Debra LaValley's Blog

Gate Night - Trick or Treat 2010

Tonight is Gate Night in Penacook/Boscawen. It is when the locals go out trick or treating. I had 45 kids this year (plus Tim & Christopher who stopped by for a bit) – not bad. It appears witches and vampires were popular costumes this year. I did see a Super Mario, a frog, a princess, angel, and assorted horror-type costumes. It was a little cool but not bad. Below is a poem that I drafted 10/30/1998…for fun.

ALL HALLOW’s EVE

A giant phantom
floats across the sky,
its round-white heart
shines from the inside out.
Its breath tears the leaves
off the trees and sends them
scurrying across the road
like rats.
The spirit world awakens
and sends a wave of murmurs
through the empty streets
cresting toward my door,
shaking it from its hinges.
A shudder and a distant bell
echoes across the eerie night.
Voices are heard –
muffled behind creaking trees,
a chill enters the room –
the sound of footsteps
shuffle across the grass and crisp leaves.
No one is in sight.
Only shadows reaching out across the lawn
and up my front steps.
There is a knock at the door.

“Trick or Treat!”

I can’t believe that Halloween is almost here. This week, I am trying to get in the mood and watching my favorite Halloween movies and specials. I am trying not to eat a lot of junk food. I have not bought candy to give out but went the chip/cookie/cracker route. They do not tempt me as much as chocolate does. I will eat all the chocolate if it is in the house. I LOVE chocolate.

The kids in Penacook and Boscawen go out on Gate Night which is the 30th. The weather is going to be a little cool – but other than that, it should be dry. Concord celebrates on Halloween. It is always nice when Trick or Treat lands on the weekend – it is more fun, I believe for the kids.

I remember going out with a group of friends and going all over Penacook on Gate Night. Most of the time we carried pillowcases to collect our goodies. I would eat every Reese’s that hit the bag and I really liked 3 Musketeer Bars as well. Talk about a sugar rush! When I got home – me and my siblings would trade goodies.

I loved going out into the night – being a little afraid ourselves – wondering who or what was going to jump out at us – while also spooking others a little too. It was great fun. I am always happy to see that kids still seem to enjoy the evening. For the most part – all control themselves.

Well – I will post again soon… I have to watch GHOST HUNTERS 🙂

Sub-Adult Bald Eagle

“It was the best of times . . . It was the worst of times!” It was a bit blustery this weekend – but all in all a glorious autumn weekend in New Hampshire. I LOVE the outdoors and walking through the leaves and taking photos of the landscapes and the wildlife I see. I have walked in the woods all my life and get great enjoyment from it. What I don’t like – is the appearance of the VILE TICKS in New Hampshire. I know that I have ranted about the VILE things in a previous posting this past March when one was latched on to me! Yesterday – I had gone out into the woods to check on a couple of my geocaches and snap some autumn photos. All was right with the world. Then, later that evening – while I was enjoying my television show – I felt IT crawling up my wrist. THE VILE tiny tick (deer tick, I believe – the carrier of the dreaded Lyme disease). I grabbed it and gave it a live burial “at sea.” No pomp – no circumstance … just a wretch and a flush! I spent the next couple hours – doing a full body check times 4 and took a shower and then another few body scans. UGH! I am still twitching. There is no joy where TICKS tread! I can’t wait until there is a ground cover of snow – that stops the vile things!

But for the best of things . . . this morning as I drove to work and arrived at Horseshoe Pond, what to my wandering eyes should appear . . . but the sub-adult bald eagle that I have been seeing in Boscawen sitting oh so pretty in a tree by the pond. I found a place to park the car – stashed my pocketbook in the trunk – grabbed my camera and RAN toward the area. I stopped running when I got close as not to frighten it. It is the closest that I have ever been to a wild bald eagle. They are awesome birds! What a rush it was to see it up close. I actually stopped twitching about the tick for a while.

Stock Photo - Salem, MA

Today is 10/10/10. This date combination will not happen again for 1,000 years! Interesting! It was a gorgeous day in New Hampshire. Fall is here and in a week or two – central New Hampshire foliage will be at peak. I love the fall. It is my favorite time of year. I love the mild days, low humidity, and crisp nights.

I hung my towels out to dry today. It won’t be long before all my laundry will have to be dried in the dryer instead of out on the line. I love the scent of towels and sheets drying out on the line.

Friday, I had received the new lens that I ordered. I was out snapping shots today. The eagle that has been hiding lately – graciously posed for a few minutes this afternoon so I could try out the new lens.

Have a great day!

Today – I put the heat on for the first time this season. It was a bit nippy in the morning and the apartment was about 64 degrees. My sister helped me take the air conditioner out of the window. Fall is Here! I love the fall. It is my favorite season. The leaves are starting to turn and there is a scent of pine needles in the air.

A Facebook friend from Germany – posted that today was the 20th Anniversary of the Re-Unification! I cannot believe that it has been 20 years already! Time certainly has flown! I have a piece of the Berlin wall in a film container that a friend’s brother brought back at the time. I believe he had been there when the wall was first being taken down. It must have been an exciting time. Congratulations to Germany on this 20th Anniversary of them becoming whole again.

Last night about 11:28 pm there was a 3.1 earthquake in NH. The epicenter was in Boscawen – about a mile as the bird flies from my home. It scared the bajeebies out of me. I had just settled into bed and turned off the lights. Molly was sitting on the bottom of my bed and was acting a little strange now that I think of it. She doesn’t stay at the end of the bed when I go to bed. She wouldn’t even come to me for a treat (very strange indeed for her). I ended up bringing the treat to her. When I was almost asleep – all of a sudden I heard a rumbling and my windows rattled big time followed by one of the biggest BANGS that I have ever heard in my life! My heart was pounding big time and Molly jumped off the bed and ran and hid in the living room. I was waiting for more banks – I though it must be a freakish clap of thunder right over the house – but then got out and the sky looked pretty clear. There were some clouds – but not thunder clouds. I was so away that I signed on to the laptop and went to Facebook when I read that it was an earthquake and the epicenter was close to where I live. I did not get back to sleep until 2:00 a.m. 3.1 is about as big as we can get here in NH. The state is abuzz with the news.

Out of the Darkness - Tom's Star

Yesterday was the 2010 Out of the Darkness for Suicide Prevention. It started on Pierce Island in Portsmouth. Ken and Dorothy organized the event this year. Our brother Tom died by suicide six years ago. We miss him and think of him often. This year, Tom’s Team grew to 12 people. Tom’s daughters , Danielle and Melissa, joined us along with Melissa’s boyfriend, Dan. Chuck and my parents also joined the team this year.

The walk is about 3 miles through historic Portsmouth. It was very warm and humid. Chuck and my mom stayed at the registration area to hold the fort. This year’s walk broke records in attendance which was a few hundred and raised over $51,000!

It was a very rewarding day filled with support.

First

It is 10:07 pm as I write this – summer is on its last hour. I believe fall starts at 11:09 pm. It certainly was a strange summer this year. We had some of the warmest weather ever and not much rain. The lakes, brooks, ponds, and rivers are very low. It is very sad to see the water levels so low. The brook by work is pretty much bone dry! I have never seen it so bad. Fall is my favorite season and signs of fall have already popped up. I wish the trees stayed dressed in their fall finery for longer – they come and go so quickly. I don’t know what the weird summer will do for the color – but it appears there are going to be some very good color. Happy Fall everyone! Tomorrow is the Full Harvest Moon!

What a weekend! Yesterday, I went with my brother and his family to Mt. Kearsarge. It was a glorious day – just perfect for going up the mountain. You could see all the way to Boston and Mt. Washington! I also was fortunate to see two bald eagles that morning not too far from where I live. There has been a sub-adult and an immature in the area for a while. They are fabulous birds! I don’t really have much to say today – so I will post a couple photos – they are supposed to be worth a 1,000 words 🙂 Have a great day!

Nana enjoying a day with family

Sorry that the blog sat dormant for a few weeks. Life was a bit hectic. Nana (Alba Mary Mastrioanni Ross) passed away peacefully on the evening of 8/12/2010. She was quite the character and lived a long and pretty healthy life. The last time she went to the hospital before the night of 8/12 was in May of 1947 when she gave birth to my twin uncles. She had a glorious 100th birthday party and was the Queen of the Party. She always loved being with her family. She left us with many great memories and lots of laughs that I am sure that we will continue to share for many years to come. She will be missed – but how fortunate we were to have her in our lives for so long.

During all this my mother was also not feeling well and ended up in the hospital for emergency surgery. She was in the hospital for a week. She is home now and recovering well.

Take care – I will write again soon.