Happy Halloween!
It’s one of my favorite holidays.
As a youngster, months of planning went into the costume [my Mom loved to sew] and a trip into town on the big evening to go trick or treating was always topped off at the school’s annual Halloween carnival, complete with apples to bob for and a cup of apple cider at the bonfire behind the school.
Guess I never really grew up, because when our youngsters were little, I made their costumes too. When it was time for trick or treating, I would get dressed up and go with the kids while Jack stayed home to pass out the goodies.
When they got a little older and didn’t want my company, I would still dress up as ghoulishly as possible and just “hang around” our front door so I could scare certain youngsters…
Later on in the evening, I’d go out and ring selected friends’ doorbells as well. (Some are still wondering who that old hag was.) Jack’s best friend back then actually threatened me with a call to the cops once. Gee, I was only hanging around his porch and harassing him a little…
You wouldn’t dare do that in these times, would you?
All of my fun came to an abrupt halt one year though when one of Don’s teenage friends wasn’t even startled when I answered the door in a shroud and a green face. She just said, “Oh Mrs. Maurer, I just had to come over and see what you were wearing this year!” That burst my bubble I can tell you.
After we moved up to Clare, I didn’t dress up and go out trick or treating anymore, after all I had to act like a respectable business woman didn’t I? I tried to limit the costume wearing to parties, but it sure wasn’t easy.
Sometimes when the big day happened during the week and our office was still in downtown Clare we would dress up a little or con one of the husbands into doing it and passing out some candy.
Nowadays I don’t have to dress up like a little old lady anymore cause I am one.
We don’t get many trick-or-treaters out here on Whiteville. In fact, although we have been here almost four years now, I don’t think we have ever had any here at the “big camper.”
Thanks to hubby Jack, we are prepared though. He bought a huge bag of candy recently, “just in case.” I noticed the bag is now only about a third full….
When I mentioned that to him, he said, “We can always buy more…”
We may not dress up anymore, but the rest of the family does and they still have fun too, especially with Lisa and Terry’s pumpkin carving contest. As usual, Alea was this year’s winner with her “zombi pumpkin.”
Next Thursday night you will be seeing lots of little ones in costume out on their rounds seeking sweet treats. And I’ll just bet you will see a lot of grownups in costume too celebrating the holiday right along with their youngsters.
Our fall fun was all last weekend when we went north for our annual “Leaf Peepers Tour.” And, it was probably one of the very best and most colorful tours I can remember.
We went north, via back roads, connected with M18 and headed up to Roscommon. The way was beautiful, and we spent a couple days at Marlene’s trailer where we saw fabulous color all around us! Sunday we headed further north and spotted lots of color near Camp Grayling and more even further north. Following lunch in Watters (just south of Gaylord), we headed west, and discovered more beautiful fall colors before turning back south down some dirt roads, then through Lovells to M72 and back to M18 towards Roscommon. Believe it or not, that is where we saw the most and best color of all, that is until we got back to Clare County to discover even more right around home!
It certainly was a great weekend get-away!
