Halloween

I've never been a fan of Halloween. I guess being a logical person, I never really got caught up in make-believe. I did, however, like the creative side to the holiday, and I usually come up with a bunch of great ideas for costumes that don't ever come to fruition. The times that I do recall dressing up as a kid, I really don't remember having fun. It seemed like it always rained. I remember having my mom's blanket around me with a sombrero on my head and the vision that I have was of my red rubber boots... I can still see me looking down at them in the dark in the rain... a very vivid memory. I'm assuming that my brother and I got these outfits for Xmas... since the tree is up (and the mandatory setting of in front of the mirror so that my Dad can be in the shot looking down at his Brownie camera). I'm wondering at what age I took my stance on gun possession... not yet, obviously, from my packed holster. Gun or not, I think I would have been pistol-whipped out of the wild west with those candy-striped pants and white tie. Remember when Halloween costumes came in a box with clear cellophane lids for your viewing pleasure? And (living in Pittsburgh with the Clark company local) you got 35 Clark Bars in your bag?

One thing that I've always been good at was eating candy and Halloween was like one big fucking exploding pinata. I couldn't hardly wait until we got home to empty out the bag onto the table to see what treasures I got. In those days, candy didn't have to be padded down, tested for DNA and ran through a metal detector first so, while still wet and in your red rubber boots, you could start trading candy with your siblings... and enjoying every bit of the treats. In the early days, before the advent of the 'plan houses', you had to work for it... walking up long driveways with big yards... then we got wise and hit the plans, scoring half a pillowcase or more. No wonder we all have ADD. In our day it was just called having a case of the 'high spirits' or being labeled as 'rambunctious'. Lately, I've been on a sugar kick and it needs to stop. Enough with the pop too... It's a wonder that I'm not diabetic. With Halloween looming...Thanksgiving, Xmas, Valentine's Day and Easter are all on the horizon, I should be able to do just fine staying away from the sweets. Not.