Follow Up to Halloween

Thanks for all the good wishes - and Boo's. Blogger announced that he couldn't either publish or save the Boo blog I was doing, and promptly erased it. Oh well. I think between Sky Watch Friday and Halloween, everything was overloaded.


But meanwhile, in California, My son-in-law finished the tiger's costume (except for the tail, which Kitty did), and the Tiger and his parents, the Living Dead, went to see the great pumpkin in the mall, and did some trick or treating.


















In New Jersey, Aunt Rita and her fellow workers in the library, dressed as books. They wore sandwich signs, front and back covers of said books, all day at work.



Here at home we had Trick or Treat night from 6: until 8: in our town. Lisa and I spent most of that time on the phone with one another, pausing to give the little goblins candy from time to time, comparing notes on costumes, etc.

Our block is very quiet and with few children. Altogether we only had 10 or 11 come to our doors, which was actually more than last year. Not like the old neighborhood, where I sometimes treated 100 or so. I think that these days most parents are wary of strangers and what they give to children, and they make arrangements for parties or keep them close to home. That is probably for the best.

The cutest little guy I had visit me was a tiny little vampire, who was very shy. I had to give the pumpkin filled with candy to his Daddy to give to him. He wouldn't come close to me. - Well, maybe he sensed what I had learned earlier in the day when I went to a site that Storyteller had on her post: "Are You a Witch?" It seems that I am all of 45% witch! Beware!

H APPY HALLOWEEN

BOO!


























Oooo....... ooo....... ooo
.........\ooo......\ ooo......\ ooooooo




























I cannot claim most of the above images as my own. They came from email or from "Candystand" except for the three Jack-o-Lanterns that I "carved" on the post I did on Tuesday. Do you like the cat? - Spider courtesy of my son-in-law and grandson.

Sky Watch #16

Another week of sky watching! One morning the sky was just so pretty, I couldn't resist taking a ride up to Shellbay Avenue and out to the end, by the water. Had it all to myself, too, just me and the gulls, and just kept taking pictures. If you choose to leave a comment, please let me know - do you prefer just one or two pictures? Or should I continue to indulge myself by printing several?



This is the pavillion at the very end of Shell Bay Avenue.



Gulls were flying everywhere.































The pier runs far out over the water.



To the east, you can see buildings in Stone Harbor.



When I returned from the end of the pier, I looked across the meadow to the west.



Then I started back up the road, towards home.




Along the road, black birds flew up from the tall grass, and on the other side I saw phragmites. I love to see them glistening in the sun.




















Please visit the Sky Watch site, and say thanks to the team, headed by Tom, who host this meme every week.



I will not be posting a Sky Watch next week. I choose to devote the space to the Blog Blast for Peace on November 6th, when I would normally post Sky Watch.
Stop by if you like. I know that many other Sky Watchers are participating. Perhaps they will do both.

Election Day Is Almost Here

Still undecided? I really don't understand that, but at this point I won't even try.


If you still have doubts, please follow this link to my friend, the Pagan Sphinx. You will find a rather impressive list of Republicans who are supporting Barack Obama.
It might give you food for thought.

Halloween

Stop me if you've heard this one. I don't think I've talked about it before, but the older I get, the less sure I am that I'm not repeating myself.

When I was little, the family belonged to the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation. Neither of my parents attended -my mother because of her deafness, my father I think because the minister actually told us things we should do and my father was not a man who ever wanted to be told anything. (Well, that's my personal opinion, and he isn't here to defend himself, so I don't suppose I should express it. But I just did, didn't I?) My sister taught Sunday School. My brother was Crucifer in the procession every Sunday. I, of course, went to Sunday School. I loved Sunday School, chiefly because the teacher had a piano. It also meant that I got to attend the Halloween party every year. That was something special! It included a parade all around the hall, when everyone was judged for best costume, funniest costume, scariest costume, and on and on. I think just about everyone got a small prize for something. Then we played games and bobbed for apples, and stuffed our little faces with goodies. It was great! Mr. Spencer was the Superintendent. It was his job to judge and distribute the prizes and to keep the boys from pushing people's heads under water while we were doing the bobbing and from dropping fake spiders down people's necks.

Carving the Jack-o-Lantern was a very big deal. We'd spread newspaper, and Daddy would get the Big Knife, and after we'd decided what kind of face he should have, we'd draw it with pencil on the pumpkin. Then Daddy would do the carving. It was the one time he'd really get into the spirit of things. He liked Halloween. Once it was done, we'd roast the seeds.


The night before Halloween was Mischief Night. I don't remember hearing of any really bad mischief being done. For my part, my father took me to some neighbors' houses, where I threw dried corn against their windows and then hid to see them come out looking for whatever that noise could be. Once or twice I even went to the extent of ringing a doorbell and then running to hide to see the same result. The neighbors were very good about making a big show of being puzzled or upset about it.

Halloween itself was magic. I got to go out in the dark! We never had store bought costumes, but spent hours putting together something wonderful to wear. The only mask I ever wore was a little black one over my eyes. We were only allowed to go to homes on our block. Many of the houses had enclosed front porches, and the women would sit there with a table full of home made treats. Sometimes the popcorn balls and cookies and fudge would still be warm. The grown ups would always make a big fuss about trying to guess who it could be behind the mask. It was often wet out, and my mother would make me wear rubbers. One neighbor, Mr. Magee, would spoil it by saying, "Oh I know who that is. I can tell by her gum shoes." His wife would scold him for it. I didn't really mind. The Magees were such wonderful people - and they had such great treats! They had no children themselves, and always found ways for us to make money. They paid a nickle a jar for Japanese beetles if we collected them from their rose garden! And they would send us to the grocery store and pay us a nickle or a dime. - Anyway, by the time we got all the way up one side of the street and down the other on Halloween night, we would go home with a shopping bag full of wonderful things, and go to bed very, very happy.

Our current crop of kids will never know that kind of unsophisticated pleasure, will they? Sad. But I suppose each new generation of children will find their own particular pleasures. They won't miss what they never had. It is we who miss it for them. Isaac will certainly have a big Jack-o-Lantern, and I'm sure he and his friends will celebrate in their own way.












2005





2008

Jack-O-Lantern

Want to play?

No mess. No seeds. Just fun!




http://www.coasttocoastam.com/timages/page/pumpkin_sim.html

Isaac

I haven't written a whole lot lately about my grandson, Isaac. But I've been thinking about him. I always do. I miss the little guy. For no particular reason, I decided to offer pictures of him today. He has a good friend, Zane. Here are the two of them having a conversation. Isaac is the one under the baseball cap. I love this picture. Well, yes, I guess I love all his pictures, but in this one he isn't looking into the camera. He's just being himself and interacting with a friend.





I love this one with his mother, too. He looks so much like her when she was his age. We see that in so many of his pictures. It amazes me how much he looks like both of his parents. How can that be? But he does.





We have a picture of his dad as a baby and one of Isaac when compared side by side look like the same child. And we have pictures of him and his mom that again look like the same child.






Here's another, standing outside of the corn maze, or the amazing maize maze, as they advertise it. They always enjoy the maze each year. This, of course, was taken after their big pumpkin picking session.





















I just want to hug him.
Guess I'll have to settle for now for my teddy. Teddies are nice, but somehow they just aren't the same as cuddling a little boy.
Especially since Teddy sits only about 4" tall - but he is soft and cuddly.





The pictures above, of course, except for Teddy, are not mine, but were taken by Isaac's Mom or Dad.

.............................................................................................................


Lily Hydrangea, of Long Island Daily Photo has been nice enough to give me an award. It is the BFF (Blog Friend Forever) Gold Card Award.

I am very flattered and honored by this. I have great admiration for Lily. I found her blog because I lived on Long Island for twenty-one years, and she publishes so many photos of scenes that I remember well. They are beautiful photos, and are always accompanied by interesting and informative text.

There are rules with the award, including passing it on to five more blogs. This is something I always have trouble with, and although I did it one day last week, I really do not want to try to do it again. As I have said before, I have come to know so many truly wonderful bloggers, and have come to think of them as friends, and I find it very difficult to choose among them for these awards. I will think about it, Lily, but I can't promise to follow this rule just now.

Great New Blog

Reading Judy's blog, Imagine yesterday, I learned of another new blog. I clicked on the link, and almost instantly I had a new favorite. I am certain that the self-named blog, written by two great ladies, Margaret and Helen, is a read that most of you will thoroughly enjoy. I wasted no time in adding it to my "Must Read Every Day" list.



Seriously, it tells it like it is, but with humor. Margaret and Helen are two women who have been friends for sixty years. One lives in Texas and the other in Maine, but their friendship continues, happily for their readers. Give it a look and see if you don't agree with me.



I don't think you will regret it.

Shadow Shot Sunday #23

It's Sunday again in Australia - the start of a new week. But I'm going back in time. I took this picture quite a few years ago. That's me on the left, and my daughter, Kitty, on the right. We are standing on the boardwalk behind the old Cape May City Convention Hall, looking down at the sand. I'm sure there must have been shore birds that we were watching, and I'm sorry that they are not in the picture. They must have made some interesting shadows themselves.

I have always liked the picture. In fact, I use it as a screen saver. It brings back pleasant memories.



If you would like to join in with your own photos for Shadow Shots, please follow this link, or click on the logo on my sidebar. Chasing shadows is fun!

Thank you, "Harriet", in Australia, for hosting Shadow Shot Sunday and putting together collages of the photos used each week.



And thank you so much, Tracey. How very kind of you to give each of your participants the Super Sweet Shots Award! It's just one more reason to love your Shadow Shots Sunday meme.

Camera Critters #29

Hello Critter Lovers.

On Friday morning I started out to go to the store. As I was opening the car door, I found I had a hitchhiker. This is what I discovered.




He/she was a pretty stubborn one too. Wouldn't get off no matter what I did.




I guess he/she just wanted to go along for the ride.


Every week our Camera Critters meme is hosted by Misty Dawn. Thank you very much, Misty. We appreciate it.

Sky Watch #15

Hi everyone. I hope you have all had a wonderful week.

Two weeks ago, on a Saturday evening, I went out onto the front steps for a moment, and looked up to the east. The moon was almost full, and there seemed to be streaks of pink in the sky. Even with my little point and shoot camera, I thought it looked pretty good.



I went through the house and out on the back deck. It looked even better, but the color of the sky had changed.




I turned toward the west.





And then I started into the house, and caught this picture in the window.



I continued inside and called my friend, Lisa, to tell her to go out and look at the sky. She took one look and said, "Let's go up to the bay." That's where we headed.
Others had the same idea and were there ahead of us.



















Finally we got back into the car. The batteries in my camera were dwindling, but after a few minutes I tried once more, through the windshield.





Please go to Sky Watch, where Tom, Sandy, Klaus, Ivan, Fishing Guy, Wren and Imac - in other words, the whole team, work so hard to bring us these pictures every week.

Thank You, Gina!

Thank you, Gina! As I told you, I should give them right back to The Pagan Sphinx because I love your blog so much for so many reasons.

I have told you in the past the many reasons why I don't let a day go by without reading what you have to say or checking out the art or photographs you have to show us. Your blog is absolutely amazing.

I do want to pass on these awards to a few people, although there are so many wonderful blogs out there that I really try to read every single day, it's almost impossible to choose just a few. Most of the time I don't even try, but recently I find four people I just have to single out.


Lisa, your Ramblings of a Villas Girl just has to have the I Love Your Blog Award,
and your new Villas Girl Photos certainly deserves the Uber Amazing Blog Award.


Sylvia, after your disaster in losing your old blog and having to begin all over again, you have picked yourself up and dusted yourself off and started your new Sylvia From Over the Hill and continued as if nothing ever happened. Here are two awards just to say Brava!


Deborah, your Notes from the Cloud Messenger has always been a favorite of mine since I first discovered it. I delight in your beautiful and imaginative words.


Daryl, Out and About in New York City is so full of humor and I find your skill with camera and words really refreshing (not to mention the cartoons).


Thank you all. And again, thanks to Gina.

There is, of course, no obligation to pass them on further unless you choose to do so.

Cape May County Library

Last Saturday, the Cape May County Library celebrated 25 years of public service.










They really went all out. The parking lot held representatives of the Police and Fire Department, Paramedics, National Guard, a String Band, hot dog vendor, and a rep from radio station 98.7 The Coast, and around back, rides on Tony the pony for the kids. Inside was story telling and face painting for the kids, the Health Department. There was a cake, and of course there were balloons and souveniers.







The people my daughter, Rita works with are a great group. They all seem to like one another and get along very well. They're fun. This picture is of Freddie, serving cookies to a patron.



Rita and a couple of others took turns playing "Clickity the Dolphin" and greeting the children as they came in.





Rita took the Clickity picture here and the one at the start of the post.

When I got there, I took Clickity pictures too, but had no idea who was inside the costume at the time.



The "Villas Public Library" sign in the top photo was once on a little old building that served the purpose who knows how many years ago. One of the patrons found it in her attic, and donated it.




I think a whole lot of people had a very good time last Saturday.