Do Not Be Afraid .....

Pause the Chopin Music
I hate to admit but I almost threw in the towel with Halloween this year.  My husband and I just got home from our trip to Spain and France late Saturday evening.  Twenty minutes after having planting our feet in "home sweet home", the telephone rang.  It was my husband's work.  Hawaii was under the threat of a tsunami and he had to leave immediately to help set up the 911 command station.  As he rushed to prepare what he needed for a long night, I started to get chills, a sore throat, burning eyes and runny nose (sorry for the description).  Fully aware I was on my own in this emergency, I mentally took comfort in a wee bit knowledge.  Our house stood a block above the evacuation line ..... does Mother Nature know boundry lines? In the past, I would gather up my dogs and go to higher ground.  Not this time.  With a jet lagged, exhausted and now, flu laced body, I took two night-time cold tablets and fell fast asleep on the couch.  I was awaken every hour to the sounds of the sirens loudly whining.  But just as quickly as I awoke, I feel asleep.

For several days, I laid in bed nursing my cold with medicine, hot peppermint tea and lots of rest.  But, as I laid in bed, I watched the news channels trying to keep abreast of Hurricane Sandy who was labeled Monster Storm, Storm of the Century and Franken-Storm.  Scary stuff!  In this aftermath and on this Halloween Day, it's hard to ... well... muster the "spirit" to celebrate Halloween.  If you have read my Halloween post from last year, I am not "huge" on Halloween.  But, the nostalgic part of me, wants to carve a pumpkin, light a candle inside of it and open my door to Trick-or- Treaters.

This morning I awoke at 4 a.m. and could not will myself back to sleep.  So, I grabbed my iPad to check on one of my favorite bloggers to see how she held up in the midst of Sandy.  If you need some inspiration today to get into the Halloween groove, go to www.susanbranch.com and read her latest posting.  It's sensitive, sweet, honest and inspiring.

So, Susan Branch and fellow readers, here is my small contribution to Halloween .....

You must pause the Chopin music and hit play on the YouTube video .....

YES!

"What you lookin' at"?

Ghost Dog ... scary!

Waiting .....

That ol' black magic....

That's me in the front.  I am sooo ready to go get some Halloween Candy!
(My sisters, Vicki and Danielle)

That's me in the pig tails ... I think I was suppose to be Heidi.  Danielle is the Spanish lady, Steve, my brother is the clown and that pumpkin head kid is my brother, Jeff.

Sassy!

Vintage Halloween Decorations

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door -
Only this, and nothing more.'
 ~ The Raven
Edgar Allan Poe

Happy Halloween! OooOOOoooOOoooooo

only the family photos are my own...all others have been collected from Pinterest and Tumblr.  If you would like the original source, please contact me.  If one of these photos are yours and you would like me to remove it, please contact me.