the return of the witches

As much as I enjoyed last year's departure into a haunted garden theme, there was apparently something missing. Something lacking. Not in my opinion. But certainly in the opinions of my outraged family members and incredulous neighbours.

Because within the haunted garden, there was a dearth of "people". Humanoid figures. Standing or sitting silently near the porch, challenging trick-or-treaters to approach and determine whether or not they were "real".

In previous years, there had always been "people" in my haunts. Their appearances varied. Witches and grave diggers in the more recent years in which my yard had a theme; random werewolves and vampires and devils during the years in which it was simply an eclectic collection of whatever I could find inside my Halloween storage boxes.

So this year, in response to a combination of peer pressure and nostalgia, my haunt will once again play host to "people". Specifically, to Halloween witches. Because more than any other creation, witches were a mainstay of my haunts for many years. On the porch. On a garden bench. On the stairs. Usually constructed out of tree stumps and flower pots and dollar store masks. There was usually a Halloween witch lurking about somewhere.

And I miss them.

So this year's theme will be The Return of the Witches. But with a few modifications. Gone will be the flower pots and dollar store masks. And those tree stumps are getting too bug-ridden to be of much use in prop construction. So when the witches return, they will have adopted a slightly different form. I believe this is where my cheesecloth-mache experimentation may fit in . . .