Halloween Ramblings

Happy Halloween to one and all!

This trick-or-treat day finds me happily working away from home in my flannel gown (and every time I see that commercial where that couple is engaged and man wants the woman to promise never to wear flannel? I amuse myself by shouting at the screen...."PICK THE FLANNEL, PICK THE FLANNEL--TRUST ME ON THIS--YOU'LL NEVER BE SORRY!" To no avail. But I digress.) my trusty westie sleeps curled into a warm ball pressed against my side, my sporty retriever frolics just beyond the deck in the back yard. A raven crows in the distance--just the right note of menace for the occasion, Edgar Allen Poe.

Oh, but the weather is heartbreakingly gorgeous. Sunny and warm, but with a hint of chill in the wind. And, of course, there is the fall foliage. I will be unable to resist the call of my hiking boots today.

I purchased the set of dishes pictured above with the help of gift certificate from my cousin, Mary (THANKS!). I have been coveting them for some time and took the plunge last night. I now find myself obsessed with the love of them, unable to tuck them away in a cabinet. So I display a set here in my dining area.

The dishes are by Corelle, a brand I have a soft spot for. I have a vivid memory of my Grandmother receiving a set some thirty-ish years ago when the brand was new. Back then, as now, they are famous for their light weight and chip-resistant durability but still china-like quality. I can hold a plate up to the light and see the shadow of my hand through it. This is something I recall my Grandma doing with a plate from the set she received on that long ago Christmas.

Grandma's set of Corelle is white, like mine, but round where mine is square. Hers is ringed with a blue flower pattern. From that Christmas in the very early seventies, to this very day, those dishes do double-duty as both her every-day and special occasion dinnerware. At the very least, that's upwards of 35 years of meals on the same set of plates that, last time I looked, were good as new.

If there's a better endorsement for dinnerware anywhere, I don't know what it would be. I can only hope my set proves as faithful as hers.

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[Edited to add: You totally need to have your "plate-o-scope" read.]