My friend Natalie sent me this totally delicious pumpkin soup recipe. I'm not much of a person for sharing recipes, but this one is a keeper:

pumpkin puree
2 large onions, sauteed
3 cloves crushed garlic, sauteed
2 large tomatoes, chopped
vegetable stock or chicken broth
2 bay leaves
marjoram or oregano, whole leaves or sprig
winter savory, whole leaves or sprig
lovage, whole leaves or sprig
1 T honey (or more, to taste) wildflower honey best
1/2 c cream or half and half (add at end; do not boil)
Remove sprigs and leaves before serving

Delicious when served. Even better the next day. I used canned organic pumpkin because I'm too lazy to cook, peel and puree my own. Your enthusiasm may differ.

We had over 80 trick-or-treat visitors last night. We ran out of candy and had to turn off our lights and shut the door. Next year, we're agreed: no candy. I'm not sure what we will give away, but children don't need pillowcases full of candy. There must be some other kind of fun treat for them. Suggestions?

Tonight I'm going to be with a group being trained as poll watchers/observers. I'm curious about what the role entails, and what they recommend to do in various circumstances. I've heard so many horror stories about voters being intimidated....

A new month, a new (pumpkin) color scheme.