boo

Being sick for two weeks really put me behind on planning for my favorite holiday. I didn't even have a pumpkin (and you have to carve a pumpkin on Halloween - it's the law). I stopped at Kroger on the way home from work, and they didn't have any left. Then I drove to Westborn - they always have pumpkins, tons of them spilling out of bins and lined up on the sidewalk. But not this year. A manager must have seen the panic and horror on my face, because he came over and asked if he could help me find something. Turns out, they were completely sold out, too, except for one last pumpkin, sitting lonely on a display. And it was HUGE. The manager looked at the price tag, which read $29, and was so caught up in the holiday spirit that he sold it to me for $10. He even carried it to my car. It was a Halloween miracle!

Here it is in my car.



And on the lawn.



And carved into my famous triangle eyes and nose with lopsided one-toothed smile.



Sophie and Sadie were absolutely obsessed with the pumpkin and kept stealing little carved bits to eat.



My yard was just gorgeous, covered in a layer of yellow leaves from the walnut tree. They fell so perfectly this year; it was like someone carpeted my yard with them.



Here's my favorite trick-or-treater of the night: my sweet little neighbor who is old enough this year to be excited about the whole Halloween concept. She kept opening her bag and showing me her candy and made sure that I knew she was dressed as a dog, as if the floppy ears and tail didn't give it away. I adore her.



Then Jim came over and we handed out candy to the wee creatures who came our way. I made my traditional roasted pumpkin seeds with garlic powder, salt, and Cajun seasoning, and we watched Nightmare Before Christmas.



Later we took turns choosing our favorite Twilight Zones from my boxed set of DVDs. We watched The Midnight Sun, The After Hours (my all-time favorite), The Lonely, Eye of the Beholder, and A Stop at Willoughby. Oh, and drank some beer.



It was an outstanding Halloween.