Thoughts on a Thursday 10-31-2019

We got our freezing temperatures this morning. Thanks to the forewarning by our good weather people, we are good with no frozen water pipes. We don’t need the snow tires on the truck yet, but I’m still happy that we’re set if we need them. It’s 33 degrees F. right now with a breeze, so it’s a very good day to stay inside as much as possible. We have leftover chili for tonight and a nice, warm house, so we’re very lucky.

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. I have such great memories of going trick-or-treating with a group of my friends. I don’t remember many of my costumes, but my mom wasn’t one to buy costumes from the store, telling my brother and me to use our imaginations. I really think that was a wonderful gift – a skill I’m still developing and enjoying. Back in the ‘good-old-days’ – a hundred years or so ago when we were trick-or-treating – there were vague warnings about watching out for razor blades in caramel apples, but that was all. My friends and I would gather and disappear into the night, giddy with the joy of being on our own to go to as many houses as possible to gather goodies. I loved it when people gave out home made cookies, or snickers bars, but was happy with whatever was given. We finally quit when we were too tired to go to even one more house, and essentially crawled back to our neighborhood and our various homes. Our deadline to be home was 9:00. Back then, my parents didn’t go through my candy, alert for bad stuff. If I happened to get a caramel apple, I gave it to my brother – not out of the goodness of my heart, particularly. He liked them and I didn’t. Simple as that. We already had full stomachs from eating while walking, but we snuck another few pieces before going to bed.

My favorite Halloween as an adult was when we lived in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma in a neighborhood full of kids. My husband got into the spirit that year. We had taken our toddler son around earlier, so he was happily lying on the couch while we answered the door. My husband got on a wonderful, scary mask he had found. He put a pillow on his back and a burlap cover with a hole in it over his head. He really looked GREAT. The first kids came to the door. He opened it. They screamed and ran away without getting any candy. Then the word spread and I think the whole planet showed up at our door to see the ‘monster.’ I went out twice to load up the car with more candy during the evening.  Our son finally saw him, and was all upset, even when my husband took the mask off, and stomped on it on the floor. We ended up putting the mask away, in the top of a hall closet. Dad was back, so our son was happy again.

Now kids go to sponsored parties, or their parents follow them in cars as they trick-or-treat. They don’t know any different, so I hope they still have a blast on the holiday. I still remember how it used to be – before the world changed.

Jennifer Cleveland