By David Fortier
Come Sunday morning, our family pre-Halloween Halloween party will have taken place and we will all be coming down from Halloween high, at least that is what I am anticipating. Our Grandchild No. 2 planned the party. He is something of a Halloween aficionado, at one point during the spring confessing to me that spring was not his favorite time.
“Don’t you love spring?” I asked. “Look at the sunshine and the leaves on the trees.”
“No. It’s such a long time to Halloween, Papa.”
And we have filled our babysitting days since then coloring Halloween themed pages, cutting out bats and discussing costumes.
On Saturday, he wore a vampire costume and changed over to a bat costume. His siblings wore ghost (red, because this one is obsessed with fire engines) and alternately a skeleton and pumpkin costumes. Grandchild No. 1, a cousin, wore a red mummy outfit.
When Mary arrived, she in her mad scientist costume and I in my grim reaper attire, Grandchild No. 2 greeted us from across the street in his costume.
“Papa, Gaga, when you cross the street, close your eyes,” he yelled.
We crossed the street.
“Now, close your eyes,” he said and took our hands. “When we get to the yard, I will clap my hands and you open your eyes.”
He led us to the front gate and clapped his hands.
We opened our eyes and, viola, a tiny cemetery with tiny gravestones, skeleton bones and a witch at her caldron greeted us. Spiders danced in the fading hydrangeas by the front steps and climbed cobwebs across the porch columns and walls.
And we hadn’t even gotten inside, where his galley of coloring pages awaited.
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On Saturday night, Mary and I attended “Cocktails at 8,” a fundraiser that supports local initiatives. It was the 18th gathering. And, as has happened, this one was better than the ones before, especially, with the good news about how much the evening raised for BARC. Over $50,000 to renovate its greenhouse on Jerome Avenue.
And then, there was the followup from last year’s awardee, the Carousel Museum, which received over $30,000 to plan its future renovation. Congrats to the awardees, the donors and the organizers–Bob, Bob and Kevin.
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And then there is TBE and our turning the corner to some new software, I guess that is what it’s called. The website came down overnight Friday into Saturday, and we are still working behind the scenes to get things in place for a smoother and more seamless reading experience. More on this as we proceed. Overall, the page is back up.
Next, today we will be introducing a new columnist, Dante Cimadamore, who lived on Federal Hill and is a family friend, now touring as a recording artist.
In addition, the first article of our new arrangement with CT Mirror will appear.
And we have a new reporter, JoAnn Moran, a recent transplant from New Haven, who will be volunteering in a number of capacities.
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Listening this week took me in all directions.
For instance, there is the Ones and Tooze episode, “The Economics of Donald Trump,” and “The Hidden Politics of Disorder” episode from The Ezra Klein Show. Then, there is “Rainer Maria Rilke with Alexander Sorenson” from the Entitled Opinions podcast and Aesop and His Fables (with Robin Waterfield)” from The History of Literature podcast.
For these I would recommend the first two for general knowledge, leading up to the election. For a link to the Ones and Tooze episode, click here. For the Ezra Klein Show episode, click here.
For reading, there is another New Yorker article, “Alexei Navalny’s Prison Diaries: The Russian opposition leader’s account of his last years and his admonition to his country and the world.” Navalny chose to return to Russia when he knew returning would end with death. Try this link, click here, but there is a paywall.
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City meetings this week include the following:
On Monday, Oct. 21
- Opioid Task Force, 5 p.m. Meeting Room 1-1, city hall. For a virtual meeting link, click here.
- Zoning Commission, 6 p.m. Meeting Room 3-1, city hall. For a virtual meeting link, please click here.
- Aquifer Protection Agency–Special Meeting, 6:30 p.m. Meeting Room 3-1, city hall. For a virtual meeting link, click here.
On Tuesday, Oct. 22
- Board of Finance, 5:30 p.m. Third Floor Conference Rooms, city hall. For a virtual meeting link, click here.
- Transportation Commission, 6 p.m. Meeting Room 1-3, city hall.
- Diversity Council, 6:30 p.m. Meeting Room 1-2, city hall. For a virtual meeting link, click here.
On Wednesday, Oct. 23
- Fire Station 3 Building Committee, 6 p.m. City hall.
- Fair Rent Commission–canceled.
- Youth Commission, 6 p.m. Meeting Room 1-2, city hall. For a virtual meeting link, click here.
On Thursday, Oct. 24
- Fire Commission, 6 p.m. Council chambers, city hall.
On Friday, Oct. 25
- No meeting posted.
TBE will do our best to update meeting times and locations, but it’s a good idea to check the agendas ahead of time for cancellations. Click here for specific meetings and times.
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Have some life experience in a particular business or field of study. You might be a journalist in the making. Contact editor@bristoledition.org.
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Enjoy!
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