...the heart of a pumpkin...

“Only the knife knows

what goes on in the heart of a pumpkin.”

~Simone Schwarz-Bart

Last year at this time we were basking in the joy of growing pumpkins. Currently, my backyard is a mess but I don’t have any plants to blame for being untidy. It’s been a rainy few weeks.

Pumpkins have still been on my mind, as has Heidi Daus’ Halloween collection. Oy! Yesterday, "Hanging Out" Crystal Pumpkin Pin arrived and I think these Jack-o-lanterns (Shouldn't the plural be Jacks-o-lantern instead of Jack-o-lanterns! Like sisters-in-law! Anyway…) are adorable!

The local bakery has adorable cookies for the season, which I bought for my hair stylist (I also bought a unicorn cookie for my fella since he is my unicorn); even the United States Post Office has gotten into the Halloween Spirit!

 

This week has been my Fall break from taking my graduate courses. My university doesn’t have a break so I’m still teaching; really, just my evenings are free. I’ve used the time to get ahead in reading and focusing on writing drafts of future papers. I have two papers due next week and two due on Halloween. Talk about timing!

I also took some time to sit with my fella, Clive (our werewolf), and our little unicorn to catch up on The Strain and Fear of the Walking Dead.

Happy Halloween Season!

...Spooktacular Hallows Eve...

“It takes a lot of time and money to look this cheap, honey,”

~ Dolly Parton, Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business

“It takes a lot of time and money to look this goth, honey,”

~ Me

Available on Bandcamp

Halloween night, my fella and I went to Ashland Coffee & Tea to see the Taters Don’t Scream: Songs to Keep You Up At Night! album release. This was our second year going to see their Halloween show and I think it’s our new tradition. Last year, I admit that I was a bit fussy when Halloween was hijacked from me. Okay, it wasn’t really hijacked merely suggested that we go to a show but I liked the alliteration. Oftentimes, my fella is right. This was one of those times.

Craig aka The Wolfman

The Taters played songs from their new album along with numerous Halloween classics like “The Monster Mash” and “Scooby Doo.” While The Taters have fans across the States, the album opens with a bit from The Bowman Body and was recorded in Ashland. It feels like home.  

Greg aka The Mummy

“I Put A Spell On You” was Halloween perfection! In fact, they said they could make any of their songs have a holiday flare, “Take any song, put it in a minor key… It’s a Halloween song!” Good music and good friends... that makes a very happy Halloween!

Brad aka Dracula

 

As I wrote last year, “This is exactly what I want the world to be like everyday-- folks dressed up in costumes, people playing silly pranks while laughing, neighbors handing out candy, everyone simply having fun. I don’t understand why the holiday ends and everyone’s sense of whimsy goes *POOF* along with it. The night ends and everyone forgets that on one day, Halloween, they loved my bat décor and jewelry. But as Dickens writes, I will honor Halloween in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. Okay, that’s a slight paraphrase but you get the gist.”

“That’s a great Halloween purse! Where did you get it?” I always politely answer and watch them stare at me when I snote the brand. “Wow, you really went all out for Halloween!” referring to the rings and bracelets that I wear on a daily basis.

My fella isn’t goth so sometimes I worry that my goth-flag might be a bit too out there but he’s always proud. When one of his friends commented on my purse, my fella points out the details (he’s a man who appreciates details). “There is velvet on the inside. Show them!”  Or, he points out one of the topics that I’m discussing in my vampire course when someone asks if I’m teaching Twilight. “Well, she actually has her students read criticism that points out that Edward is a sociopath” or he deflects, “Last week she discussed racism in I Am Legend and demonstrates how the movie with Will Smith nods to the books sentiments pre-Civil Rights Movement." 

He knows because he pays attention and understands me. And really, what more could a girl ask for any day of the year.