The halfway point

Considering that we are now in March, it occurred to me that we are now *almost* at the halfway point. Not to seem anxious or anything, but Halloween is only a little over six months away! I know I'm not the only one counting down the months. C'mon, admit it. ;) Those of us who adore Halloween can't wait for it to roll around again, even if it's only a month after we've celebrated it. Even during these seemingly long, wet, boring months of winter, visions of my next Halloween never cease to occupy my mind. I know that especially by the end of summer-- when I am sick to death of those near 100-degree days, and I am anxious for that first hint of the Harvest season--I will have already been anticipating Fall's arrival for several months before it gets here. Now is the time to be preparing for it. As always, I will be ready.

A White Halloween

Yesterday morning, I woke up to this beautiful sight. We rarely get snow around here, so it was quite a treat. I realize that snow and Halloween don't usually go hand-in-hand, but it got me to thinking about how cool it would actually be to see brightly lit jack-o-lanterns glowing against a blanket of freshly fallen snow. It always seems so surreal to see our home and our streets covered in the stark whiteness of winter. I love it. I always wish it would snow for Christmas, but it never has. I thought of how unusual it would be to combine the two--snow and Halloween--because of the contrast between them. What an interesting sight that would be! We are supposed to have another storm heading our way tonight, and there is a possibility of getting more snow. I am hoping for it. I think that I will put out one of my jack-0-lanterns just to enjoy the sight of the two of them together-- if only for this one, rare time.

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.