Kevin's Watch

While I am not agreeing that the reason Menolly suggests is correct (after all, this is not a satanic holiday...indeed, it is a rooted in a harvest celebration that was deep in Western culture long before Christianity), but the fact is that even here in the relatively secular NorthWet, the only trick-or-treaters we got tonight were one group of seven preschoolers, all from the same daycare pod.

Menolly wrote:I think a lot of parents are influenced by their churches saying Halloween is a satanic celebration, and they take them to harvest, or other public celebrations, instead of trick-or-treating door to door.

I believe more that people do not know their neighbors and do not trust them. too many scare stories about the evils that men do to candy. (some of them true.) and a fear of neighbors being perverts.

I dunno, sarge.

I think most parents trust their neighbors and their neighborhood. I think door to door tnt is becoming culturally passé. The parents of young ones today probably didn't tnt, due to the scare stories of the late '80s/early '90s. So, they do what their parents did with them.

We got a fair showing for Halloween. Maybe around 60-70 kids. My mom talked to someone who owns a store on the main street of the town and apparently she got something like 700 kids coming by. My mom was pretty generous this year and bought 3 or 4 boxes of regular size hershey's candy bars with and w/out almonds. They were a hit, though I didn't see any jaws drop.

Last year (Sandy!) and the year before we didn't have as many people come around due to the storms.

Is this the "How do you feel today?" thread?

Well, I'm gonna say this weekend has had the weeeirdest internal weather.

Violent bursts of thunderstorms for days; igniting fires of anger all over the barren stubble-filled landscape. The kind of thing that makes an nearby observer who is extremely familiar with the climate gently ask, "Why are you angry now?"

Then yesterday.... half the day was filled with showers of weeping; often it seemed that levees and berms were on the verge of collapsing under the flood. But then the strangest thing: then comes frequent soothing, warming sunshine, amid the crackling electricity of hope and excitement. And torrents of laughter.

Amazing bursts of sunshine and peaceful warm breezes -- accompanied by the always-bizarre pressure systems of the highs and lows of the pride and revulsion of narcissism. (To which this post is likely a testimony. Also, I've scarcely read anything that's written above. Hi, people.)

Menolly wrote:I think a lot of parents are influenced by their churches saying Halloween is a satanic celebration, and they take them to harvest, or other public celebrations, instead of trick-or-treating door to door.

Having grown up in Arkansas, I can say, "I remember that!"
What you describe is very accurate to what I saw there!

Which, of course, makes me go "sigh"... still trying to focus on "cleaning the outside of the dish or bowl" rather than the inside; the heart. ...being "so brave about standing up against" things that they find easy to find a consensus on. ("we're rural! we don't want to drive our kids into town to take 'em trick-or-treating!")
But seldom confronting, say, the dangers of "bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in the hearts" of the church members.
Because that would be risky; that would get push-back from the congregants.
I've walked in my share of cowardice. May God - and many others - forgive us.

Otoh, in the Chicago area, I've got several years' worth of data points.
The same neighborhood that was swarmed with kids last year was really sparse this year.
(I was a little shocked! It was warmish for October! Just kinda rainy. Demotivating, I guess.)

Otoh (on the other other hand), Menolly, there are definitely pockets of churches & community groups doing what you described even up here. They're not nearly so influential as in the south though. And there's definitely the influence that Sarge mentioned as well! I feel like -nobody- knows their neighbors in Suburbia!

Ah, SD; I don't think you need to worry so much about people misunderstanding the opinion being expressed about the origins of Halloween; I in no way would have assumed that you (or Menolly for that matter!) was agreeing with the view that people from those churches claim to hold.
I certainly don't agree with you - but I think that topic's a Pandora's Box!

Linna Heartlistener wrote:Hi, people.

Hi, Linna!

Sounds like you could use this:


Wishing you a bright sunshiny day of internal weather...

All forms of weather are important for a healthy and balanced climate.

--A

Writing is hard work.

That is all.

Life is hard work.

But, there is pie.

I'm making one today. I'll know what kind when Stag comes home from the grocery store.

That is all. (Pie, anyone?)

on diet after seeing nutritionist. also going to gym for biking/walking/pool.

portion control and dumping bad foods is the main focus. fried stuff, sugars, prepared stuff, salts. kind of a modified Atkins.

but elbow is slowing down part of the exercise. first diagnosed as tennis elbow. they are doing extensive testing.

I am down to 58% use of my right arm. and I'm right handed.

they will be checking for nerve damage. maybe an mri. after the nerve test we will see.

days off right now. love days off.

sgt.null wrote:on diet after seeing nutritionist. also going to gym for biking/walking/pool.

portion control and dumping bad foods is the main focus. fried stuff, sugars, prepared stuff, salts. kind of a modified Atkins.

Are you low carbing then, sarge? Feel free to share what y'all come with in the low carb thread in the galley.

Menolly wrote:

sgt.null wrote:on diet after seeing nutritionist. also going to gym for biking/walking/pool.

portion control and dumping bad foods is the main focus. fried stuff, sugars, prepared stuff, salts. kind of a modified Atkins.

Are you low carbing then, sarge? Feel free to share what y'all come with in the low carb thread in the galley.

yes, will get the booklet out and see what there is. less caloric intake and exercise.

I'm feeling quite worried. On Sunday my son was taken to hospital. He apparently "fell down" four times in the morning then took one of the boys to football training and collapsed again, unfortunately onto a pile of bricks. His right ear is a terrible mess, all stitched up and he has a cut lip and nose. They called an ambulance and he was discharged today having been on a heart moniter and had some blood tests. He says he feels dizzy and falls, but is awake just after he hits the ground. We were about to fetch him when he rang to say he had been discharged, couldn't be bothered to wait for us and was going to walk the two miles home!! Since he got home he's been feeling nauseous and was actually sick this afternoon. There are no results from any of the tests he's had yet, so I suppose we have to wait now to see if they can find out what caused it. My daughter in law says he hasn't been eating or sleeping properly, so perhaps that was the cause. He's a pig headed lad, won't take advice, but perhaps this will pull him up short and persuade him to look after himself properly!

Hope everything turns out alright.

--A

Iolanthe, I hope he is ok and it is merely pig-headedness rather than anything more serious.

Thanks Av & Stevie. Hopefully he will find out more when he goes to have the stitches out tomorrow.

Savor Dam wrote:

Linna Heartlistener wrote:Hi, people.

Hi, Linna!

Sounds like you could use this:


Wishing you a bright sunshiny day of internal weather...

Btw, thanks! It was a good day and a good week!

Av wrote:All forms of weather are important for a healthy and balanced climate.

My take on it is... it would be strange if we could go through life in this world, and not be affected..

I/O wrote:I'm feeling quite worried. On Sunday my son was taken to hospital. He apparently "fell down" four times in the morning then took one of the boys to football training and collapsed again, unfortunately onto a pile of bricks.

Iolanthe- Gah! Well, no wonder you were worried... :-\
And about walking the 2 miles home from the hospital... yep, I know people like that; though most days I have respect for the attitude behind that.

-"Linna Slowposter"

Huzzah!
Dam-ett has been "de"-ported!!

Andrew seems to be OK now. He hasn't had any more falling down attacks, and they seem to be putting it down to "exhaustion"!! Fingers crossed it won't happen again.