Is it October yet?

I was doing some gardening this afternoon and was raking up leaves, and there were so many of them everywhere that it made me think of Fall. You could barely see the ground because of all the leaves. As I sit here typing this, my ceramic ghost, with its little light-up jack-o-lantern, sits on the cabinet to my right, staring, wide-eyed at me. I *still* haven't finished him yet, and he looks at me as though he is reminding me of this. All I need to do to finish him is put the glaze on him and his pumpkin, put them in the kiln one more time, and they are ready to light up the night next Halloween. I have another Halloween ceramic that also needs to be cleaned, painted and put in the kiln. I hope to be able to put a light in it as well. I am already looking forward to next October when I can bring out all of my Halloween decorations again and fill the house with them. That is such a happy time for me. Funny how that part of me who got so excited as a little kid when Halloween was approaching has never died. I firmly believe now that it never will, either. I'm glad for this. I love knowing that there will always be at least one time of the year when I become like that little kid again, and feel the excitement that always comes with looking forward to Halloween. I already can't wait to see what new things the stores will bring in this year! I will try to wait patiently until July or August comes around, and many of the stores begin putting out their first Halloween stuff. I'm always thrilled that they start getting it in that early. I hope the time passes quickly.

Happy Halloween..a poem

It's late and we are sleepy,

The air is cold and still.

Our jack-o-lantern grins at us

Upon the windowsill.

We're stuffed with cake and candy

And we've had a lot of fun,

But now it's time to go to bed

And dream of all we've done.

We'll dream of ghosts and goblins

And of witches that we've seen,

And we'll dream of trick-or-treating

On this happy Halloween.

-Unknown

If you're in the mood for pumpkin...

..then you should give this Pumpkin Pudding recipe a try! I made it last night, and it was delicious. It may not be Fall, but as far as I'm concerned, any time is a good time for pumpkin!

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1740,130181-255199,00.html

October Dreams

I went jogging tonight around our neighborhood, and the whole time I kept thinking how it seemed so much like October. It was so refreshing and invigorating. The air was moist and crisp, and the streets were damp with leaves strewn all over them. It was as if the first of October was here again, and it was wonderful. There was even that odd scent in the air that always accompanies October; that sort of clammy, mossy smell like the inside of an old cellar. I always love that smell because it makes me think of Halloween. The only thing missing were pumpkins and Halloween decorations on doorsteps and porches. The weather is taunting me.

'The Dark'

I just finished watching this movie on the SciFi channel. It came out in 2005, but I had never heard of it before. I thought it was very good, and quite spooky at times. The ending left me a little confused and wondering what to make of it. I don't normally like movies like that, but I still thought it was very entertaining, and quite suspenseful. The story was also different than any other movie I've seen from this genre. I think it would be a good one to watch on a cold, dark Halloween night.

Missing Halloween

I think I'm having withdrawals. Perhaps because I didn't celebrate it the way I normally do each year, I wish it was the beginning of October again. I miss that wonderful feeling of excitement and anticipation that comes with Halloween being just around the corner. I miss the Halloween decorations. I miss my pumpkins. I miss the Halloween shows on tv every night. The 'Headless Horseman' was on earlier this evening, but I wasn't home to see it. That would have been very cool. I love it when Halloween-themed shows play when it isn't even Halloween time. I am hoping they will re-play it soon.

A New Year's Resolution

Well, it's 2009. Is that crazy, or what?! I can't believe it's already been almost three months since Halloween. As I sat here pondering the new year and the things it might bring, a thought popped into my head. I thought of how one of my New Year's resolutions should be planning an exciting Halloween, and making sure that I go through with it. My plans for this past Halloween ended in huge disappointment, and I definitely don't want that to happen again. Every serious Halloween fan needs to feel a sense of gratification after the Big Night. For hardcore home haunters, this means creating the most frightening, awe-inspiring display possible. For others, it means going out in search of anything that will give them the kind of fear and excitement that they experienced as innocent little children trick-or-treating on Halloween night. I tend to fall in the second category. I think my favorite thing to do on Halloween is get dressed up in some outrageous costume, and then meet up with friends and visit haunted homes and cemetaries, and walk down moonlit streets filled with little ghouls screaming and laughing as they run from house to house. I miss that kind of excitement that I felt as a kid, and every year I hope for its return. It's always my goal, as I prepare to go out on Halloween, to turn into that kid again who had some of the best times of her life on this one special night of the year. I think most of us who love Halloween continue to celebrate it as adults because of the wonderful, warm memories it gave us as children. We want to keep making new memories, even if it means we can't trick-or-treat anymore, or go to school in our costumes and have Halloween parties with our friends in class.

So, Halloween is definitely on my New Year's list this year. I have about nine months to think of something fun and different to do, and a costume to wear. As with every year, I will look forward to that time of year when summer's end is near, and the days start to grow shorter, and Fall is once again coming 'round. Oh, and most of all, I love it when the first signs of Halloween begin to appear in store windows, and I can begin my Halloween shopping. Pure joy! :)