Tag: Halloween

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Celebrate Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, by Louis Brown

I know it is difficult to
think about Celebrating when there is a storm cloud hanging over the United
States. But remember the candidate who gets fewer votes wins the White House,
that is the new normal. So Washington will continue to be Alice in Wonderland,
where up is down, left is right, backward is forward, ignorance is cherished, love
America means hate America, etc. Still we survived the hostile presidency of
George W. Bush. And we shouldn’t stop celebrating our holidays.
(1)
On Oct. 28, 2016, 7 p.m. at Saint John’s
Episcopal Cathedral, located at 14 Street and Washington Street, there was a
Halloween organ recital, that is, there was a showing of a German silent horror
movie, “Nosferatu,” Angela Papadakos was the organist. She started by playing
Bach’s Toccata and Fugue. (hum a few bars), spooky in itself. Then she
continued playing matching the mood of the scenes and her musical accompaniment.
Some people in attendance were wearing Halloween costumes, so I put on my
diminutive black top hat, and my neighbor, a young woman, in the audience told
me my hat was “awesome.” That made my evening.
(2)
Read flyer for Holiday Luncheon. Also I am
thankful for Prime Timers, and I met Joseph Bump at the luncheon who evaluated
my home situation about 7 or 8 years ago when Prime Timers was meeting in a
restaurant on West Colfax Avenue, which is in my neighborhood. Prime Timers
members keep track of each other (without being busy bodies). So if one ember
is having difficulty, if possible, Prime Timers helps him out. I wonder why I
do not recall any elderly women participating. It wasn’t a male-only club.
(3)
Read copy of E-Mail from Danny Dromm re
Gay History.
(4)
In New York City, gay libbers celebrate
Christmas by attending the Christmas chorale as performed by the NYC Gay Men’s
Chorus at Carnegie Hall. Does Denver Colorado have something analogous? I hope
so.

© 19 Nov 2016  
About
the Author 
I was born in 1944, I lived most of my life in New York City,
Queens County. I still commute there. I worked for many years as a Caseworker
for New York City Human Resources Administration, dealing with mentally
impaired clients, then as a social work Supervisor dealing with homeless PWA’s.
I have an apartment in Wheat Ridge, CO. I retired in 2002. I have a few
interesting stories to tell. My boyfriend Kevin lives in New York City. I
graduated Queens College, CUNY, in 1967.
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Setting Up House, by Nicholas

I’ve set up house a number of times. Sometimes alone and
sometimes with others. Either way, it’s a lot of work bringing order out of the
sheer chaos of boxes strewn about the new empty place. I remember when Jamie
and I packed up our things in San Francisco, hired a mover, saw all our stuff
go off down the street and hoped we’d see it again in Denver. We did. That was
in 1990. We moved into a house on East Third Avenue in which the first thing we
did—before we unpacked anything—was go buy candy to give away since it was
Halloween and we wanted to be part of our new neighborhood.
We got a bedroom set up and the bed made so we could at least
go to sleep in our new house. Next day we set about sorting and arranging our
things in the place we were to live in. For me, the kitchen is the most
important. My kitchen must have a logic to it. Pots and pans close to where
they will be used. Spices and herbs within reach of cooking. Wine and wine
glasses always handy. Less used supplies in more distant cabinets.
We stayed there three years and then moved to where we live
now. We have lived longer at our present address than either of us ever had lived
anywhere else in our lives. We do not intend to move again for some time unless
we are forced to. Forget moving and setting up a new house.
Actually, we are heading in the opposite direction. Not
setting up a house, but sort of tearing one down. Our house is big with lots of
places to stash things. We have watched the detritus pile up. Fortunately, we
have a two car garage that is just about big enough for two cars and not much
else. And we insist on using the garage as a garage, not for extra storage. So,
there are limitations. But stuff still accumulates.
We are trying to slow that accumulation. For birthdays and
anniversaries, we ask for no gifts, please. We even try to get rid of stuff. We
like to call it de-accessioning. I cleared out a shelf of flower vases, for
example, by unloading them on a nearby florist who was glad to take them and
will likely re-use them. Packing material, like those annoying popcorn things
and bubble wrap, if reasonably clean, is welcomed by packing and shipping
places. I have recycled bags full of the stuff. Jamie recently took a trunk
load of old computer bits and accessories to a recycling center. Better they
get broken down into usable parts than sit in our attic.
It takes a little work but it’s easy getting rid of stuff you
don’t like. Now we want to start getting rid of stuff we do like. I plan to
cull through books which I hate to part with but, after a time, they do only
collect dust on a shelf. Clothes too. I have too much now so, I’ve decided that
if I want to buy new clothes, I have to get rid of some of the old.
Largely as an accident, I ended up being the keeper of old
family photo albums. One day, I parceled out some of the ten albums my mother
had put together and sent some to my sisters. After all, their pictures were in
there too.
Some folks become hoarders as they age. They can’t give up
anything. Maybe, they think that’ll be the mark they leave on the world. Maybe
that’s how they establish that they have lived—show a bunch of stuff for it.
Maybe that’s how they remember all they’ve seen and done. If I leave a mark on
this world, I hope it won’t be just a pile of junk for someone else to pitch.
I’m not a hoarder. I take great delight in getting rid of
things. I love downsizing. It’s like losing weight (which is something else I
ought to look into). But while stuff is easy to pass up, ice cream is not.
If I ever set up another house, it will be with less stuff.
Of course, it will probably be smaller so I will be forced to de-accessionize
even more. Some of that may be difficult with tough choices. But really it will
be a joy. Taking apart a house is as much fun as setting one up.
© 12 Sep 2016 
About the Author 
Nicholas grew up in Cleveland,
then grew up in San Francisco, and is now growing up in Denver. He retired from
work with non-profits in 2009 and now bicycles, gardens, cooks, does yoga,
writes stories, and loves to go out for coffee.
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Hallowe’en Dinner by Betsy

I was only trying to be
a good mother.  Back in the 1960‘and 70’s
liver was considered to be the best, most nutritious food available.  No other food had all the goodness of beef or
calves’ liver.  That is, nutritionally it
was the best, aesthetically, well, pretty awful, in my opinion.
During that time I was
very conscientious about giving my young children the best in nutrition.  The only question about liver was how
to get them to eat it.  I,
myself, had a hard time, indeed, getting the slightest morsel down.  The texture and the taste, I thought and
still think, are rather repulsive. But a good mother feeds her children
well.   So I determined that once a year,
at least, liver would be served at the dinner table and consumed by all–even
if it were to be a very small amount.  But
how to get them to eat it.  What
was a mother to do.
Hallowe’en offered the
perfect situation.  The children
typically would do their trick or treating as soon as they had finished their
dinner.  Well, you know the rest.  “You may go trick or treating after
you have finished your liver.” 
said I to the three sweet, little, adorable faces with blinking eyes
looking at me in anticipation of the excitement of going out with their friends
for Hallowe’en fun. Ooow!! That was hard. 
Was that cruel, or what.  Oh well,
I wouldn’t make them eat much.  Even just
a couple of bites!  After all, it’s for
their own good.  That’s why I’m doing
this, isn’t it.  Isn’t that what any good
mother would do?
Interesting that when
my daughters, now old enough to be young grandmothers, recently reminded me of
these hallowe’en dinners of many years ago, I replied innocently, “I don’t
remember any of that!.  Are you sure that
really happened?  You know, I wouldn’t
touch the stuff even if I wanted to.  It’s
full of cholesterol and toxins!”
The reality is that I
do remember, now that my memory has been tweaked.  And, yes, this did happen, but I think only
once or maybe twice at most, not the many, many hallowe’en dinners that they
remember. 
At the time those liver
dinners on Hallowe’en were not so funny to any of us.  Eating liver was serious business.  Now we know better.   Now 45 years later, every Hallowe’en, we get
lots of laughs remembering the liver dinner–or was it dinners?  I get teased a lot about this.  I guess my kids grew up and came to
understand what it’s like to be a parent wanting to do the right thing for
their kids.
But as I look back on
it now, I realize I have mellowed a lot. 
I don’t think I would make my kids do that now, especially on
Hallowe’en.  Every once in a while, in
spite of the laughs, a vague, nagging feeling from deep inside emerges and
suggests that maybe that was kind of mean–making them eat liver.  But, then, didn’t someone say that Hallowe’en
has its dark side. 
© 31 Oct 2011

About the Author

Betsy has been active in the
GLBT community including PFLAG, the Denver women’s chorus, OLOC (Old Lesbians
Organizing for Change).  She has been
retired from the Human Services field for about 15 years.  Since her retirement, her major activities
include tennis, camping, traveling, teaching skiing as a volunteer instructor
with National Sports Center for the Disabled, and learning.  Betsy came out as a lesbian after 25 years of
marriage. She has a close relationship with her three children and enjoys
spending time with her four grandchildren. 
Betsy says her greatest and most meaningful enjoyment comes from sharing
her life with her partner of 25 years, Gillian Edwards. 
Posted on

Hallowe’en Dinner by Betsy

I was only trying to be a good mother. Back in the 1960‘and 70’s liver was considered to be the best, most nutritious food available. No other food had all the goodness of beef or calves’ liver. That is, nutritionally it was the best, aesthetically, well, pretty awful, in my opinion.

During that time I was very conscientious about giving my young children the best in nutrition. The only question about liver was how to get them to eat it. I, myself, had a hard time, indeed, getting the slightest morsel down. The texture and the taste, I thought and still think, are rather repulsive. But a good mother feeds her children well. So I determined that once a year, at least, liver would be served at the dinner table and consumed by all–even if it were to be a very small amount. But how to get them to eat it. What was a mother to do.

Hallowe’en offered the perfect situation. The children typically would do their trick or treating as soon as they had finished their dinner. Well, you know the rest. “You may go trick or treating after you have finished your liver,” said I to the three sweet, little, adorable faces with blinking eyes looking at me in anticipation of the excitement of going out with their friends for Hallowe’en fun. Ooow!! That was hard. Was that cruel, or what. Oh well, I wouldn’t make them eat much. Even just a couple of bites! After all, it’s for their own good. That’s why I’m doing this, isn’t it. Isn’t that what any good mother would do?

Interesting that when my daughters, now old enough to be young grandmothers, recently reminded me of these Hallowe’en dinners of many years ago, I replied innocently, “I don’t remember any of that!. Are you sure that really happened? You know, I wouldn’t touch the stuff even if I wanted to. It’s full of cholesterol and toxins!”

The reality is that I do remember, now that my memory has been tweaked. And, yes, this did happen, but I think only once or maybe twice at most, not the many, many hallowe’en dinners that they remember. 
At the time those liver dinners on Hallowe’en were not so funny to any of us. Eating liver was serious business. Now we know better. Now 45 years later, every Hallowe’en, we get lots of laughs remembering the liver dinner–or was it dinners? I get teased a lot about this. I guess my kids grew up and came to understand what it’s like to be a parent wanting to do the right thing for their kids. 
But as I look back on it now, I realize I have mellowed a lot. I don’t think I would make my kids do that now, especially on Hallowe’en. Every once in a while, in spite of the laughs, a vague, nagging feeling from deep inside emerges and suggests that maybe that was kind of mean–making them eat liver. But, then, didn’t someone say that Hallowe’en has its dark side.

© 31 Oct 2011 

About the Author 

Betsy has been active in the GLBT community including PFLAG, the Denver women’s chorus, OLOC (Old Lesbians Organizing for Change). She has been retired from the Human Services field for about 15 years. Since her retirement, her major activities include tennis, camping, traveling, teaching skiing as a volunteer instructor with National Sports Center for the Disabled, and learning. Betsy came out as a lesbian after 25 years of marriage. She has a close relationship with her three children and enjoys spending time with her four grandchildren. Betsy says her greatest and most meaningful enjoyment comes from sharing her life with her partner of 25 years, Gillian Edwards.