Choo Choo!

Yesterday was a REALLY good day. Apparently, blogging is working out well for me. Who knew?

I was invited to visit a Culinary School Menu, where one chef directs his or her kitchen on how to make their dishes, display and serve. Food was sooooo good! I got mad when a chef /server for the event kept coming to take the plate away from me...don't take the food out of my mouth! Photos?:

A little while later I was out to meet a local historian who is a friend of mine at his book signing! I also got to meet the author of a children's book called Loukoumi...and I gave him my query letter! YAY!

PS- I haven't eaten anything but a fiber bar since yesterday. Seriously, THAT'S how full I was!

Anyway, my historian friend got me thinking about my Halloween tales, because we were checking out a book on ghosts captured on camera! I have some good ones that he didn't want to hear after a while, and I was totally not exaggerating...so the one that creeps people out the most is:

When my oldest nephew was really little, he had a toy choo choo train among other toys. Occassionally, if we left the room, we would hear my nephew having conversations that were one sided. No. OK. Don't touch that, that's MINE! Eventually, choo choo was long forgotten and pushed to the side.
Flash forward to a few months later. Winter, cold. I am sitting with my parents, watching TV, when I get up to get something to drink. Shuffle, shuffle. Shuffle, shuffle.
Ma, what the hell is that?
When out from underneath a pile of books by the piano comes the choo choo. I raise my eyebrows. It stops moving.
Ma, stop playing and give me the remote.
What are you talking about? The remote is up there on the piano.
Uh huh.
Choo choo!
Say what??
I take a step towards the kitchen...so does choo choo.
I stop walking. So does choo choo.
Oh forget it, I think to myself as I walk to the kitchen.
Chooga chooga, chooga chooga, choo choo! I turn around and guess what's right in my path at the kitchen entrance?
Choo choo.
This went on for a few more hours. It would stare at us. Move when we moved.
That night, I went to bed. I always closed my door when I went to bed...just like i always get up three times each night to pee.
Knock.
Knock.
Are you serious?
Go away! I'm sleeping!
Knock. Knock.
This went on for about a week. Until it knocked on my Grandmothers door.
Waking up and opening my door a few weeks later, I noticed choo choo was gone.
Grandma, where's choo choo?
Hm? I don't know what you're talking about, dear. Would you like some toast?
No. Thanks.

Flash forward to a few years later...now I'm in college. Mother picks me up from school.
I have to tell you something. It's eating me up alive.
What?
Remember that toy train?
CHoo Choo? Yeah, whatever happened to him.
Well, I don't know that. When you're Grandmother gets a hold of these things, God only knows what she does with them.
Hm.
Anyway, the point is. One night after you went to bed, I unlatched the battery hatch to choo choo. There wasn't any batteries.

Wonderful.

My story has been copyrighted. Of course. Please share your Halloween/Haunted tales if you'd like :)


Gotta go! Parties to attend to- more soon!

Much Much Love, and stay warm!
MG