Hi All
Oh, I hate this time of year. Maybe I would like it better if I had children but since I don't, I am longing for it to be over.There are two reasons. One, so many accidents with fireworks,bonfires and people and two is that all the dogs and other pets are terrified of the noise of those Halloween bangers and fireworks! I was out dog walking yesterday evening and the poor dog nearly jumped out of her skin each time one went off (and it's not even Halloween yet!). She was so terrifed that we didn't get very far on the walk before we had to go home. Her people are away for the weekend and I am popping in and out to walk and feed her and secure the house. It's 9am here now and I am going over to take her out again. I am hoping that at this hour there will be no noise and she can enjoy her outing. I know it will be a different story later on when I go back again though! Poor little thing. I also met another woman whilst out walking her dog. When a banger went off, it even made me jump and both her dog and Billy were in a tizzy of fright. I knew she understood what I mean.
What do others think?
Clairey x

Hi Claire,
It's interesting to hear you describe Halloween like that. It sounds more like our Independence Day celebrations then our Halloween. I'm in a new state now so I don't know exactly what to expect this year but in New York, it was mostly teenagers throwing eggs and covering everything in sight (including themselves) with shaving cream. Smashing pumpkins was also big there. People spend a lot of time carving them and then kids just destroy them. I keep mine indoors now. Do you carve pumpkins there too? I love to see the children in their costumes and I love the decorations for halloween but I can't stand the destruction. I have cats and they don't seem to mind the sound of firecrackers (bangers) but my friends dogs get upset with them.

Personally, I hate Halloween. Someone broke into my home on Halloween night in the '80's and I was alseep in my bed. So were my children. I was divorced at the time too. They stood beside my bed (all according to the police) and struck matches to go thru my chest of drawers and closet. I slept thru the entire thing. But...I woke up sometime during the breakin and they apparently ran. I walked into the kitchen to broken glass everywhere and a back door with no window in it. I have been terrified of Halloween every since. The memory of what could have happened still haunts me.

JJ

JJ, no wonder you hate Halloween. That's awful. Did they ever find who did it?

Claire, we don't have fireworks here on Halloween. TVC described what goes on here, but add some toilet paper to that. Kids around here like to T.P. trees. We've been fortunate. What goes on here is minimal.

I love Halloween. Our Neighborhood Association throws a party at our church hall. It begins with the kids and thier parents parading through the local nursing home. Then we'd truck back to the church for pizza, junk food, and a clown or magician. When that's over the parnets go door to door in the neighborhood. The little ones are precious, and the young teens are goofy.

Now that the kids are older we're having a big family covered dish dinner at our house. We'll al lmake a big deal over all the little ones that come trick or treating. I can't wait.

JJ
You must have been terrified. That is awful. We had our shop broken in to, technically on the night before christmas eve, but we found out on christmas eve. 2 years ago. We felt completely violated. And really ruined the holiday for us. It played a big part in our decision to move to NC. But to be in the house while it was happening, and to wake up to it. Wow, I can't even imagine what you felt. I'm so glad they decided to run for it.
On halloween a few years back a girl that my son went to high school with commited suicide. That has forever marked his halloweens.
Dotsie,
I forgot about the toilet paper...LOL You are right! It sounds like your traditions are really fun!

Oh JJ, how perfectly horrid for you! I can't even imagine that happening, but of course you would dread every Halloween since it's a reminder.

We have quiet Halloweens out here in Warrenton. No "pranks", just groups of kids being shepherded about by parents. They are nice and polite and adorable and very well-behaved. Living out here in the country is so different from when we lived close into D.C. - Springfield was a madhouse on Halloween in fact...LOTS of noise, pranks, etc.

We live up on a hill and our driveway is very long. Only the hardiest groups bother to come up the driveway and I think it's just because I always decorate the porch and have several carved pumpkins for the kids to see. We also have those big plastic orange pumpkins that we put over the driveway lights that line the driveway so they can follow the line of pumpkins up to the sidewalk......Last year some older teens from one of the horse farms in the area came on their horses! They were in beautiful costumes and they were HANDING OUT candy - not collecting it - they mostly were visiting houses so children in the homes could come out and see the horses and pet them. I told them it was one of the most wonderful ideas I'd ever heard of for Halloween.

Hello everyone

Well, talking of Halloween, something else happened today when I took Billie (the dog I am minding) out for her walks. The morning walk was okay - in fact, it was wonderful - I felt glad to be alive. (which I don't always feel!) The Autumn leaves carpeted the whole street where Billie lives and we had a great time running through them! I was glad I had brought my camera along. The colours were amazing!

The evening walk was not so good! We took a little detour to another park I know. I thought it would be a nice change for Billie. Her people had warned me not to let her off the lead,especially if I took her out of her usual environment, but I thought she would be safe enough in this little park. It's more like a big round garden and it's called 'the Ring' for that reason. There are only two gates so I wasn't too worried and decided to let Billie off her lead for a little run! It was NOT a good idea! A banger went off (sounded like a gunshot to me, so can't imagine what it sounded like to Billie since mutsies have such sensitive hearing!). Well, the poor thing lost her reason and bolted for one of the gates! I bolted after her! She was running down the road and images of her getting squashed by a car kept flashing through my mind. (Her owner is 76 and told me if anything happened to Billie, she would go to the grave herself!).

Although she is old and has arthritis, the fright must have given her enough adrenalin to scoot away from me - there was nothing for it but to jump forward and grab her fur! She pulled away and I landed flat on my face! Nosebleed, grazed chin, cut lip and frayed jeans!! Luckily, my teeth were okay and my nose wasn't broken! Thankfully, Billie seemed to realise what had happened and came back for me, licking me and looking very contrite! I don't know what I'd have done if she hadn't come back! It doesn't bear thinking about! It wasn't her fault but I certainly felt like a right idiot! There were kids playing football and they had a great laugh! :-( I guess it was funny seeing a 13 stone, size 18 woman making a running jump to catch an athritic dog who was hobbling quickly away from her! I learnt my lesson though - I should listen to the dog's people! They know their own animal, after all and why should I know any better!

Nancy, I know how you feel about Margox. We had a lovely dog called Trixie for 16 years, in the family home. My father (RIP) adored that dog and was devastated when she died in January 2001. Dad was also diagnosed with cancer the same week, and losing Trixie did nothing to help his spirit. We were all really upset about Trixie but nobody showed any grief over it because they felt it would trivialise Dad's news. Once, I did express my sorrow, and my brother, in his shock and anger over Dad's diagnosis, told me I cared more about the dog than about Dad.(Not true) I know he was upset and didn't mean it but it has stuck with me ever since. Anyway, that same week, I found a little Jack Russell on the roof of our apartment block. I called him 'Fiddler' as in 'Fiddler on the Roof'and I told Dad about him. It seemed like fate, and I hoped that Dad would take him in and the dog would help to take his mind of his illness and off Trixie's death. Anyway, Fiddler lived there happily for 6 months, but Dad got iller and Mam couldn't cope with a lively pup so I had to find him a new home. My brothers' all have children and dogs and cats and gerbils so I had to put him into kennels for a while. I eventually found him a home with some people who lived across the road from my apartment. He lived there for 3 years and the best thing was that I got to take him out for his walks every day. I also paid his vet and food bills as his owners were elderly. Unfortunately, the man of the house died and his 78 year old wife was hospitalised so I had to find poor Fiddler another home. I eventually found him a home with a lovely woman and her family and he has another little terrier called Jasper as company. They keep me updated on his progress and have said I can see him whenever I want but I don't because it would break my heart to leave him again. I really, really, really miss him and that's why I have taken up dog walking in the local area. I know some people will say,'it's only a dog' but dogs can become like family too and like my father before me, I always feel a connection with them. (My hubby thinks I am crazy!) :-)

TVC15 - We do have pumpkins here now, and people cut the faces out and have them in their windows. It's a fairly new thing in Ireland in the past few years though - we certainly never had pumpkins when I was a child! I didn't even know what one was until about 10 years ago, in my 20s and I only tasted pumpkin soup for the first time last week! I liked it! I am glad your cats don't get upset about the noises of Halloween but kids probably don't get up to as much devilment there as they do here! The bonfires are a nightmare too, and last year in our local area, somebody blew a banger off in a dog's face, injuring him dreadfully, someone else set fire to a donkey in a field and my brother took in a dog who had a damaged eye - animal rescue think it was banger or firework damage! I wish it was all over for another year, if not forever!

My Gosh JawJaw! I don't blame you hating Halloween. What a horrible experience! The cheek of these people thinking they have the right to come near anyone elses's place and distress innocent people! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! It makes me so angry.

Dotsie, do you mean, they wrap the toilet paper around the trees??? I don't really get that one! Why? I think I would prefer it to bangers and fireworks though! :-) All in all, Halloween sounds nice in your neck of the woods. I guess the trick and treating part is cute though. We do that here too. My 6 year old niece Amy is dressing as a Spanish Dancer, My 3 year old niece Sarah is dressing as Peter Pan (she said she doesn't want to be Tinkerbelle!), my 5 year old nephew Conor is dressing as Harry Potter and his little brother two and a half year old is Spiderman! Soooo cute!

My gosh! Just realised how long my post is! I do go on, don't I???

It's 10 pm here so I will say 'Oíche Mhaith' = Good night!

Clairey xxx

Pam, it sounds lovely!
Clairey x

JJ, you poor thing. I have been burglarized twice and once I was home, but that time they only took things from the garage-including my car. Scared me to death. but is was not on a holiday so I don't have to fear that.

I'm gonna' say a prayer for you on Halloween so you don't have to worry.
After all,

You are the queen.
The best queen
we've ever seen
And a queen
is a queen
even on Halloween.

Hang in there Queen.
smile

Claire,
I love the name you gave the puppy, that is sooooo cute, Fiddler on the roof. I can't believe anyone would be so mean as to set a firework off in an animals face. That is awful! I'm sorry you got hurt walking the dog but I'm thankful you were able to catch him. You would have felt terrible telling the owner that you lost him. I love to hear about the differences in our cultural traditions. I've never been overseas but would love to go someday.

Smilinize
Love the poem! You've inspired me to write one also.

No one should be mean
to our gracious Queen
For if they are
you can be sure
The boomer women will hunt them down
push their noses into the ground
and stomp on them
and blow bangers in their faces and
kick them and really hurt them bad!!!!!!