Of Parades, Homemade Pizza, and Yet More Laundry

Today was the Red Ribbon Parade in Moore. This is an annual event to show support for the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program. The kids make floats and so do many community agencies and businesses. It is a large, community wide event that snakes through "Old Town" Moore to the high school.
Bear and I walked again this year, once again helping Julie and her Corgi, Molly, carry the banner.
Molly got too tired partway through and rode the last bit in the van, but Bear was rarin' to go the whole time, and making friends all along the route. He seems to enjoy seeing all the kids and getting petted and talked to.
The commentators as usual made fun of poor Molly. She's a Corgi, so she's short. They also made fun of our purple banner, t-shirts, and van. They said something like "Your Pioneer Library System, connecting you to the joy of reading and lifelong learning.... and they REALLY like purple!"
I guess it is kind of corny, but the parade is one of our town's oldest and happiest traditions. It is how we know for sure when the first really cold morning will be. They usually happen on or near Red Ribbon Saturday. It is a chance for all the kids in the area to be in a parade or see a parade. They don't do one at holiday time because so many other towns do, and this one is all about the kids. The participants hand out candy, so many kids go to the parade instead of trick or treating on Halloween. (They probably get more candy, if they are in the right part of the parade route.) It is always heartwarming to hear how many of the people cheer for the library. They are so happy to see us coming up the street, they like the dogs, of course, they all giggle at "Jessica" our mascot riding in the convertible, and of course the big purple van that brings the delivery of books and other materials to each library daily. (So, if you ordered a book from another branch, that van brings it, and the kids know that.) It helps that our Friends of the Library group is so generous with the candy every year. The Friends ladies are very popular with crowds along the way. We are also one place in town that almost everybody has been, and they really enjoy seeing us in the parade.

We are having homemade pizza today. The dough is in the refrigerator. I still have to make the sauce. I decided it would be a good thing to do since I have pepperoni and cheese that need to be used. I really like pizza from an Italian restaurant better, but I don't feel like going out after walking (quite literally) all over town this morning.
I use a pizza recipe from the Betty Crocker Italian Cookbook. (I know, Betty Crocker isn't exactly an Italian household name, but the cookbook was written by Anthony Cecceoni, so the recipes are actually Italian. ) The pizza usually comes out pretty good, and we always have plenty leftover to freeze for lunches or snacks.


The laundry once again awaits. It is Saturday, so the laundry must be done. The sorting is the hardest part. Once I get that over with, the rest of it comes along in smaller, more easily digested chunks of work. Alas, getting started sorting is the hardest part. I think after the pizza is made and consumed I will get to the laundry.

I just found out there is a new Mitford novel out. Guess I better get to BOMC web site and order it. Those I collect. Most of my other series novels I have started just getting from the library due to space concerns, but I re-read the Mitford books from time to time, so I like to have my own copies. I also have all the Harry Potter books. There shouldn't be any more of those to worry about finding space for.

This has been a pleasant way to spend time while the pizza dough rests and rises again, but I think I am out of things to write and out of time.