We Can Do It!

Sarah had the idea and the polka dot fabric...

so there we were on Halloween as 3 Rosie the Riveters and one winged wood nymph (Tena already had a plan and passed on the polka dots!)

We had a great day at the store and watched as the crowd of thousands marched along Main Street with outstreched bags and pleas for treats. Pirates were more common than cowboy boots for that 2 short hours downtown, and appears that Snow White has finally unseated the Little Mermaid - yahoo!

Overall, the trick-or-treat parade signals more than just the distribution of 2000 pieces of candy and BELLA pencils - it's the official end of summer and the true beginning of the basket season!

BASKETS
BASKETS
BASKETS
It's what we do, and we love it, but it can verge on the edge of reason some days!

My approach this year mirrors with my current philosophy on good living and this years
BELLA Baskets will offer an array of practical, fun things that bring people together.
We'll be launching the catalog by the end of the week, so please check back to see
the very best "obviously great" gift ideas.

As for wine, there's a big happy face on the calendar for November. As we discussed at the wine bar today, even though there are red wines we love all year long, they simply taste better in November. Is it the crispness of the nights (it was 26 degrees when I got to work this morning, does that still qualify as crisp or is it positively crunchy?) or the smell of fallen leaves. Whatever it is that changes the flavor of the days, all I know is that Chianti tastes better today than it did 4 months ago.

One year ago, I was feasting on the fruits of the truffle harvest and eating LOTS of fresh Torrone and drinking freshly pressed Moscato in Piedmonte, Italy. Dean would interject that I was also doing my very best Garlic Flower imitation. He's right and I have to admit that I can't pour a glass of Corte alla Flora without smiling and wondering how I made it that far into my garlic consumtive lifestyle thinking that I never "shared" that love with my companions.
La dee da!
Anyways, it is with some slight panic that I realize it's a year since that trip. I still haven't labeled my photos! However, I have shared the delight and deliciousness of the wines we found there as well as renewed my passion for pizza!

It's been a fast and furious piece of work this fall, although brightened considerably by the amazing color display of the leaves in the Baker valley. Although winter has begun at 8000 feet elevation, it's still in the distance and I've no designs on shoveling anytime soon. I'll close with a photo of Dandy in the first snow of the season at Anthony Lakes - he's 21 and still loves to eat snow! My daily meditation these days consists of a photo each morning my sweet pup. He truly seems wiser every day and those big brown eyes are a constant gentle reminder that all you need is love!