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October definitely lets us know it's Fall. The air is crisp
with a very cold undertone some days, and the rain returns in all its
familiarity. It always surprises me how normal the rain seems! I do love the
clear days of Fall the best, though. It's always been, I think, my favorite
season, and even though I miss all the Fall colors I grew up with, I love the
blue cloudless skies.
And it reminds me of my sophomore year in college, back in
Michigan. For a life drawing class, we were studying anatomy, and had to do a
detailed drawing of the skeleton with an overlay of all the muscles. Front and
back. Huge project! I had become friends with my high school art teacher, and
asked if I could borrow the department's skeleton for several days to make some
real progress on this project. She said yes, and I went to pick up Fred, as we
fondly referred to him. I drove an older model Pontiac convertible at the time,
red with a white top, one of those big, heavy wide cars. I early on got used to
wearing a seat belt because of that car - it kept me from sliding all over on
the bench seats when I turned! So I figured we could lay Fred down on the back
seat, but he didn't bend in as many places as I thought he would, so the only
thing for it was to put the top down, and sit him in the front seat with the
seatbelt on! Boy, did I get some odd looks as I drove home! And of course all
my sisters' friends and boyfriends had to come check out Fred! I had completely
forgotten about that drive until we received a new batch of Tuzzie Muzzie hats
for Halloween. One has a miniature skeleton sitting proudly on the top!
October heralds the end of the Farmers Market at Wallingford Center until next Spring, and the final Art Walk of the season. This month, on
the 7th, we are hosting Andrea Savar as our artist. Andrea creates
beautiful necklace and earrings from her extensive collection of gemstones,
charms, vintage jewelry pieces and French religious medals. You really need to
see it - it defies description! Andrea always brings a table full of jewelry, each more intriguing than the
last, and so many one-of-a-kind choices! So please join us for this special
event.
And near the end of the month, the 24th & 25th,
is our annual Kristin Ford trunk show! For this year's event, we are hosting A reception for Kristin on Saturday from
12 - 4, but the jewelry collection will be available for the entire weekend,
until 5:00 on Sunday. We hope everyone can come and meet Kristin, but if you
are unable to come by then, you can still see all the wonderful jewelry!
We know somewhere in our being that the holidays will soon
be here and start scouting for gifts, especially for those hard to buy for
people on our lists. Remember that at Crackerjack we have always offered
Lay-Away, and now is a great time to use it. You make your selection now, put a
25% deposit on it, and you have sixty days (extended to 90 days at this time of
year) to finish paying for it and pick it up! Some customers make regular
payments throughout that time period, others just pay the balance when they
need the gift and pick it up then. We're easy, and we want to help make life
easy for you, and assist with your holiday shopping, and ensure you get the
items you want!
And speaking of easy, don't forget to shop online with us.
We are always expanding our website, and it's a convenient way to shop for your
out-of-town friends and relatives, or for them to shop for you! We have a lot
of Crackerjack favorites such as Harmony Lanterns, Bella Luz nightlights, the
Kentucky Springs salad tongs, and the Vaughan and Sons tea towels that cheer up
any kitchen, and much more. So if you haven't checked in for awhile, now is a
good time to take a look, and get your shopping juices flowing!
So enjoy the scents and flavors of October (check below for
a great Fall lamb chop recipe) and have a fun Halloween. Remember to bring your
little angels and ghouls by Wallingford Center to Trick-or-Treat on Halloween
from 4 to 6.
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Saturdays - now open until 8 p.m.!
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Upcoming Events
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Wednesday October 7 - Wallingford Art Walk 6-8 p.m. October's Featured Artist will be Andrea Savar, whose jewelry is inspired by finds at French street markets!
Join us Wednesday evening for a great selection of one-of-a-kind necklaces, earrings and more, meet the artist behind the work, and enjoy some refreshments!
Annual Kristin Ford Trunk Show
Saturday and Sunday
October 24 & 25
Artist reception Saturday 12 to 4
Join us for our yearly celebration, a fun afternoon with Kristin Ford and her fabulous jewelry. Kristin brings hundreds of earrings and necklaces, including many one-of-a-kind pieces you won't see again! Her Aliah-liah Collection alone is worth the trip. This collection is Kristin's premier line, incorporating such rarities as Tahitian pearls, unusually cut gemstones and 14karat gold. Feast your eyes and indulge your jewelry cravings!
Halloween at Wallingford Center - October 31st Trick -or-Treat with your local merchants from 4-6
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Things to Celebrate!
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Oct. 1 - International Day of Older Persons (older than who?)
Oct. 2 - Guardian Angels Day
Oct. 3 - World Card Making Day - if you don't want to make your own, come see the fantastic hand made cards we have for all occasions!
Oct. 5 - World Teacher Day
Oct. 7 - Balloons Around the World Day
Oct. 10 - Universal Music Day
Oct. 12 - International Moment of Frustration Scream Day AND national Salesperson Day (is there a relationship here?)
Oct. 16 - Boss's Day (hint,hint)
Oct. 17 - Sweetest Day - this seems to be a bigger day in other parts of the country, and was quite a big deal when I was in high school. It really was about sweethearts, as opposed to Valentine's Day which has been extended to everyone you love.
Oct. 18 - National Chocolate Cupcake Day
Oct. 24 - Make a Difference Day
Oct. 25 - Mother-in-Law Day - 4th Sunday of October
Oct. 30 - This is a busy day! It's Create a Great Funeral Day, Frankenstein Friday, national Candy Corn Day (one of my personal favorites!) and Devil's Night. This also was a bigger thing where I grew up. Some of it was harmless, some was not!
Oct. 31 - Halloween AND National Caramel Apple Day
October is the Month of Apples, National Popcorn Popping and Polish Heritage - lots of great food, all the way all month long!
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October Nesting
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October seems to be the
epitome of Fall. I always associate October with clear blue skies, warm sun,
cool air. I love it! It is the month of pumpkins and cornhusks and costumes and
candy. The excitement of Halloween preparations permeates everything. As a kid,
growing up in suburban Detroit, Halloween was huge. And for some reason the
neighboring community did Trick-or-Treating on the day before Halloween, known
as Devil's Night. Perhaps they were attempting to undermine the mischief that
took place on Devil's Night. I never knew the reason. But a lot of kids would
Trick-or-Treat both nights and you can imagine the haul they made! My sisters
and I never did go twice - I suspect our parents figured one night was enough.
And as it was, they would go through our piles we would dump on the living room
floor to explore what goodies we'd received, remove any gum, and give it to the
next kids who came to our door!
My grandmother lived with us,
and it was her happy job to stay home to give out the candy while our parents
took us around the neighborhood. There were so many kids going up and down the
streets, you'd sometimes have to wait at the foot of a front walk to let other
kids pass after receiving their loot. It was so exciting to be out in the dark
with all these other fanciful creatures, begging to do just one more street!
When we returned home, my grandmother would report on how many kids she'd given
candy to - always over a hundred, sometimes closer to one-fifty!
We all had different styles
when it came to doling out our stash. I would eat all the Baby Ruths and
Snickers first, then move on to the Bit-O-Honeys and Squirrels and Mary Janes,
saving the Smarties and suckers 'til last. One sister liked all the fruity,
sweet candies and would start with those. And of course a lot of swapping went
on. What was a Reese's Peanut butter cup worth? And there were always the few
nickels and, in those days, apples, which never quite made the cut, but were an
interesting novelty. One of my sisters was so disciplined with her portioning
of her candy, she still had some left the following July! I'm not sure whether
she knew she had some left, or whether it just got lost under her bed, but the
rest of us ate ours quickly enough that there was no danger of losing track of
a piece of it!
As I got older Devil's Night,
which I had been completely unaware of when little, became very intriguing. In
about eighth grade, it became known that if your house was T.P.'d on Devil's
Night, some boy had a crush on you. You can imagine all the girls hoping to
awake on Halloween to streamers of white in all the trees and bushes, cars and
porches! I wonder if the parents had any idea what we were hoping for! To them
it was a nuisance and a mess, and I wonder if they ever knew it was something to
be envious of! Luckily for my parents, I don't think it ever happened at our
house! Some people went further with the mischief, soaping windows, which
wasn't too bad, and easily washed off, but others threw eggs, which made a real
mess. And then at some point it became quite destructive in certain areas,
turning Devil's Night from something rather harmless into a night to be feared.
As the custom of
Trick-or-Treating took a backseat as I got older, it was replaced with
Halloween parties, and other Fall traditions. I still really miss the Franklin
Cider Mill, home to the best fresh-pressed cider, hot greasy donuts, smoked
cheeses and sausage. If ever I'm home in the Fall, that is on the top of my
list to visit. It's funny how certain foods appeal only at certain times of the
year. How as the weather cools you begin craving squash and roasted meat. And
cider! It's also the time of year you want candles lit, and to unearth the
throws, put the outdoor furniture away and move inside. It's time to begin
nesting, that process of revisiting our homes, and making them warm and cozy,
full of good smells and inviting for the long cold days ahead.
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NEXT MONTH: Turtle Stories!
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Thank You for your continued patronage of a local independent business and for supporting American handmade! Have a great Fall!
Kathleen Koch
Crackerjack Contemporary Crafts
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Honey-Dijon Lamb Chops
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2 T. Dijon mustard
2 T. fresh, or 2 t. dried rosemary, crushed
2 T. chopped fresh mint, or 2 t. dried mint flakes
4 t. honey
½ t. coarsely ground pepper
4 (4oz.) lean lamb chops
1. Preheat broiler.
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl, and stir
well. Trim fat from chops, and place in
broiler pan. Broil 5 minutes on each
side. Brush mustard mixture over chops. Broil 2 minutes
on each side until
desired degree of doneness, basting occasionally with the mustard mixture.
Yield: 2 servings
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