Big Bags

Yes, they are popular. One must have a BIG bag. They are no longer called purses for those left wondering. Three guys in my 'hood now carry them everywhere. The question for many observers, "What could they possibly contain that must be lugged to and from every destination???" Essentials: car key, driver's license, credit card (or a wad of cash), phone. For the gals, perhaps a comb and lip gloss. With door codes, the office key and home key can be eliminated. Perhaps it's the lowcut style of pants that won't allow the essentials to be stuffed in a back hip pocket and leaves our women carring baggage enough for a two-week vacation and our men carrying purses.

The Fall of Fall

Fall is over.

It's hard to admit, but it begins with Halloween - the first bite-sized Snickers bar....followed by at least one sampling of each type of Halloween candy offered to your little tricksters....followed by a sample of each (chocolate only) type left in your kids treat buckets before they get home from school....followed by an occasional find in various sock drawers....followed by those you hid in the freezer for "later"....

Then comes Thanksgiving - you won't overdo it this year....just a small sampling of the lemon meringue pie filling while it's still hot in the pan)....followed by one more helping of "the pineapple cheese favorite"....following by a "tiny slice of each type" when pie choices arrive....followed by a "sliver" of cold pumpkin pie (gotta have the whipped cream too) on Black Friday and one at 10 am when you return from shopping....and one at noon....and perhaps just a bit of soda cracker pie before bedtime....

On to Christmas - THE DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING....it's full-blown legal to begin the comsumption of sweet nothings at offices, friends' homes, deliveries to your own home, treats you make for parties....until you become sugar comatose....add to this my one-week, fourteen-different candy recipes produced at work with my professional responsibility to at least sample each one....

Around the corner....Valentine's Day....St. Patrick's Day (gotta have shamrock sugar cookies)....then Easter

I guess that's why a peeled boiled egg with a salt/pepper mixture for each bite is appealing mid-April