SUNDAY FUNDAY - OCTOBER 23, 2022

 SUNDAY FUNDAY - SUNDAY OCTOBER 23, 2022

WARM-UP

WOW - the seasons are changing. 

Most of the summer I got by in halter dresses and shorts, but now I have to think of the weather more when I select my clothes in the morning. Yes, we will have some warm days but not hot ones, and as soon as the sun goes down, it cools off quickly!!!

My patio garden has changed.  I tried to grow tomatoes and green peppers this summer (and wasn’t very successful).  Now my patio has kale, spinach, and Swiss Chard plants.  I clip the stems and add them to my salad.  I think fresh is better!!!  

I add salad olives frequently and top my salads with French Fried onion rings.  And, a little ranch dressing.

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HALLOWEEN 

Halloween is coming in eight days.  I find Halloween to be a fun time.  No, I’m not into scary, slasher movies, vampires, witches, or ghosts - but dressing up in a fun costume.  

Halloween comes from “All Hallow’s Eve” - the eve of remembering good people from the past.  

With my work at the senior living center (and especially now as I work more with dementia residents), I want it to be a fun time.  I have three hair options (clown, long red hair, frizzy blonde hair), scarves, and some other things to wear.  It is to be a fun time - pretending we’re pirates, clowns, or some other person.  

When I taught, I did dress up in interesting costumes (at least to me) - Zorro, Great Pumpkin, Pirate, Farmer, Clown, Giant Ketchup bottle, and even as a woman (must have been a foreboding of my life).  

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HALLOWEEN JOKES

How do vampires get around on Halloween? On blood vessels.

Why did the Headless Horseman get a job? He was trying to get a “head” in life

The skeleton couldn't help being afraid of the storm—he just didn't have any guts.

How can you tell when a vampire has been in a bakery? All the jelly has been sucked out of the jelly doughnuts.

What do ghosts wear when their eyesight gets blurred? Spooktacles.

What can you catch from a vampire in winter? Frostbite.

What would be the national holiday for a nation of vampires? Fangs-giving!

Knock, Knock

Who's there?

Phillip!

Phillip who?

Phillip my bag with Halloween candy, please!

Did you know that vampires love baseball?  Yes, they turn into bats at night!!

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PUMPKIN LORE:

Travis Gienger of Anoka Minnesota set a new U.S. record for the heaviest pumpkin this year after raising a giant gourd weighing 2,560 pounds

Pumpkins and squash are members of the gourd family and are technically fruits, rather than vegetables.

The longer you store pumpkins the sweet and nuttier the flavor becomes. Stock up on pumpkins now and you could be making fresh pumpkin soup long after Halloween

There are hundreds of varieties of pumpkins.

Most pumpkin varieties take 85 to 125 days to mature so plant seeds in the first week of June to ensure they’re ready to harvest in plenty of time for Halloween. 

Pumpkins are packed with antioxidants.

Beta-carotene, which gives pumpkins their orange color, is a free-radical fighting antioxidant. Our bodies convert ingested beta-carotene into vitamin A, which is essential for healthy skin and eyes, while also strengthening the immune system.

Pumpkins are good for your hearing!  The high content of potassium in pumpkins can help lower blood pressure and protect against age-related hearing loss associated with drops in potassium levels in the body as we age.

Pumpkin seeds are nutritional powerhouses.  You’d never guess that such small packages could contain so many key minerals and nutrients, including protein, zinc magnesium, manganese, and copper. They’re also high in vitamin C and a powerful source of fiber.

Pumpkins are 80 – 90 % water.  Who would have thought that something so nutritional would be 80 – 90 % water? The high water content of pumpkins means they’re good for you while also being low in calories. Great news if you’re looking to offset the Halloween chocolate!

The female flower only opens for a day for pollination.  Female flowers are only receptive to pollen for about four hours. If pollination is successful in this short window, the pumpkin will continue to swell and grow. If not, it will shrivel and fall from the vine.

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WRAP-UP

As the days grow shorter and the temperatures spiral down, let us enjoy life, smile, love, and let God lead and bless you!!!

Let’s enjoy this fall season!!!

LOVE WINS!!!  Love one-another!!!
Karen White, October 23, 2022