Last year, Hallowe’en brought us a blizzard, the Snowtober Blizzard, a weird, out-of-season storm. It devastated the trees here in our community, brought down power lines some of which weren’t repaired for weeks, closed down towns and cities and even, in Manhattan, the whole subway system. In short, it was a monster of a storm, but a really really RARE event. Or so we said.
But guess what? This year’s Hallowe’en prediction is for another monster storm. They’re calling it Frankenstorm, and it’s heading our way even as I type. So even though we’re a few days away from the holiday, Hallowe’en may not happen this year. The hurricane/blizzard/monsoon/whatever-it-is may preempt our holiday. It may even, (because of power outages) preempt my posts! So I’m getting this in while the getting is good, to wish you all a happy whatever-you-celebrate at this time of year!
(River Valley Market was prophetic, I think. None of your jolly grinning Jack-o-Lanterns for their display — it’s a scary monster of a Hallowe’en pumpkin!)
Touch2Touch 
Hope you stay safe! We are all watching and thinking of you. Great pumpkin carving by the way.
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I never saw a pumpkin so scary and sinister!
Matches the weather forecast, Emil — but with luck, it’ll be tamer than announced. Thanks for your wishes.
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We’re battening hatches and making ready with provisions (cookies, wine, sterno for the coffee) here on the coast. Do you think if we all stand on the beach and blow really hard it will just go away? Stay safe, my friend! xoxo
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I like your thinking, Jen. I’m going out in the backyard and start blowing — really hard —
Stay safe as well, friend.
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They did a great job, carving out that one!
The Weather channels are doing their best preparing us for the «Frankenstorm»… We’ll see what happens …not much else we can do..
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Oh, I dunno —
Did you catch Jen’s suggestion that we go down to the beach (out into the backyard; me) and start blowing really really hard?
It couldn’t hurt!
😉
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Judith, greetings from Manhattan where all seems calm and quiet, for now! I should put the television on to catch the latest but I am enjoying the peace and quiet too much to be bothered with the tv noise and panic.
Stay safe where you are and what a great, and fitting, pumpkin shot!
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River Valley is a totally green coop food market, very healthy and hearty — so I was kind of shocked to see this pumpkin baring its snarl at the world there of all places!
I’m with you about peace and quiet vs. noise and panic, Patti.
Here’s hoping this storm does a whole lot of fizzling out.
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Stay safe. I hope I don’t see you on CNN.
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Your comment made me laugh!
Thanks, Christine, on a day like this a laugh is really welcome!
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Hope you’re well battened down and stay safe!
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Thank you!
I’m cooking a whole big mess of lentils and rice with onions right now. If the power goes out, we won’t starve!
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That is one evil looking pumpkin!
Oh dear, and I wonder if the anticipation is worse in some ways than being taken by surprise?
I do hope you will stay warm, dry and lentil-fed throughout the ordeal and I look forward to your reports!
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Yes! Perfect description: evil looking pumpkin!
Storm ideograms on line are also evil-looking, but I am still hoping it will not be so bad as forecast. (For no particular reason, just my take on the radar.) Anyway — I’ve got lots of lentils!
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Be safe. I am bracing myself. Talk about SCARY!
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It sounds from much of the forecast that New Jersey near Atlantic City may be right under the gun. Brace strongly, Gemma, and be safe. All shall be well!
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keeping an eye on the storm as she moves up the coast towards us. She will arrive along with the full moon so we may surpass our own record of having the world’s highest recorded tides!
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Be safe, Joss. And report on the tide situation afterwards —
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I just hope and pray that you and your family is safe in there…I’ll pray for that..=)
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Thank you very much, John. It’s a good feeling to know we’re surrounded by prayers —
You’re not unacquainted with bad weather where you live, I think. So you know.
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Nice shot. The face is so unique and interesting. 🙂
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I think Japanese ghosts are very scary. But this pumpkin face is mighty scary too!
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Good morning. i hope things are not too dreadful for you.. did you remember to stock up on a nice organic wine in case of a power outage? Wine and candles! c
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A little wine (non-organic, but still), mostly for the Hub.
Madly cooking goodies that can be consumed cold as well as hot. Coleman lantern holding a million D batteries at the ready.
You are much more romantic than I, Cecilia!!!!
Many thanks for the cheery visit 🙂
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Stay safe, Judith. And a perfect sinister jack-o’lantern
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Maybe the jack-o’lantern is sinister enough to outface Hurricane Sandy! We’ll hope —
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That sinister pumpkin does seem prophetic! Hope the worst is over. Take care
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Although it lived up to its hype all around — Wind! Rain! Floods! Snow! —
the western part of MA where we live has been relatively quiet. We keep saying So far, so good — as we watch television coverage of the storm, something we’ve never done before — because we’ve always before lost power in any good size storm!
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Good to hear all ok (!) with you up there!
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Much milder than forecast. We didn’t even lose power — so for probably the first time during a major storm, we watched coverage on television.
And they say there’s no climate change, eh?
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Dear Judith, I hope that you’re safe where you live! I’m thinking strongly of you!
Being in Germany at the moment and watching all that horror on TV, New York, the East coast…and…and… so scary, be God with all of you:
Take care, stay warm and again – thinking of you!
Tres amicalement, karin
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Mille remerciements pour tes voeux, Vielen Danke, Karen!
Yes, Sandy’s “eye” — although she didn’t really have a clearly defined eye, a very unusual storm in all respects — kind of winked as she passed to the west of us. Wind but not ferocious, rain but not torrents, we were very very lucky. The flooding is the worst of the disasters, although there are enough to go around, and blizzard snows further west.
Speaking of snow, you are having some now in Germany, I think! We live in unusual times.
P.S. We are LOTS of the lentils and rice. It was delicious.
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Well … so far I haven’t seen you on CNN so I hope you guys are alright 😉
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Wonder of wonders, not only weren’t we not ON CNN, we actually watched CNN coverage of the storm.
Doesn’t sound so unusual except — I don’t remember another major storm where we DIDN’T lose power, so we never watched storm coverage before!
Bad stuff to right of us and a lot more to the left of us, but Sandy somehow ignored western MA. We got some wind and some rain, but not much.
I hope she overlooked Saint John as well!
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Just checking in after the storm. Aside from a few trees down and a two-day power loss, all is well in my corner. Cass said your/her area was spared as well. I’d say that pumpkin was prophetic in a variety of ways – the weather, the current political atmosphere, the strange and virulent divisiveness in our country. I’m shooting for a few grins to offset it all.
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I didn’t think of that, Pauline — the pumpkin as emblematic of our society’s “climate”. Too true.
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The world in London is one of constantly variable weather. I remember the glorious summer of 1976 when we were roasted for want of a better term and the tracks of the railways were distorted such that services were cancelled for safety! But most of our summers are typical British weather – Sunshine and showers. The same is true of our years in general – the temperature goes up and down but we invariably suffer sunshine and showers 😉 Such is a Maritime Temperate Climate 🙂
I’m really pleased to read posts from my US friends after the recent events. I hope that you and your friends are all well after the storms.
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We were lucky up here in the Pioneer Valley of MA. Compared to last year’s October blizzard, Sandy was some rain and some wind, not too much, almost no power outages that I’ve heard of, and all in all, just a disagreeable few days. Our hearts go out to all the people we know here in the Northeast for whom the situation ranges from really unpleasant to dire.
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