Bamboo

Available at your local Homeland Grocery Store.  For feeding your pet panda.  Which rank up there as cutest. Bears. Ever. 


Seriously: 




But koala bears?  Also ridiculously cute: 






But my local Homeland doesn't sell eucalyptus trees, so I guess I'll have to settle for a panda.  -> 

Hydrangea

 

The Geek brought me some gorgeous hydrangeas today.  Just because.  

Sigh.  Love that. 

Say you: You haven't told him yet about the electrical work he needs to do, have you?  

Say me:  No.  How'd you guess?  -> 

Mont

I have an exceedingly difficult time exercising anything close to restraint once the flowers start hitting the shelves this time of year. ->

Ho

Happy Halloween

 

My brother was in town today, so I was over at my parent's house all day.  My family was all over me when I started taking this shot: 

 "What does a pumpkin have to do with consumerism?"  they asked.  

"Kids have been buying pumpkins for years."  offered Mom. 

"What are you supposed to do, grow your own?"  opined Dad. 

 and then he followed up with: "If you want consumerism on Halloween, take a picture of costumes on shelves."

"Take a picture of candy" the brother offered. 

"Take a picture of fake pumpkins in stores" Mom suggested.  

To which I finally responded to all of them:  "Is this your blog?"    

I love this jack-o-lantern.  I love the warts on the pumpkin. I love the fact that my daughter wanted my brother "to help"--called him on the phone yesterday to ensure he would--and then sat back and let him do all the work other than drawing the face (As you can see, he added his own touches to the mouth.  He was quick to point out that he cut the teeth in such a way that should the mouth close, it would shut tight).   

I did not love that I took so much flack from the fam about posting it here, so I will explain my decision: 

It's the "have tos" that accompany holidays that end up getting us in the end. Christmas is loaded with them but Halloween has a few.  Carving jack-o-lanterns fall in this category. No matter how fun, sweet, and time-honored the tradition is and no matter how lovingly I make the purchase the bottom line remains the same: I had to buy the pumpkins.  

Don't forget that Halloween, all aspects of it, is a billion dollar industry in this country.  -> 

Essentials

        

I'm not going to lie.  I will, on occasion, get sucked into buying fresh flowers that are displayed in Super Target.   The fresh flowers that are so conveniently displayed right up front, all pretty and happy, tucked in next to the cucumbers. 

Because I don't know about you, but  this is what happens when I'm shopping and methodically going down the aisle:  "Hmmmm....let's see, I need red peppers, yellow peppers,  radicchio*, butter lettuce and daisies wrapped in cellophane** for my salad."  ->

*I butchered the spelling of that word. 

**Yeah.  I butchered that one too. 

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