HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 

If you ever come to San Francisco, this is the time of the year to do it. The weather here is beautifully warm and there isn't much fog to speak.  We are sleeping with the windows open and we get to see the stars and the moon.

Goodnight moon.

Reach a hand to the crescent moon, grab hold of the hollow.

If she sits in the palm of the left, that moon will be fuller tomorrow.

If she sits in the palm of the right, that moon is on the wane. 

~ Crescent Moon, Cowboy Junkies

At Christmas there are fewer houses with twinkle lights than I would like but I will say this: San Franciscans really get into Halloween (Oh my, she looks so little in that post!).  I can't watch scary movies. I really can't. So for me Halloween is more about Snoopy frolicking through the pumpkin patch than anything scary. I have no idea what this 'holiday' is really about but I'm pretty sure it's something pagan (Wikipedia, here I come). Regardless, it involves dressing up and sugar and fun. What could be better than that?

I thought Ada could be Elmo this year. I made her costume. Yes, I made it! There was red fluff on the floor in the kitchen and tracked through the rest of the house for days. Don't be too impressed - if you looked up close you would see all the mistakes that came from this rush job. Friday morning I let her watch 3 hours of TV so that I could finish the costume before baby preschool. And do you know what? She refuses to wear it. I think she might even be afraid of it. So it hangs all floppy and sad from the door jam just waiting for her to change her mind.




As American tradition dictates, we went to the pumpkin patch last weekend. It was sunny and hot and beautiful. We even went on a hayride and contemplated going through a hay tunnel right in the middle of the city.

Ada, Sarah, and Sophia boycotted the tunnel. 

Instead there was lots of climbing over pumpkins and running around trees.










The best was this little bold mole who kept popping in and out of his hole wondering what in the marbles all these people were doing in his front yard?




The girls thought he was super awesome and nothing short of hilarious!




We selected a pumpkin. Poor thing sat uncarved and expressionless on our front step all week long. After a whirlwind of activity Saturday morning we have freshly baked pumpkin bread, homemade orange playdough, freshly roasted and salted pumpkin seeds and what must be the happiest, friendliest pumpkins on the block.




Part of the reason we hadn't carved it yet was that we went over to Kathi and Sarah's place after the pumpkin patch to go swimming and just never made it to the pumpkin carving part. So unseasonal, right? I might feel bad that this is happening as some are getting their first dusting of snow. Truth is, while they enjoyed summer, my hilltop was fogged out and cold. So I don't really feel all that bad.




We'll see if my little one will put on her Elmo costume or not. We're headed to Belvedere St just like we always do. (Oh my double goodness, she was even tinier then!). Remember that tonight is the first night you can break the don't-take-candy-from-strangers rule. Safe trick-or-treating out there. Once again,

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!