Ghosties and Ghoulies and Long-Legged Beasties . . .

(Yes, this is my front yard -- sick, I know, but the neighbor kids love it.)

I love Halloween! I've always enjoyed decorating my yard with spooky decorations and creating elaborate pumpkin carvings. Dressing up on Halloween (even at work) was something that we've always done. Last year, my law firm had at least 130 children who came "trick-or-treating" through the office and we'll probably have even more this year. (These are the children of employees of the company, or former employee's children, some kids that wander in from other offices in the building . . . and some we just aren't sure where they come from.)

It's a safe alternative to going door-to-door at night and all of the employees bring in candy and toys to give out to the little goblins, princesses and little Sharpays and Gabriellas (characters in the Disney Movie - High School Musical, for those of you without grade-school age children.)

Because this kind of celebration is often the norm in the area, I've never given too much thought to how others in the rest of the country (or world) might observe this kind of activity. However, my sister and her family recently returned from living in a geographically opposite part of the U.S. and told me of the shock and horror her neighbors expressed when she cluelessly pulled out her inflatable Scooby Doo and Ghosts (although, perhaps their dismay was at the lack of taste this kind of lawn ornamentation showed, rather than the subject matter) and the endlessly-repeating musical theme songs of Halloween V and The Exorcist playing in the background.

It took more than a few months for the furor to die down in her neighborhood after "The Halloween Exhibition". So the following year she toned down her ornamentation and limited her celebration to lots of carved, lighted pumpkins. (Her neighbors were kind, however, and she made many good friends and it was with real regret that she left the beautiful area she'd come to love.)

So, I hope that those of you who prefer not to celebrate Halloween will not be offended, but I wanted to share some of my photos of my spooky decorations.

(Pumpkins from last year -- I haven't gotten around to carving any yet this year, but am planning on starting tomorrow night.)

Allie and Rusty wish you a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

On another note, this is what I made this weekend from the 150 green tomatoes saved from the early frost (and ripened in brown paper bags on my kitchen table) -- 34 pints of hot, spicy salsa!

This weekend I'll be roasting pumpkin seeds!