Halloween

Here it is Halloween, Samhain, All Hallows Eve, Reformation Day or Mid-Autumn. This is the first Halloween in our household without Jack-O'Lanterns. I stayed up late last night drinking Molson XXX and watching the Cartoon Network. Around 1am I turned off the TV and started into my laptop screen trying to decide which TV show I wanted to watch on Adobe Flash Player or which film to "watch now" on Netflix. The longer I took to decide the longer it took me to decide and I ended up going to bed around 3am feeling more more dead than alive.

I woke up around 11am with Nathan saying, "dad I need breakfast and mom said it is 11 and you need to get up." I got up and make him Peanut Butter T-O-A-S-T. He had already put the bread in the T-O-A-S-T-E-R. I cut his toasted peanut butter sandwich into two triangles and poured him a glass of Root Beer left over from the two liter bottle from last night.

Yes, last night, Thursday, or Survivor Night in our household. Lori and I ate Chinese from China Inn and the kids had pizza from Little Ceasers. In addition to pizza they had crazy bread, hot wings, and garlic butter dipping sauce. Only 10 hot wings were left over.

Around 11:45 Evan said he was hungry and wanted lunch. He was looking for ravioli in the pantry so I reminded him of the hot wings. He said, "oh yeah, that's what I want." I warmed them up in the microwave and gave them to him with some Ranch Dressing in a custard bowl. He poured himself a glass of Root Beer and I thought all was fine in the house.

I went into the kitchen to eat my own lunch of Chicken Vegetable Soup and a salad. I sat down to eat it when Nathan stormed into the kitchen protesting Evan's lunch of hot wings. "It's not lunch yet. Lunch is at noon. Evan is eating chicken wings and it's not fair!" Those were his exact words.

I went back into the living room where Evan was enjoying his hot wings and counted them all. I reminded Nathan that he(Nathan) had six hot wings last night, and when asked how many he had, Evan replied, "None! I had none!" I told Evan to give Nathan two, then they both would have eaten eight. Nathan agreed to this and Evan agreed to the arrangement. I sat back down at the kitchen table. We don't have a dining room. I began to eat again when Nathan entered the kitchen and said the he wanted lunch. I told him that he just got eating at 11:24 and now it is 11:54. He said "it is is lunchtime. I want lunch, please."

I tried to finish my lunch as I asked what he wanted. He got out the peanut butter jar again, bread again and olives. I said you just had peanut butter, and you want it again. "Yeah, but for lunch I get to have something with it and I want olives." I made him a peanut butter sandwich cut into two triangles and put some olives in a custard bowl. Those custard bowls sure do get around.

I was still finishing my lunch when Nathan returned to the kitchen he wanted to try on his costume. He is a Ninja. Evan is James Bond. He got the pants and the shirt on; they both fit snug but it would work. Finally, I cleaned up from breakfast, lunch, and lunch and last nights dinner, that is, I put all the dishes I could into the dishwasher and ran it. I then went outside and raked the leaves in the front yard.

While I was raking Adam asked me when were we going to go for our drive. I told him as soon as I finish raking and shower, we will go. I told him that if he wanted to speed up the process he could help me rake. He said "no thank you" and I raked leaves into piles and then raked them onto the tarp. Once the tarp was full I pulled the corners together and carried the leaves to the top of the ravine in our backyard and dumped the leaves. I repeated this process several times.

While I was raking I was thinking of what to write to the members of the church budget committee and the church council concerning the status of congregation. They seem to equate stewardship with paying the bills, when the New Testament writes clearly show that taking care of one another is true stewardship.

I got the front lawn raked around 2:10. Adam dumped the last load of leaves for me and I went inside. Nathan and Evan were watching Sponge Bob Square Pants; it was an episode I haven't seen before. Sponge Bob was turning into a snail.

Lori came home with the candy for the Trick-or-Treaters and I went to take a shower. She seemed angry that I hadn't showered yet, so I told her that I was raking the leaves in the front yard. She said that is your thing. Two weeks ago she wanted me to rake the front yard. Am I the only one who sees a contradiction with this? I showed and shaved while she got Evan and Nathan in her car to get pumpkins.

Adam drove the blazer and I rode. He wanted to find the old Starlight Theater in Saugatuck. It was on Blue Star Highway. It was the perfect day for a drive on Blue Star. The leaves are in full color and most of them are still on the trees, that is, there are some bare branches to be seen, but most of the branches are brightly lit in colors of red orange and yellow. The sun was shining, the sky was an autumn blue. A beautiful day to take a drive in the country.

He got off US-31 at the Saugatuck exist. I thought he was going to take the Blue Star exit, but he surprised me. Adam surprised me even further when instead of going South like I thought he was, he turned left and headed North. He said that it was supposed to be 1.5 miles North of the exit. It wasn't there so I had him go further to the gas station. While I pumped my gas, Adam went inside to ask about the Starlight Theater. He said, "The girl in there said she knew nothing about it." I said well let's go down Blue Star again.

He drove South on Blue Star and I thought he might head to Glen, Ganges or Fennville, instead he turned right to go to Mt. Baldy in Saugtuck. As e climbed the 17 flights of stairs to the top two squirrels were in a panic. I looked up and saw and eagle soaring overhead. He was looking for dinner and thought a squirrel would be delicious. The squirrels ran to the trees and hid. When we got the top we took some time to look around a little. The scenic view was breathtaking, really it was, we were both out of breath from the climb. I kid you not. Saugatuck looked peaceful and past the buildings on the strip all we could see were trees in full color. It was a gorgeous view.

I was glad to see from all the carvings on the lookout that Ashley and Jon were together in '03, and that Tatinerina Roquist had been there as well. I looked around and saw a path. Adam and I followed it to a look out point were we could see Lake Michigan. Mt. Baldy is the top of a very high dune over Oval Beach. I almost walked down to see Lake Michigan up close again but that would mean I would have to walk back up that dune. I didn't want to.

The walk along the wooded path on the dune was wonderful. It was just the perfect day for a quiet adventure. There aren't many adventure as quite as quiet as looking and seeing West Michigan autumn beauty from the top a sand dune. Finally we walked back down the stairs and came home. Once home I set up the pumpkin torches. Adam put the black light bulb in the fixture by the front door. In liew of Jack O'Laterns I light orange and black candles on put them by the Oak Tree where those creatively carved pumpkins were placed in years past.

We have a medium number of Trick-or-Treaters. Considering it is a warm night, I thought we would get more. Lori took Ninja and 007 Trick-or-Treating with her sister-in-law, Paula in my father-in-laws subdivision. How many hyphens can I put in one sentence?

Adam and I listened to his compilation CD's on shuffle mode. He and I took turns handing out candy. He played air guitar and solitaire. I wrote this blog.

Happy Mid-Autumn everyone. Remember to read T.S. Eliot's "Love song of J. Alfred Prufrock before this soft October night ends.