kids are in short supply, but I'm ready, just in case some show up. I have a giant size jar of my favorite "Jelly Bellies" in all the best colors and flavors, purchased for me by Benard at Costco. (I know. . some girls get diamonds. .but I am addicted to these babies.)

Not to worry if the doorbell doesn't ring. I'll manage to eat a few, all on my own.
In the meantime. . .HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO ALL OF YOU OUT THERE!!!!

"Green's the word". . .

I spent Sunday morning hawking "organic" tee shirts and totes at Fairchild Tropical Garden's "3rd Annual Edible Garden Festival". My booth was strategically located between "Martita's Banana Cakes" (yummy) and "Harmony Kettle Korn" (OMG delicious). Needless to say, I did not go hungry.

Don't know if you've ever eaten kettle corn, but it is highly addictive. There's no such thing as eating one or two kernals. My next door neighbor this morning thoughtfully presented me with a just-out-of-the-kettle warm bagful at 9am when I arrived to set up. When my shift ended at 1pm, there was still enough in the giant plastic bag to provide Benard with a goodly portion. (Take a look at those bundles in the photo at right and you'll see what I mean.)

99% of the booths sprinkled throughout the Garden for the two day Festival pay for their space and are there to sell food and merchandise. My booth is one of the few operated by the Garden and manned by volunteers. Benard spent the morning driving visiors back and forth to parking areas on an 8-passenger shuttle. The Garden has over 500 regular volunteers who are totaly dedicated to this imcredible place, and can call on another 500 for their major events like the famed Ramble that will take place next month.

We chose the morning shift so we could get home in time to watch our sad sack Miami Dolphins play the Denver Broncos. The Denver team is led by University of Florida icon, Tim Tebow, and Dolphin management was delighted to note that the usually half empty stadium suddenly sold out with Tebow fans there to root for their Golden Boy.
So far, he's doing as bad as our Dolphins.

The Dolphins may actually win this game.*** That will infuriate all those fans in the stands bandishing "Suck For Luck" placards. For the non-sports-minded, that refers to Stamford's incredible quarterback, Andrew Luck, who's slated to be the #1 draft choice this year. Boy, could we use him! Thus the charming allusion to the necessity for the team to end up worst in the league.
# # #
***Addendum. . .I can't believe I'm saying this. We lost. It wasn't easy, we were up 15-0, but the Dolphins found a way, after being in the lead for 3 and 3/4 quarters. Way to go, Tebow. The crowd in Sun Life (Dolphin's) stadium, including shocked Dolphin fans, gave you a standing ovation. Unbelievable.

Setting the record straight. . .

Kim Kardashian and I helped to set a Guiness World Record this morning.

Well, to be specific, Kim did it mationally on the Today Show,and my friend Sheila and I did it at the Coral Gables Congregational Church Pre-School as part of our Thursday morning stint for United Way's "Reading for Literacy" program.

We were a small part of a huge annual effort to set a world record for the most people reading the same book on the same day. The book that thousands of readers around the world were tasked with reading was "LLAMA LLAMA RED PAJAMA" by Anna Dewdney, and the copy that each of us was handed was imprinted with a logo that read "READ FOR THE RECORD". I don't believe you'll find it on the New York Times Best Seller List. . on the other hand, there must be a helluva lot of copies floating around out there.

I don't know how Kim enjoyed the book, but the kids I read to every week loved it. They had a llama mixed up with a camel, but I assured them they were first cousins in the animal kingdom. I tried to explain to them about the Guiness Record business, but that went right over their heads. In their world, a record is something you use to play music. Or so they informed me.

We were supposed to turn our book in to the teacher when we finished reading, but I begged to keep my copy so that I can read it to the pre-kindergartener that means the most to me. That would be my great-grandson Grayson. He's only 5 1/2 months old at the moment, but I know he's going to love it.

Grayson is one of the lucky ones. His Mommy and Daddy read to him all the time. United Way is determined to bring the love of reading to pre-K kids that don't enjoy that important advantage, and Sheila and I are enjoying being part of that effort.

By the way, the Baby Llama in the book is a real cry baby. .the kids thought that was hilarious. War & Peace, it wasn't.
# # #