POSITIVELY Haunting the Cemeteries

The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.

                                                                                                                                                                             -        Harriet Beecher Stowe

I have a confession to make – I like cemeteries. 

I don’t find them spooky or scary though, I find them peaceful - as they ought to be. Places of contemplation and rest eternal. Most people don’t think of them as travel destinations, but truth be told, I enjoy visiting them. Some of the highlights of my trips have included  visits to cemeteries; Metairie, Arlington, and Verdun to name a few. Some of Chicago’s cemeteries are said to be haunted but I have yet to visit any of those nor have I been to Al Capone’s grave. Definitely on my to-do list.

 

I don’t know where the fascination comes from, but I’m definitely not the only one who haunts cemeteries. Sometimes it’s the history of a place that grabs you, sometimes it’s just reading the dates on tombstones from another century, and sometimes the draw is the celebrity who now 'resides' there. James Dean’s tombstone in Indiana still gets covered with lipstick kisses, as does Oscar Wilde’s in Paris. Not to mention flowers from still adoring fans.

POSITIVELY PUMPKINS

by Mauverneen


Pumpkins, gourds, mums and some straw - beautiful! And all natural!



It’s Ocpumpkintober!  Pumpkins are everywhere - pumpkin pie, pumpkin beer, pumpkin soup, pumpkin bread, pumpkin – everything! Pumpkin farms with their corn mazes and hayrides out to the pumpkin patch are a popular destination for field trips this time of year and EVERYbody wants to carve out some cool jack o’lanterns.

I had the pleasure of attending an entirely different type of pumpkin fest this past weekend – The Glass Pumpkin Patch at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois. It was their third annual, but it was my first time visiting and I surely will go again – in fact, I already have it on my calendar for next year!

Pick a color - ANY color

POSITIVELY MOUTH WATERING

by Mauverneen

I did something yesterday I haven’t done in years. I made green tomato relish.

I haven’t done any canning at all in recent years so I admit I was a little nervous about it. I had to run out and buy some jars and lids since I have no idea what happened to mine. If I didn’t sell them all at the garage sale before I moved several years ago, twice, they are in boxes somewhere and I didn’t have time to go looking. Running out to the store was the easy part. Picking and chopping took much longer.