COSTCO LIFE

Food triangle

October is National Pizza Month, and your local Costco warehouse has piping hot pizza at its Food Court (by the slice or an entire 18-inch pie) to help you celebrate. Or, you can choose from a variety of frozen pizzas, including the Kirkland Signature™ Supreme Cauliflower Crust (above; Item 1524380).

Back Story

Residents of ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece enjoyed flatbread with toppings, according to History.com. But Naples, Italy, was the birthplace of the modern pizza in the late 18th or early 19th century.

Italian immigrants who came to the United States in the early 20th century introduced pizza to New York, Boston, Chicago, St. Louis and other cities. The flavors and aromas captivated citizens of every ethnicity, and it became a popular dish across America. Today, you can enjoy pizza almost anywhere, including Costco!

INTERNATIONAL MUSIC DAY

A song for you

If you’ve ever dreamed of having a song written about you or a loved one, Costco member Mylène Besançon and her team have you covered for International Music Day (October 1) and beyond. Besançon is the CEO of Bringmysongtolife.com, which creates customized music for special occasions.

courtesy of Marla HOlmes

Recycle of life

Befriending monarchs

Marla Holmes, a retired surgical nurse who lives in Fostoria, Ohio, found a great way to reuse her Kirkland Signature nut jars. “I try to help the monarch [butterfly] population by creating a safe habitat for the caterpillars and chrysalises, then release the butterflies,” she says. She reports that the metamorphosis takes between 10 and 14 days.

SWEET HEALTHY TREAT

Pumpkin spice is nice

For many of us, pumpkin spice is a herald of the upcoming holiday season. Now you can enjoy the season and get a protein fix with Orgain Pumpkin Spice Latte protein powder. Each two-scoop serving delivers 21 grams of organic, plant-derived protein, and only 170 calories. Item 1694169. Warehouses/Costco.com.

courtesy of Susan Fitzsimmons

READING MATERIAL

Even scarecrows love the Costco Connection

Costco member Susan Fitzsimmons of Avon, Massachusetts, shares her entry from the Avon Civic Association’s annual Scarecrow Contest. While Susan’s scarecrow waits to be judged, it has some great reading material to pass the time!

FEEDING AMERICA (AND BEYOND)

Costco gives back

Did you know that Costco donates over 70 million pounds of food and other products from our U.S. warehouses and depots every year? With the help of the nonprofit organization Feeding America, we’re now able to donate nutritious foods from our delis, meat departments, bakeries and Food Courts. This not only reduces food waste, but also helps the communities in which we live. To learn more, go to Costco.com/sustainability-communities.html.

SCARY-GOOD SAVINGS

Halloween party central

Whether you’re planning to host a Halloween or harvest gathering later this month or you need to stock up on candy for trick-or-treaters, Costco warehouses and Costco.com have everything you need. You’ll find costumes (Costco.com only), food for almost any setting, drinks (for the kids and your grown-up guests), and a wide range of candy and other treats.

Meg Waite Clayton
Adrienne Defendi

Book club recommendation

Finding inspiration in a real-life heiress

After German tanks roll across the border and into Paris, wealthy and beautiful Naneé joins the resistance. Known as the Postmistress because she delivers information to those in hiding, Naneé finds her life intersecting with that of a photographer and his daughter. This tale of romance and danger was inspired by true events.

Meg Waite Clayton’s The Postmistress of Paris (Item 1691827; 10/11) will be available in most Costco warehouses. Here are some questions to fuel your book club’s discussion:

At the heart of this story is a Chicago heiress who remains in France after German troops invade. What do you think motivated her? Can you imagine doing what she did?
The novel raises the question whether and why any one life—like that of an artist—ought to be valued above any other. What do you think?
The story is inspired by the efforts of Varian Fry and those like Mary Jayne Gold, who worked to rescue artists from Nazi-occupied France. Why do you think the author chose to tell a fictionalized version of the story rather than a straight history?
Did the ending of the story ring true to you? What do you imagine happened in the years after the book ends?