Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Halfway to Halloween

 


We've been having a dark and stormy spring that's also been unusually warm. In fact, it's been warm enough to bring all the trees and flowers into bloom weeks ahead of normal. This has made the reality of climate change even more scary!



 We do what we can to but in light of the situation, the Crew decided this might be the time to take a break from worrying, try to to find some stuff to decorate with and celebrate Halfway to Halloween. They even found the perfect flowers. Who could resist pansies with a name like that? They even look spooky in the sunshine and of course we will be reusing or recycling the plastic pots. 



Sometimes it helps to look at things from a different perspective. It can be a good distraction. 




There is one pumpkin leftover from last Halloween that is big enough to carve, but who wants to tackle that?




Don't worry Spenser's, no one is expecting you to do it.

 


Then there's the dilemma of what decorations to use. The coffee shelf is always cluttered with things that  don't get put away when the holidays are over. Currently, these items cover three seasons and six holidays, not counting the seeds and their tin, but there's not much leftover from Halloween. Those Jack-'O-Lantern spoons barely show up, maybe it's time for to unpack a few boxes.



After taking a good look around, Ivy found Mickey and Minnie in their Halloween costumes with the Haunted House in the curio cabinet.




The black metal Jack-'O-Lantern was easy to find, it spent the winter on the patio.




Burt decided to bring in the plants. They're destined to be planted in the urns on either side of the front door but that may be awhile thanks to our freakish weather. Even though it gets up to 80° F. during the day, it ends up being 30°F. overnight.




 

Finally, the Toad Witch has emerged from the linen closet in the hallway, where she has been living, waiting for spring. The green candles were a shipping mistake but they are a good match for her complexion. Looks like she's getting ready to cast a spell by blowing out the candle.

I've been buying ivory, Root taper candles from Amazon for years. They're not cheap but they last longer and don't drip as much as the lower priced ones. Last January I placed my usual order for a box of twelve and received red candles instead of ivory. After realizing that returning them for the correct color involved a byzantine process, I decided to keep them. They worked okay for Valentine's Day and I saved the rest for next Christmas. With that problem solved, I ordered ivory candles again and got green ones this time around. Can't wait to see what color they'll send next! 



With all the candles and the Jack-'O-Lantern lit up, The Skeleton Crew is all set to celebrate the coming of spring. Or maybe it's just the end of winter? Not sure what else they will be doing, but they will probably think of something.

Happy Halfway to Halloween!

Thanks for stopping by, see you soon.