Halloween is supposed to be next week, but the wildlife goblins are not familiar with human calendars and arrived at our house early. Their early morning activity left us with a pumpkin carving reminiscent of the Norwegian artist Edward Munch’s famous painting “The Scream,” originally exhibited under the German title “Der Schrei der Natur.”

Hello and happy October to all my friends. My mom, as you can imagine, is super, super happy for her favorite month to finally be here. The yard is filled with pumpkins, a corn stalk or two, and the Halloween guys in the basement are out and ready to greet the season.

Harvest festivals have been popular in all cultures, but Germans show a special exuberance in their annual Octoberfest. The famous two-week festival brings more than 3.5 million people to Munich each fall for celebrations with German food, large steins of beer and various forms of entertainment for all ages.

After 11 different homes from California to New York, Alida Zimmerman and her husband retired to a 1902 log cabin in the Chippewa National Forest of northern Minnesota. They lived there for 18 years, and Alida thought it was their forever home, but one day her husband asked if she wanted to move.

Cooking for friends and family sometimes can be a challenge in face of individual dietary requirements and choices between keto, vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free food. This becomes even more important as we consider the need for balance in a healthy diet and try to provide a delicious meal with eye appeal.