A Substitute

Before I get into the meat of this post, let me just say that in the process of making muffins this morning, I burned three of my fingertips when I grabbed the muffin pan out of the drawer below the oven. Apparently it had been helpfully preheating along with the oven. It was hot. I have five blisters and at this moment I am clutching a frozen pack of ham and typing one handed. I just wanted you all to know how hardcore I am. Also, don't try to get things out of the drawer below the oven when the oven is on. That is my bit of wisdom for today. Anyway.

Now, let me tell you something about that wonderful place called D'CALC. For those of you who don't know, D'CALC was my apartment in Indiana that I shared with Ferskner and Marcue. It was glorious for many reasons and D'CALC was unique in many ways, but here is one of those reasons:


Furry pumpkin! It's exactly what you think it is: a real pumpkin stem with a pumpkin-like body made of (fake) fur and stuffing. Neato and bizarre, yes? It was a Christmas present for Ferskner from her brother. Ah, the love. Anyway, we weren't quite sure what to do with it, and it kind of moved around the apartment for a while before settling down on top of the television. It was a great conversation piece, and sometimes I find myself thinking fondly of its weird, soft pumpkin body.

(Thanks to Marcue for the furry pumpkin picture I pilfered from her blog.)

Now, let me tell you another story. One of our wedding presents was a tall pillar candle from Yankee Candle with an apricot honey scent. We've been moving lots of stuff from Maison Graham to Appartement Graham and one of them was the candle and holder. A few days later I headed out to Wal-Mart in my car, which smelled unusually delicious. Later in the parking lot, I was putting things in the trunk when I noticed the candle holder sitting in the back, on the shelf between the seats and the back window. "Oh ho," I said to myself, "I forgot all about that back there. I wonder where the candle is..."

Yes. The candle was there. Not looking quite like a pillar anymore.

Rather more like a sea cucumber yes?* A waxy sea cucumber. What does this have to do with the furry pumpkin? Maybe not much, really, but I've started calling the waxy sea cucumber furry pumpkin. It's odd, unexpected and I keep putting it different places around the apartment. It's not a furry pumpkin but it is a nice, indirect reminder of D'CALC. Like the glow in the dark bat in my car.

*Sorry for the lame picture, but I took it with my webcam. The screen on my trusty camera broke the other day, alas.