HALLOWE'EN ANYONE?

Well, it's here, it's here, another Spooky night is upon us. When our kids were all around 10-15 years old, that was when Hallowe'en was at it's best. And I loved it even more than they did.

At that time, every second house on our loop was a teacher or a bus driver or a Principal and all their students wanted to trick or treat at their houses. And of course with four kids and their friends and cousins and classmates, that was also a lot of kids. So in those days, it wasn't unusual for us to get around 80 Trick or Treaters or more, and that was great.

God, the get-ups!

I was a busy seamstress in those days, and I know that even today, there are those out there who remember the costumes I would be ordered to make. Some were fairly elaborate, complex, and a big secret. My own kids of course, got what they wanted.

I would be hired to do the costumes for a whole family; Mom, Dad, and kids. One that comes to mind was the Flintstones family, and another was The three Bears. I also made several for Darrell and some of his friends, and one year he won the costume contest at the Delta, if I remember correctly. That was a lot of fun.

Fabric costumes, of course lasted forever and lived on in many tickle trunks for years. I always dressed up too, one year in particular I was a fairly trashy witch, complete with spike heels , but that's a story for another year.......and as my kids got a little older, they took part in my yearly shenanigans in a big way. When Krystal was in Senior High, we'd start early. We spent a lot of time coming up with some good and scary decorating ideas, and went to work. And I know that certain kids got a good scare on Hallowe'en night. Kelly Chaisson and Carson Deveau, you know what I mean. And a number of my nieces and nephews didn't get spared either. They were escorted by a couple of "witches" to a haunted shed in our trees, lit only with glowing jack o'lanterns, and thrown in. The door was slammed shut, and we used an outside voice box that threw and distorted our voices back inside the shed and scared the hell out of them.

I'm not sure if they ever came back.........Oh well.

Decorations come and go, and with Walmarts and Amazons and Winners, the props can be pretty spooktacular. A few years ago, I split all my indoor and outdoor decor between my two girls and they can have fun with them now, and they don't last forever either.

But funnily enough, one Hallowe'en decoration that I've had for years is pictured here. A lot of you will remember Cathy Mooney, and she enjoyed Hallowe'en too. I remember her pink jack o'lanterns every year parked outside on her doorstep. One day she came into my shop with a little folded up thing and asked if I wanted it. I wasn't even sure what it was, so she fanned it out and voila!! A jack o'lantern made out of the old fashioned Conepaper. And although it's only paper and I used it for several years at the shop before I took it home to use, it has stood the test of time. I remember Cathy every year when I take this beloved little ornament out. Funny the things you remember.........

I love shopping for treats for my visitors, and oh, let's face it, Jamie and I sample more than our fair share too. I haven't made fudge for a few years, I guess I took a break, but this year I'll be back to offering a piece or two to the drivers, since most kids don't really care for fudge.

Speaking of drivers and treats.........that Jamie.

He always tried really hard to get that oil truck off the road early so he could swallow some supper, and take the kids trick or treating. He'd go for hours, wherever they wanted to go. And the haul they'd make, but that's a story for another time.

One year when the kids got home, weary from climbing in and out of the car, in and out of the car , in the wind, sometimes rain, trying to watch out for their younger siblings, getting their dinosaur tail jammed in the god damn car door again, just bone weary; they just wanted to dump their bags.

Finally they'd all declare it was enough.

So into the living room they'd troop, one at a time and sit cross legged on the floor and enjoy the spoils.

Let the tradesies begin!!

They'd sort everything out, juice boxes in a row, pop cans in another row, full size bars in one spot, mini bars in another, suckers piled high, and so on.

Three guess for what was left in a pile with no intentions of eating any, and they had absolutely no trade-in value...........

Apples, and the dreaded Hallowe'en Kisses.

Every year I'd handle the apples, inspect them, and there was always an Apple Crisp for dessert on November 1. The kisses, well, Jamie and I would have those, kept in a container on the counter. It was always fun to say, "Do you want a kiss?"

And to add insult to injury almost every one of their piles of chips and cheezies had at least one empty flattened foil bag. I mean completely empty, and I was steamed. What kind of an arsehole hands out empty bags, I suppose bold enough to not get caught. Just flash it in as you hand out suckers and gum, kids wouldn't notice that in the dark. And it gets dark early on Hallowe'en, and if I'm not mistaken the time change used to come in October, so it was pitch (fork) black.

It never dawned on me that the driver might be helping himself to some of the haul as he waited for the kids to come out between stops. He giggled over that for years.

Trick or Treaters............watch your bags. Jamie could be around......

When I was a kid, Hallowe'en was a little more mundane. We knew all about it of course, the the Catholic history surrounding All Saint's day, how jack o'lanterns got their start, and that one night was associated with all things evil and spooky.

Well, on this lower loop, it wasn't all that spooky, but it entertained us for a while, and got us out of Momma's hair for the evening.

No matter what the weather was, we were never dressed properly for it and I clearly remember coming home practically crippled with the cold. Prancing up the road in someone's cast off chiffon prom dress, complete with matching high heeled satin pumps and a wrap that I made out of an old piece of pillow case. I nearly perished. And we didn't do it for the gains, indeed, we'd have been better off just staying home and watching Charlie Brown's"The Great Pumpkin."

We would stop at every house, but 55 or so years ago, there was almost no one on the Lower Road. So at every stop we'd get the obligatory apple, maybe a McCormicks Kiss or two. And always, the folks would make us tell them who we were.

But I remember being anxious to get to Agnes Deagles, she passed out the best treats!

Chips and suckers, and I seem to remember fudge. She was always so cheerful and seemed happy to see a bunch of kids.

As I got a little older, we teamed up with a few other friends to the East of us, and we actually walked all the way into Souris, roamed the streets, had to drag our bags home, they were packed. And we were pooped. But we had fun.

Fast forward a few years and one Hallowe'en I'll never forget involved one of those same friends.

Jamie was gone with the kids and I was home alone, and it was way past time for him to get those kids home. Only somebody up to no good would be on the roads at this hour, and wouldn't you know, just as I was peeking around the curtains to see if I could catch a glimpse of him returning, I saw a car, no lights on, pulling over by my driveway, and two large costumed creatures lumbering down my driveway. I always put up a good front, but this really scared me. I didn't know who it was and I was alone.

They walked right up the steps and pounded on the door, and my mouth ran dry. It was obviously not children and I was pretty sure they weren't looking for treats.

Well, not the kind you can eat, but I digress........

They could see me at the door, and motioned for me to let them in.

Not a friggin chance.

Behind the porch door (we were still in our old house at this time) I spied a solid ash baseball bat.

I let them see it and in one breath, I hollered, "The first one to make a move, I'll split you wide open. You two get the Jesus out of here!"

Then they started shaking with the laugh, but I didn't join in. They were completely kitted out in gorilla costumes, scary even if you knew who it was.

Eventually they had to take their masks off, they were smothering in them.

And wouldn't you know it, Billy Gallant and Alan Gauthier, neighbors of mine. Out for a prank. The bastards.

But tomorrow night is the night. I'm fully stocked with treats and fudge and drinks. The weather promises to be perfect for our little guests.

And speaking of little guests, even if the trick or treaters are old enough to drive, and not so little, invite them in and give them some treats too. They're just kids, and I'd rather have them as friends than enemies. They're just out for a bit of fun.

So tomorrow night, when the veil between the spirit world and reality becomes thin, be vigilant. Since we can't see onto the spirit world, they may peer into ours.......

Trick or Treat anyone?

Boo!!