by Dave Ellis

I love the crisp days of autumn, especially in southern Nevada. Once that temperature hits below one hundred I know we can finally move freely in the backyard without fear of spontaneous combustion. We also break out the fire pit which was useless to us all summer but the pigeons find it to be a great public restroom. After a lengthy hose down we load it up with firewood and have a fire, to bring the temperature back up.

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By Sherrie Mackelprang

Have you ever played Sardines? Not the fish. It is a game like hide and seek, only in reverse. Instead
of one person doing the counting while the others hide, one person hides while the others count. When it is time to do the seeking, all the players go in search of the one who hid. If someone finds the hiding player, they don’t shout out. They hide with them. This is when the fun begins. Small spaces become cramped and tight as player after player squishes into the hiding place. It is amazing how many people can fit into a shower or under a bed. The first person to find the hiding player gets to be the one who hides in the next round.

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by Lu Ann Staheli

I happened to catch a presentation on Book-TV with the award-winning author Walter Dean Myers (Shooter) and his illustrator/author son, Christopher Myers (Blues Journey). Among much discussion about the writing process and their own careers, the elder Myers brought up an intriguing idea—a family book club.

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By Tina Scott

The first celebration that marks our passage into fall (and cooler weather for us desert dwellers) is Halloween. It’s a night where the trick part of “trick or treat” can sometimes get out of hand, yet the commemoration of October 31 has a long history, and cultural significance.

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The Third Annual Target Children’s Book Festival is set for Saturday, November 8th, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Presented by the City of Las Vegas and Target, the event is the largest annual children’s literary event in Las Vegas.

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Chef Jill McKenzie believes it is possible to eliminate dinner time whining and complaining and has gathered more than a hundred fun and exciting recipes from around the globe to turn your picky eaters into daring diners in the new cookbook 52 Weeks of Proven Recipes For Picky Kids (Shadow Mountain, Softcover, $12.95).

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By Nettie H. Francis

I am NOT a politically correct mother. I discriminate based on age and gender, and whether or not you’ve finished your homework. (For example, those who have may go out and play.) I insist that girls wear dresses and boys wear ties to special occasions. I teach my girls to cook and sew, and my boys to dig ditches and mow lawns.

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