Happy Halloween

I adore Halloween and every year Burp and I have a ritual, we go to Fred Meyers on the Saturday before where he does the cake walk and then decorates cupcakes or a cake. This year... the pumpkin patch cake.

I love to carve pumpkins, this year I got only one, but still fun.

Next year I'm getting a fog machine and a cauldern.


Our first Trick or Treaters (or as I say, "Tricker Treaters")


Ducky has to count each and every ghostie, ghoulie and little ladybug and Pooh bee.


The Final Tally for 2010 despite a light rain....83.

I'm Not Ready

I am not ready. I’m not, we are barely past summer, the stores are pushing their Halloween wares and Christmas is being shoved down our throats… already. I’m just not ready. I usually put up my door witch the first of October. Haven’t done it. My Boo flag goes up around the same time, except this year in a flight of Duck Football frenzy I hung my Oregon Duck flag. In the true sport fanatic mode, I’m afraid if I change out my flag I will forever damn my Ducks to defeat.

For the first time in 115 years of Oregon Football they are number one. That (historically) can’t last. The last time the Ducks made it all the way to number two, they died, dropped the ball, gave up the ghost, lost their football asses. They had followed that pattern set in the weeks prior by each number two ranked team falling in their respective so close to the top of the polls glory. Ergo, two weeks ago Alabama was number one they fell to Auburn. Last week Ohio State (my cousin’s team) fell to Nebraska. I really didn’t see that one coming. Thursday night my Ducks, down Kenyon Barnard and Daron Thomas will be facing UCLA. Oye!

How can I possibly take down my flag now? But if I don’t put up my Halloween stuff how can I ever make the logical jump to Thanksgiving and then on to Christmas. I’m just not ready.

I’ve not even purchased one single bite of Halloween candy – probably much to Ducky’s dismay. But my husband will survive, I am sure to buy several bags of Reese’s bars just for him. That being said I’m trying to cut sugar out of my diet. Ha ha ha, quit laughing at me. If there is a twelve step plan for Gummy Bear addiction please send the info my way. PULEEEASE! Today is apparently the day of digressions… back to the Trick or Treat dilemma – I’ve no witch up, no flag up, no hand grabbing candy bowl out, no pumpkins bought for Jack-o-lanterns (but that’s not a big deal, the Great Pumpkin Giveaway is next week.) Ack! No rattling bones on my front porch light.

After the fiasco of Halloween ought nine Ben has said he’s coming down for Halloween in Florence. He will conquer the haunted yard of 2010. I’m thinking he’s not realized that Mom will have a say over a late night of trick or treating on a Sunday night.

Ducky counts the number of ghoulies and ghosties that ring our bell and then checks his numbers against the good sister, then against the nasty sister, and then against my friend Rose in PA. He neatly marks each ghosties into groups of five on a specific piece of paper (saved to examining the following year) and then drives me crazy with his incessant counting of numbers. He loves his trick or treaters.

See that all leads up to a done deal. I’m already putting Christmas music in the system. With Halloween out of the way all I will have is twenty-five days until the onslaught of Christmas music. And only four weeks to accomplish all the Christmas shopping I started way back in May. I tell you I’m just not ready.

Sith,
Cele

Happy Halloween!

Growing up we were big on pumpkin carving in my family.

I've not out grown that love.

Happy Halloween,

Cele

Talk Thursday: All Hallow's Eve

Haunts and Howls

No moon walks the autumn sky
Where scattered leaves
On night winds fly.
Black cats slink and walk the dark
Espying kids
Their hallowed lark.
Pumpkins watch on darkened stoops
A solemn owl
From a pine tree hoots.
Haunts and howls,
And things that scream
Lurk about at Halloween.
Witched decked in dark and black
Go door to door
for their midnight snack.
Pirates swagger,monsters growl,
from house to house
They are on the prowl.
Ghost and goblins fly the night
And little kids
are dressed for fright.
At each door Begging tricks or treats
Little ghosties
Hunt Halloween sweets.

© 29 October 2008 Calista Cates-Stanturf

Autumn's in the air, Cider's in the cup

Blustery weather is finally hitting the Oregon coast. The briskness of autumn, the gold and red of leaves prepared to fall, the flame of Vine Maple in the last glories of the season. And the surprising days in between of sunshine that lets me plant a few extra bulbs without getting wet or too muddy.

Halloween is right around the corner. Burp and I bought pumpkins for carving the last time we shopped together. Really he paints his, because who wants to have a pumpkin carved this early? He’ll take it home with him the next time he is down. And by then I will have frozen mine for pies, and we’ll need more.

When we were kids Trick or Treat was always followed by hot apple cider and donuts while mom went through the candy and divvied it up evenly so Buddy would get as much as I did despite the fact I am seven years older, and was out two hours longer. In hind- sight it was good and fair. Except wait, dad always got the lion’s share of the chocolate.

I still love trick or treat on Halloween, make sure I have the best candies, my talking candy bowl, and Ducky tallies the amount of kids who come to our door. I think he loves it more than the kids. And to sweeten the pot, it is constant phone calls between here and his sisters’ houses to brag about who go more at the front door.

Just around the corner, the winter days I love, when the rain is falling and I can cuddle up with a football game or good book and be lazy without purpose. I’ve already had a few nice warming fires in the woodstove. Made my first huge pot of chili, and delved into my stack of TBR’s.

And I still have hot apple cider on the cold days of fall and well into winter, spiced with a stick of cinnamon.

Sith,
Cele