Steve and Elsa

If you've been reading this blog for more than a year, you know that we don't celebrate Halloween in the traditional manner. We don't have neighbors to speak of, so going door to door for candy is a hassle. A few years ago, together with the Farmboy's sister and her family, we started a new tradition that has made our kids completely over-the-moon-happy.

It starts as you would expect, with costumes.

This year we were once again visited by Elsa, this time wearing a dress found at Costco, which apparently is even better than the amazing one I concocted last year.

Whatever.

Queen Elsa was happy to have her friend Steve along for the festivities.

With torrential rain in the forecast (we felt sorry for all those PNW kids out there either braving the elements or stuck trick-or-treating at the mall), we moved our usual celebration from our house, to the roomier house of their cousins.

Ahem, I mean Pikachu and Ariel.

The traditional in-the-dark Easter egg hunt (YES!) was moved indoors, but was still quite dark and exciting. Headlamps? Check! Flashlights? Check! Buckets? Check!

Shortly after all of the eggs were found, we convened on the front veranda where the kids took turns beating on a castle pinata and chasing down flying candy, with a good dose of raindrops and leaves thrown into their buckets for good measure.

And swords. There were swords too. And sword-fighting Disney princesses, no less.

Followed by a puppet show.

At which point everyone was a little rummy from sugar and swords and beating up castles while dressed in costume, and it quickly got ugly with dying seals and other such nonsense which led the responsible parties to break up the fun until the next time.

Cousins are the best.

State of the Garden Address

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans:

Last month, I went to the feed store and brought home some of our last seeds to be planted. Together, we offered a final, proud attempt at successful germination. And several hundred gave their lives to damp, cool weather.

We gather this morning knowing that the turning of the seasons have made the garden safer and more likely to foster good growth. (Applause.) For the first time in nine months, there are no falling snowflakes from the Oregon skies. (Applause.) For the first time in six years, the Mama's distraction by infants is not a threat to the health of the Garden. (Applause.)

These achievements are a testament to the courage, selflessness and teamwork of the Family Twist. At a time when too many of our seasonal forces have let us down, they exceed all expectations. They’re not consumed with personal ambition. They don’t obsess over their differences. They focus on the mission at hand. They work together to make this Garden grow. (Applause.)

Think about the Garden within our reach: A Garden that leads the state in feeding its people. A Garden that attracts a new generation of bountiful vegetables. A future where we’re in control of our own pest control, and our weeds and varmints aren’t so tied to unstable parts of the world. A Garden built to last, where hard work pays off, and responsibility is rewarded.

We can do this. I know we can, because we’ve done it before. (Applause.)

The defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive. No challenge is more urgent. No debate is more important. We can either keep the weeds at bay and the beneficial plants growing strong, or we can allow the mayhem of wild seed to infest our soil. (Applause.) What’s at stake aren’t Democratic values or Republican values, but Gardening values. And we have to reclaim them.

So it is with the Garden. Each time I look at that plot of soil, I’m reminded that our destiny is stitched together like those 50 stars and those 13 stripes. We did not build this garden as individuals. This Garden will be great, because we will tend it together. This Garden will be great because we work as a team. And if we hold fast to that truth, in this moment of weed- infestation, there is no challenge too great; no mission too hard. As long as we are joined in common purpose, as long as we maintain our common resolve, our journey moves forward, and our future is hopeful, and the state of our Garden will always be strong.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)

New Old Cupboard

I just adore old blue paint... don't you?

And Robin's Egg Blue is my happy color any day of the week.

It can be pretty hard to come by painted blue cupboards out here in the West, so I made do.

A second-hand-store cupboard with the right style and dimensions...

some new paint (Miller 0689 Atmosphere), a can of brown shoe polish, and an intense amount of elbow grease was all it took.

I bet you can't wait to see where the cupboard now lives and what sits on its shelves...