"Tis the Season

No, no, no....not Christmas...Fall!  Yeah, I know you can go into almost any department store and see tinsel and tree trimmings but who can not love the beauty of Fall?

I grew up in Florida so I never had a clue what autumn was.  After I graduated from Florida State University, I moved to New England to see what it was all about.   Oh, wow, that first year was exactly how Hawthorne and Dickinson described it.  The Green Mountains covered in vibrant shades of yellows, oranges and reds.  Nothing short of brilliant.

What I didn’t get was that winter relentlessly followed what was commonly the brief respite of fall.  So, for me, fall was a huge downer because tons of snow and ice and high heating bills were right around the corner.  My first winter there it snowed on October 17th and I didn’t see the ground again until late April.  What the hell have I done?

I love the South, the beaches, the warmth....not wild about the politics but that’s just me.
After 13 years of frigid weather outside the house and inside the house, I moved to Maryland.  Soooo much more reasonable.  In 28 years, we’ve had two winters that rivaled New England.

My negative attitude toward fall has mellowed.  When the kids were little, we did the hay rides and pumpkin picking at local farms.  We’d stuff scarecrows and seat them on the front stoop.  Kevin would carve the scariest pumpkins on the street.  He would wear his Nixon mask, sending the trick-or-treaters and their parents screaming from the house!

The kids are long gone, but fall has arrived.  The days are shorter and crisper albeit warm and sunny enough to drive in the country with the top down.

Fall is a slow cooker pot roast Sunday watching the Ravens squeak out another win.  Fall saw Orioles fans glued to the American League playoffs seeing them take the Yankees to five games only to lose in the end.

Steve and I found two blue grass concerts in the area, both interrupted by pouring rain, although the weather put no damper on the music.  It was foot stomping great!  However, I was a little uncomfortable with the Confederate flags on sale.

Last weekend was the best!  We drove out to Linganore Wineries for a wine tasting.  I wasn’t sure how it worked so I asked.  “For $5, you taste 16 different wines, but for $10, you get the wines and a chocolate pairing.”  No brainer.  I’ll take the chocolate.

Sixteen wines???  I like wine but one glass makes me woozy.  Each tasting is about 1/2 ounce so it adds up to eight ounces which is more than a full glass.  Plus, really, Maryland wines?  Trust me, it’s not like California, Oregon, Australia or France.  Maryland wine is just okay....not great for one with a discerning palate.  Perfect for me who after the first two wines, probably couldn’t tell the difference.  Definitely not a wine connoisseur.

We sat down and we got a grid that described the 16 wines and the chocolates that go best with them.  I’m ready...let’s get started!  For the next hour, our waiter poured the wines and we sipped.  We actually bought two wines--a strawberry that is fabulous with chocolate and a white zinfandel.  Seriously, I don’t ever drink white zinfandel but this was dee-lish.  Of course, I have no discerning palate and it was about the 10th wine in the series.  God knows what it really tastes like!

Today, we’re off to Fresh Market to get what we need to make mulled cider.  It’s another one of those gorgeous, sunny fall days which is supposed to extend way into next week.

What’s the plan for the weekend?  Well, there’s a reggae concert at another winery.  We’re off!!!

Go O's!

In March, Steve and I attended a spring training game in Sarasota....Boston Red Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles.  The O’s were terrible; Boston easily clobbered them.  I’m thinking...Oh, great, another dismal season for the home team.

I’m not a huge fan of baseball.  It’s too slow, too long, too boring.  Truth be known, I refused to let my son play the game when he was a kid because it just took way too much time.  I heard horror stories from other moms about sitting in the dark for hours waiting for the final inning.

In our household, it was soccer and basketball...case closed...games that ended in an hour.  Perfect!  Especially for a working, single mom.  Don’t get me wrong.  I loved to see my kids play.  I just didn’t want to make a career out of it.

Of course, it’s practically un-American to not let your kids play baseball.  Probably un-American to not play football either.  That was taboo in our house for another reason.
Too violent.  I know, I know.  Too pollyanna-ish.  I don’t care.  My son to this day loves soccer and basketball.

But, I live in Baltimore, home of the Orioles.  After the new stadium was built 17 years ago, I went a few times.  Mainly, because I love the stadium...not necessarily because I was into the game.  I love the food....Boog’s BBQ, chicken fingers and fries, hot dogs.  Yep, I love it all.

For the past 15 years, Baltimore hasn’t had a winning season so the packed stadium gave way to the few hearty O’s fans that never gave up.  One of them was Steve.  He went to most of the home games and even traveled to see them on the road.  Now, that’s a real fan.  Me?  No way.  Fair weather fan all the way.  I don’t even love the game to begin with so going to watch them lose was no draw for me.

So this summer, I went with him to the games or we tuned in at 7:30 to Maryland Sports Network.  As usual, they won their first few games.  Always the way it’s been before they start losing and losing and losing some more.  This season, however, was completely different.  They kept winning and winning, even on the road.

They had their ups and downs but you could never count them out.  Sooo many games went into extra innings.  They lost the first two then won 16 extra inning games.  16!  We happened to be at a day game on September 13th that went to 18 innings!  It was like getting a second game for free!

My favorite extra inning game was on July 5th against the Red Sox.  The O’s sent every pitcher they had into the game. Eight pitchers had come to the mound.  Finally, they sent the designated hitter, Chris Davis, in to pitch.  I kid you not!  Evidently, he used to pitch when he was an adolescent so he got tapped.  He asked the catcher what to do and he replied, “Throw strikes.”

And he did. He pitched two scoreless innings and won the game!  Well, he became my favorite player and now he’s hit home runs six games in a row!

There are no prima donnas on this team.  They keep fighting back and now have ended up 1 game behind the dominant, big moneyed Yankees.  They’ve picked up veteran players other teams gave up on and picked up  players barely out of high school and somehow it’s working.

I saw today that Buck Showalter, the O’s second year manager, is up for manager of the year.  Ya think???  Every team he’s managed have had miraculous comebacks in no time!  He never smiles, he talks in a monotone but he’s a miracle worker!  He must be the most inspirational guy in the locker room and a stooge for the cameras.

This team even has a winning record against the hated Yankees!  Tonight is the Orioles last game of the season.  If they win and the Yankees lose, they’ve tied for first in the East Division of the American League.  They’re already in the play-offs but how sweet it would be for them to win their division.  It’s a long shot but it’s not impossible.

Tonight’s the first presidential debate and the last Orioles regular season game.  The debate will result in more polarization, as it’s wont to do.  The O’s game?

Baltimore has a winning team.  No matter what happens, this season has given this city a team to cheer for for the first time in 15 years.  We are united!