201101 2020 Halloween
This year's Halloween was amazing. A neighbour on our street sent flyers to everyone suggesting a costume parade around the circle in the afternoon. She invited those who wished to give out treats to do so - requested masks be worn, funny twist on Covid-19 life. It was an great success - 15 out of 22 houses participated, grownups and adult children, many in costume, were out at the sidewalk with tables, pumpkins, scary owl skeletons, bloody body parts and treats. Several people prepared little sacks of candies and chocolates, one person made the sweetest little skeleton and pumpkin cookies and put together a magic princess costume as well! We had a 6 year old raccoon and a dad raccoon, not the same family! Also several grownup cowboys, bandanas de rigueur! A holy cow - cow costume and halo, two vampires, very scary (Robin and Indre). There was a toddler dog with a tail and spaniel ears, whose real family dog wore a football jersey with Wide Retriever written on it! And a little boy who was a baby dinosaur complete with half a dinosaur egg still around his waist. It was such a turn-out: everyone agreed that it was a fine way to celebrate the day.
The day held many firsts for Mumma Yaga. First Halloween in a pandemic - I'm not that old! First time in 35 years that I didn't carve any pumpkins. Tamar came home with 2 lovelies which Nick carved very expertly, tracing the children's patterns. I didn't buy any treats, leaving it to Tamar if she wished. She did, and had a yummy selection. Tamar also put together the children's costumes, first time in those same 35 years that Mumma didn't make, assist with or provide consultation on costumes. (In 2018 I made Indre a Yeti and in 2019, Indre was Tiana the frog princess in a Mumma's home-made costume, Robin a home-made Viking, except for the helmet, which he and I found at a garage sale (of course!) Tamar has been doing their make-up for several years; she's really good at it. In the morning while everyone else was still in bed Indre and I made (Halloweeny? Well, easy and delicious) oatmeal squares.
Forty years ago I made a witch's cloak and every Halloween I resurrect it with different add-ons, dress, hat or broomstick, but I always forget that I don't have long black witch hair, so I have to just mess up my mouse-coloured scraggly hair - which is a pretty good Mumma Yaga look really.
November 1
I forgot the clocks went back last night and I got up at 5 thinking it was 6. K was awake and joined me for coffee. It was another hour before we remembered about the time change. Yesterday morning we had a real frost, almost the first of the season (here), but this morning a warm wind is blowing and suddenly all the trees are almost bare of leaves. It is 11 degrees. The witch in the tree is flying wildly and skeleton owls stare out from the the rooftop across the street at a bleak and wonderful morning in a new month. Covid Day 235. Maybe it's going to be okay.
The children are up. This is breakfast. I don't buy Hershey's chocolate (because I am a Cadbury person), so this lovely tombstone bar caught me by surprise!
I wish you all a good November. Keep safe. It is raining now. Perfect November rain.
Mumma Yaga
Nice Jack-O-Lanterns! Glad you had such a special Halloween. Here, we surprised ourselves by going trick-or-treating, and enjoyed a very special stroll around a family neighbourhood, where the houses were spectacularly creative in their ways of delivering goodies to the kids: many had tubes or slender makeshift slides set up along the bannister, and they let the mini chocolates slide down to the opened bag below. A Halloween to remember!
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