This Holloween Post Needs a Title

In the recent decade, pumpkin carving has bloomed into an art form far removed from the typical scary jack-o-lantern face with jagged teeth. I've a kit of tiny saw blades and tools myself and have carved out a few intricate creative pieces over the years. I've never carved one quiet like the one illustrated above; "Mudflap Babe", as the silhouette profile is known. However, I wanted to feature this unusual pumpkin carving here to illustrate a couple of points.

The first point being that while Mudflap Babe is a sexy silhouette, she's not as beautiful or as sexy as, the image of someone like, say Marilyn Monroe.

The Divine Miss N went as Marilyn on costume day for Halloween at work this year. It was really scary! You know why? Because, while Marilyn looked an awful lot like Miss N, she wasn't as near beautiful or as sexy as Miss N. Which brings me to my second point, but I've kind of forgotten what it was now. The beautiful Miss N tends to affect me that way.

I don't know if that's called relational logic or evolution. Oh well. I've gone from Mudflap Babe, to Marilyn Monroe, to the Divine Miss N. Maybe Darwin was right. While there seldom is logic, maybe there is evolution; at least here, beneath the Carolina moon.

First Snow

The Devine Miss N favored me with her company on a trek Saturday up into the Smokies, where we hit the Blue Ridge Parkway heading south toward Mount Pisgah. We were there to view the autumn tree colors. I think it was somewhere along Bad Gap that the southern leg of the parkway was closed and traffic was being turned back. We lingered for a while at the overlook, and it began to snow. Wow! Snow on October 17 in the Carolinas is unique, even for North Carolina (where we were). It was a magical moment that gave us both that tingly, excited kid, giggly feeling. I haven't a clue otherwise how to explain the feeling, but I'm sure you've experienced it.

After a bit we headed back down the mountains where it wasn't snowing, and then took a trek out the other end of the Parkway, headed north. We hadn't ventured very far when we began to see snow again. Then it began to get to be more and more. The higher the road climbed the more snow there was. Finally we ran into another gate that had the northern end of the Parkway closed. The picture above was taken out the car window with a crackberry phone and isn't very good. But, if you click on it so it will enlarge you can see the white dusting covering the upper section of the mountains.

It was a fantastically beautiful sight, and an almost mystical experience. It felt like God had let us catch him at work in a private moment, just as a special treat. There were only a few other people on the Parkway, so who knows? Maybe he picked us for the private viewing.

Dread

Reality; That Land Far Far Away

I’ve been around the block a few times, but eventually I found the driveway. And eventually, I found that it was always easier to find the driveway sober, so I put aside alcohol consumption. People drink to escape reality, but alcohol doesn’t provide a true escape from reality. It warps one’s perception of reality. And, people who respond to, or act out of, a warped perception of reality, eventually warp the real world in ways that are not beneficial to anyone or anything; especially themselves.

People who to some degree shape their world in ways which benefit them and others, with outcomes close to their intentions, seem to be a bit more happier and well adjusted than those who find that their efforts to shape the world tend to screw it up and make it worse. Have you ever tried to thread a needle while viewing it through a glass of gin? How did that would work for you?

I believe it was Sir Walter Scott who penned the phase, "Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive” to which I would add one word, “ourselves”. I’ll be glad when the news media covering the current White House administration sobers up. They’ve already missed the driveway far too many times, and I feel like I’m a Star Trek stowaway. Its warp factor nine Scotty! She’s gonna blow Captain!

Do you know anyone who believes our news media anymore? Woops! There goes the driveway again.