It’s Halloween. One of my favorite times of the year. Our neighborhood draws a crowd (500 children at our door last year), a slow-and-steady parade of little ones starting around 5:30. This little guy gets a different kind of treat.
Mike spent the day carving three magnificent pumpkins. It takes him hours, but he enjoys the creative process.
We attended a Halloween party on Saturday, renting costumes from Natasha’s Attic. I didn’t have the time or energy to create one this year, and that’s ok.
The Las Vegas party theme lends itself to many things. We dressed as 1920s mobsters, light on the mob part.
I stopped by my sister’s today and took pics of her wearing a witch’s hat, a gifted orange scarf, and a hand prop on her shoulder. We’re peas in a pod.
I bring out my collection of hand-crafted pumpkins each year. They have an international flavor, one sent as a gift from Cathy in Germany, another made by Randi, who hails from Norway, and the third, a gift from my friend Stephanie. I bought the velvet ones at a craft fair many years ago.
It’s the creative fun of Halloween that I like the best. Making costumes over the years has always been a joy. It’s fun decorating, too. Making cards for Halloween is a more recent endeavor, and we once grew pumpkins till a nasty infestation of squash bugs put an end to that after two or three years.
A friend sold these cardboard haunted house kits earlier this year. It was a lot of fun putting it together, and a bit of kismet when I realized I had the perfect tray for it. The three figurines were a birthday gift this year. Can you believe how well they fit in?
I turned 66 earlier this month. On Monday, I’m having my left hip replaced, nine months after replacing the right one. I’m feeling my age. That said, my love of Halloween keeps me young at heart. If you celebrate, I hope that’s true for you, too.
Gardening Nirvana 
Alys,
I loved seeing this Halloween post of yours. Those figurines look great in those settings. Happy Halloween and will be thinking of you on Monday wishing you a smooth surgery and recovery.
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Thank you for your good wishes and for your kind words. I’m ready to get this second surgery behind me.
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Did I miss something?? Surgery?
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Tomorrow I’m having my left hip replaced. I had the right one replaced earlier this year in February. Soon I’ll have a matched set, and hopefully, a lot less pain. The surgery is scheduled for 8:30, and I hope to come home the same day.
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I will keep good thoughts for you and say some extra prayers that you have a speedy recovery. Everyone says the hips are easier to replace than the knees. I get the pain. It’s exhausting. Don’t know how you did the Halloween party. I can barely manage basic housekeeping these days. The knee is better than it was but has a long way to go. Keep me posted. Hugs and love.
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I did a lot of sitting at the party. We arrived around 7 and left by 9:30. I’ve heard that the easiest of the three joint surgeries are the hips, I’ve heard that the easiest of the three joint surgeries are the hips, followed by the knees, and then the shoulders. by knees, and then shoulder. I’m glad your knee is doing better. Mike has been using a knee brace and it helps stabilize the joint. It’s a soft, neoprene model, available at most drug stores. Hugs and love, xo
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Sounds like your Halloween was a fun one… happy belated birthday and best wishes for a speedy recovery post surgery on Monday. 👍🏼 💕
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Thank you for your good wishes, Eliza. I’m counting the hours now. I head to the hospital at 6:30 in the morning.
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Seriously, did you really get 500 children at your door last year? I knew Halloween was a big thing in your country, but not that big! It’s gained some traction in the UK in recent times, mainly due, I think, to the influence of American movies and television, but by your standards it’s negligible.
Hope your operation goes well.
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We had over 600 chiildren this year. It’s crazy, I know. We live on a small street in the suburbs, but word has gotten around that our neighborhood feels like a block party. People come early and mull around looking at decorations. I only recognize the handful of small children from our street. My son’s are young men now, so anyone they might have known from school has aged out. It’s festive and fun, but it’s exhausting as well.
My son’s husky is staying with us and he was agitated by all the knocking at the door. Our kitty, Tessa wisely hid under a bed until lthe coast was clear.
It must seem so strange from your perspective. Thanks for commenting.
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Wow! Thank you for this insight into a world that is totally different from my own. Here in the suburbs of a small UK town not one person knocked on our door on Halloween, although at one point we did hear a few fireworks being let off in the distance.
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We don’t have a Halloween anything like that here. I don’t think that I could cope with 100 children, let alone 500.
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When we moved to this house 29 years ago we didn’t know what to expect. Mike lived in townhouse when we met and I had an apartment, neither of which attracted anyone on Halloween.
He came home from work that first Halloween with one bag of candy and it was gone in thirty minutes. Who knew? We live in a small,m quiet street, however, lots of decorating goes on, including an over-the-top “haunted house.” We’ve gone from 80 children to 120, and this year we passed out 600 pieces of candy, closing our door at 9 pm.
It feels a bit like a block party, but we are good and tired at the end of the day.
I have other friends who had six children at the door, another had 40. We’re definitely off the charts.
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You must offer a special welcome. :)
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I love all your vignettes.The collection of pumpkins are wonderful. My collection of Halloween things are getting ready to go to new homes. This place doesn’t decorate like the other one did. Sharon looks like she is enjoy the holiday as much as she can. Dressing as a gangster this year seems very apropos. You both really looked the parts. Now I see how you get the squirrels to pose for you..
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Thank you, Marlene. It’s hard to fully explain my love of pumpkins, but here we are. I’m sorry they don’t decorate in your new place, but only if you’re missing it. Sharon called that her “non-costume” but I say anything counts. She used to go all out, and she has a packed photo album of all the costumes from over the years. I know she misses it, so I’m glad to see her in costume.
The squirrels love to pose, until I point my camera. I spotted one today in the crook of a tree looking adorable, but the ligthing was poor. Then he was off. I’m thrilled when I get a decent shot.
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You don’t need to explain anything. We all have our “thing” ;) I did a little outside decorating but had to be extra careful due to wind and cold. It’s all very different but resilience and adaptability are my saviors. Not sure how the other holidays will go but I’m giving away more of that too. That has to be Sharon’s saving grace as well. I, myself was never a costume person because we didn’t do Halloween most of the places we lived. Just for the kids.
As for the squirrels, they can hear the camera turn on. It sends out a high pitch only the creatures can hear. If you listen hard, you might hear it too. Some are curious about the pitch, others turn away from it. Hang in there.
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You’ve lived in California, so you know how mild the weather is this time of year. Dealing with the cold and wind of the high mountains would be challenging. I’m not sure I would be as brave as you.
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Goodness me, I would not have recognized you! What great outfits and make-up! Happy belated Halloween, and Happy Birthday too Alys! Wishing you all the best for the hip replacement – hope you are up and about again as quickly as after the last one. 🤗 The haunted house is so cute and you really did have the perfect tray for it! Hope you had lots of fun with all the kids visiting. Halloween is a non-event here! 😜
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A neighbour put out an impressive collection of carved pumpkins but round here the houses are too far apart for trick and treat. I hope the surgery went well.
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We’re all packed in closely here, so that surely contributes. I love the idea of spread out houses. Real estate prices skyrocketed when The Valley of Hearts Delight became Silicon Valley. So it goes.
My surgery went well, thank you. The first 24 hours were rough, but I’m healing well.
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I’m glad to hear you are on the mend.
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Thank you.
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Wow, you two look fantastic in your Halloween costumes! You look very glamorous!
Happy belated birthday and I have to get the other hip done. You’ll be good as new!
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Thank you so much. We sure had fun.
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Interesting – it posted me as anonymous so let me post my comment again under :-)
Wow, you two look fantastic in your Halloween costumes! You look very glamorous!
Happy belated birthday and I have to get the other hip done. You’ll be good as new!
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Thank you for letting me know it was you, Tierney. These anonymous comments are more frequent of late. I think WordPress wants you to log in, but I wish it was easier in general for people to comment.
It’s fun dressing up. We’ve enjoyed that in recent years since the boys grew up and we’re able to attend adult parties. For several years I hosted an afternoon party for all the children on the block. They got to pick out a small pumpkin, and then decorate it. I had paper crafts, we served orange food snacks, and everyone had fun in the rented bounce house.
I was really sad when they lost interest, then I realized we could attend the parties at night. Thank you for your birthday wishes. I turned 66 this year. We also celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary on September 23rd. It’s been a busy time.
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Wow you are such a wonderful neighbor! Well they appreciated when they were younger and you are part of their good childhood memories! Happy Anniversary by the way!
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Thank you. That’s a wonderful thought.
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By now, the surgery is over, and I hope you’re recovering fast. Here, Halloween is more present in the supermarket than visible on the streets, although there are always houses that go all out. We never get trick or treaters, although there are plenty of small children on the street. It just hasn’t ‘stuck’ as much in Australia.
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Like many things, it’s monetized in this country. I miss the simpler time. I enjoy making costumes from thrift store finds, or renting through a family-owned rental place called Natasha’s Attic. Three generations of women. The 92 year old mother was still working pre-pandemic. When we visit it appeals to my theater roots.
Yes, surgery is done. I had a difficult time recovering the anesthesia and honestly think it was too much. I struggled to stay awake, couldn’t keep any food down, and ultimately had to stay overnight. I had the right hip replaced in February and was back home by six.
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I have a similar problem waking up; low O2, slow pulse, sleepy, unable to stay awake. Every.Single.Time. I tell the anesthetist, the recovery nurse, and they nod sagely and ignore me till it happens again. I also need ondansetron for post surgical nausea as the lighter stuff doesn’t work. You think they’d believe me after 12 surgeries, but hey, what do I know about my own body…
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That’s it exactly, Kate. It’s really tiresome when your needs and self-knowledge are ignored. It happens time and again. It was alarming how low my BP was, all attributed to the meds. I’m sorry to hear you also suffer from nausea. It’s the worst.
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It’s one of the reasons I invested in a QR code medicalert bracelet. It contains all my medications, past surgeries, various ailments, etc. I just ask them to scan it and open the link. Saves a load of time.
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