Some Enchanted Evening

This week has been like riding the weather rollercoaster, temps ranging from 30 to the current 63°,gray and rainy, flurries and heavy enough frost to have to scrape the windshield in the morning. It's an unusually sunny and mild day here in Farmland for Oct. 31. I've even got the patio door open and the yard is getting it's last mow of the year.

So the creatures who'll be wandering the streets tonight will get a bit of a break; no coats to spoil their costumes, maybe? When I was a kid, there wasn't much worse than having to put a coat OVER my costume! Of course, the costume never fit over the coat. At least where I lived, we never had snow to contend with on Halloween. The Viking lived in northern MN and does remember trick-or-treating in the snow.

Aren't these kids cute, coats and all?

My age is showing, I suppose, but it seems to me that it's not nearly as much fun for kids today as it was to trick-or-treat in the '60's. We lived in a typical for the era large suburban development filled with young families. Halloween was an exciting night, kids got to roam the streets alone (we'd have been mortified to have a parent along.) and no one was concerned about kidnappings, poisoned or otherwise tampered with candy or truly destructive behavior. Even though there'd be hundreds of kids out, no one needed a kid radar tracking alarm tucked into their pocket.

The worst things I ever knew about, even as a teen, was TP-ing trees or if someone was really awful, egging a neighbors house. There were always some rougher, older kids who'd gang up later with a six pack, but that was really about it. Other than staying in a group with your own friends, no other cautions were needed.

We were true innocents then. We accepted all kinds of goodies into our huge double handled paper shopping bag size treat sacks. Apples. Popcorn balls. Loose candy. Bring it on. Anything was good, but for me --keep the Mary Janes please.

We lived dangerously.

We actually ATE CANDY IN THE DARK.

Happy Halloween and Blessed Samhain to you all. I hope you find a playful spirit in your memory this enchanted evening.