Late Autumn Joy!

Happy Halloween!

I usually don't decorate that much for Halloween, because it is easier to decorate just for autumn and the harvest, but I could not resist this plastic skeleton when I saw him in my local Costco a few weeks ago.  A skeleton costume was my favorite Halloween costume to wear as a child. I think I was influenced by the popular song of the time, called "Dem Bones"-- you can hear the song on this YouTube link...

When I was a nursing student, our anatomy professor told us to buy a paper skeleton and use it as a study aid.  I bought a life-sized one that hung on the door of my dorm room all year. After I graduated it became a favorite Halloween decoration for my apartment, and then my house, for many years.  I discarded it when I moved from New York to Colorado, so now, this plastic "Sylvester" Skeleton will become my new skeleton friend. He's much more durable than paper! 

A new family tradition for us to do with our grandchildren is to visit Anderson Farms, in Erie, Colorado, and go to their pumpkin patch to pick out some pumpkins. There are many activities at the farm to enjoy, and my grandchildren love it, as you can see by the collage above! (Please click on the photo collage to enlarge it) Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate with us this year. We did not get the opportunity to take the hayride to Anderson's pumpkin patch, as it began to rain heavily an hour after we arrived, but you can see the glorious views of the Rocky Mountains we had from the farm's pumpkin patch, last year, on this link,

Now that my husband is retired, he is enjoying helping me babysit out granddaughter when both our daughter and son-in-law are working during the day.  They had fun playing together in the leaves he raked this week.  It was a pure autumn joy for both of them!

We actually had to delay raking those leaves this past weekend, because this big beautiful mule buck deer sat in our backyard almost continuously for two days! Just look at his magnificent 6 point antlers! He enjoyed eating the grass and leaves in our yard and then sitting down to enjoy the sun. Since we live in a valley of the foothills of Colorado's Front Range and have lots of open space nearby, we often have deer visitors, but this guy stayed the longest of any!. What a gift it is to see beauty like this in our own backyard!

Finally, we were included in a new neighborhood tradition this year.  Someone rang our doorbell one evening, and when we opened the door a plastic baggie of candy with an attached two-sided note, told us we have been "Boo-ed!"  If you click on the collage above you can read what this means and how we had to share with others. Our block was fully covered, so we "boo'ed" friends who lived a few blocks away.

 It is hard to believe in will soon be November, and in the USA the Thanksgiving holiday will soon be here! I never decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving -- just one holiday at a time, please! Autumn is my favorite season, so I like to make it last as long as possible.  Do you do the same?

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