Post Boo

I intended to post yesterday but just plain ran out of time.

Saturday began with knitting at Panera's.  There was a great crowd and a lot of knitting going on - Lynn and Dee were working on a baby hats out of self-striping yarn ( so cute and colorful), Pat was crocheting the edging of her grand-daughter's baby blanket (when a group member has a grand-baby, everyone knits blanket squares and then the grandmother puts them together and does the edging), Mary Anne was knitting and about to finish yet another cardigan (she's a prolific knitter - I think this is the 3rd or 4th child's cardigan she's knit since I started going to the group).  Dot and Connie were there but were at the other end of the row and I failed to see (or can't remember) what they were knitting. 

Next, there was the dreaded trip to the grocery store.  Every area resident was there which made the chore full of "excuse me's" trying to get around people, waits in aisles that were blocked, etc.  I usually don't mind the trip to the store quite so much but just had so much I wanted to do this weekend.  

I finally made it home - just in the nick of time!  Tom followed me up the driveway with his truck loaded down with red oak hardwood for my floors!  Yes, people --- Phase Two of project "Make This House Mine" will get underway tomorrow.  Should take two days for the nasty carpet to come up downstairs and the hardwood to be put down.  Next week, is Phase Three - the nasty carpet upstairs and on the stairs gets replaced by new pretty carpet in a dark gold.  I will be posting before and after photos.

I had just a little bit of time to do some cleaning out before having to get ready for the Ghost & Goblets Dinner and Tour at the Hammel House Inn in Waynesville.  Waynesville has a reputation for being the most haunted town in Ohio and it is well-known that Hammel House Inn is the most haunted site in Waynesville.  So, it seemed like the perfect place to hang-out for Halloween.  The dinner dinner part of our night was delicious.  Served by the Hammel House, we dined on a salad of mixed greens with roasted pumpkin seeds, Craisins, and pecans, a chicken dish with a cornbread/grit cake and spinach souffle, melt-in-your-mouth buttery rolls, and an apple bread pudding w/ caramel sauce.  Yummmm!  During the dinner, we were entertained with ghostly tales from the owner of the Hammel House Inn and two volunteers from the Museum at the Friends Home.  Then, we were able to walk off at least some of the dinner calories as we continued our night touring through the town with the museum volunteers leading the way and pointing out points of paranormal interest along the way.  Afterward, we drove two blocks up the hill to the Museum at the Friends Home.  The structure was built in 1905 and was used as a boarding house for Quakers.  The Quakers remain quite active in this area.  

Reasons for Waynesville being so haunted????  Well, I have read that it is built over Indian burial grounds and also this area was very active in the Underground Railroad.  Throw in a triple ax murder by an eighteen year old boy and a murder by a former Hammel House Innkeeper and you've got yourself a haunted town!  Four out of the five bedrooms of the Inn were reserved last night by people who attended the dinner / tour.  I wish I could find out how they slept!  Two of their rooms continue to be reported as VERY "active" with spirits.  You can read more here and here.

Some of Andy's family are coming this afternoon for lunch/dinner.  We'll be improvising since we don't have any real chairs to sit in on.  Thank goodness it's nice out - very sunny - not a cloud in the sky!  So we'll put the patio to good use.  Andy will grill chicken and I'm making three bean salad, copper pennies, and corn pudding.  We'll finish up with a peach pie and apple caramel cake (no, I did not make them!).  

Enjoy these few pictures of Halloween here at my house.  The row of burning bushes has been gorgeous with its fiery red color.  Now, their leaves are shedding and they'll soon be a row of sticks.  Not sure how I'm going to like that as I'm used to huge evergreen English boxwoods - green all year - along my walkway.  

I love this pumpkin cat!  Mom sent me the metal attachments to turn this plain ordinary pumpkin into a scaredy cat.  He's so cute!  I especially love his toenails.

We'll be getting ready for turkey-time soon!!!

Comments

[Sydney]

That's a darling cardigan, and appropriate colors for Halloween.

I love the cat pumpkin and the other Halloween decorations.

I mean to go on the Haunted House walking town here in town every year but somehow it always slips by.

[Christina King]

Halloween is my favorite and it sounds like yours was a lot of fun.

Can't wait to see the floors.

[Laure]

Wow! What a fun night! I too love your scaredy cat pumpkin! Fun!!

Looking forward to you house pics - way to go! You give me inspiration to get going on mine - AGAIN!

[Sara]

Sounds like your Halloween evening was fun. You may have had dinner with my aunt and uncle, they were in town for dinner that night. Did you get a chance to see the castle? If not check out my blog for pics and a video.

The colors are dropping to the ground so fast this year. I'm not ready for the gray dreariness of Ohio winter.

[Sharon]

I'm admiring Mary Anne's baby sweater and trying to think what she has done. I believe the contrast must be something like self-striping sock yarn, but who would use sock yarn in a sweater. More info, please.

[Jackie]

Hi Robin!

Loved the tour stories! What fun! Your house is going to be gorgeous..can't wait to see the pictures...front porch looks so cool! We had a few feet of snow with last week's storm...and now gorgeous and warm! Wish we were closer!

[Chan]

I love the sounds of that dinner! I finally went on the "spirit walk" downtown this year, and home to make it a regular part of my October schedule in the future. I knew Charlottesville/Albemarle was rich in history and home to some famous/infamous/novel personalities, but it was a fun approach, and I learned one "tall tale" my father kept telling in my childhood was actually true!!

[Charlene]

What a neat way to celebrate Halloween (Ghost and Goblets Dinner) I too am wondering how those people slept that night.

You're sounding like my DH and myself with construction/reno around the house. I'm hoping this is all going to be finished by Christmas. I can hardly wait to see more pictures of your reno.

[Anne]

Good morning Robin. I so wish that Mike and I could be with you and the fam today. I hope someone takes some pictures to share with us. Darn knee anyway!!! But it is coming along. Just not fast enough for me!! Have a wonderful day!!

[mrspao]

Sounds like a most excellent weekend!