The day is ugly, dark and damp. It rained during the night. The high for today will be 57° but with the dampness it feels colder, chillier. I will hunker down today. I have a couple of house chores.

When I was a kid, Halloween planning started early. The big dilemma was what to wear. Some kids wore costumes from Woolworth’s. They were one piece with a tie on the top back. On the front was an imprinted creature like a skeleton. They came with a plastic mask which had an elastic to go around your head. The elastic broke easily and wearing one got your face really hot and sweaty. We never had bought costumes, only sometimes bought masks. My mother created our costumes from stuff around the house. Hobos were easy. A pair of jeans and a flannel shirt were perfect. Carrying a stick with a bindle (not a bundle) at the end was the big prop. My mother blacked our faces so we looked as if we needed a shave. We each carried a bucket for the goods. A ghost was just a sheet with eye holes. A cowboy hat and a neckerchief went with that flannel shirt and jeans and presto you were a cowboy. My sister sometimes wore her dance costumes.

We wanted to start trick or treating early, but my mother had us wait until she saw the first trick or treater. My sisters, being younger, stayed around the neighborhood. My brother and I ranged far. We knew the best houses, the ones which handed out nickel bars. The houses handing out apples and popcorn balls were ignore. Many houses handed out pieces of candy in little bundles of Halloween paper twisted at the top.

Halloween night always seemed a bit eerie. I was out in the dark, an odd occurrence for me. There were streetlights and house lights but they made for shadows. As we walked, we all talked in whispers. The night seemed to demand it. At each house, we held out our bags and said trick or treat. We always got treats.

The mouse count is now three. One was added last night.

The day is cloudy, just your usual every day no rain clouds, but rain is predicted for the next three days. It is in the low 50’s. The dogs were in and out quickly and are now napping from their strenuous morning.

A few weeks back, I was sitting with Jack in his room, his very own room where his litter box and food are. I keep a gate across the room’s threshold to protect Jack’s food from a marauder, from a large dog in the guise of a boxer, but I missed something, a few somethings. One night as I was sitting with Jack a mouse came out from under the bed. That mouse was either brazen or stupid. Jack jumped off the bed and the mouse fled. The next day I bought four traps called mouse hotels. They are simple and easy to use. A couple of nights ago I put bait in two of the traps. Last night I found a mouse in each trap. I took the traps outside and released the mice. I washed both traps then baited the other two. I’ll keep a running tally.

When I was a kid, I don’t remember seeing all too many animals in the wild. I do remember one Sunday ride when I saw a couple of deer munching on grass near the side of the road. I screamed, “Deer! Deer!” so excitedly you’d think I’d seen a dinosaur. Even seeing cows grazing was exciting. I fed the spawns in the Public Garden. They came right up to take the peanuts from my hand. Amazing! I think I even giggled. I once saw a chipmunk and a baby rabbit, the rarest ones I remember seeing.

In Ghana I saw a snake which had eaten a chicken, a baby chick yet to be crushed and digested. I saw a few baboons ahead of me on the road. I held the tail of the sacred crocodile in Paga. He also had eaten a chicken. I saw vultures close up. They were walking around my Ghanaian family compound. I was the only one watching. In Mole National Park I saw elephants so close up I could have shaken hands or rather shaken a hand and a trunk. I saw many other animals on safaris.

I have seen the most animals here on the cape. Wild turkeys are everywhere. Sometimes the flock is two or three, but mostly there are many turkeys traveling together and walking on the street just to be annoying. I have seen coyotes. One used to use my yard as a short cut. Possums seem to love my yard. Nala loves possums. I’ve seen foxes and watched baby foxes gambol around the beach. One deer almost got hit by my car. Luckily I stopped on time. That was the first I saw a deer in the headlights. I’ve also seen bats. One got into my house a long time back before the dogs. He flew out the front door.

I still get excited seeing animals.