All Hallow's Eve

Well, happy halloween, everyone. Despite my love of candy, this is not one of my favorite holidays -- I don't like costumes, and the whole trick or treating thing makes me very nervous (that's why we hardly ever participate). For many years, we went out to dinner on halloween so that we could miss the trick or treating completely. Lately we've just left the lights off in the front of the house, and that keeps people from coming to the door. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of trick or treating in our neighborhood, anyway.

The one thing I do like about halloween is jack-o-lanterns -- and this year, we didn't even do that. I just couldn't get in the mood. The time-lapse pictures above are from last year. I made the jack-o-lantern on the left and we put it up in a tree in our yard a week or so before halloween. It was quite a project -- Marty had to climb up on a 16-foot ladder to get it to the branch. It was so cool! Within a day or so, though, the squirrels discovered it. They started gnawing away at the face. First it was just the mouth, but by the time halloween came around, they had chewed off half the face! It was a really scary jack-o-lantern!

Of course I didn't always loathe halloween. I think I trick-or-treated every year of my life from ages 2 to 13. When I was growing up, my mom made almost all of my halloween costumes, and I wore each one for a few halloweens in a row. The ones I remember (in order) are: pink terrycloth bunny suit (see picture), angel costume (white gown with gold rick-rack, and wings), clown suit (can you believe that?), witch dress with cape and hat (black with orange trim), fake fur leopard suit (the one costume I remember not being made by my mom but by a friend of hers), and Raggedy Ann dress. The Raggedy Ann dress, which I wore in junior high, was my last costume for trick-or-treating. I also remember wearing it to a ninth-grade halloween party at my best friend Ellen's house, and I think that was the last time I dressed up for halloween.

So, happy halloween. Hope everyone has a nice day.