7 (not so) Quick Takes

First, please note that I've changed my blog address. "Udubalum" was a bit obscure and was never (even four years ago) meant to stick. Please note the change and keep reading!

Now then ...

1. Racing. Picture an East Coast ski resort in autumn. Picture paintbrush blotches of burnt orange, gold and brown against the gray of rolling hills obscured by a lifting fog. The air is crisp but the sun is hot. The grass is still short and green.

Now against this backdrop, picture thousands of men (and a few women) in their mid 20s and 30s, all dressed in some sort of Lycra, with a layer of old shorts, or tutus or thrift store suits and a heavy spattering of mud on top.

And among them, my husband.

Now picture this motley lot tackling 9 miles of steep terrain on foot and throw in some obstacles: a 10-foot wall to scale here, greased monkey bars there and some barbed wire to crawl under.

You get the picture? I hope you do, because due to camera problems (I forgot to put the card back in it after dumping photos into the computer), I don't have any photos to share.

Nick competed in his first Tough Mudder event last weekend with a team from work. They called themselves the Flyin' Mudders.

The kids and I were their biggest (only?) fans. We had a seat with a nice view of the finish line and the final obstacle of the race, which consisted of a pit of mud over which dozens of electrically charged wires dangled. We watched racers trip and slip through it. Some got zapped, while others did some pretty elegant slides to the finish line.

It was a great event -- the obstacle courses, the gritty and unpretentious race atmosphere, the cause, the painted-on mohawks, the tattoo tent, the live band the beautiful landscape and, of course, the mud. Nick plans to tackle another Tough Mudder in the spring. By then his body should be recovered from his inaugural attempt.

2. Repairing. I got to spend two solid hours in the dentist's chair on Tuesday, with a drill in my mouth and a two-day headache to follow. Yuck.

3. Cooking. Lately I feel like there is less and less time between cooking, consuming and cleaning up after one meal and cooking, consuming and cleaning up after the next meal. And Henry is a constant snacker.

In short, I'm always in the kitchen.

I've decided to embrace this season of my culinary life by trying out some new dishes, loaded with the best produce autumn has to offer: butternut squash, apples, pears, Brussels sprouts and green leafies.

Our favorite new snack? Kale chips. Make them. Make them early. Make them often. You'll be happy you did.

4. Picking ...

 

 

 

5. ...and paying. Two mediumish pumpkins and a very tiny one cost me $21! For vegetables!

I didn't think anything could surprise me after adjusting to the cost of living in southern California. Then we moved here. Just last week I paid $4 for a head of cauliflower at the farmers' market. I don't even think it was organic.

DC-area sticker shock still has me reeling.

How much do pumpkins cost where you live?

6. Hot-gluing, stitching and duct-taping the finishing touches onto what may be some of our finest homespun costumes yet.

 

7. And finally, outfitting our littlest one for his first successful night of treat-gathering on the big night. Here is Henry Paul's treat bag.

 

A benefit to being the third child in the line-up is that if Mama has any time and energy left to craft things for you, it's bound to be her finest work yet since she's already had two practice rounds.

***

Have a great weekend, all! I'll be sipping coffee at the ballet studio, schlepping costume-clad tots to our neighborhood Halloween party, keeping fingers out of the treat cauldron and helping little hands draft carving plans for those pumpkins. I hope you have some fun on tap, too.