Whatever happened to Henry?

Trick-or-treating is one of those things you don't really THINK about--it's just fun.

The only thing is--and you usually hear this about the secular version of the observance of Christmas--it's so darn commercial. The costumes are cute, sure. Some were downright impressive. I saw a few in our neigborhood tonight that could get an Oscar nod if someone captured them with a camcorder. Even my own little goblins were outfitted in aawwwwww-inspiring costumes I bought online.

It's a far cry from the labor of imagination that inevitably led to pillaging my mother's bureau or the kitchen cabinets. One year, I wore my mom's college graduation gown and a witch's hat made from black construction paper. Another year, I was a gypsy, with Mom's jewelry, makeup and scarves. But I remember the kid who came to the school Halloween party as Henry VIII. He had his dad's bathrobe and a pillow stuffed underneath to simulate the ravenous king's girth and a homemade crown with "jewels" pasted on. He even had a chicken leg to gnaw on. He considered bringing one of those rubber masks and pretending it was the head of one of his wives, but he thought that might be a little over the top (this was the 80s, when we were still trying to get over the shock of "Thriller" on cable). Fast-forward a few years to an office costume party. One couple was dressed in black from head to toe, with cat ears and a cat tail, and picture frames around their necks. They were cat burglars, and of course, they were framed. (ha, ha, ah, ahem...) Another friend, Adrienne, was wearing an early-20th century gown and had spray-painted herself with frosty body paint, with fake icecicles glued to her skin and in her gel-slickened hair. She was a Titanic victim, she explained. Another year, a friend had raided her neighbor's closet to become Joan d'Arc.

Tonight, I saw mostly pre-manufactured costumes, most in keeping with the year's blockbusters. To be sure, there were pirates a-plenty. And there were old favorites: Minnie Mouse, Cat-in-the-Hat, Spiderman, all perfectly executed. But I have to admit, there was part of me that would have liked to have seen another homemeade Henry.

Just before the candy ran its course and the porch light went out, there was this one kid who really made me smile, as up the sidewalk came a sheet with eye holes cut out. He probably wasn't going to win a free Happy Meal at the school's fall festival, but he got my vote for the best costume of the night.

Just don't tell my two nylon and acrylic kitty cats.

My little goblins

Playing with light and the gaussian blur effect. Ah, well, better keep my day job. Still doesn't hurt to try something fun...

Practicing the art of the "boo!"

And the church bells were ringing...

More amateur efforts on my part, this time attempting to capture the loveliness of the bells. I'm fascinated by instruments used to inspire those in places of worship. We had a bagpiper a few weeks ago, and I so wanted to take his photo, but I left the camera in the car. Next time, I'll be ready.

Tiny dancer

Baby face

An unexpected visitor

Imagine having this drop in on you: A man in the eastern part of the state found a decades-old casket--and its resident--scattered on his property, state police said today. What's especially confusing is that there isn't a cemetery nearby, and there have been no reports of grave-tampering in the area, although it's possible the empty grave just hasn't been noticed yet. Police say the evidence--including the empty vault found near the roadside--tells them someone drove the vault and its contents and then dumped them out before carrying the coffin and the long-deceased young woman inside to the man's property. There's no indication who the woman is (or was), and the coffin is an old one, not manufactured since the 1940s. Maybe someone didn't pay their plot maintenance fee?

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/15854539.htm

More from the mountain

Hidden treasure

Kingdom Come State Park is certainly off the beaten path. It is named for the Civil War-era novel, The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come, and standing at its peak atop Pine Mountain, about 2,700 feet above sea level, truly it does seem as though little has changed since that time. And yet, a whole era has come and gone. The coal boom is just a rumble now, and fron certain points one can see evidence of an industry in its sunset as above-ground mining seeks whatever can be found in the earth, as the deeper seams are smaller and more difficult to access. The towns once noisy with activity are quiet little communities with consolidated schools and empty storefronts. And yet families sustain, content and rooted, surrounded by the treasure of largely unspoiled pieces of creation. So explore away, and at the end of the day, come down to the valley for warm, sweet cornbread and milk. Mmmmm.

Here's an excerpt from the novel:
.…The lake of dull red behind the jagged lines of rose and crimson that streaked the east began to glow and look angry. A sheen of fiery vapor shot upward and spread swiftly over the miracle of mist that had been wrought in the night. An ocean of it and, white and thick as snowdust, it filled valley, chasm, and ravine with mystery and silence up to the dark jutting points and dark waving lines of range after range that looked like breakers, surged up by some strange new law from an under-sea of foam; motionless, it swept down the valleys, poured swift torrents through high gaps in the hills and one long noiseless cataract over a lesser range - all silent, all motionless, like a great white sea stilled in the fury of a storm. Morning after morning, the boy had looked upon such glory, calmly watching the mist part, like the waters, for the land, and the day break, with one phrase, "Let there be light," ever in his mind - for Chad knew his bible. And, most often, in soft splendor, trailing cloud-mist, and yellow light leaping from crest to crest, and in the singing of birds and the shining of leaves and dew - there was light.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
from The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come, by John Fox Jr

Ale-8-One...salsa?

For those of you unfamiliar with our native drink, Ale-8-One is smething akin to Mountain Dew or Mello Yello--but a bit spicier with a heck of a lot of caffeine. It was the breakfast of champions that got many of us through college. It is traditionally paired with a sugary Moon Pie, so the thought of mixing it with salsa ingredients is...well...interesting. Below is the announcement from the Kentucky Agriculture Cabinet:


NEW ALE-8-ONE SALSA WILL LAUNCH
AT MOUNT STERLING COURT DAY FESTIVAL


FRANKFORT, Ky. — Peanut butter and chocolate. Montgomery and Gentry. Ale-8-One and tomatoes.

The Winchester bottler believes its Kentucky Proud soft drink and locally grown tomatoes (and peppers) go together as well as the popular snack foods and the country music duo. It has worked with northern Kentucky processor Millard Long to develop an Ale-8-One salsa, and it will launch its new product at Mount Sterling Court Day Oct. 14-16.

“This is a good example of how the Kentucky Proud program brings people together to find ways to add value to their products,” Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer said. “This partnership also helps the growers who raise the vegetables. And consumers can try a new product from an old Kentucky company that they know and love.”

DeAnne Elmore, director of marketing and public relations for Ale-8-One, said her business will sell the salsa from its tent in front of Cooper Tire in Mount Sterling at the annual Court Day festival. Elmore said a jar of the salsa was included in a gift basket that was raffled off at Pioneer Days in Winchester during the Labor Day weekend. She said the salsa will be sold at the Winchester plant and in local stores through Christmas to see how it sells.

Ale-8-One is working with another Kentucky Proud partner, Ruth Hunt Candies of Mount Sterling, to produce Ale-8-One suckers for the first time in 18 years, Elmore said. The suckers will be sold at Ruth Hunt and at the Ale-8-One tent during the Court Day festival.

To make the salsa, Ale-8-One sells the concentrated form of its soft drink to Long, who processes and bottles it at his northern Kentucky plant.

The idea for the salsa emerged from a recipe contest for students at Sullivan University that was held to celebrate Ale-8-One’s 80th anniversary. John Morris of Allied Food Marketers saw the winning recipes in a newspaper and suggested to Long that an Ale-8-One salsa might be worth a try. Allied is the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Kentucky Proud marketing partner.

The salsa was tested in Ale-8-One company potlucks and adapted until Long developed the formula that will be sold in Mount Sterling next month.

The great pumpkin

Forget what the meteorological calendar says--it isn't officially autumn here until you make the pilgrimage to the pumpkin farm.