Happy Halloween

It has seemed lately that the holiday once celebrated almost exclusively by  and for children has been co-opted by adults and gruesome or just plain gross 'treats'. I was pleased, therefore, to capture this little person dressed as an 'Oompa Loompa' from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in Flying Goat this morning with Mum. Increasingly, it seems that kids are being banished to shopping malls or other 'safe' venues or not allowed to eat their candy until it has been x-rayed in the local hospital…

It was nice, therefore, to read in the paper this morning that the owners of the MacDonald mansion, Mableton, hold a huge Halloween bash every year. They open the grounds of their painstakingly restored house which have been decorated with all the stage sets and trappings of a given theme. Tonight's theme was being kept under wraps so as to be a surprise, but past years have included The Wizard of Oz, The Lion King and Peter Pan. Fifty family members, friends and volunteers, in costumes painstakingly designed by a family friend mingle with visitors, and themes are chosen that will not frighten the bejeezus out of young visitors. A huge cauldron filled with candy stands by the exit gate for the hundreds of parting celebrants who have had a free fantasy Halloween experience.

I have put a picture of a hand decorated pumpkin  on my neighbor's porch in the extras. Love the Dia de los Muertos theme. We won't have any trick or treaters in our neighborhood which has no sidewalks or streetlights,. 

We  set our clocks back an hour tonight to Pacific Standard time so it will be a little easier to get up tomorrow morning, but it will get dark depressingly early. My father always took on the job of resetting the  clocks twice a year, but was so afraid of forgetting that he would get started a couple of days ahead of time, resulting in total confusion in our household as to what time it 'really' was.