Yesterday was Halloween. Normally I'm a big fan of holidays, but for some reason other than the dressing up, Halloween just doesn't do much for me. Maybe it's because I never did it as a kid, so I don't even have the warm fuzzy feeling of acquiring a hoard of candy from perfect strangers for free. Maybe it's because I'm not into scary/gross looking things like chainsaw murderers and severed heads. I mean if I'm going to spend money on decorations I want them to be pretty and happy, not looking like they've been pulled out of a dumpster by homicide detectives. Yuck. Anyway, to not be a total party pooper, I do like the "3 year old" version of Halloween, i.e. cute jack-o-lanterns and dressing up as furry animals etc.
But anyway last night, I decided to stay in and...hide from trick-or-treaters instead of dressing up and facing the crowds. Lol. Not very festive I know. But we didn't get any trick or treaters last year, and I'd purchase two bags of candy which I ended up eating half of, so this year I thought I'd just buy no candy and hide.
Anyway, since I didn't want to have the lights on I just closed the blinds and lit a bunch of candles. It was really cool, and even a little spooky when the wind blew through the cracked window. I had the fireplace going, and managed to cook dinner in the dark (very difficult to do by the way, especially chopping things with a sharp knife), baked my BF some special Halloween cookies, and then I sat in my reading chair, sipped a glass of wine and read half of my book for book club. It was awesome!
I often light candles around the house, but rarely do I ever actually only have candle light to see by with all the other lights off. It was a cozy sort of experience albeit difficult from a practical standpoint. It's surprising how thoroughly a little flame can take the edge off the darkness. Even one candle can cheer things up dramatically. It's comforting in a sort of instinctual way. It got me thinking about the olden days, before electricity. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of electricity, and technology and flushing toilets and all of that, but I think there are trade offs for those things that we aren't even aware of anymore. I mean, we don't even experience nighttime really. We just extend the day with lights inside our homes until we are ready to go to sleep. But last night almost felt like camping. I could feel it getting darker and darker out. It was pretty cool.
Anyway, I really enjoyed my quiet night at home, and even though I didn't go anywhere, it actually felt like one of the most Halloweeny Halloweens ever! It was dark and windy and a little rainy out, and kind of spooky, but also bewitching.
I cooked my second turkey, and am pleased to announce that I cooked it the right-side-up. I may have mentioned this before, but it has always seemed counter intuitive to me to lay the bird on it's back. At any rate, I thought long and hard about it before setting it in the pan, and managed to do it correctly. I also made a few other sides, potato stuffing (a brilliant recipe that I acquired from my old roommate), and green beans. Mom brought over pilaf (my Pepere Joe's recipe) and a kale salad, and a pumpkin pie.
Anyway, since I didn't want to have the lights on I just closed the blinds and lit a bunch of candles. It was really cool, and even a little spooky when the wind blew through the cracked window. I had the fireplace going, and managed to cook dinner in the dark (very difficult to do by the way, especially chopping things with a sharp knife), baked my BF some special Halloween cookies, and then I sat in my reading chair, sipped a glass of wine and read half of my book for book club. It was awesome!
