Official NCCD! (National Chocolate Cupcake Day!)

So today is a huge day in history. It is NCCD. National Chocolate Cupcake Day. Normally this wouldn’t be such a big day for me, but you see, right now I can’t eat a chocolate cupcake. Go figure. I always choose to do no sugar or carbs at the very wrong time of year. Like Halloween. Truly, it is the job of the homeowner to finish off the extra candy that is in the plastic pumpkin. I would hate to fail this appointment three years in a row. But alas, the scales are calling – and I want to be happy – or at least mildly pleased – at the outcome.
There are some other national holidays in October that don’t have to do with food, such as: October 17 - World Toy Camera Day, October 22 - Caps Lock Day (or is that CAPS LOCK DAY?), and October 27 - Cranky Co-Workers Day. But if I am going to torture myself with foods I cannot eat, may as well go all the way.
It’s the food days that are calling my name; these tempting days someone created in October to make your mouth water. These days include: National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day, Caramel Apple Day, Caramel Corn Day, Boston Cream Pie Day, National Chocolate Day, National Donut Day, Pretzel Day, Greasy Foods Day and to top it all off, (literally),National Beer Day.
Normally, I really don’t want to eat all that stuff. However, when I know I can’t have it, I seem to want it more. There’s also a Mince Meat Pie Day and Brandied Fruit Day, and even though neither one of those incredibly important foods tempt me (well, is Brandy a food?), all of a sudden they sound pretty darn good.
And now it’s just about that time of year to buy the Trick-or-Treat candy. That infamous bounty that will make my neighbor kids adore me even more. So, I have a choice. Do I buy the Snickers, Kit Kats and Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups, with a back up of Skittles and Laffy Taffy to have on hand for those (strange) kids that don’t like chocolate? If I do that, I will of course be drooling at the thought of the hidden treasure in my pantry until that day is here. Every year somebody seems to open at least one of the bags of candy – no names mentioned of course. And once they are open, well, it’s very hard not to reach in for “just one more”. So, to be kind to myself and my desire for smaller jeans, should I buy the candy that nobody really even likes? Should I hand out (gasp) toothbrushes? Should I wait until an hour before Trick-or-Treat and hope that there will still be some good candy left to purchase? Should I lock it up and hide the key?
I think that October actually has another unknown national day. It is called “Be Kind to Yourself” day. That means we can’t beat ourselves up over consumed Halloween Candy, Caramel Apples, Caramel Corn, Candy Corn, Pumpkin Cheesecake or Donuts. I think I’m going to like this day. I will post it on Facebook for all to see. Maybe I’ll change the name to: “Eat All the Good Stuff and Still Smile Day”. Watch for the posting. And of course, this will require a little work and effort on my part. Thank goodness it’s National Chocolate Cupcake Day – I will need the energy.

Awesome October

“But the weather is so perfect there – why would you want to leave?” This was from several people that found out I am from California, and had just recently returned from a visit.
Well, first of all, define perfect. Yes, the majority of the time it is sunny, in the 70’s and has no humidity. And I guess if you like that kind of weather, it is perfect. (If you don’t know me very well, that last sentence was dripping in sarcasm.)
As I check out the weather reports of Laguna Beach, I am looking out my picture window that faces all the woods in the back of my house. If I didn’t live here, I wouldn’t have this. Fall is by far my favorite season. I relish not only in the breathtaking colors of the changing leaves, but also the fields of bright orange pumpkins, the earthy tones of the drying corn stalks, and the dark hued mums.
I love everything about October. My oldest son was born in October thirty (yikes) years ago. The apples are at their finest indeed, and I can’t seem to get my fill -even occasionally dipping them in caramel. There is something comforting about making homemade soup and watching football on a crisp fall day. I like wearing sweaters and boots, and I adore Halloween. (Even the dogs have costumes, sigh…).
It’s fun to watch the squirrels do gymnastics as they scramble to bury the walnuts. I love to see them jump from branch to branch, focused on stocking up for the winter. Our yard must seem like a Sam’s Club to them, since we have acorn trees and walnut trees. And speaking of trees, once those leaves start falling, they just seem to keep on coming. As quickly as we rake the leaves (ok, as he rakes the leaves) the yard is once again covered in a quilt of amber, bronze and gold. It’s always so tempting to jump right in the pile, like I have done with my 3 year old granddaughter. However, since October seems to bring out the kid in me, I may not wait for her next time, and just jump right in myself.
Yes, California is beautiful…there is no doubt about it. And yes, the weather is sublime. But as I take a Sunday drive and savor the hills and valleys of Ohio, or take a hike in the woods, walking the leaf carpeted paths that are lined with waterfalls, I truly do realize that when it is October, there is no doubt in my mind: Dayton is definitely my kind of town.