Halloween Interlude

It wouldn't be Halloween without carving pumpkins. We just got back into town from being gone a week in San Antonio and had no clean laundry and no groceries. Walmart came through on groceries, but short on pumpkins. I had to barter to get the last pumpkin in the store on October 30 from a greeter lady who had already claimed it for her cart. I asked her, while pointing to her pumpkin, "How much you want for the pumpkin? Please. I'm desperate." She was very generous considering she hadn't paid for it yet. I gave her a spaghetti squash in exchange for her kindness and her pumpkin. It was a Halloween-Christmas miracle. But that was just one pumpkin. What were the girls going to carve when they came over?... (as if I was going to let the kids carve it...) Halloween morning, I stumbled upon a gloriously over-priced pumpkin at the local green house. I bargained the lady down $2 ($12 to $10) and came home victorious with my moderately over-priced pumpkin.

We had fun, carving, watching football. Danielle did the creepy scarecrow. I helped her clean up the stringy pulp and added the bat.

I improvised a "Go Gators" pumpkin. Now, I would have done a "Go Cats" pumpkin, but we were playing Penn State that day and the forecast for a Northwestern win was not so good. Cheering for my team is enough of an emotional commitment. And plus, I didn't have a giant Wildcat magnet I could trace. Lame excuses. Next year, I carve "Go Cats."

To pass out candy, I dressed up as "Spooky Kabuki." This was a recycled Elvira wig and costume, and with a couple tweaks, my blouse from China, and some chopsticks, I achieved a whole new look. I think it scared Brian a little.

Creepy, eh?!

I show you trick. Candy for you... Happy Harroween!... Candy for you... You no take candy from basket... I give to you. Waitchyo tern.

And whatchew costume?... You no dress up? You "hostage" for Harroween?... Ohhh, tha's very bad costume. You try 'gain nex' year, Okay?... (and then I broke character and said, "I'm just messing with you, here's your pretzels." Afterall, I didn't want to get egged by the hostage... but don't knock the pretzels shaped like bats and pumpkins.)