Scary Stuff about Halloween

Well, Halloween has come and gone and I've definitely learned my lesson this year. No more trick-or-treating at our place, I'm afraid.

This year we had exactly 11 trick-or-treaters, down from about 17 last year and a whopping 24 the year before. I always enjoy handing out the treats and getting to see all the kiddoes in their costumes, but an abundance of leftover candy is not something I want to deal with. The M&Ms are OK – they won't go to waste. But I just can't say the same thing about all those gummie treats.

And speaking of Halloween costumes, there was an interesting article in the Washington Post the other day ("Preteens Trading Fairy Wands for Fishnets"). Apparently the new trend in Halloween attire, for girls anyway, involves miniskirts, bare midriffs, and fishnet stockings. And not just for pre-teens – sexy costumes are being made in sizes to fit 5- and 6-year-olds. The costumes have names like "Sexy Super Girl," "Playboy Racy Referee," "Funky Punk Pirate," and "Fairy-Licious Purrfect Kitty."

OK, I have to say it: What's the world coming to? I feel like I fell off the sled back there, about 500 years ago. Whatever happened to clowns and ghosts and hobos?

Well, almost all our trick-or-treaters this year were girls. But none of them looked particularly racy, thank goodness. Even the vampire craze of the last few years seems to have waned. This year they were mostly princesses of one sort or another. And the only short skirt was a pink tutu on a four-year-old ballerina.

I think the closest I ever came to a sexy costume when I was a kid was when I was about eleven or twelve and dressed up as a gypsy. I wore one of my aunt's old peasant skirts and a lot of her costume jewelry. I tied a scarf around my head and wore lipstick, too – possibly for the first time. I thought I looked tremendously exotic.

Of course, the whole effect was completely spoiled when the weather that year turned cool and damp, and my mother insisted I cover everything up with a very un-exotic wool cardigan. So even if I had been sporting a bare belly button or leather bustier, no one would have known it.


Generally, my Halloween costumes were less elaborate, store-bought (probably flammable) outfits like those in the photo here, circa 1956 or so. The one in the clown mask is my cousin. I'm in the cat costume, sharpening my claws on her 6-year-old body.

Back In Time

I've been neglecting my blog again. Shame on me. Real life keeps getting in the way. Amazing how it does that sometimes.

M. and I spent last weekend visiting Colonial Williamsburg. After living in Virginia for over 20 years, I thought it was time we made the pilgrimage. We've been planning a trip for years, but always managed to talk ourselves out of it at the last minute.

M. has never been particularly enthusiastic about the place. I think he was afraid the staff (the "reenactors"?) would try to jolly him into participating in some of their merry activities – sort of like a cross between an over-zealous social director on a cruise ship, and one of those creatures who roam Disney World dressed up like Mickey or Pluto or Snow White.

But his worries turned out to be unnecessary. The inhabitants of the Historic Area go about their daily routine, wearing their 18th Century garb, pretty much ignoring the tourists unless the tourists interact with them. The closest we came to being forced to perform or party was when one of the tour guides demonstrated bows and curtsies and asked us all to try "bending the knee."


My first destination was the print shop and book bindery, across the sidewalk from one another, and just in back of the post office. Both turned out to be very interesting, as expected. The master binder even had a very authentic British-American accent and a slightly superior air. I was surprised to learn that book binders in the Colonies would have made most of their money by selling blank books, for record-keeping. Also learned they didn't produce most of their own paper, but instead imported it from England. On reflection, of course, that makes sense – the paper was made from rags (i.e., old clothing) and the Colonists didn't have a lot of those to spare.

All in all, it turned out to be a very pleasant, educational trip. Lots of walking, though – in August heat, although we were there in October. I would definitely recommend wearing comfortable shoes and taking the shuttle to and from the Visitors' Center. The Center is a huge modern complex of buildings with air conditioning and gift shops and rest rooms, and has a rental shop where kids can get themselves all kitted out in 18th Century gear. And the sight of all the little ones running around looking like refugees from an American Girl Doll catalog turned out to be one of the most memorable (and adorable) parts of the experience.

Nobel Notes

What a nice surprise – Doris Lessing has won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Finally someone I've actually read! But it's been more than twenty years since I discovered Martha Quest and The Summer Before the Dark. Never got around to The Golden Notebook, so maybe I'll put it on my Autumn reading list.

And I suppose Al Gore was a natural choice, after "An Inconvenient Truth" caused such a sensation. Now if he'd just come down out of his splendid tower and RUN!

Moving On

J: ― "Tonight I'm having the last gin and tonic of the summer."
M:― "So that means no more gin and tonics?"
J: ― "No, it just means that now I move on to the gin and tonics of the fall."

Monday, Mid-September

Lovely lazy weekend. Gorgeous early autumn weather. Reading Annie Dillard's The Maytrees – one of the last books from my summer list. Not exactly a fast read for such a short work. Only about a third of the way through, so I don't want to make any snap judgments, but I think it's just possible that Annie should be encouraged to stick to non-fiction in the future.

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Something new to me – reading challenges. Well, blogging in general is pretty new to me. I've known about reading challenges for school kids, but hadn't run into the adult version until very recently. Something to consider for the fall? The idea certainly sounds intriguing. Maybe a way to keep myself from backsliding into spending too much time in front of the TV. Have to give it some thought.

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And speaking of TV-gazing – we're certainly enjoying the new series of Inspector Lynley mysteries on PBS this month. But someone really needs to do something about Havers' hair. She's beginning to look like a bag lady. In fact, Lynley and Havers both need a good scrub down and a troop of wardrobe and makeup personnel to look after them. I know they do these British series on a very low budget, but surely they could spend enough to keep their stars from looking like homeless people. I'm convinced the real Scotland Yard doesn't let its inspectors go around looking that scruffy – even in the provinces. Adam Dalgleish and his team are always very attractively turned out.

I ♥ a Book Sale

Finally made it to the Daedalus Warehouse sale last weekend. Daedalus Books, the discount book seller, has a big warehouse in Columbia, Maryland, as well as a new store (well, relatively new) in Baltimore. And in all the many years I've been getting their catalogue, I've intended to drive over and check out the warehouse, but never managed to get around to it until last Saturday.

It's quite a trek from our part of Northern Virginia, and with all the Labor Day weekend traffic, and missing cut-offs and exits, it took about an hour to get there. But it was worth all the travel. Seemed like just about everything in the building was on sale for $4.98 (or less).

Appropriately enough, I bought Penelope Fitzgerald's The Book Shop, which always sounded interesting to me. Haven't read any of her books yet, but I have to admire such a late-bloomer. She published her first work at age 58, which gives us all hope.

Also picked up several "literary nonfiction" works.

Nicolas Basbanes' A Splendor of Letters: The Permanence of Books in an Impermanent World. I'm about halfway through his A Gentle Madness, and really enjoying it.

The Friar and the Cipher, by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone, about the mysterious Voynich manuscript. The Goldstones have written a slew of books about books and book-collecting, but this is the first one for me.

Book Row, by Marvin Mondlin and Roy Meador: an "anecdotal historical memoir" about the antiquarian book trade in New York City, from the 1890s to the 1960s. Most of that world is gone now, of course, and I really only got to glimpse just the very end of it back in the mid-1970s. So I'm looking forward to finding out more about it.

And finally, Thomas Mallon's A Book of One's Own: People and Their Diaries. Well, what blogger wouldn't be intrigued by a book about the many ways people document their everyday lives? Of course, it was published just before the blog phenomenon got started. Maybe Mr. Mallon needs to bring out a revised edition.

So, all in all, it was a pretty successful and very enjoyable field trip. M. didn't buy anything. But that's not too surprising, since he's a man and really doesn't understand the whole concept of shopping.

Random Notes

Spent most of yesterday evening watching the U.S. Open Quarter Finals on TV. Jelena Jankovic worrying Venus Williams a bit, and looking very pretty in pink while doing it. But Venus was just too strong in the end (no pun intended – but those short shorts were really awful). Then Andy Roddick against Roger Federer. Jimmy Connors there – still coaching Roddick – all dressed up with a tie and everything. Andy looked very good – he's learned a lot from Jimbo. But "the Fed" made short work of him – finished him off in straight sets, while barely breaking a sweat. Well, I always pull for the Americans in the Open, so I was hoping this might be Roddick's year. But Federer may be the greatest player ever, and I guess it's silly to expect anyone to beat him this year. He's certainly a treat to watch.

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"I was a fantastic student until ten, and then my mind began to wander."
Grace Paley (1922-2007)

"Money is like manure, it should be spread around."
Brooke Astor (1902-2007)

"Geez, I coulda sworn that ball was outta here!"
Phil Rizzuto (1917-2007)