“When witches go riding, and black cats are seen/the moon laughs and whispers, ‘tis near Halloween.”
Yesterday was warm but sunless. The sky was light gray and cloudy. The mid-cape highway was foggy. Some of the bridges and low lying spots had disappeared, swallowed by the fog. Nothing was ahead of me but thick banks of gray. I thought it was perfect weather for a few days before Halloween. I wouldn’t have been surprised if something had lunged out at me of the fog. When I crossed the bridge, I couldn’t see the canal. There was just thick fog. As I got further away from the Cape, the clouds started to disappear and the day got warmer. Boston was beautiful. It was sunny and warm with temperatures close to 80°. On the way home, close to the Sagamore bridge, the fog reappeared, the sky went gray and it sprinkled a bit.
Today is colder than it has been all week. Tonight will be in the 30’s.
We kids who went to Catholic schools had extra holidays though I suppose calling them holy days would be more accurate. All Saints’ Day was a favorite of ours, and it had nothing to do with religion. It was the day after Halloween. We got to trick or treat later, stay up well beyond our usual bedtimes and devour all that candy without having to worry about school the next day. Mass was a small price to pay for all that.
When I was a kid, some people handed out individual candies in small trick or treat bags twisted at the top. We always thought they were the cheapskates who bought just one bag of candy and divided it. The best hauls were five cent bars, but they were a rarity. Apples were the worst except for the house where they always stuck a nickle in the apple. We tended to toss all the apples as too heavy and unwanted. Once in a while we’d get homemade cookies decorated like ghosts or witches. We usually ate those to save them from getting broken. They also fortified us for the rest of the journey.
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keepthecoffeecoming.blog 
October 29, 2010 at 12:38 pm
We’ve missed the last few Halloweens at home by going up to see the grandkids and trick-or-treating with them. I love being with them but also miss spending the holiday at home too. Seeing the great crowds of kids prancing from house to house makes me remember my own trick-or-treating days.
The last few times we were at home I’d found bulk packages of small, almost “trial size”, Play Dough and handed them out to the smaller kids instead of candy. They made us gods of the neighborhood. Something a little different and only a few cents more added to our budget put our house at the top of the tier for treat quality. Plus,,, more Snickers and Reese’s for us.
There’s a Cardinal at our bird feeder right now. Or, maybe it’s a sparrow in it’s Halloween costume. I’m signing off to spend a few minutes watching him.
Happy Halloween/Dia de los Muertos everyone!
October 29, 2010 at 7:24 pm
John,
I go to my friends’ house for Halloween and we have dinner then hand out treats together. This year I have crayons but a couple of years ago I also gave out Play Dough. Kids love stuff even more than they love candy.
I have Reese’s for me too, that is if enough kids don’t show up which is likely in my neighborhood. We don’t get all that many kids.
I’m thinking a sparrow!
Happy Halloween, John BOOOooooo
October 29, 2010 at 11:16 pm
Nope, he came back for another feed.
Cardinal.
I’ve got to get the Safflower seed out on the drive again. I’ve missed over 3 weeks of feeding while we were gone on vacation. The Cardinals and Mourning Doves depend on me.
October 29, 2010 at 1:25 pm
Since we never celebrated Halloween here we didn´t have that extra holiday. But we did just the same thing at easter instead. Since we always had school vacation around easter (one week)we would have been happy anyway 🙂
But I can´t for my life remember what candy we got, probably most chocolate I guess.
Gloomy weather over here, but at least the rain didn´t start until I cam home.
Have a great day now!
Christer.
October 29, 2010 at 7:25 pm
Christer,
We too always had vacation around Easter time, our spring vacation. Our Easter baskets were filled with chocolate.
Nice day here. Gracie and I did errands.
Have a great weekend!
October 29, 2010 at 11:18 pm
Christer,
at least you still get your witches at Easter.
October 30, 2010 at 3:21 am
Easter wouldn´t be the same without them 🙂
October 29, 2010 at 5:33 pm
It was a network in our hoodie. Every kid would signal who had the best candy and that house got all the action. Apples were definitely out but a fifty cent piece was to die for and I never forget the Lyons house always gave away money. He was a banker. You would have thought he’d keep it, not spend it. But that house was like #1 on our kid lists of where to start. I also liked those people who invited kids in to take polaroids of their costumes. Usually some kool aid or popcorn or something different. There were plenty of them on the trail. I can’t wait to see what the kids show up like this year. Right on top of an election year, I’m guessing all the kids are witches in Delaware.
October 29, 2010 at 7:27 pm
Z&Me,
WOW!! Never did I get more than a dime while a nickel or even pennies were more common. The tops of our lists were the houses which had nickel bars of chocolate. I remember two old ladies were our favorite and usually last stop as they were a distance away from home.
October 29, 2010 at 7:55 pm
Hi,Kat. I hope you’re well. I love the start of your article. Somehow, it reminds me of “The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow”…A bit spooky and atmospheric, but great writing as usual! The days are wet, dark and slightly depressing in my part of the world, but typical Halloween weather. The TV ads are a joke. Ads for Halloween are followed by ads for Christmas! When I was younger Christmas started on the day before Christmas Eve. I feel like it was a more special occasion then. Nowadays, commercialism is turning every day into a holiday or celebration! Anyway, Happy Halloween! Are you dressing up? (LOL)! Take care, Kat. TTU soon…P
October 29, 2010 at 11:37 pm
Hi P,
Thanks, I’m doing just fine and I appreciate your kind words about my writing.
You’re right. It seems Halloween ushers in the Christmas season. The stores are already filled with Christmas decorations and cards. I want to pull a Scrooge and take my cane and knock them all away.
We need to finish Halloween and Thanksgiving. Christmas is taking up too much time.