Wishin' and hopin', blueberry treats and sparkle

- It's Halloween and I remember just how much I loved Trick or Treating when I was a kid, so I hope I have some Trick or Treaters this year! My plastic pumpkin is filled with candy I wouldn't want, ie. nothing chocolate, and I will leave the lights blazing in hope. :)*

- My 1 3/4 year-old great-niece is staying with her grandparents this week and will be trick-or-treating tonight for her favorite thing: blueberries (her mom doesn't want her to have candy yet.)

- A man and woman who live at my mom's assisted living facility are engaged. The woman's eyes sparkle when telling someone that "the big day" is in two weeks.

* Update, Tuesday, November 1 - I had 10 trick or treaters! So cute and smiling and all wearing homemade outfits. :) My favorite: my neighbor Elijah dressed as a ninja and his friend, who was EcoGirl. She was wearing a long green robe with a big yellow flower on her shoulder and a green crown.

A walk in the park, around the corner and a jewel

- It's just a walk in the park. And at a beautiful one, too. My favorite Tanyard Creek Park in Atlanta, just around the corner from the industrial area where I work. My after work walk included this stroll over the bridge that runs over Peachtree Creek.

- And a golf course named after a famous golfer, Bobby Jones, is on the path, right around the corner. Click to enlarge the picture and you can actually see some late afternoon golfers.

- The creek at the other end, bordering the dog park, in which a rousing game of frisbee involving multiple neighborhood dogs was in progress. The park was the scene of a famous Civil War battle, The Battle of Peachtree Creek. It's difficult to think of such a battle going on in this hidden jewel of a place.

I hope hidden jewels are in store for you this weekend, my friends. And I hope it's a great one!

Chamber of Commerce day, reward and fleet feet

- Another gorgeous day in Atlanta, blue skies, and the high temperature was 77 degrees. It's what I call a Chamber of Commerce day.

- Landscape designer James Farmer in the October edition of Southern Living magazine: "Fall is a Southerner's reward for having survived summer."

- Sitting in traffic* and watching a squirrel traverse a power line going across Indian Creek Drive, just like The Great Wallenda, only faster. :)

* And then spotting a woman dressed as a pink bumblebee or fairy. A policeman stopped traffic and the pink fairy lead a wave of women (and a few men) dressed in pink in crossing the intersection. They were on a three-day walk for breast cancer. They walked 60 miles last weekend. (This happened last Friday.)

Glimpse, scent of apples and inner peace

- An brief trip home at 10 a.m. on Friday garners a glimpse of the leaf change in the driveway*. A beautiful time of day.

- The scent of apples from the bowl in the kitchen when I walk in the front door.

- Happening upon a friend who doesn't see me approach and loving that she is doing a little swaying dance with a smile. And the best part: she's not at all embarrassed, just hearing a beautiful song in her head and moving along with it.

*...of the condominium complex where I hang my hat.

Inside, jazz hands and three hugs

- The geraniums had to come in last night since there was a frost warning. I admire how they are still gamely blooming in October, with some buds yet to open.

- My client's baby has learned some sign language. My favorite: the "jazz hands" that mean "all done!" And she reportedly uses it to her advantage; today used for not wanting to go in her crib for a nap. :)

- Meeting three friends for my urban book group meeting and getting three hugs when I leave.

Have a lovely weekend, my friends. Stay warm!

Enchanted cottage, his laughter and a good walk

- This enchanted cottage that is actually home to a landscaping business. It is across the street from a non-profit client and I love how they always have color in the front, no matter what the season.

- A coworker's laughter when I ask him if he watches "Dancing with the Stars." I like to make him laugh, just to hear his laugh - it's great. I explained that The Bangles were on the show Monday night and I thought he would enjoy them. More laughing.

- Parking a mile away from another client's office and walking there, so I can enjoy the cool morning air. And stopping on the way back to the car to pick up a sandwich for later. It's a good one: egg salad on one slice of bread, tuna salad on the other, with a dark green lettuce leaf in the middle. It's so pretty when cut in half and yummy.

Heritage weekend, family visit and marching

- The Stone Mountain (Georgia) Highland Games with its Scottish clan tents, pipe and drum bands, vendors, and fans of all things Scottish roaming around.

- The Atlanta Pipe Band marching onto the field during the opening ceremonies on Saturday, featuring many speeches from visiting dignitaries. We sing our United States national anthem, the national anthem of the United Kingdom "God Save the Queen" + an unofficial national anthem of Scotland, "Flower of Scotland." There is a Scottish woman standing next to me who sings "Flower of Scotland" with a wistful look on her face while her granddaughter films her.

- This wee visitor to the clan tent area kept her mom busy running after her.

- Lining up for the parade of tartans on Sunday. This member of Clan MacRae mixes two heritage looks - love the thistle beading.

- Marching onto the parade field while massed pipe and drum bands play is my favorite part of the whole weekend. My other favorite part - when visitors to my tent pull up chairs to chat. It's like a once-a-year family visit.

- Clan Lindsay won for best tent. Whatever. Maybe next year. :)

The games, happy to be stuck with you and trail

- Looking forward to hearing pipers like these (the Virginia Military Institute from another year) this weekend at the Stone Mountain (Georgia) Highland Games and hosting my Scottish Clan's tent for the fifth year in a row. All I had to do was walk into the tent and smile back then and suddenly I was in charge of it.

- It was kind of like that Air Tran commercial in which the last lines are, "Don't leave us with the babies! Don't leave us with the babies!" ...as the car is pulling away and the parents are going on vacation and leaving the grandparents with the babies. :)

- Someone leaves a trail of candy corn on the sidewalk outside my building. A guilty looking squirrel is startled when trying to sneak one away and scrambles off.

Candy corn seems so fallish. It's sure to be a beautiful fall weekend here in the ATL. I hope yours is lovely!

Happy 67, life is good and Honey Bunny

- This old van with "Happy 67" painted on its side has been sitting in front of Mr C's for several days. It may be actually up for raffle or has been abandoned there. I hope someone wins it and drives it around - it's fun looking.

- Two little girls wearing festive pink dresses visit the printing company. One of them proudly shows off her sparkly red tap shoes. As they leave, she turns around and excitedly displays the lollypop her grandfather has given her.

- Calling niece Abby to get a recipe and saying, "Thanks, Honey Bunny!" to her before hanging up, which makes her giggle a little. She told me once that she likes it that she has her own pet name from me.

Sparkling in the morning light, treat and yum

- Reading on the back porch on Saturday morning. A web spun by a missing spider sparkles in the morning light.

- Having a cream cheese filled pumpkin muffin to go with my latte. A delicious fall treat.

- While friends have a deep theological discussion, I try some of Alice's chocolate fondue, dipping squares of pound cake, strawberries and pretzels in the creamy dark chocolate. An involuntary moan escapes me, they look up, smile and decide to have some, too.

Lions, the moon and geese (oh my!)

- A row of these lovely stylized lions grace the front of the SunTrust Bank building and the adjacent Marriott Marquis Hotel in downtown Atlanta. This is my attempt at a "through the windshield" shot of one of them after visiting my university client yesterday.

- And a better view of another of them from Google images taken by a summer visitor. :) Lovely.

- Looking up at the Waxing Gibbous Moon just as a plane flies across it.

- A honking flock of geese forming a V and flying south. The three to four geese in the front jockey for position before they situate themselves and take on the next part of their journey.

May your weekend journey contain many delights!

Myriad chairs, smells like and familiar spot

- This chair place near my office is appropriately named "Chairish" and I had time to study the merchandise out front while waiting for the light to change. I decide that all those myriad chairs around that table at the right would look good. I like when things are not perfectly matched. Click to enlarge.

- A man emerging from the elevator leaves it smelling like fresh laundry.

- Driving 25 miles to make it to my women's circle group (only five minutes late) and finding they have left my usual seat open. It's lovely to slip into a familiar spot amid loving friends.

Watching, gracious living and football rivalries

- Downtown Thomasville, Georgia, on Friday afternoon. Waiting patiently.

- All the tables in the dining room at the assisted living facility have a vase of fresh flowers with one deep red rose in the center.

- A woman sports a Gators t-shirt on Saturday morning, saying she can't wait for the game to start (University of Florida vs. University of Alabama). We discuss the divided loyalties of our respective families - some are loyal to Florida and others to Florida State. On this day, Florida lost to Alabama. Too bad, Gators! :)

I'll be posting Monday, Wednesday, Friday this week.