Halloween

Happy Halloween. This has been a day that began with us cleaning and rearranging and stashing things like coffee pots because it was our first day to show the house.

A little before noon our agent, Mary-Anne, exiled us from our own house and told us we couldn't return until 1 when the viewing was over. We went to Crows Nest and decided to try out a new restaurant boasting "Build Your Own Burgers", which we now know is restaurant-speak for you can have the stuff you would have been able to have for free anyways, but now we get to charge about 5 bucks more.

The burgers were good, though pricey, but the lunch was excellent because while we were reviewing the menu our great friends Shirley and Cheryl walked past and we got them to join us.

After lunch, LK went to the grocery to buy 12 bags of candy bars to give to Trick or Treaters. I went to the drug store to get six prescriptions for diabetes filled because of all the candy I used to eat when I was a Trick or Treater. Karma, I guess.

Then we went home where Mary-Anne filled us in on the viewing. She said that 19 families had come through the house and about 2 or 3 were "good inspections", which I think means they are strong prospects. We talked with her for quite a while, and if I have to get it to a simple sentence. it would be: Good first day and we'll find out how good later.

After that, we had about an hour before Rachael and Matt came over with Lily to trick or treat the neighborhood. (We apparently have a strong American contingent living here and it's prime territory for Halloween treats.) LK used it to carve an excellent jack o'lantern. Lily's friends Chloe and Amy eventually joined her, and after some play time at the house Rach and Matt took them around to harvest sweets.

Lily dressed as a pumpkin. It's a costume she's had for years and rediscovered recently. She decided that she wanted to wear the costume again, even though it's really designed to fit a girl of about 2 or 3. As you can see from the picture, she somehow pulled it off although the cap makes her look to me like Drew Barrymore in Grey Gardens.

When I told her today that Auntie Sandy (as she calls her) had first made the costume for Jordan when she was a little girl, Lily got quite excited and couldn't wait to tell her parents that the costume was quite special because Auntie Sandy had sewed it.

Anyhow, an hour later three 7-year-olds were wolfing down candy. I am positive none of these girls ever eats this much candy, and I was starting to feel a little nauseous myself watching them. I tried to slow them down with all the arguments adults use that have zero impact on 7-year-olds with piles of chocolate in front of them.

Out of desperation, I finally said, "Lily, if you keep eating Snickers you are going to end up looking like Bampy." Her two friends both stopped and looked at me with a true lack of comprehension. Then Lily piped up, "He means we will all be fat." Chloe and Amy nodded. Then, confident that they did not need to fear baldness at an early age, all three girls went back to scarfing down their candy.

They finally left, and LK and I were alone, but Greenwich is now unofficially a Halloween Center of Excellence in Australia. LK bought 12 bags of 12 candy bars. By 7:30 we were down to 10 little Snickers and dreading what would happen if the doorbell rang two or three more times. Fortunately, the tide receded with five candy bars left and we were able to relax.

As we sat down, we both realized we were very tired for no obvious reason. It may just be that we have finally reached the Showing-the-House finish line and it was probably just an unconscious response. Anyhow, LK is making a late dinner. She has just blown out the candle on the jack o'lantern and proclaimed Halloween officially over. And soon after we eat, I think we will both be happy to crawl into bed.