This is our friend Toffee dressed up for Hallowe'en! She's a Franco-American chienne & we're just crazy about her. As a French girl, she knows that a little classic touch (note the hair bow) goes a long way. And she was worried that she didn't have a great costume! She knows just how to pose--touching her forepaw to a tiny autumn gourd. C'est adorable. Look at those cute baby pumpkins.
Reminder: the Tents of Hope gathering in Washington, DC, 7-9 November 2008. Please check here for updates. Darfur Peace & Development Organization will be the beneficiary of the tents & will participate in all activities.
Any help you can give, especially calling people, is so helpful. Even if you're bashful (get your pin here), you can do it. Sign up here. You can call from home. When you get an ornery person on the other end, it's a good opportunity to build personal patience. It's not so bad. Would we lie? (We would not.) Watch Barack make phone calls here.
It's turned so windy & cold that we had to go hat shopping at home. We love this designer. GG would look best in the modish burnt orange. Her editor loves the side flip on the sleek, stylish ivory hat. These & many more charming chapeaux are at Tomokotahara shop on Etsy. The Japanese designer, Tomoko Tahara, lives in Vancouver, BC nowadays. Most important--to GG--TT loves cats & goes for walks just to visit the neighborhood felines. Tomoko is a featured seller on Etsy this month, though we've admired her work before now. Congratulations to her.
We're a little embarrassed. We've never cooked butternut squash. Or any winter squash except the glamorous pumpkin. So when we saw organic butternut & acorn squash on sale, we bought some. It's stares & mocks from a large platter in the kitchen. It knows we're scared. It knows we've inexplicably lost our best paring knife & peeler. (Into the garbage? Is this possible? Nowadays, anything is...we are in an Alice-down-the-rabbit-hole drama.) 
That's just how GG & her editor feel about the weird anti-Obama email piled up in our main account. How on earth could anyone not know, by now, where we stand, that we've already voted, & we volunteer for the campaign? It's ugly stuff, too. So ugly that we're not going to put in our customary fun & pun links. Perhaps people are in denial, perhaps they slipped & hit "forward." We don't care any more--no excuses. If you see this & have to think for one second "Did I send anything like that?" -- then you did. Cut it out. 
Well why ever not? Get moving. Friday will be here before you know it. And yes, this pin is a little weird, but until the election something will be posted every day & GG's editor is in a mad rush. As always, from democraticstuff.com. We expect our friends & family to send us photos of their trick or treaters. This means you! [It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown will be on TV tomorrow evening in the U.S. Don't pretend you don't watch it.]
No, we're not morbid. Why do you ask? Because anyone who posts anything about Sylvia Plath must be: 1) morbid; 2) full of teen-age angst; 3) fill in the blank? Nah. We just like a lot of her work. We do wish that acolytes who seem to have read only The Bell Jar, Lady Lazarus, & Daddy would, uh, read more. And for heaven's sake, quit going on about Ted Hughes; read his poetry, too. Today, is also the natal day of the greatest Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. 
The proverbial last bloom is nigh...GG's editor has seen late blooms on floribunda roses around the neighborhood, even downtown. In desperation, she snipped one small apricot-colored flower. Don't judge! Do you think that this will be held against Obama? We're at the ready to bat back ridiculous rumors, scurrilous commentary, & plain ol' mean-spiritedness--all of which are on abundant display. If you hear something you don't like, check here for the facts. This isn't over until YOU vote. 
It's all in how you tie it, how you work it. Thanks to Birmingham-based (UK) Scary-Canary shop on e-Bay for the adorably named Vintage Pussy-bow neck scarf. Silver-cream, 1940s, Deco. What more could you want? You want more? There are more. GG is entranced by the moving slideshow, the bird logo, & the idea of slinking about adorned with a pussy-bow scarf. She was thinking about flower pins & scarves this past summer. Lately, she's been watching videos of Mireille G (& others) twirl pieces of fabric into stylish magic. 
We're having computer & network trouble. Egad. So pardon us while we brood, worry, & wonder how we will have it fixed. Off to tend to our roots sans hairdresser. Due to financial disaster we are stretching out hair appointments: our one luxury (GG is an absolute necessity). Fume.
GG & her editor can dream, non? We would watch the little kids & their sailboats...people watch, flip through a new Vogue (Zola or Balzac at night), go to a Ladurée shop for a macaron (or two). New York artist Carol Gillott of lovely Paris Breakfasts is off to Paris soon. We wish her a safe journey & look forward to reaping the vicarious rewards of her photography & watercolors upon her return.
Aren't these young Philadelphia girls adorable & talented? This photo was taken a few weeks ago in Pennsylvania. Our friend Susan from Darfur Peace & Development Organization went to a Tents for Hope painting party, in advance of the large event the weekend of 7 November 2008. GG might attend one short event (outside, in deference to the allergic) if she will behave & stay in her shoulder bag (as in no plaintive mewing to cause pleas for her release so that people can hold her). Please check the web site & blog for updates. We'll have more photos soon. The painted tents from all over the United States (like the one above) will be in Washington, DC for exhibition before they are shipped to Darfur. 
Isn't she lovely? This is the allegorical figure of Autumn (in Italian, Cammeo su conchiglia raffigurante testa femminile allegoria dell'autunno) carved into shell. [Generously offered to the public by Italian photographer Matteo Pedani under a Creative Commons license. There is no other link.]
GG longs to see the real The Boating Party. She'll have to sneak in because her editor is way too busy to take her. GG is taken with the story of her editor's Boating Party costume party many years ago. And with that, we must take our leave. Do visit the web site, it's lovely. GG is organizing a weekly salon (as threatened this past summer)...details forthcoming on her foray into café society. (She's already redecorating the apartment in her little feline mind. Great idea--now she can get a job.)
Update: We've taken out the video--it is wreaking havoc on our site & is massively irritating. Go to the Post site directly to watch them. Here's a photo of GG's editor's adorable childhood pup, Archie. 
Dahlias in a moment.
Here is Politics & Prose Bookstore's link--with the events calendar. If you're visiting the DC-area, we're sure you'd feel very welcome there. Look for GG...it's her favorite bookstore. The campaign pin, as always, is from democraticstuff.com.
The Marimekko Concept store in Silver Spring (Washington, DC area) offers quilt & sewing classes. Starting Monday, 20 October, is a pillow cover making class. There are four classes from 10am-noon & it's for beginners, so no worries. The store is staffed by friendly people & you finish with a new pillow & the knowledge to make some more. Homemade Christmas & Hannukah presents on the horizon? If your schedule can't accommodate Monday mornings, there are other classes available. Stop by to look at the sale & clearance items, as well. [Heila cushion by Marimekko]
GG's editor only knew Fred MacMurray as the dad in My Three Sons. When she was an undergraduate in France, she saw this film at an English-French cinema club. Shocked, shocked! After watching The Apartment (a favorite to this day), it was clear that MacMurray was disturbingly good at playing these guys. Double Indemnity, a classic not to be missed, is playing three times today (Friday) at the AFI Silver Theatre: 4.45, 7.00, & 9.15pm. It's easy to buy tickets on-line & there is no charge for doing so (I know!). The series is co-sponsored by The Film Noir Foundation. Here's a funny article from Wednesday's Washington Post about film noir. 
Oscar Wilde was born this day in 1854 in Dublin. There are so many sites devoted to him but here are some good links. GG's editor has used an Oscar quote for her main email address for years. Everyone comments on it the first time they receive an email. It's quite clearly attributed to O.W. so we suppose the compliments concern our good taste & sense of humor. We accept the compliments but, really, how difficult is it to find a great Oscar quote? Have a great evening. 
We'd not bothered to make these until this past summer & are making up for it. Now we're sure to keep quick-cooking oats (not instant) on hand. We are far too frazzled to be baking lately; however, these are an exception. All biscuit/cookie cutters (except holiday themed) have inexplicably disappeared from our kitchen, but a small juice glass or clean tin ring works just fine. This recipe is from Nigella Lawson's How To Be A Domestic Goddess.
GG's editor has always loved small purses, especially framed coin pouches. These from JPATPURSES on Etsy don't have frames but they are adorable, affordable, & on sale right now. The seller was featured in July; here's her profile interview. She's really smart & has great taste not only in fabric but in books & film, too. The picture at top is a public domain illustration (maintained by karen's whimsy) of a small purse. If you're handy, we suppose you could copy it. If not, Vogue has accessory patterns...
Full moon time. No time for us to do anything except say thanks to David Haworth on stargazing.net for the photo & information from Night Sky Info. Also to note that, appropriate to the ghoulish season, the moon after the Harvest Moon (this year it was in September) is also known as the Blood or Sanguine moon. Boo!
From Kitchen Table Studio on Etsy. There are so many lovely items & the artist is from Northern Virginia (in GG Central's region). Everything is well priced & made from already-existing materials. The seller has uniformly excellent feedback & at least one person in Ireland is very happy with the shipping policy, so that's no problem. We just might break our no-purchase rule before the year is out. Very tempting.
People are angry & bitter & focus on a vegetable? This is really a shame. Arugula has always been a vegetable eaten by everyone in other parts of the world. It's a crucifer in the brassica family (you know, anti-cancer) & became popular in the States some years ago. Italians (non-élitist Italians, too) eat it. Some clever, non-élitist farmers followed a capitalist agenda & -- gasp-- planted & harvested arugula to their advantage. Apparently, this is un-American in some quarters. Oh, we're sure there are PhDs being written on such shady goings-on. Here are three good recipes from the fabulous (non-élitist) Lidia Bastinach. [The arugula & white bean salad is particularly affordable.] Catch Lidia's shows on élitist PBS where she makes much less money than on cable. Suspicious, eh?
Well, this is timely. The DC Labor FilmFest continues at the AFI Silver Theatre & Cultural Center through October 14, 2009. Modern Times shows today at 2:45pm. GG is meowing to the Internationale. 
It's been warm but before you know it...you'll be sorry you didn't put in enough (or any). Bulb planting is the gardener's proverbial confidence that spring will return. What with the dreadful news all around, a little confidence couldn't be a bad thing. We're just saying...
Well, it's about time that Madeline went to Rome! The book was published in September by the grandson of original Madeline author Ludwig Bemelmans. 
Capitalism is still alive, sort of. This is from eanderso's shop on Zazzle. Lots of (funny) merchandise from all over the world posted later today & through the week.
These have a different function (keeping warm in style) but they remind us of Renaissance ruffs. Again, these are from the Canadian shop knittles on Etsy. Instead of a new coat, they zip up what's already in the closet; it could serve as a signature piece. There are short scarves, along with the cowls, here & elsewhere on Etsy's site, called 'scarflettes.' The knittles artist refers to them as 'clouds of warmth.' Poetic, non? Naturellement, GG wants one & her editor admits that it would be chic. However, we intend to pick up the knitting needles soon for a scarf (to be worn by a human), not an Elizabethan cat ruff. GG Central Management expects & is prepared for a protest, GG-style. 
More than any other city in the world, GG must visit Roma. Preferably, she would live there--a better city for a gattina, we cannot imagine. Look for Madeline in Rome on Friday...Check out eternallycool.net. If you can't be there now, at least you can read & see what's going on in Rome. (Real photographs, too, not just 'stock.')
Knitting & knitwear still on the mind (head). These are lovely & new on Etsy's Canadian knittles shop. One can buy a copyrighted pattern [in PDF format] or have something custom made. These are chic, flattering, & easy-to-wear simultaneously; not always the case. [As for the title, our Canadian artiste named the hats Rose & Azure & Autumn Bloom. GG's editor loves those very words & they popped up in an Etsy tag search.] 
No we're not an optometrist...but GG's editor wears glasses (sometimes) & goes to a fabulous optician in Georgetown (not everything in G-town is expensive--relatively speaking). We don't even know if Virginia B. is an Obama supporter but actually, we don't have to ask. This is but one of hundreds of campaign buttons available. [Yes, we know the difference between an optician & an optometrist. Here is ours; he's really good.]
GG's editor's food cravings are regressing towards childhood with each batch of awful world news. Nigella's Domestic Goddess cookbook hasn't had such a workout in this house since it arrived some years ago. We're excited about the debate tonight, though.
