a year without (Martha's) Halloween

As September draws to a close, I am coming to the slow, sad realization that Martha Stewart will not be releasing a special Halloween issue this year. For weeks now, I've been stopping at newsstands and checking, but nothing. Now, I'm not a huge Martha fan most of the year, but all that changes in September. I eagerly await the arrival of her Halloween issue and I'm never disappointed. Nobody puts together a stylish Halloween quite like Martha. Yes, I know there is a Halloween section in her regular October issue and yes, I know I can visit her on-line Halloween Workshop - but it's not the same. One of the great pleasures of my September evenings is relaxing on the couch with a hot cup of tea and flipping through the pages of Martha's Halloween, admiring the ingenuity of Martha (and her staff), deciding which projects and recipes to try first. And this year . . . well, let's just say there's a void that no other Halloween magazine can fill. Fortunately, all is not lost. I save the old issues and can comfort myself with leafing through them, reliving old memories, revisiting old favourites. So it'll be okay. In fact, I think I'll make a batch of these candy corn cookies right now.

candy

Is there a sweeter place in the world than the Bulk Barn in October? Made the first trip of the season there this weekend to stock up. The candy pumpkins are not particular snacking favourites of mine, but they look great on a chocolate pumpkin patch cake. The peanut butter pumpkin balls, on the other hand, are a particular snacking favourite. And the candy corn . . . well, it just isn't Halloween without candy corn.

on the fence

After a couple of weeks of thinking and procrastinating, and gathering materials and procrastinating, and getting new ideas and procrastinating, this weekend, I decided to make some real progress on my Halloween projects. Halloween is slowly creeping up on me, and October looks like it's going to be a busy month, as usual.



I'm planning to make a few tombstones this year as part of my resolution to extend my haunt from the front porch into the front yard. So, I thought a cemetery fence my be a nice complement to the tombstones. The seed of the fence's creation was planted when my son asked if he could replace the blinds in his bedroom with curtains. As I was taking down the Venetian blinds, it occurred to me that the blind's slats would make good fence posts. 






One problem though - they're weak and easily bent and would need support. I wouldn't be able to stick them into the ground, especially on the pile of solid rock that I call home. Enter, my wooden garden crates. I'd been using these crates as vegetable planters on my deck for the past few summers, with varying degrees of success (but that's another story), and stood on end, they looked perfect for supporting a less-than-sturdy fence. They have the added bonus of room inside to hold large rocks or bricks for extra stability. Late October is notoriously windy in this part of the world. The crates are a little short, so I used some old leftover hardwood strips from my floor to extend them and support the top of the fence. A quick trip to Home Depot for two long strips of wood for the horizontal rails and a can of black spray paint and I was ready.






My old nemesis, procrastination, almost stepped in again in the form of a dire weather forecast, but I decided to take my chances. So, with Hurricane Kyle closing in, I headed out to the deck to assemble a section of fence. It turned out better than I had expected. I even found some styrofoam in the basement storage room and cut it up for the post tops.




The finished section is just over 8 feet long. My yard is small, but not that small, so I'll be making one or two more (lots of leftover blind slats and crates). I can link a second section to the first using the crate as a middle post, and stack a second crate on top of the first to create taller centre and end posts (modular cemetery fencing, the possibilities are endless!). The best part (from a financial perspective) is that it cost only $7 - the can of paint was my biggest expenditure. I'm absolutely thrilled when I can create things out of whatever I have lying around the house. And what of Kyle? He made a slight change in direction and headed to New Brunswick instead. Hopefully, no one in that province was trying to build a cemetery fence. Actually having something turn out better than I expected rather than worse has done wonders for my motivation.

the pumpkin king

This statue of Howard Dill (aka The Pumpkin King) stands at an intersection in the town of Windsor, Nova Scotia. Howard Dill carved out (no pun intended!) an international reputation for himself as a grower of record-breaking pumpkins by winning 4 consecutive world titles - the first of his award-winners weighing in at 400 lbs. Since then his seeds have been scattered around the world and Dill's Atlantic Giant has gone on to spawn massive pumpkins of over 1500 lbs. So, what do you do with a giant pumpkin? Apart from the obvious giant Halloween jack-o-lanterns, Dill's pumpkins have inspired a pumpkin regatta, in which the pumpkins are hollowed out, fashioned into boats and rowed across nearby Lake Pesaquid. The annual event attracts a huge crowd and even caught the attention of Martha Stewart, who planned to descend upon the town of Windsor with her television crew in tow and personally pilot a pumpkin across Pesaquid. Alas, it was not to be. The Canadian authorities refused to let Martha cross the border. (Something about convicted criminals not being permitted to enter this country.) At the 11th hour, the authorites relented, but by then, schedules being what they are, it was too late and Martha's crew came alone. Still, the great pumpkin regatta continues each October, so it's never really too late. Perhaps this year, Martha.

". . . and the autumn moon is bright"

Last year, just before Halloween, I stumbled upon a couple of DVD sets from Universal Studios' Legacy Collection – The Wolfman and The Mummy. In addition to the title movie, each set includes the various spin-offs and incarnations of the characters, as well as interviews, trailers, documentaries . . . Being the DVD special features addict that I am, I couldn’t resist and eagerly anticipated a movie monster marathon. Unfortunately, the week before Halloween last year was particularly busy, and I didn’t get to watch as many of them as I had planned. Sure, I could have watched them in November, but that would have seemed anti-climactic. So instead, I put them aside with the goal of watching each and every one this year and hopefully tracking down the three remaining sets – Frankenstein, Creature From the Black Lagoon, and Dracula. So now that the "autumn moon is bright", let the classic Universal Horror viewing begin.

Universal Classic Horror Movie #1 – The Wolfman

The Wolfman was chosen to kick off my classic horror Halloween viewing because it's the only one of the major Universal monster movies that I have never seen at all - not even a clip. The Wolfman has our tragic hero, Lon Chaney Jr., returning to his ancestral home and falling in love with a neighbour (after using his telescope to look into her bedroom), only to be bitten by Bela Lugosi (in a creepy cameo role) and go on to become . . . The Wolfman. Okay, so the acting is . . . perhaps slightly wooden and the plot is simplistic and predictable. The female characters appear to have a fainting problem and a habit of making poor decisions. (But really, if you’d been warned that your life was threatened, what would you do? Why, you’d run off alone into a foggy forest in the dark, that's what you'd do.) Still, this movie would have terrified me as a child, if I could have ever worked up the courage to watch it. Darkness, fog everywhere, creepy B-movie actors – what’s not to love? Classic black-and-white 1940’s goodness.

ready for halloween

Hay bales getting into the spirit of the season at a Nova Scotia farm market.

and haud their Halloween

This statue of Scottish poet Robert Burns stands in a small park in downtown Halifax. Walking past him at this time of year reminds me of his rather lengthy poem about Halloween, one of my favourites because it evokes the spirit of the Halloween celebrations of centuries ago. Like a portal into another world. Unlike the current focus on costumes, pumpkins, and horrors of every description, Halloween in the Britain of the late 1700’s was celebrated with parties and games, many of which involved old spells intended to identify your true love or discover whom you would marry. There was a definite romantic slant to the occasion. Young people threw nuts with names painted on them into the fire coals to watch in which order they burst, which was then taken as an omen.

I’ve included part of Robert Burns’s poem here. And for anyone, like me, whose olde Scottish dialect is a little rusty, the modern English translation follows immediately afterwards.

Halloween

Upon that night,

when fairies light

On Cassilis Downans dance,

Or owre the lays,

in splendid blaze,

On sprightly coursers prance;

Or for Colean the route is ta'en,

Beneath the moon's pale beams;

There, up the cove, to stray and rove,

Among the rocks and streams

To sport that night.

Among the bonny winding banks,

Where Doon rins, wimplin' clear,

Where Bruce ance ruled the martial ranks,

And shook his Carrick spear,

Some merry, friendly, country-folks,

Together did convene,

To burn their nits, and pou their stocks,

And haud their Halloween

Fu' blithe that night.

The auld guidwife's well-hoordit nits,

Are round and round divided,

And monie lads' and lasses' fates

Are there that night decided:

Some kindle coothie, side by side,

And burn thegither trimly;

Some start awa, wi' saucy pride,

And jump out-owre the chimlie

Fu' high that night."

Ae hairst afore the Sherramoor,

--I mind't as weel's yestreen,

I was a gilpey then,

I'm sureI wasna past fifteen;

The simmer had been cauld and wat,

And stuff was unco green;

And aye a rantin' kirn we gat,

And just on Halloween

It fell that night.

Among the brackens, on the brae,

Between her and the moon,

The deil, or else an outler quey,

Gat up and gae a croon:

Poor Leezie's heart maist lap the hool!

Near lav'rock-height she jumpit;

but mist a fit, and in the pool

Out-owre the lugs she plumpit,

Wi' a plunge that night.

Wi' merry sangs, and friendly cracks,

I wat they didna weary;

And unco tales, and funny jokes,

Their sports were cheap and cheery;

Till butter'd so'ns, wi' fragrant lunt,

Set a' their gabs a-steerin';

Syne, wi' a social glass o' strunt,

They parted aff careerin'

Fu' blythe that night.

. . . and now in English

Halloween

Upon that night, when fairies light

On Cassilis Downans dance,

Or over the lays, in splendid blaze,

On sprightly horses prance;

Or for Colean the route is taken,

Beneath the moon's pale beams;

There, up the cove, to stray and rove,

Among the rocks and streams

To sport that night.

Among the bonny winding banks,

Where the river Doon runs clear,

Where Bruce once ruled the martial ranks,

And shook his Carrick spear,

Some merry, friendly, country-folks,

Together did convene,

To burn their nuts, and pile their shocks of wheat,

And have their Halloween

Full of fun that night.

The old housewife's well-hoarded nuts,

Are round and round divided,

And many lads' and lasses' fates

Are there that night decided:

Some kindle cosily, side by side,

And burn together trimly;

Some start away, with saucy pride,

And jumpout over the chimney

Full high that night.

"One harvest before the Sherramoor,

-I remember it as well as last night,

I was a young girl then,

I'm sure I was not past fifteen;

The summer had been cold and wet,

And stuff was very green;

And yes a merry harvest home we got,

And just on Halloween

It fell that night.

Among the brackens, on the slope,

Between her and the moon,

The devil, or else an unhoused cow,

Got up and gave a moo!

Poor Lizzie's heart most leap out of her chest!

Near lark-height she jumped;

But missed a foot, and in the pool

Out-over the ears she falls in,

With a plunge that night.

With merry songs, and friendly tales,

I know they didn't weary;

And many tales, and funny jokes,

Their sports were cheap and cheery;

Till buttered scones, with fragrant steam,

Set all their mouths a'stirring;

Then, with a social glass of liquor,

They parted off careering

Full happy that night.

Full text and translation

Source

enjoying the sunshine

Happy little group, sitting in the fall sunshine, until . . . one by one . . . their friends began to disappear . . .

a new autumn favourite

After a trip to a nearby farm to stock up on pumpkins (and apples), we stopped at a farm market and I spotted this: pecan pumpkin pie fudge. I think I may have a new fall favourite! Fabulous on its own, and even better melted in your mouth with a hot cup of tea. Now if I could only find a source closer to home.

the great blizzard of halloween

This photo reminded me of the one and only time I can recall having snow on Halloween night. The Halloween nights of my childhood were usually cold. That was part of the charm. Crisp frosty air. An icy white moon illuminating the scudding clouds that drifted across its face. The few dry leaves that still clung to branches, rustling in the darkness. Cold. Sometimes blustery. But not snowy. Never snowy. Except once.

I was one of a busload of elementary school kids, riding home on an October 31st afternoon through quite a significant snowstorm. Looking despairingly out the window at the ice-covered roads and the falling snow. Insisting that we were going trick-or-treating, no matter what. Blowing snow, raging wind, sub-zero temperatures . . . nothing would stand in our way! This was one glorious night in a year. One night to wear masks, to stay out late, to run around unsupervised in the darkness, and most importantly, to collect a bagful of junk food. A little snow and ice would not take that away. Trudging home from my bus stop through the drifting snow under the darkening sky, I feared the worst. But I felt more determined than ever that Halloween would go on. It had to. There were treats out there. Waiting.

I threw open the back door of my house. Ready for the onslaught of negativity. Ready to be told why I couldn't go out that night. I knew what words awaited me. So I spoke first. Before I had even taken off my jacket or dropped my bookbag on the floor. "I'm going trick-or-treating!" No matter what the weather. We had all worked it out on the bus ride home. We were united. Nothing could dissuade us. But then, as always, reality intervened. Not in the form of parents. Their reasoning probably would have made no difference. But then . . . I listened to the radio. In my memory, it's like those old television shows in which people turned on their radio and immediately heard the report they were waiting for. And there it was. There would officially be no trick-or-treating that night. There was no point in dressing up or going out. Halloween was . . . postponed.

Trick-or-treating resumed, of course, the following night. Once the storm had subsided and the snow had been cleared. The treats were still waiting. Perhaps not surprisingly, I have no clear memories of that delayed Halloween night. Apparently, the snow covered them all.

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the taste of halloween

Some Halloween traditions seem as old and familiar as a jack-o-lantern. Kerr's candy company has been producing its Molasses Kisses (not to be confused with Hershey's more famous offspring) for generations. Not sure how long these chewy candies have been finding their way into trick-or-treaters' bags and pumpkin buckets, but they figure in some of my earliest Halloween memories - not all of them good. Inexpensive and available almost everywhere, they were a Halloween night staple. Making the rounds from house to house, you'd hope for chocolate bars, chips, suckers, gum . . . almost anything but that familiar black, yellow, and orange wrapped candy. Then, as the early days of November wore on, the trick-or-treating loot dwindled until all that was left were the dreaded Halloween Kisses. For as long as I've been on the giving, rather than the receiving, end of trick-or-treating, I've never given them out. But, occasionally, I buy a bag just to see if they are still as I remember them . . . and they are. And while I still don't really like them, their sweet molasses taste is familiar and . . . strangely . . . comforting.

vintage halloween

I love the imagery of vintage Halloween decorations, particularly those from the early part of the century. Early 20th century, that is, not 21st. They strike a nice balance between the two faces of Halloween. While not frightening, neither are they cutesy and tooth-achingly sweet. While I can't afford to purchase any of these in their original form, it's always fun to look at the pictures. For anyone interested in the history and production of these decorations, Mark Ledenbach is a Halloween collector with a very informative site - appropriately named Halloween Collector. The images pictured here are from his collection.

mmmmm . . . pumpkin spice

 
At Chapters yesterday, looking for Halloween magazines, I noticed a sign perched over the Starbucks counter. Yes, it’s Pumpkin Spice Latte time again! While it’s only offered in the fall at Starbucks, the people at Second Cup kindly keep their Pumpkin Spice Latte on the menu year round. And while I have been known to order one in March . . . or May . . . it’s really more of an autumn tradition for me. In the coming weeks, I’ll be enjoying more than a few of these, occasionally topped with whipped cream, always topped with cinnamon and nutmeg. A tradition that will extend well into November . . . or at least until the Eggnog Latte appears.

as easy as folding paper

Spent some time recently exploring what has become one of my favourite Halloween websites - Ravens Blight. Amongst the artwork, games and music, I noticed a page entitled The Toy Shop which promises printed materials and instructions for creating masks, games, decorations . . . all by just folding paper. Now, I’ve always had a problem with crafts that involve the precise folding of paper. Back in elementary school, everyone was making and playing with numbered square games that you put your fingers into and opened in different combinations (they actually have a name, but it escapes me now). Could I fold mine so it would work properly? Nope. And my attempt at origami is . . . well . . . it’s best forgotten. So it was with some trepidation that I scrolled down the list of folded paper toys looking for one that appeared to match my skill level. And then . . . I came upon the monster sets. Simple, small, quick monster standees. Yes, I thought, even I can do this. So I selected the Werewolf and hit Print. Then, scissors and glue in hand, I set to work. Step by step, I followed the instructions. I cut, folded, pasted, trimmed . . . and I did it! My werewolf actually looks like the werewolf in the picture (except that mine is pink because my printer cartridge was drawing its last breath). However, all of this has given me renewed confidence in my paper-folding skills. I went back to look at the more complex toys. Perhaps I could progress to the masks, the graveyard and even Ravensblight Manor itself. Yes, the sweet smell of success. Thanks Ray!

sign of the season

This weekend I've noticed that bins of fresh pumpkins have begun appearing everywhere. These little guys are likely destined for someone's pastry shell.

any time is coffee time

I couldn't agree more . . . nothing is as reliable as a good cup of coffee! And an endorsement by a Halloween witch is good enough for me.

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halloween a go-go

I love vintage Halloween decorations that provide an instant snapshot of the era in which they were created. Who wouldn't want their Halloween to have "swingin' watusi action" ? Groovy.

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no body parties like a skeleton

On chilly autumn evenings, one of my favourite activities is sitting in the warm glow of the television and watching movies, cartoons and tv shows that, if not directly Halloween-related, have a certain Halloweenish (Halloweenie?) atmosphere. While I’m always open to new additions to my list of essential Halloween viewing, there are some that I watch faithfully year after year. They have become as much a part of my Halloween season as miniature chocolate bars and fake cobwebs. Unlike many Halloween enthusiasts, I am not a fan of blood and gore, but instead, prefer classic suspense and horror, and perhaps most of all, animation. I’m a huge fan of classic cartoons and when Halloween meets vintage animation . . . well . . . the stars align and life just doesn’t get much better. One of my favourites is an old Disney short film called Skeleton Dance.

I bought this film on VHS as part of a Halloween collection when my children were very young (when Halloween had to be a sweeter, less creepy season).

We watched it again and again and again in the weeks leading up to Halloween. Nevertheless, it remains a favourite.

It was released in 1929 – when Disney was just beginning to become a recognized name. The animation was done by Ub Iwerks, Disney’s chief animator and partner at the time. It's the simple story of a graveyard full of skeletons that emerge from the earth and party in the moonlight.

Clearly . . . no body parties like a skeleton! I haven’t seen this one around on DVD, but thanks to the wonderful world of You Tube, I’ve been able to track it down.

in praise of pumpkin buckets

The plastic pumpkin bucket. It has been a constant presence in the lives of young trick-or-treaters for generations. Bright, compact, easy to carry with its snappy black handle, the pumpkin bucket is ideal for the early years when trick-or-treating means visiting just a few houses and then heading home to bed. Of course, the Halloween night soon arrives when the plastic pumpkin bucket can no longer meet the demands of the job. Trick-or-treating horizons have expanded and repeated trips home to empty its contents are simply not practical. Sadly, the pumpkin bucket finds itself replaced by a plastic or fabric bag or an old pillowcase – larger, yes, but clearly without the same charm. The buckets pictured above were forced into retirement several years ago after many Halloween nights of faithful service. Today, they spend their Halloween seasons amongst the indoor decorations and have found new purpose in the off-season as useful storage containers. The photos below show the pumpkin buckets in their glory days.

pumpkin patch

I stumbled upon this photo and immediately fell in love with it. A big, cheery pumpkin party on the lawn . . . although . . . the ghost in back looks a little concerned.

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plastic memories

Although my family had quite a large vegetable garden when I was a child, we didn’t grow pumpkins, and I can’t recall ever buying one and carving it until I was an adult. My childhood jack-o-lantern memories are all of the plastic, light-up variety. We owned one large plastic pumpkin that was faithfully plugged into a wall socket every Halloween. It’s no surprise, then, that when I saw this specimen at a yard sale recently, I had to have it. I spotted it from nearly a block away, sitting proudly on a table in its (former) owner’s driveway, its $1 sticker belying its true value. I walked past twice, and then the nostalgia factor took over, and memories of that traditional plastic jack-o-lantern of my childhood came flooding back. So, I handed over my $1 coin, dusted it off, and brought it home. And there it sits quietly today, patiently waiting for its chance to shine.

jack-o-deathstar

I suppose when it comes to pumpkin carving, some of us are just a little more talented than others. Suddenly, my traditional, triangular-eyed jack-o-lanterns seem slightly . . . inadequate.

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child of the 70's

If you were a young trick-or-treater during the 1970’s, chances are that somewhere, sometime, you wore costumes like these.

Strangely, the front of these outfits always bore an image of the costume’s character. A clown costume had a picture of a clown instead of simply a colourful suit. Batman would have a picture of himself on the front just in case there might be some confusion about his costumed identity. Comprised of a cheap plastic face mask and a suit made of extremely thin material, these costumes were clearly not designed for those often cold Canadian Halloween nights. A winter jacket was often added over top of the outfit. Or, for those trick-or-treating purists who refused to compromise their disguises, warm sweaters were worn underneath. Yes, the memories come rushing back. That’s me on the left – circa 1973.

spooky old time radio

I got an MP3 player almost a year ago. I know they've been around for a while now. I could have gotten one years ago. In marketing terms, I believe I'm known as a "late adopter". Anyway, while searching the internet for music, I stumbled upon some old time radio shows. I not sure how. I was just clicking along and suddenly, I was listening to an old Superman show. And that was my gateway into a whole new world. The world of old time radio programs. A world I was aware of but had never personally experienced. I became addicted. My MP3 player began to fill up with as many radio shows as songs. I was running out of storage capacity on my desktop. And my collection grew and grew. But what does this have to do with Halloween?

Well . . . some of the most popular old radio programs were in the suspense and horror genres. Programs like Inner Sanctum, Lights Out, Quiet Please . . . as well as radio adaptations of classics like Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Sometimes cheesy but often creepy, made even more so because the images were created in your mind. The good news is that most of these programs are now in the public domain and are easily accessible through the magic of the Internet.

As I discovered, The Monster Club is a fabulous site for anyone looking for an introduction to old time radio horror and suspense. Free registration will allow you to listen to episodes from a variety of horror-themed programs. The site is also a good source of background information about old time radio horror. Just the thing to carry you through the weeks leading up to Halloween. So sit back, close your eyes and listen. . . and if it leaves you searching for more, there are many, many more old time radio programs available for free download right here.

Photo source