Scary Spooky Displays AND Has Agatha Christie been brought back from the dead?

Halloween in Our Neighborhood

My Shadow.

In our neighborhood the elaborate Halloween decor is showing up.

Agatha Christie:

Not Brought Back From the Dead

It must have been magic. Agatha Christie had a magic all her own, and this book, by modern author Lucy Foley, doesn’t have it. Christie’s famous Miss Marple is claimed to be here, though she’s not as vividly portrayed as in the original books. There’s a classically restricted setting — a ski resort that’s temporarily snowed-in. Several of the characters who are present at the resort have a motive for the murder that takes place, and any one of them could have had the opportunity. The method is straightforward — poison in a drink. Method… motive… opportunity: the classic trio. And the author uses a gimmick of having four different narrators — well, it’s gimmicky.

Unfortunately, this sequel just didn’t engage me the way that the original Miss Marple books did. Yes, I read them all — though it was quite a long time ago. As for this one: I ended up not even reading very carefully. I think I’m starting to forget it!

I’m disappointed, I guess, but not really surprised. There will never be another Agatha Christie — she published so many wonderful mysteries until her death in 1976. Even though it’s Halloween, you can’t bring her back.

A Walk in the Park

 Along the Huron River 

Only a few people were in the park.
We enjoyed late-afternoon autumn sunshine as we walked along the river.

Two turtles were enjoying the warmth of the sun.

Photos © 2026 mae sander

Stage Magic

Rudolph Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn

On Netflix

We watched "The Magic of Nureyev," a documentary on PBS that premiered on April 11, 2025. The only way to describe this superstar ballet dancer seems to me to be the cliche "larger than life"! Interestingly, we actually saw him on stage in London in 1976. We somehow managed to get last-minute tickets to a sold-out performance, with seats at the extreme left of stage in one of the first rows. It was during an extreme heat wave, and when he did his famous twirls we could see drops of sweat fly off of him, illuminated by the stage lights that were designed to suit the spectators in the center rows. The Netflix special definitely captures the legendary nature of his escape from Russia and his extraordinary fame.

Are ballet dancers famous like this any more? I don’t know.
At the moment this type of acclaim goes to Taylor Swift, I guess.

Text of this post © 2026 mae sander

Photos from web searches.

Farmers’ Market Chicken Dinner

 

Photos © 2026 mae sander

At the Farmer’s Market

Before shopping for produce we stopped at the indoor market

nextdoor to the Farmer’s Market for a coffee. 

Someone had left the newspaper on the table.

The market wasn’t very busy.  Although it’s late in the season, there were
still many late-harvest tomatoes.

Photos © 2026 mae sander

What to eat?

Lunch Outdoors

Maybe the last time this year

Dinners and More Lunches

Shrimp with pomegranate-sriracha sauce and our frequent favorite: 
potatoes with oil and parsley.

Using up leftovers: A pot of soup with chicken about to be added.

Trader Joe’s Soup

Caprese salad made by Alice

Breakfasts

French toast with apples

Bagels toasting

Waffles toasting

Photos © 2026 mae sander for maefood.blogspot.com

Halloween is Coming Soon

Our Neighbors Take Halloween Seriously!

Walking around the block today we saw many houses with dramatic holiday decorations. It’s definitely going to get more exciting as Halloween approaches!

Photos © 2026 mae sander

The Gnawsons Are Back and Other Stories

 

For several years, a busy beaver team has been building and rebuilding a dam and a beaver lodge at the local Botanical Gardens. We took a walk there recently as shown in the photos. Their original dam doesn’t seem to be in use now, but a few more beaver structures have been constructed along the way, as shown above.

Walking in the Garden

Fungus on a log. Is that poison ivy behind the log? Probably not but I wouldn’t touch it.

Indigenous Peoples Day

A sign in the gardens in appreciation of local indigenous people.

A native American wood carving from a trip to the Pacific Northwest a few years ago.

From a trip a few years ago: the opinion of the people of Alert Bay of the salmon farms in their waters.

Paul Kane, “Interior of a Chinook Lodge,” 1847. Illustration from 
Lewis and Clark among the Indians by James P. Ronda

Reflecting the News

It’s hard to entertain guests in one’s home

From The Guardian today.

My table set for guests earlier this week. Len’s bread, sliced cheese & ham, and a pleasant atmosphere.

Bigger is Better

Not far from our house: numerous displays of skeletons both large and small.
This is only one example! There are also 10 foot tall inflatable displays of scary figures.
I will add Halloween photos throughout the month of October.

Nobel Prize Winner is Local

The Nobel Prize today was awarded to poet Anne Carson. She was Professor of Classical Studies, Comparative Literature, and English Language and Literature at the University of Michigan from 2003 to 2009. Her husband was also a faculty member until recently, and they lived near a friend of ours. Reported in the news:

Blog post © 2026 mae sander