This really isn’t a post about the Berlin Wall or the fall of the wall.  It is more about the fact that its been 20 years. TWENTY years.

When I was in high school, um twenty-seven years ago.  I wrote an essay on the Berlin wall.  While researching and writing the paper my mom and I had some conversations about the wall, about oppression, about fear and how it spawns hate.

When the wall came down I was working at United Graphics, my mom was working down on Eastlake and had only been home a month or so from the fishing season in Haines.  She called me at work and we went out to lunch and had a fantastic grown up conversation (thats how it felt) about the Wall, about Regan about the cold war.

It was only a few month later that she died.  I know 20 years is coming up, right around the corner.  Della and I were talking recently about how long its been.  I mentioned it to a co-worker who is about to hit one year that her mom died.  Maybe its the upcoming holidays, maybe its pms (cause its on-going these days) but yesterday’s mark of twenty years that the Berlin wall came down hit an emotional nerve.  It seemed soooo long ago yet I can so vividly remember that conversation with my mom while sitting at Changs Mongolian grill.  I just wanted to talk to my mom about the anniversary of the fall,  my emotional nerve endings felt so exposed and made yesterday a very long day trying to keep it in check.  It didn’t help that the work load sucked, in early out late and an over perfumed office were all getting to me.

What is hard to believe that most everything else major that happened during my lifetime that will have  a “twenty year anniversary” happened without my mom.  Without me being able to have memories like a conversation over lunch about such a huge and momentous event.  For that matter minor and mundane events either.  A life without being able to seek her advise or guidance.  The things I may have done differently in my life if I had my mom to check in with, to fall back on.

Order: Sheet Cake; Vanilla Cake; Raspberry filling; Fondant icing; Colors pink and black; decorate with stars.

Result:

for 44 points.  My highest scoring word of the night, of which Shelly won both games.  (Ego boost)

Game night was a blast as usual.  However we are all old and tired or tired and old or need to do these on Saturday afternoons instead.  Still four hours of visiting, two games of scrabble, one bottle of wine, laughing and a crazy rainy drive home of which I hydroplaned when going through a huge puddle of standing water on 509 that I did not see in the dark.

I don’t have the final scores, lets just say Shelly won and did a good job.  She rarely took any time at all when the other two could have napped while Diane and I both had our turns.

Four straight hours of puppy wrestling last night.
I swear Char said something about them going hard for 45 minutes and then crashing.  But from 5pm until well into greys after 9:00 they were non stop wrestling, romping, chasing, crashing and tearing leaves off the house plants with every pass through the dining room.

They didn’t however sleep in my bed.  Crashed pretty quickly when I went to bed and except for an explosion of barking at 2am, I think because of thunder.  Everyone was up so we went out and then back to bed but the barking kept going and going until I turned the bedside lamp on and left it on and we all slept the rest of the night, er 2 more hours)

Missy slept under the bed, clearly wanting no part of the hoopla.

Danes that is!

Oh My.  It is nearly impossible to get a picture of them that is not blurry.  Because they do not slow down, constant movement.

I have a dozen or so blurry pictures from the time they got here last night at 8 ish to when we attempted to go to bed at 9:30.

There was whining, and more whining, and more whining (Katherine, think Aynia) and then a big sigh out of Missy a few hours in like she was saying alright already.

Mary happened to stop by to drop off money at about midnight, which I knew that she was going to but what I didn’t realize was the size of the bark in my closed off bedroom at midnight from three big dogs.  I may have been dozing off and on by then but we were all awake and so I took everyone out.  There was 20 minutes of romping and whining before I shuttled everyone back to bed.

I gave up telling them off whenever they tried to get on the bed, because once Jak was up there his whining stopped.  Riley followed and her whining was less but still there.  However by 2 we were all sleeping, even if I couldn’t move. Alarm went off at 4 and the morning shuffle and feeding and getting ready for work began.  Here are the pups, the only time they were not moving was after I rolled out of bed and they were still on it.  I snapped these right before Missy stirred from under the bed and the barking chorus began.

Riley, 6 month female 80+pounds

Jak, 6month male. 90+ pounds

Reverie:  noun; daydream, a pleasant visionary usually wishful creation of the imagination.

OR

Coffee, Tea and Cafe with art consignment space; opening soon!

The space is ours; we met with Remedy Teas last week to taste some offerings and decide on which teas we will start with; measuring for lumber, paint and plumbing supplies starts tonight!

I swung by West Seattle yesterday afternoon and bought this cash register that Les found on Craigslist.

Three layer carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, no nuts.

The cake that was on order for today is complete, this is how I spent my Monday night.  That and watching the Phillies manage to hang on for one more game. 

Originally I bought a 10 pound bad of organic carrots and started off by peeling and shredding them.  I didn’t even get half way through the bag and I still needed to freeze a bunch of the shredded carrot.  I do have another carrot cake in December so I will probably finish peeling then shredding the rest of these carrots while fresh and freeze them as well.

I was able to put my new work table to quick use last night to put the cooling racks one while the first two cakes cooled the third one baked.  I also added some walnuts to the left over batter and baked some cupcakes for work.  I plan on passing them off as breakfast food this morning.  Seriously, they have carrots, pineapple, raisins, walnuts and cream cheese.  No one cares about the butter, oil or sugar when they are convincing themselves that a cupcake is appropriate breakfast food.

I mean really just because I used 3 pounds of cream cheese and 1.5 pounds of butter for the frosting, it’s not like there is all that much on each cupcake.

I realize it looks like I already had one for breakfast, doesn’t it.  But there was only enough batter for 11 cupcakes.

Its Halloween and I didn’t have a lot of plans today but that really didn’t matter, my day was hijacked by a “trick” and I didn’t even get done the few things I wanted to.

The days started as a treat, sleeping in until 7am, although I woke up at 4:09 because I’m so used to getting up at that ridiculous hour.  I then put together a new cake work table that eventually will go downstairs but for November it will live in the dining room.  I will use it this week to decorate a cake on and then again next weekend.  Then I will leave it in the dining room until Thanksgiving.  I am thinking it will make a good buffet instead of trying to cram everyone AND all the food on the table.

Continuing with the treat part of the morning I put all of my trick or treat candy into a bowl for tonight and got ready to take my truck in for a 9:00 a.m. oil change.  While the oil change was started and the “routine” fluid and system check I walked across the street and had a cup of coffee and read the paper.  I came back and was sitting there waiting, thinking any time its gonna be done.  It had been 90 minutes and I had plans to call Katherine and take the dogs to the park before coming home and pulling out the fog machine and doing a quick little decorating for the trick or treaters.

Then came the Trick part of my day.  It seems my water pump was leaking and my radiator was only half full because of it.  A part had to be ordered and delivered and then it would be 3 hours before everything was done.  So I agreed and walked 2.5 miles home.  Called off the dog park and got a few minor things done at home.  All the time waiting for the garage to call and tell me it was done so I could walk back.

I changed into my running clothes and headed out about 4:15 and ran to the garage.  They hadn’t called yet but I figured it wouldn’t be much longer and I didn’t want to walk or run in the dark.  I got there a little before 5pm and my truck was still in the bay and the place was packed.  I waited and waited and finally talked to the manager about 5:10, he went out to get an update and there was a frozen bolt.  The fan casing / something or other was frozen and they had been trying to remove it but unable.

There was clearly a breakdown in communication between the “new” mechanic and the manager and now it was after 5 and they close at 6.  They would have to order a new fan mechanism.  He made sounds that it wouldn’t be done today which is when I said it has to.  I agreed to the work because you said it would be 3 hours.  I must have the truck today.  So the part was ordered.  It arrived about 5:45 and they continued to work.  Everyone else cleared out one by one and I sat there freezing.  Having been all sweaty from the run and in thin wick away clothing I was freezing.  It was not completed until just before 8pm.

Just after I got home my friends Vivian and Azea stopped by on their way to a few parties to show me their costumes.

My picture is a little blurry but after my day I was certainly glad they were my first trick or treaters. I missed several hours of trick or treaters and most of the cute little kids.  I have had quite a few kids in the last hour and am actually down to thirteen pieces and as soon as those are gone, the lights are going out, I’m running a bubble bath and having a good cry.

In the end I will be happy that the work is done.  I usually follow my gut and something was telling me to get the truck in for an oil change.  Two days after I made the appointment I started loosing power and hearing this ticking/knocking sound when getting up to 60 miles per hour.  I hadn’t told the garage about the noise but after they ordered the 2nd part they asked if I had been hearing any knocking noises.

Since we are going to view all these glasses as half full, I guess I don’t have to put all the Halloween decorations away since I never did get them pulled out for the evening.  I also got a good work out (or 2) in!

1. Court a woman online and ask her to dinner.
2. During the date, express absolutely no interest in her except as a sounding board for three hours of your musings on your ex-wife, child, and the dissolution of your marriage. Do not ask the woman anything about herself.
3. Ignore all subtle and not-so-subtle cues that the woman has had enough and would like to conclude the date.
4. Awkwardly try to add up what you owe and she owes on the bill. When she graciously saves your sorry ass by suggesting you split it 50/50, agree even though your share was about $15 more.
5. Suggest you both go out again, and then leave her standing on the street in the dark by herself. Do not walk her to her car.
6. Send the woman an email sharing the details of your last few days caring for a sick child. Describe the child’s symptoms, including diarrhea.
7. Conclude the email by saying how much you enjoyed meeting the woman and learning more about her, and tell her you’ve met someone else you want to pursue.

By:  Haddie Nufoflosers

It has been a cookie of a week.  Friday I made five kinds of cookies for an art opening at the soon to be cafe’.
I made snicker doodles, chocolate chip, white chocolate chip, spicy oatmeal-pecan-fruit and pistachio and current shortbread.

Then yesterday someone asked if I could do something in chocolate.  Here is my newest recipe, adapted from a couple others and the basic in chocolate cookies recipes.  Presenting, chocolate with chocolate chip and chocolate drizzle.  If you like chocolate, these are for you.  I’m not a milk drinker, but these could use milk.