rock out.

Maybe it isn't your style, but on cold gray almost winter days I keep finding myself going back to old scratchy Enrico Caruso songs.
Caruso was a famous tenor of his time and one of the early opera singers to embrace phonograph recordings. His recordings can be found on public spaces like YouTube, on commercial recordings or if you are cheap like me you can make a Pandora station. This type of music is being lost, check it out before it is gone. I promise that even if you don't like it, it will be worth your time.



M and I carved our Hallowe'en pumpkins happily sipping bourbon cider cocktails and listening to my Caruso. It was a really good time. You might think that whisky and sharp objects don't mix, but our pumpkins turned out lovely and we managed to not stab ourselves nor each other.



M went with a cyclops, and mine was a pirate. Meaning that both of our jack-o-lanterns had one eye. When you are married things like that just happen.



Recipe, a seasonal take on the classic Manhattan:

Big Apple

1 part bourbon, e.g. Bulleitt or Maker's Mark
1 part cider..... or 2 parts cider if you like standing upright....
dash of cinnamon or mixed pumpkin pie spice
shaken over ice and served in a martini glass
garnish with a cinnamon stick or an orange rind twist

salut!

nevermore

If you are *dying* for something creepy to do this October, hasten to the grave of Edgar Allan Poe. Located in a decent part of Baltimore (I assure you that your car will not be stolen) and the admission is free! It is a cute and quaint little kirkyard where a few crumbly tombstones and some truly beautiful tombs are in evidence. Bring some whisky or brandy and sneak a few sips. I promise no one will notice. And if you pull out a copy of "The Tell-tale Heart" for an outburst of oratory no one will mind. Get your creep on!




I did.

Fall is falling

The leaves are on the ground and no longer on the trees where they were just a few days ago. A few of the trees are still holding strong, their branches filled with golden and red leaves. Fall on the east coast is absolutely beautiful, but sadly, it seems to happen in the blink of an eye.

I would love to tell you that we have been so busy working on the house that I haven't been able to write. The truth is that progress has ground to a halt. Some highlights of my slovenliness include Laura coming to visit (yay!) It was terribly rainy and cold, we took this as a sign to indulge in cocoa with brandy and strong hot rum cider! M and I were lumberjacks for Halloween, but we were unable to find axes in time so the trees went unmolested. I have arranged our holiday travel plans and other pressing needs. Now back to the hearth and home, painting commences this weekend and I predict that it is going to be a wild ride. I painted as an adolescent at the behest of my mother with the promptings of some cold hard cash, but now it is all up to me and I have been looking for TSP powder for months! Does anyone know of a good substitute? I may have to use diluted dish-soap.