OMG Its Halloween and we have no !@#$%! Candy!!!

Despite the cuss word it is good though. We have lived here for 3 years and no one has ever ever stopped by for Halloween Trick or Treating. So, when John asked me if we needed candy for the day I said "No" with much confidence and like the geek that I am I stated the statistical probability of them stopping by as a big fat Zero as we have had not action since we have been here. Anyway, if you took a lot at my front yard it is Halloween personified -- there is no way the kids would chance coming through my gate with all those leaves I have to sweep away!

Well, guess what happened 15 minutes ago? Three lovely T-or-T'ers dressed in princess outfits and some lovely 1920's fare rang the doorbell twice. In my stupidity I had the fleeting thought it was the UPS man. Don't laugh, he sometimes comes around 6pm (even though I am pretty certain neither one of us has been feeding amazon.com any money lately)!

Just my luck I was wearing queen regalia this evening by way of African boubou -- at least I looked graceful sweeping down the stairs. I looked through the glass. Children! I open the door and 3 voices sing "trick or treat!" I sing back at them but my mind is reeling now I have to find candy! I excuse myself leaving the door open and rush to the kitchen.

I open the pantry door. Ahh chocolate -- but i can't give them my beloved Cadbury's! I just about broke my back bringing it over from England. But the little one is so cute I will give her some. Ooh ooh! A package of See's candy! jackpot! Need to open and make sure it is still good -- it is! Then a little package of kisses! Thanks God we don't eat all of our candy!

I make it back to the door like a queen bearing gifts. Cadbury's for the little one, See's candy for the middle girl (who wanted to dig in right away), and kisses for the oldest girl. There was some debate between the oldest 2 on how to divvy up the loot with the little one asking for a share of everything. How cute.

Once it was all settle, they sang "Happy Halloween!!" to me which I reciprocated in kind. Everyone was happy and they were off to the next unsuspecting adult.

Sign of relief! I guess next time I will actually buy candy for the occasion or maybe take everyone else's hint and leave the porch light off but what would be the fun in that?

French 75 Restaurant

Well, I am recuperating from being in San Francisco last week on the heels of being in England the week before. Needless to say I have done nothing remotely domestic this weekend other than look at the pile of newspapers in the living room and think to myself "I really ought to throw those away" and not lifting a finger to do that.

Our adventure for the weekends was going to French 75 in the Fashion Island mall. Last night, I cooked and I did not have the heart to repeat the splendid performance tonight so we went out. After much bickering about where to go we ended up at French 75. I was a little skeptical because the review I read on CitySearch.com was not very flattering.

French 75 is a chain of French restaurants mainly located in malls. Once you are in the door you forget you are in a mall because the lighting is romantic and dim. What I will rave about is the food. To keep our costs down, we wend for the summer 5-7pm menu which is $29 for 3 courses. We both started out with the Shrimp Casoulette. It was heavenly. Shrimp in a creamy mustard sauce. It was hard to stop eating and sopping up the sauce with the really warm french bread that was served.

Next, I had the flat iron steak with french fries and John had the rotisserie chicken with fries as well. Though I asked for my steak well done it came out a little pink -- I ate it anyway. It came smothered in a peppercorn sauce (the French and their sauces!) which was very good the other option was the bearnaise sauce which I don't like. I can't stand eggs benedict -- bearnaise hollandaise very similar and not me.

We finished off diner with a creme brulee for me and a chocolate souffle for him. Very nicely done. They split the souffle at the table and poured in some liquid chocolate then put on a dollop of cream and poured some more chocolate. Hmmm very delicious.

Even though I paced myself I was quite stuffed. All in all a very good way to end a lazy weekend.

Blown Away

by the beauty of her smile and all the
rippled soft lines
eruping like wild flowers on a clear day
Her eyes cloudless in the
Morning sun as she looks at me
Simply blown away by the ease at which
they come knocking me over with their brilliance
and slowly fading away at the last
peal of midnight as her eyes close in
dream filled sleep and
even then hints remain
Totally blown away

Been a while ...

So much has happened in the last few months that my words got jumbled. As my tongue loosened my words came out in poetry.


Love 1

I want to crawl up into your finger tips
Into the ridges of your finger prints
And touch you as you touch me.

I want to be the sigh that starts from your toes
to your heart when you gimpse my navel
for thst I want to be breath in your lungs

I want to stand in your foot steps
Being the one your are for me and seeing
For the first time through your eyes of love.


Wind

Bare in the wind and it walks down my spine
Causing the leaves to whisper in the silence
I hear it not for it flutters away as I
Try to grasp it with my hands and feet and thumbs

The trees roar and the birds are chirpless
they listen to the one who created sound and fury and silence
So too am I in awe on a sleepless night
With her beckoning to come outside and play



Grand Ma (in spirit)

Her voice comes to me in the shadows of the night
I talk to her during the day and catch myself
Reaching out I can just about touch her
Image dissipating in the swirls of mercury.
Full of memories, she continues to tell me of
Her childhood, maidenhood, womanhood.
I listen amplified by conches her singsong
Voice echoing through the space between us
Unaware of the ripples distorting her picture
And the water plumbs that make her voice undulate.
She becomes the wisp of an aroma on the wind
Sailing past in the mid-afternoon air
The shhhh of a cluster of leaves in the dawn
Falling to the damp autumn earth in homage
The barest touch of hand on my shoulder
When I am lost to the outer world and
I can just about feel her on my skin and
With a burst she is gone.