RANDOM HALLOWEEN THOUGHTS

Was Halloween more fun long ago, or does it just seem that way in our biased and selective memories?

I'm old, but rumors that I attended the Salem witch hunt trials are exaggerated. I'm not quite old enough to remember good old-fashioned Halloweens of yesteryear: ghost stories by the hearth, taffy pulls, apple bobbing, fortune telling, homemade costumes, bonfires, pranks, and rowdiness.

Nowadays Halloween is sapped of creativity and imagination - sanitized by the Goblin Regulation Police. Squadrons of supervised kids - - attired in fireproof unspooky Made in China costumes - - robotically trek door to door, collect their safety-wrapped store-bought candy, and go home. The End.

Of course, my fondness for children is minimal and I think Trick or Treating should be banned - but that's beside the point. Fortunately I live in a remote area where only wolves dare to trek. My Halloween will be blissfully brat-free.

This blog post is going nowhere but - what the hell - I'll dig my way out of it.

So, how will I be spending All Hallow's Eve? I'm going to have pizza.....and apples, and a big bag of Halloween candy. And I might bake a cinnamon coffee cake if I'm in a good mood. Which is rare.

I wanted to buy a pumpkin when I drove to town yesterday but - - nobody has any! They're all sold out!! The stores are already crammed with Christmas decorations. HOLY SHEE-IT!!

I've dusted off my Halloween dinnerware - mostly so I could take exciting photos that will be treasured forever. *smile*

 This is my favorite Halloween mug for tea. I've been using it in the microwave for fifteen years. Yesterday I noticed a label on the bottom that says Do Not Use in Microwave. I swear to gawd it's true.

 The orange bowl has a black cat in it.
I'll give you a moment to contain your excitement.
How about a witch plate -

and a kinda cool Halloween cat -

Beware of the Cat

That cat has been packed away for years. I just dug it out of mothballs last night.

What's the deal with the cat in your header photo, Jon?

Hey, I'm glad you asked. I love that picture and I colorized it myself. The cat's not mine, but he looks a little like my Bosco.

 Here's Bosco

in a Halloween mode

and Scruffy

 ...and last but not least
Scratch. This pic was taken when I lived in Texas. She looks tough, but actually she was squinting from the camera flash.

This post got way off track. I was initially going to write about a few of my Halloween memories. Well, perhaps it's best that I saved you from being mercilessly bored. 

Hopefully you were only slightly bored.

More Halloween stuff is on the way.

Look out!