I’d like to wish you a Happy Autumnal Equinox! For those of you who are not familiar with celestial terms, then I will wish you a Happy First Day of Fall. According to many pictures on Social Media and television commercials we can now expect colorful leaves, the nip of coolness in the air and Pumpkin Spice everywhere we go. What difference does this make in Southeast Texas? Apparently, not a damn thing. As I write this, it is 97 degrees outside with lots of humidity. The only real sign I have of the arrival of fall, is the appearance of the Spirit Halloween Store! I was there this morning and purchased another skeleton, because obviously seven are just not enough.
I have enjoyed sweating through the early stages of decorating my home. Of course it is always decorated on the inside, but this time of year is when I let all my neighbors know for sure what kind of neighbor they have. The best comment I have gotten so far is that folks are happy that I am finding enough chairs for all of the skeletons and witches to sit down. Yet, please understand, I am only getting started. I have plans. Lots of plans. There will be bats added into the mix this year and even a gargoyle. I like to start out small so as not to scare the villagers too quickly; however, once October 1st arrives everything is fair game.
I have extra space to decorate this year and I plan to cover every inch possible. I even have extra doors, so I don’t have to decide which wreath to use. I just have to make sure that I follow current fire regulations by keeping walkways clear. Now that’s a funny thought, because the ghosts already know to get out of the way whenever there is a fire or medical emergency. Even the goblins have that basic knowledge. Humans are so weird sometimes with their various rules and regulations as if they are in charge of things.
The only thing left for me to do, in addition to decorating, is to write haunted, scary stories. All of my standard characters show up during the fall. Willow, the Grim Reaper, is already present and accounted for, and I’ve lost track of all the ghosts and goblins who are showing up to get a good spot in the next plot.
After presenting AuthorPalooza in early October, the Houston Writers Guild and Women in the Visual and Literary Arts will once again join literary forces for a night of Haunted Holidays stories at Brazos Bookstore. All of the original stories, essays and poetry are written by members of those two illustrious organizations. I hope you will join us for the fun and frolic!!!
Until next time.….…..
Once I had my first sighting, I had to try other venues. Bath and Body Works told me they had some Halloween products come in, but were all sold out. Did they know when the next shipment would arrive? No. Just call back. Apparently there is a Halloween Hand that is very popular this year. I am more interested in the skull soap holder and the skeleton that will hold a candle. I’ll go back for them later. I also drove past the location where I have visited the Spirit Halloween store for the past several years. Oops. There is quite a bit of construction going on in the area. Since this work has been going on for several months, I am beginning to think the location for the seasonal store might be different this year. According to their website, they’re coming. I just don’t know when.
Do you think I might have bought a few items while I was at Michael’s this morning? Well, yes I did. Do you think I only purchased these four small items? I plead the fifth. However, I needed these things for story research. I am currently working on several Halloween themed short stories and one long story that involve witches, ghosts, grim reapers and such. I need these things for my creativity. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.