Many of my neighbors decorate for Halloween. (But not me.) I see their tableaus when I walk or drive by, but that’s almost always during the day. I have never seen how they look in the dark. Sunday night I decided to find out.
Spooky, huh?
Oct31
Monthly Archives: October 2023
Oct30
Monday Morning Wisdom #436
When you’re through changing, you’re through. ~Martha Stewart
Oct29
From the Creator’s Heart #426
We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken (2 Corinthians 4:8-9 MSG).
Oct28
Halloween Reservations
I have an uneasy relationship with Halloween.
When I was a child, I loved it. What fun to dress up as something or somebody else, and have people give you candy! What’s not to like?
And when my oldest children were young, I went all out, sewing elaborate costumes for them. I made a pirate, a frog, a giant M&M, a clown, a bride, a princess, Tweety Bird, a gorilla, a gypsy. Some I bought patterns for, others I improvised.
One year my daughter Erin volunteered to portray a person from India in a missions program at church. At my neighbor Gloria Jean’s suggestion, I went to an Indian store in Phoenix and examined the saris, and a salesperson explained how they were pleated and draped. I bought six yards of beautiful Indian lightweight cotton print fabric there and made Erin a sari. You better believe it was also her next Halloween costume.
But then the seedy side of Halloween got to me—the horror movies, the vampires and zombies, the connections to heathen traditions—and it made me think Halloween was not a healthy experience for children. My kids still went trick or treating (although not in 2001, just after 9/11), but we keyed it way back.
Now that I actually have grandchildren, I’m rethinking Halloween again. Halloween is what you make it. If you make it wholesome and fun rather than scary, what’s the harm? Mostly, I’m going to keep my mouth closed and let my grandchildren’s parents decide if/how to celebrate.
Andrea’s note: If you suspect that this post was just an excuse to learn how to use gifs, you might be right.
Oct27
Creative Juice #367
Plenty of interesting things to think about and nudge you into creating something wonderful.
- A story about dandelions and perspective.
- 16 books that reignited a love of reading.
- How to revitalize a dying friendship or improve an okay one.
- Extraordinarily edited photographs.
- For the unhip: Do you know these slang words/phrases?
- Beautiful forest photos.
- Ancient structures and artifacts.
- I don’t even know what Voice Notes is, but I love how it helps this writer connect with an old friend.
- A collection of watercolor leaf video tutorials.
- Quilt designer Sherri McConnell’s Instagram is inspiring. I love her quilting room. (I’m so jealous.)
- Smashing pumpkins as only elephants can. Remarkably satisfying.
- I love Jimmy Choo shoes! Not that I have any, but they’re beautiful. He has an inspiring story, one which is immortalized in a new picture book for children. (There’s a giveaway to enter.)
- People in my neighborhood go all out decorating for Halloween. Here are some pictures I took a few years ago.
Oct26
Video of the Week: History of the Banjo
As a music educator, I knew that the banjo’s roots are from Africa, but I didn’t know its history in this detail. Fascinating!
Oct25
Wordless Wednesday: Belly Up
Oct24
OctPoWriMo2023 Day 21
I was ready to work on today’s prompt, but then I discovered I started a poem on Saturday that I never completed, so I opted to finish it.
Day 21’s prompt is: Write today’s poem as a mad scientist. Your poem may be the formula for your greatest discovery or invention. Your poem may be your manifesto, or your frustrations with limitation, or just the rantings of a mad man. The suggested form is Twenty Little Poetry Projects. The last time I tried that form, I was only able to include 7 of the elements. This time I managed 17.
Alchemy by ARHuelsenbeck Transforming the world is converting dross into silver. Sanitizing the stink of stupidity. Giving a crown of beauty for asses. Screams of anguish traded for angelic choirs. The rough roads made smooth as silk. Routine humankindness. The poet does this on a regular basis. Why not the scientist? The wind whistling through the trees tastes like licorice. Most people just want others to think they’re boujee. Or maybe impoverished. The wise old owl says, “You want to improve your life? Learn to be satisfied with the way things are.” Just like a conservative. They want everything to remain the same. Progress requires change. Be the change you wish to see in the world. ~Mahatma Gandhi For every person who fights for change, there is another person tirelessly working to undo the changes. That’s why we never see any progress. Diet soda turned into the real stuff. Oy gevalt! I work so hard to transform the world. For example, I always carry my umbrella so it won’t rain. Sadly, people will die in the effort to transform the world. But people will die if we don’t transform the world. It’s a futile alchemy. Blame the fickle finger of fate. Tempe, Arizona is not the end of the world, but you can see it from there. I chew the licorice of the whistling wind.
Oct23
Monday Morning Wisdom #435
The rule for travelling abroad is to take our common sense with us, and leave our prejudices behind. ~William Hazlett
Oct22
From the Creator’s Heart #425
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8 NIV).
ARHtistic License 