Looking out my office window, I love the colors of fall.  The burnt orange and yellow leaves on the ground, blanketing the green summer grass, are whispers of what's to come.  Deep red sumac bushes and blazing colors of the maple trees come to life at this time of year.   Let's talk about one of the greatest Minnesota blessings of the season - COLOR!

Merryvale Vineyards
2005 Pinot Noir, Carneros
This Pinot Noir was grown at Merryvale's Estate Vineyard as well as Beckstoffer's Las Amigas Vineyard, both located in the Carneros region of Napa. These vineyards are planted to relatively new clones of Pinot, which have been selected for producing richer, more concentrated wine. This wine displays characteristic varietal notes of fresh cherry, strawberry, and earth, along with spice, toast and vanilla from the French Oak barrels. It has a round, supple impression on the palate, with a soft, lengthy finish.

COLOR!

A Georgeous Fall Day

Stop.  Take a look outside.  What do you see?  If it's a parking lot or a cold downtown building, then set your sights towards the distance.  No matter where you are, the Minnesota fall is in full bloom and its georgeous outside.  So when is the best time to look at the leaves?

MN Fall Color Guide

The answer is NOW!  Here's a small guide to look for peak colors.  If you were lucky enough to be in Northern Minnesota last weekend, you saw blasts of reds, yellows and oranges coming from just about every tree or shrub.  Thank goodness the Minnesota winds have not been very gusty.  When you get gusty winds blowing the leaves, mixed with a little rain, it's like watching the last few minutes of fireworks on the 4th of July......spectacular, but over quickly.  A light breeze will encourage just the right amount of leaves to fall, leaving plenty of color for the days ahead.

Looking out over Duluth & the  Arial Bridge

Up North - Rustic Beauty

I love going to the cabin during the fall.  I think it might be my favorite time of year.  My Amigos and I will be sharing a weekend up north in two weeks (celebrating birthdays and just getting out of dodge).  I don't really look forward to all the chores that go with closing up the cabin from the summer, but if you're blessed with a cabin in Minnesota, you have no right to whine.....you are so fortunate!  So I look at it as a labor of love.  Enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of Up North.  People are burning leaves and enjoying nights around their firepits - and isn't that the most awesome smell!  If I close my  eyes, a fire always brings me back to past football games, walks with my parents and picking apples at Orchards for holiday pies. 

Minnesota's Beautiful Walking Trails of Fall

Whether your up north or in the city, there are countless walking trails in Minnesota.  Take an afternoon and soak in the beauty.  It's amazing how calming and reflective it can be.  Take your kids and enjoy our great outdoors before you have to bundle them in layers.  The warm fall sun will keep you comfortable and the area lakes and streams are so inviting.  It's a great time to teach a child about photography.  They can capture such breathtaking pictures with very little effort or expertise.  You can also do countless art projects with the leaves during this time of year. 

Farquar Lake in Apple Valley

Running around Lake Harriet

Fall in the Twin Cities is amazing. There are marathon races to run, trails to bike or walk and a plethera of outdoor events.  Take in a concert at the Pavillion of  Lake Normandale or venture to Stillwater.   You don't need to break the bank at this time of year to find something to do!

Winding South Towards Jordan Minnesota

Fall Bounty

And yes, nows the time to find wonderful places just on the outskirts of the Twin Cities.  Places where farmers tend to their crops and bless us each year with wonderful fruits and vegetables.  Minnesota Harvest in Jordan comes to mind because Kid Norman, my eldest son, is driving there right now with two friends.  They're taking the day to go apple picking and enjoy being outdoors.  They'll also bring home pumpkins, wonderful squashes (acorn and butternut are my favorite) and hopefully a few treats for his brothers.  And if you don't love roasting squashes with a hint of butter and brown sugar, then use them in baskets with gords for beautiful fall decorating!  Remember, Halloween is just around the corner!

Yes, fall  is my favorite time of year.  It hints of the holidays to come, perks up my senses and gets me outside to enjoy a multitude of activities.  While it makes me just a little sad that the summer season is over,  it also helps prime my mood for the holidays.  Fall is here to remind me to count my blessings.  We're Minnesotans after all!  We're blessed with the full bounty of each season and I wouldn't have it any other way!

I found a newsletter in with my Dad's stock papers yesterday.  I found it interesting and somewhat ironic that it was written in January, 1967.  To me, it could have been written yesterday - or at the very least 2006, but you can be the judge.  It comes from the Research Institute of America, Inc. in New York.  **********************************************************************************

THE TWO ECONOMIES
The Economic Outlook for 1967 and It's Implications for Sales

"It was the best of  times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity..."
-Charles ****ens, A Tale of Two Cities

Uncertainty - over Vietnam, the stock market, inflation and possible controls, interest rates, federal tax policy, the auto industry, housing, etc. etc. - is a word that has been cropping up with increasing frequency in economic forecasts for the new year.  The result is that many of the prognostications of the economist, including the Research Institute's, have something of the flavor of the famous opening lines to Charles ****ens' novel about the French Revolution quoted above.  But not quite...

As one RIA economist points out, "It has become standard for economic forecasters to preface their projections with the disclaimer that the many uncertainties make this a  particularly bad time for looking into the future.  But I'm not aware, "our economist added, "that there has ever been anything but a bad time for economic forecasting.  There is no question that today's uncertainties are impressive and different, but I doubt if they will seem any more serious, in retrospect, than those faced in the past."

For the business executive, manager or salesman planning ahead for 1967, a fixation on the possible range of these uncertainties (which often tend to cancel each other out) is not likely to be constructive.  Much more important, in practical terms, will be the realization and acceptance of the fact that there are increasingly 'two economies' in the U.S. , which will not be moving in the same way in the year ahead.  Your own particular outlook for 1967 will depend heavily on which of these two economies your company and your customers are more closely linked wtih.

THE TWO ECONOMIES: AN OVERVIEW
The first, and at the moment the more dynamic, of these two economies is the one tied to defense spending and the rapid expansion of the U.S. industrial plants closely associated with the defense effort.  This part of our 'guns-and-butter' economic complex has grown aggressively in 1966, and will amost certainly continue to expand almost as firmly in 1967.  Government efforts, via tax policy and monetary restraint, to moderate this growth will have  some effects.  The net result, though, will be only a curtailment in the rate of expansion.

The seond of the two economies is the one based on satisfying consumer demand.  This economy has shown some distrurbing signs of sluggishness and weakness recently.  Auto sales have dropped off somewhat and other hard goods sales have hardly risen.  Housing activity, obviously, has plummeted, and shows no signs of an immediate recovery.  Consumer outlays on soft goods and services continue to expand, but this is not the sort of spending to spark a boom. 

All in all, there will be relatively little year-to-year growth in the second economy through 1967, and very likely signs of 'recession' in some sectors.  Putting these two pictures together, the pattern for 1967 in gross numbers, becomes one of gradually slowing growth, approaching a plateau.  We will probably again be hearing about a 'rolling recession,' as this indusstry or that dips.  However, the 'big picture' can be dangerously misleading as far as the outlook for any particular industry is concerned.  More than ever, 1967 will be a year in which you will be well advised to pay more attention to the trees (the particular factors that can affect your business), less to the forest (the general economy).

Note: While a recession-crisis-and-collapse isn't imminent, or even a long-run probability, you can be sure your top executives are keeping a sharp and conservative eye on the money situation.  Depending, of course, on which of the two eonomies you're in, and on your particular business, don't be surprised when and if you're asked to do your share in controlling expenditures - if this hasn't already happened.  But even more important, at least as far as sales is concerned, will be the increasing pressure to maintain high sales levels.

*************************************************************************************
Well, what do you think?

Halloween is a favorite time at our house.  It's a time to let your inner id out to play and get a little crazy.  Hey, the world can be a scary place, so Halloween is the perfect time of year to really get into the spirit of spooky gouls & scary stories with children, knowing its all make believe.  Kids love it - so let's do it up good!  What was your favorite costume?  Do you remember when witches, devils and sword carrying pirates were embraced at school parties?  Sadly, much of that is now banned.  To me, Halloween is pure fun and I think it's deserving of a.....

Joseph Phelps Insignia Cabernet Sauvignon
Insignia is full of black cherry jam and allspice aromas, with luscious notes of boysenberry, ripe plums, toasted oak and tobacco. The exceptionally elegant mouthfeel coats the palate with layer after layer of tannin, followed by a lengthy, textured finish containing sweet oak notes and a hint of blackberry.

BOO!

Readers Note: A recipe for peanut butter eyeballs follows this blog. Its a family tradition in our house and a neighborhood favorite!

Remember when you were a child, picking out your Halloween costume?  What did you want to be?  A witch, a ghost, a werewolf or a pirate - or how about a princess, a scary goul or a vampire?  Those days are gone in many public schools and around the country, kids are no longer 'allowed' to dress in costumes deemed scary.  Sad isn't it?  Many can't dress in outfits that are politically incorrect (my youngest was sent to the bathroom to take off his mother's bathrobe & a wig a few years ago when he dressed like a desperate housewife).  You can't even be a SuperHero in my children's district if your hero uses a weapon to fight crime.  Wow - this makes me really sad. The political correctness of our schools is robbing kids of an American tradition!

Today, this would be completely Verboten!

But here's the rub: I've never seen a greater attempt to sexualize our youth, especially the girls at Halloween.  Little Brittney Spears' flocked the hallways a few  years ago, wearing their store-bought bare mid-driff costumes and shaking their little booties.  Is this an outfit you'd buy your daughter to wear in elementary school?

Let's see - when I googled little girls costumes, this is what I got.  Would you let your child out of the house looking like this?  What was the Art Director saying to these girls as they posed for this ad?. "Come on honey, get your inner freak on".   

Even the grown up costumes are all about being sexualized when you shop at stores.  They seem to go hand in hand, but consumers drive the industry so what does that say about the evolution of Halloween?  Why is the combination of make believe identities and sex so alluring.  Ok, nevermind.  I get that.  But it would be nice to shop with the kids in a store that doesn't blur those lines. 

Now don't get me wrong.  I loved all my costumes as a kid, but as I got into junior high and high school, the costumes morphed to funny and bizarre. A toaster, a mannequin and a box of Cheerios.  Once I got to college, things got even funnier!

College halloween parties were the best!  My freshmen year I had a date that went as a spoon.  His two roomates were the fork & accompanying knife.  They even painted themselves silver and bought out all the reynolds wrap at the local grocery store.  But it was all about hilarious, outrageous & using pure imagination.   By this age, totally inappropriate costumes get you bragging rights all the way through spring term.  It's age appropriate and I'm the first one to enjoy a good laugh - and we worked for weeks coming up with the right costume.  I give this next guy points for his....bravery.  But don't you kind of wonder where he got his idea?  Was he was sitting around, watching the football game one day when it came to him in an epiphany?  I hope he wasn't watching American Pie! 

The Delivery Man

or what about this:

This rocks!  Planning a team costume is so much fun!

I had a Simon & a Slinky - this is great!

So are you the type that looks forward to Halloween?  I know I am.  The Hubster and I go to at least one party every year.  Last year we won "Best Costume" by going as a pregnant nun & a priest  (a pic is on my site).  Yup, not politically correct - but worn with a sense of humor and a great respect for the serious side of the faith.  Then there's the scary costumes.   The gross ones where everyone makes that face:

This is usually followed by sincere flattery and total "How'd ya make that" kind of fascination.  Costumes like this:

A  headless number of  Mary Antoinette is great

Or how about the unexplained accident

Or how about a little mummy action?

A walking accident

Or the classic Zombie

Ah Halloween.  It's a smorgasboard of creativity, mixed in with a little ingenuity and oozing with personality.  Are you celebrating Halloween this year?  Are you shopping for that perfect outfit or are you at home, whipping up something special?  Do you have scary music creeping out an upstairs window? Have you paid your kids in snickers bars to  jump out of the bushes at neighborhood children? 

That just may be my house.....you'd just have to ring the bell & cry:

I wish these were around when my kids were babies!

Halloween Peanut Butter Eyeballs

1/2 C. peanut butter (creamy)
3 T. butter, softened
1 C. sifted powdered sugar
4 oz. vanilla-flavored candy coating or almond bark
20 M&M's in eye colors (blue, green, and brown)
Red and black decorator gel icing 

1. In a mixing bowl stir together peanut butter and butter. Gradually add powdered sugar, stirring until combined.  The mixture should be firm enough to shape  into a ball.  Add additional powder sugar if required.

2. Shape into 1-inch balls; place on waxed paper. Let stand about 20 minutes or until dry.

3. In a small saucepan melt candy coating (almond bark) over low heat.  Be careful to stir because Jill has burnt it in the pan & it smells! 

4. Using a spoon so you don't burn yourself, dip balls (one at a time) into coating. Let excess coating drip off peanut butter balls.    Place on wax paper.

5.  Before it dries, press an M&M  into center of  ball.  Voila!  It's an eye :)  When it hardens,
use the black and red icing to add a pupil and bloodshot eyes if desired.

** Note - before you hand these out to strangers, make sure to ask a parent if the child has a peanut allergy. 

Just when you thought the election season had brought us so to the brink of madness.... even turning on a t.v. threatens exhaustion and panic.  Well, I saw this ad and wanted to share it with you.  Like puppies and bunnies, it bright sunshine & smiles to my day.

What a spot-on commercial from the AdCouncil.  Note Tom Selleck's voiceover?  Well produced, well acted and well timed for our weary souls.  Happy Day all!

It came at 2:30am, while hundreds of people were sleeping soundly.  My windows were shut for the first time this fall, confirming the change of the season.  Yes, I live in a serene, quiet neighborhood. 

First a wild screech, followed by an incredible BOOM!  What the H-E-double toothpicks was that?  Did a bomb just go off?  Did someone launch a rocket?  Or perhaps a meteorite just hit our street.  Minutes later - I literally mean minutes - sirens were blaring as they sped towards my block. 

From around the curving parkway that perfectly encompasses our neighborhood, a car with Lloyd & Harry (better known as the characters from Dumb & Dumber) lost control of their car and decided to park it in the dining room at my neighbors house.  Why not?  Let's make a real entrance!  Going over 100 mph (at least what the police speculate) these guys managed to loose control (duh), get airborn, and fly across a small garden that welcomes people to our hillside community.  When their wheels hit  my neighbors driveway, the car flipped upside down as it smashed through the front of their house, resting right in front of their newly remodeled kitchen.  Thank God the auto-rocket barely missed the cars in the garage and no gas lines were hit.

Neighbors recanted hearinng first cries something like "Are you okay dude?"  Then came the calls of "Hello - is anyone home?".  Seriously.  This crap can't be made up at 2:30am.  These two idiots managed to break free of their vehicle with only minor bumps and bruises.  My poor neighbors, who are some of the most genuine and nice people, must have been shaken and struggling to get down their staircase.  How do you register an upside car at the base of your stairs?     

Coming from a neighborhood where wild turkeys have done serious property damage - twice flying into a huge picture window, leaving a horrible mess at a neighbor's home when they were out of town (as heard on the Lori  & Julia show) we've had enough excitement down our block.  But an upside down car?  This one is the Lalapalooza of home destruction!

Here's the best part of living here: neighbors responded immediately and homes were offered for alternative lodging without hesitation.  After all the police, fire and emergency vehicles left the scene, our neighbors slept (or tried to sleep) across the street.  Unfortunately their home was deemed unsafe (the impact destroyed the load bearing wall).  There was real danger the upstairs could collapse.   

Then at 7:30am, the neighborhood got busy.  A wonderful carpenter who lives down the street offered immediate assistance and neighbors gathered to help. The lady of the house managed to find humor in the situation - she's definitely gettin' a  'pass' on holiday entertaining this year.  With grace and humor, don't all things seem just a little bit better?

I'm lucky to live in such a beautiful place - but the best thing about my neighborhood are the hearts and souls that live here.  We really didn't need an explosion to remind us of that!