One of my favorite reads!
I love sitting outside in the early evening. Banks, my son’s Labradoodle and I enjoy the still of the late afternoon. But when you read this there will probably be mayhem all over the country. It’s Halloween! Kids, teens, and parents love it. It’s supposed to rain here in Texas so the excitement may be dampened.
What is it that we love about this holiday? For children it’s no doubt the candy and treats, the thrill of staying up later, and running wild with friends. If your family is anything like mine, Dad stayed home, handed out treats, tasted a few between trick-o-treaters arriving on the front porch, and let Mom corral the excited children. When Halloween fell on Friday or Saturday nights, the fun extended well past bedtime.
In my hometown, one of the men’s clubs held a carnival on the square. One year the boys in my eighth grade class played a prank on our male English teacher. Some of the boys from rural homes filled a paper bag with cow manure and brought it to town. When they arrived at the victim’s home, they set fire to the bag, rang the doorbell and ran. Needless to say the teacher was gullible enough to try to stamp out the flames on his porch with his foot. The next day everyone had to write a ghost story. Something tells me this was an annual assignment.
When I was in Brownies, we had Day Camp on the banks of Lost Creek behind the old Fort Richardson. The older girls had a sleepover one night. The leaders decided to tell us about “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allen Poe. It scared me so much I remembered it in eighth grade. That was my ghost story.
I also clearly remember Washington Irving’s “Legend of Sleepy Hollow”. I loved it! One year at Halloween I took my Cub Scout Den to a Ghost Tour at a local museum. Someone dressed up as a colonial gentleman who held his head (pumpkin) under his arm while riding his horse through the countryside. Needless to say, the boys were less rowdy on the way home.
I am a fan of Edward Gorey, phenomenal artist and stage designer. Last night I read s summary of his play, “Dracula.” The story is delightful. When I have writer’s
block, a frequent infirmity, I go to the bookshelf and take down any Agatha Christie novel to clear my head. Mystery stories are great ways to clear your foggy mind. Just omit the blood and guts for me.