Last night the wind howled. The windows shook, branches bent sideways and the leaves and pine needles fell like rain. Oh yeah, about that rain! It poured. It beat against the windows. The dogs took one look and backed into the kitchen. Later, though, the rain stopped but not the wind. The dogs got brave and went into the yard. Henry was alert. He watched the trees. He jumped a few times.

The clouds are hanging around, but the sun is making an appearance. It is relatively warm at 58°, but the wind is still strong. It is a day best seen through the windows.

The mouse count is now 5.

On Halloween, the school day seemed endless. At recess we all talked about our costumes. Most, like mine, were homemade. We talked about witches, ghosts and goblins haunting the night. None of us admitted to being afraid. We scoffed at the thought. We were too old and sophisticated to believe in scary creatures, but at night, it was different. I remember walking home in the dark. Most house lights were off letting us know their Halloween was over. The sidewalks were dark. There were still streetlights and below them on the road were circles of light. We talked loudly as we walked. We were sometimes the only kids still out. We’d eat a piece of candy or two on the way home to keep us fortified. We were always glad to get home.

My mother would give each of us our own bowl for our candy. I remember the bowls with tulips on them. We’d empty our bags into the bowls and then the negotiations would begin. We’d swap candy giving up sometime we didn’t really want for something we did. We’d munch on our candy as we watched scary movies on TV. They were the black and white movies like Dracula, Frankenstein, The Werewolf and The Mummy. I still love those movies and am watching The Invisible Man on TCM right now as sort of inspiration. I’ll be watching TCM all day. They are showing the classics.

Happy Halloween! Keep an eye out, be alert. You never know what might be lurking in the night.

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.