The colors are absolutely gorgeous this time of year. Fall is by far my favorite time of the year. The trees are a lovely red, yellow, and orange…beautiful!! I love this time of year because it is the welcome mat for the holiday season! LOVE everything about it!! I don’t appreciate how commercial everything is though and that we are tempted to skip over our lives and not stop at each season. I can’t believe Christmas is already being pushed on us and it is not Halloween yet!!! Thanksgiving is my very favorite and it is often lost in the holiday shuffle. Now I know many people have opinions about Halloween these days. I loved back in the day when we didn’t know all we know now. Life was so much simpler!! If you haven’t noticed, I am one of these people that remember everything. (well, a lot of stuff anyway..ha ha…and some of my buddies from high school cringe in fear that I will share a little too much on this blog) Well, don’t worry…not this day I am not anyway! The first Halloween I remember was when I was about 3 years old. I was Casper.I well remember because we lived in Houlka, and I remember thinking no one recognized me with my mask on and felt so led to let everyone know it was me.(like mama wasn’t a dead give away) If I didn’t remember it, we have it on home movies. My daddy shot footage of my sister , first cousins, and me playing in driveway at dusk just before we went out to beg or neighbors for candy. They were all dressed up as hobos and were dancing around on camera. Of course, being “THE” baby, I didn’t want to share the spotlight so I start really showing out!(Can you believe it…ME …showing out??) Anyway, I am doing a little Casper dance and daddy starts filming me then the camera comes in closer and closer and closer right as I dig my undees out of my pants. I mean really DIG!! Now we have preserved it forever because it’s on film. Lucky me…well it is funny to watch! I really don’t have any other trick or treat memories that stand out but loved to dress my babies up! Oh they were so cute! We’ve been everything from Raggedy Anne, cheerleaders, Elmo, and even a red crayon. My nephews were ALWAYS a clown or a cowboy! Adorable! My niece was a pirate more than once. She’s such a prissy thing now so it is funny to think of that now!! Lol My favorite thing to this day is ending up at my Mama’s and Daddy’s house for a caramel apple!! Every year as long as my memory can stretch, my mother has made caramel apples on Halloween(Except about 2years ago and she thought we were all on diets and didn’t want them…so sad) I love to hand out candy at her house too. Living out of city limits, we never get trick or treating children. Now I know many have a problem with the entire thing these days but…I happen to love it all! However, I have many memories of the trick part of the season as well. Many yards have I rolled in my lifetime. Pranks, yes…destroying property…NO!!! Lan Gooch lived 2 doors down from us and mama taught him 7th grade math.(she taught everyone) The day before Halloween she moved him behind a girl he thought he was too good to sit behind and thought that warrented EGGING our house. She was so upset , as well she should have been. (the roof still leaks there)I learned first hand what an egg can do to a house. I promised I would never ever egg or harm another’s property in that way. In my high school years our teacher, Danny Lantrip’s house got egged. I was there but had NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT EGGING. Did shaving cream his sons little motor cycle. That teacher told entire class I was the one that did that!!!!!!!!!!! I still get mad being falsely accused of that but surely by now, if I did it, you all that read my blog would know that I would fess up to it!(He was the teacher that busted me out about fake report cards so I guess he thought I was only one with motive) Well, he was wrong!! Anyway…I would have to say my very favorite Halloween memories of all time though would be “The Subdivision” memories. We thought we had arrived when we were in 7th grade and got to go there for the first time. This is where the master minds got cranked up with pranks. I am certain we rolled yards but what I remember that first year I went was the mess we must have made in Bonnie Putnam’s yard. Mark Lee’s mama just let us have at it in her yard!! That is the only time my mama EVERgave me permission to throw an egg.(at other people) If you weren’t there, this sounds exteremeley ridiculous…but if you are lucky enough to share this memory with me…you remember how much fun we had!! We had shaving cream,eggs, and who knows what else that night. I just remember everyone just letting everyone else have it!!! Laughing the entire time. I well remember while having goo all over me, two guys came from behind and poured a trash bag of leaves all over me and of course they stuck to me!!! LOL ( I was soooo nasty.) I remember Hal Craig’s mama making my friend ,Kristie, and I go into her house to clean up before my poor mama could take me home in the car. What a fun memory! Just know the art of tricking was passed down well to my children. I remember my family getting an entire case of toilet paper a few years back to get one yard.( Hal Craig’s sister Carol and her family’s yard) Her daughter was a former youth of mine and had gotten our yard when we were out of town prey good. I give it a B-… Payback is something we take seriously around here!!! It was our finest work of art I must say. People still brag on that job!!! However, my oldest daughter’s favorite prank by far was saran wrapping vehicles!! Oh me….her goal in college was to wrap the campus police’s car. Thankfully , she never got an opportunity to try it. However, she managed to wrap a teacher’s house once with the teacher inside. She is soooo mischivious. (really don’t know where she gets that from) lol Well, her daughter, my precious granddaughter, is going to be Dorthy this Halloween. SHE IS ADORABLE!!!!!!!!!! I am thinking she has a sneaky bone or two also…so we all need to rest while we can!!(matter of fact…I am 100% sure of that) Well, it has been a few years since I have rolled a yard and decades since I have had an egg/shaving cream fight in someone’s yard..but the fun fun memories live on! I am aware that this time has evil roots but for me….it is just too fun!!! I sometimes yearn for the simple lifestyles we all once knew and enjoyed. We make a big deal out of everything now but wouldn’t it be nice if , on some level, we weren’t as informed as we are. I remember how upset I was to hear all the information on Halloween. Members of my family stopped trick or treating and many seemed confused on what to do. I, being a Christian, had mixed emotions. I felt like I was wrong if I participated in it but inside still wanted to. I almost felt looked down upon by my Christian friends and family if I did take my kids out on Halloween. I later asked myself..why would I not? Because of MY conviction or fear of what SOMEONE else thought I should do? Well, soon I came to the conclusion it was not convicting to me….so I took my kids trick or treating. True, I no longer decorate for it simply because I would rather decorate for fall, but I truly love to hand out candy, see kids dressed up, and yes…hear about the mischief kids can still come up with. And…who knows…I may go roll a yard or two this year….Watch out Danny Lantrip….I know where you live!