It's the most wonderful time of the year...

Autumn. Fall. The only season to have two names. Why do we call it Fall?



Because the leaves are falling to the ground.



Because I am falling into the back-to-school routines.



Because I am falling into bed at 7:30 because it’s already dark.



Because I am falling in love with God’s gloriously colorful trees.



Because I am falling on dropped apples because I am over-reaching for the perfect one, just up there.



Because I am falling back into my jeans and sweatshirts, my long lost lovelies.



Because I am falling into a depression over the fact that Winter is only 90 days away.


Because I am falling into a deeper depression over the fact that Christmas is only 92 days away.



Fall. I do love ya! Don’t tell the others, but you are my favorite.



*Sorry for the old pictures. I am falling down on the job :-)

It's Hobbit Day!!

It’s true. It’s on the calendar my daddy made me. And because I love to google everything, I googled* “Hobbit Day”

To save you googling time, the top two hits this morning are here, so you too can celebrate Hobbit Day with me.

Hobbit Day - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
How to Celebrate Hobbit Day

Further foray into the deep, dark belly of the internets unearthed this treasure**

Leonard Nemoy's Ballad of Bilbo Baggins

As it were, I never read The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings as a child. My obsession with fantasy fiction didn’t start until I was twenty and for whatever reason, I was not exposed to these two stories. So, along comes a movie in 2001. The previews look cool. I think to myself that my husband would love this movie. So we go see it. And I was blown away. Three hours later, I am sobbing big, fat hobbit tears (you know the scene - when Frodo pulls Sam out of the water and Sam swears he will never leave Frodo) when suddenly … credits start rolling???? I turned to my husband and (I might have cursed) asked why the credits were rolling. He says ever so nonchalantly, in his best well, duh voice, "There’s three movies.” Oh ho, was I mad! I wanted to see Frodo throw the freaking ring!!! In Mount Doom. And NOW. I certainly did not want to wait through two more movies!!

Oh, the injustice.

True story.

So, in honor of Hobbit Day, I will be spending the evening with these two gentlemen*** (nom, nom, nom) and chanting “One ring to rule them all….”




"One Ring to rule them all,
One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all
and in the darkness, bind them!"


*When did “google” become a verb?
**I am, of course, using the term “treasure” extremely loosely here.
***Hot guys and a majestic movie score … sigh …

September 11

I remember.

Courtesy of the Library of Congress
By Alex Spektor,
The Sun, 2002.
www.september11victims.com
Color offset poster.
Gift of Bolivar Arellano Gallery.
Prints and Photographs Division (144)
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/911/images/02027r.jpg