Debra LaValley's Blog

Halloween Trick

Last night, we had a nor’easter! We beat all the October storm records in New Hampshire. In Boscawen, I woke up to at least 13 inches of snow. Some areas had 2 feet! It is the very sticky heavy snow too. Many areas are without power. Luckily (knock on wood) – I still have power. Tonight is Gate Night in Boscawen. The night kids go out trick or treating. I am hoping we are plowed out by then and the paths shoveled. I shoveled the steps and a little path between the porches – but I “don’t do heavy snow.” (I took the photo of my jack-o’-lantern in the snow – last night around 11:00 pm.)

It certainly looks pretty out there! It shouldn’t last too many days because mild weather is headed out way.

“Witches, pumpkin heads, and black cats
Scary spooks and black bats!
Oh, it’s Halloween!”

“Halloween Night” – the song that I have been singing practically every October since the late 1960s when I learned it in the 5th grade. I remember the small music room at Charles Street school where I believe, Miss Pelletier, taught us the song. All these years, I could still picture the cover of the music book and the song’s page and the witch and bat graphics. For years, I have searched for the song without any success. This summer, I searched once again on the internet and found it via a blog! I was beside myself with glee (who says “glee” any more – Rudolph…LOL)! I was surprised to read that I was not the only one who remembered this song and was looking for it. Below is the link to the blog – check it out for more details.

http://dpfluent.blogspot.com/2009/10/witches-pumpkin-heads-and-black-cats.html

It was very interesting that the son of Daniel Hooley who wrote the words and music of Halloween Night posted on the blog. His dad had died young – at the age of 38, and he was glad that folks were still enjoying his dad’s music.

A Doug Sewell posted a mp3 file of the music! (Click link below.) It was great to listen to the music again!

http://dmshome.s3.amazonaws.com/Halloween_Night_Song.mp3

When I found the name of the book (ABC Music Series Book 5 Music For Young Americans) – I went to Amazon.com. They REALLY do have EVERYTHING. I found a used copy of the book – in great shape and reasonably priced ($7.99 plus s/h) and ordered it. It has been like Christmas finding not only the song but the book too! Moral of the story – never stop looking! I have been looking for decades and finally hit pay dirt!

So check out the song – listen to the music and perhaps …SING along!

“Halloween Night is the time when
fearful things are seen. Look out”
Look out! It’s Halloween.”

So – check it out and perhaps even sing it a few times! It is a great song and perfect for Halloween!

Hot Hole Pond

It is mid-October already! The leaves are falling off the trees pretty quickly. This year’s foliage was not its usual splendor. The weather has been too warm and many of the leaves appear to have some sort of blight. The leaves start to turn – then get black spots or look burned and fall off the tree.

A little over a week ago – I went up north with my parents and McKenzie the dog. It was beautiful – though not very colorful. We saw more color in Concord at Hot Hole Pond.

I will be enjoying whatever color comes our way. November is right around the corner and that is usually such a colorless-gray month. It makes you (or at least makes me) wish for snow – to put some color (even white is an improvement) out there.

It will be interesting to see if we will get slammed with snow again this year – or have a mild year. I am guessing that we will have a milder winter with much less snow. We will see! 🙂

White Cat on a Cinnamon-Orange Porch

A “For Sale” sign stands anchored
in the still green grass
on the front lawn
of a cinnamon-orange house.
It is a strange color
for an ordinary house
on an ordinary road
in an ordinary town.
On the porch – a large white cat,
its legs tucked neatly under its chest,
sits attentively.
A still life in perfect balance.
Blazing maples frame the yard
spattering the black driveway with color –
a giant palette belonging to an artist,
invisible to all, but the cat
who watches every brush stroke
and the occasional fall of a golden
sable hair from the brush,
as the artist colors the day.
Bright oranges running into red –
jaded greens to shimmering yellows
turn the landscape into a tribute to Monet.

The house stands empty now –
the artist has moved to paint
on another canvas.
The white cat watches
from another vantage.
But, I still picture that white cat
on the cinnamon-orange porch
on an ordinary road,
in an ordinary town,
and I am still enchanted.

10/98

The above is a poem that I wrote 10/1998 to capture the photo I never took at the time. The house is on Mountain Road (maybe 72?) in Concord, NH. There really was a white cat that used to sit on the porch. I always wanted to stop and take a photo – but never did. The cat complemented the orange perfectly. The house was sold, and the cat went off with the owners. I always think of that cat when I drive past the house. A few weeks ago – I noticed part of the house was a whitish-gray. It made me sad that the house was not going to be orange any more. I drove by at lunch today and was pleasantly surprised to see that the whitish-gray was primer and the house is all cinnamon-orange again! On my way back to work – I stopped this time and snapped a photo. I sure wish there were a white cat sitting on the porch next to those pumpkins!

Three years ago, I adopted the little crazy bundle of fur – Miss Molly Malone 🙂 I can’t believe it has been so long. I picked her out from the many cats and kittens at the local SPCA because she was such a crazy kitty. She (Channing was her name then) was in the cage with her mother (Stockard). Her mother just sat there with the “please take this crazy kitten” away from me. Molly (aka Channing) was looking at me and frantically waving her paws out from the cage’s grates. She was a NUT! She appeared to have so much personality. My mother accompanied me to the SPCA, and she also thought this crazy little kitten was the one to take home. My previous kitty was my Blue Point Siamese, Suki, who “went to college” at the ripe old age of 20. I love Siamese cats – but Suki was my Siamese. I was happy to adopt a poor homeless kitty. There are so many abandoned and homeless kitties that it made me feel good to give one a home. Molly is one spoiled kitty. I love the little goober.

Cat ESP

If you have ever had a cat in your life (notice – I did not say own a cat – you can never own a cat) – you probably have noticed that they have ESP. They can tell when you are going to do something they may not like (examples: give them medicine, cut their claws, or bring them to the vets). It doesn’t matter how sneaky or nonchalant you are trying to be – they know and head for the hills.

This afternoon was Molly’s yearly physical. I left work early (which most likely hinted that something was up) so I would be certain to get her in her carrier in time for her appointment. I brought her carrier out and placed it in the living room. I proceeded to go about the apartment as if it were just a regular day. Molly did her usual and didn’t appear to notice that anything was up.

It was time to leave,and there was no Molly in sight. I checked a few of her hiding spots and called for her – no Molly. She had “disappeared” into the shadows. I looked under the couch – no Molly. I looked in the bathtub – No Molly. I looked over by the computer – No Molly! Then, I looked under the bed. Initially, I did not see her – sitting there under the bed in the corner. She didn’t even blink. I tried to use my “sweet” voice – but she was not moving.

Her appointment was in 10 minutes! Luckily, the vets is right down the road from me. I had to think fast. What would make her get out from under the bed and into the open so I could grab her? A lightbulb went off in my head – the vacuum cleaner! Molly HATES vacuum cleaners. She doesn’t even like it when it isn’t turned on. Instead of my big vacuum cleaner – I grabbed my new Shark handheld vacuum cleaner. I grabbed it and headed to the side of the bed where she was hiding and turned it on. She was out from under the bed, in a flash. I had just enough time to drop the vac and grab her as she looked for a place to hide from the vacuum cleaner. Let me tell you that getting a 15+ lb squirming bundle of wildcat into a cat carrier – is like getting a square peg in a round hole! It is quite amazing just how strong a house cat aka small puma can be! I had tipped the carrier up earlier so I could “drop” her inside. It was far from a drop. I had to shove Molly down into it head first and slam the door shut. She was NOT happy. She wanted out!

We made it to the appointment. The staff and doctor liked the “dust buster” strategy that I came up with. They hadn’t heard that one before. Molly curiously behaved herself even though she looked humiliated. (I am sure she was silently plotting how to maim and dismember us.)

PS: Molly is doing well and is very healthy. She had her saber-like claws cut, her examination, and her rabies vaccine. She even lost 5 ounces (good for a cat) on her diet. 🙂

Rabbit Rabbit

October is here! My favorite month. I love the fall! Did you know saying “Rabbit Rabbit” is supposed to be good luck if said first thing on the first day of the month. I was in the bathroom this morning when it dawned on me to say “Rabbit Rabbit.” I am sure that Molly thought me quite silly. There is also a “rabbit” that can be seen in the moon. I see a different and cuter rabbit that is described on the internet. See below for that interpretation:

Personally – I see this cuter bunny:

Either way – I love the moon. It seems especially beautiful in October since the night get cooler and the sky seems clearer. I am not a fan of heat and humidity – so October is perfect for my internal thermometer! I also love the fall foliage and Halloween. I am sure I will be posting more about that in the near future.

Have a wonderful October, everyone!

Tonight (well it really was last night since it is now after midnight 9/23), I went out to visit my friends Tim and Dianne. It down poured tonight. I have only seen like 2 frogs/toads all summer – but on my short drive over to their house tonight – I was trying to avoid many frogs that were in the road. Some were hopping across the road – others just sitting there as if waiting for something. It reminded me of a poem I wrote some years ago so I decided to print it.

The Spiritual Nature of Frogs
by Me 🙂 circa 1998

Mesmerized
they line the streets
to begin their pilgrimage
across the great black plain.
A few edge into the unknown
in deep meditation, they enter the mist
and slowly cross the great expanse,
pausing occasionally, but never doubting the way.
Wide-eyed they approach the light…
lead by something .
Never blinking their eyes
the path – clear –
A test of faith?
Their faith in me?
My faith in them?
(Faith in myself?)
Or Someone’s faith in both of us?

(Note: I took this toad photo in 2008 in Tucson, AZ at Uncle Bob’s house. It was huge and sat in his driveway under the light munching on bugs.)

I walked along Horseshoe Pond this morning and noticed the crab apple tree by the pond. I thought I may have already blogged about the crab apple tree at my grandparents’ (LaValley) house, but couldn’t find the post. My grandparents lived on 98 Washington Street in Penacook and had a huge crab apple tree in the back yard. The tree is still in the yard. In the spring, it has the most beautiful blossoms. In the fall – it used to be full of sour but delicious crab apples. When I was young – I would eat them raw. I didn’t mind that they were sour. Come to think of it – I used to eat rhubarb raw as well. It must be because I am so sweet that the sourness didn’t bother me! Ha Ha Ha! I remember the delicious crab apple jelly that my grandmother would make. It was not too sweet and was spiced with just the right amount of cinnamon. It mad the best peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! It was great on buttered toast as well. I made my own batches of jelly too, in my younger years, with apples from that same tree. There is nothing like the aroma of homemade jelly being made. I used to enjoy making jelly. I also remember my mother and Aunt MaryJane making jelly together in the kitchen. I used to love pouring the hot wax over the top of the jelly. We used old jelly jars, baby food jars, and any other kind of jars we had around the house.

It was a lot of work. I am sure the folks who live in the house would let me have some of the apples – but I am too lazy. I would say too busy – but that really isn’t the case. Lazy fits. Considering my waistline – it is probably best that I don’t make my own jelly. It would be too much of a temptation. If my family has one weakness – it is the love of good food and especially comfort food. I have seen homemade crab apple jelly in local orchards and a farm store. I think I will pick up a jar or two and as long as I don’t buy a loaf of bread and a jar of Skippy peanut butter at the same time – it may last a while. Happy Harvest everyone!

Often, I have been asked by folks who don’t really know me where I am from. It surprises them when I answer that “I am from he-ah!” I am a New Hampshire (New Hampshah) native through and through and the daughter of NH natives. I have always lived in New Hampshire. Folks that don’t know me – seem to think that I must be from Down East – Maine or there abouts. It must be my real New Hampshah accent! There doesn’t seem to be a lot of us that still have the real New Hampshah accent any more! I think it is because of all the folks from away that have moved here and started families of their own. Their children grow up speaking with a diluted New England accent – not a real New Hampshire accent. They also say strange things like rubber bands and sacks when they are talking about elastics and paper bags! You should see the looks I get when I say that I was sitting out on the stoop! Times certainly have changed and the world is really getting flatter. Different cultures and places in the world – seem closer than ever and our differences seem to be fading. This may be a good thing in the long run – perhaps the more alike we become or at least the less different we seem to each other – there will be less conflicts. That is something to chew on – that is for sure. I think I will mull this over with a slice of apple pie for breakfast with a piece of wicked sharp cheese!