Falling for Autumn

Autumn is my second best season next to spring. These are some of my favourite shots from the archive.

First, we celebrate labour day. Still warm enough to go dancing in the park for young at hearts. It’s one of the biggest gathering knowing that it’s the last party season as we end summer.

“You expected to be sad in the fall. Part of you died each year when the leaves fell from the trees and their branches were bare against the wind and the cold, wintery light. But you knew there would always be the spring, as you knew the river would flow again after it was frozen. When the cold rains kept on and killed the spring, it was as though a young person died for no reason.” ― Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast

Combining festival of the dead and preparing a plot for fall garden is a sure way of having fun. Kales are the best to grow during cold season. As for the skeleton, we have to wait how it will mature or whether it will grow some bone spurs.

 

I want this one!

HA! Must have the biggest pumpkin to harvest from the patch. It would take a long time to carve this one.

Unbearable Lightness of Good Witches

We are out for good reasons. My friend wants to make memories. My sister is out on a day pass. I am up to no good and want to give these two a fright. My birthday is coming. This is … Continue reading →

A Bewitching Poem: Too Many Cooks

Too many needles spoil the cloth. Too many parrots spoil the talk. Too many chapped lips spoil the gloss. Too many teasel burs spoil the paw. Too many bubbles spoil the froth. Too many doorbells spoil the knock. Too many … Continue reading →

Ghost stories never die

A ghostly figure appeared on the second floor of our apartment complex. Should I be scared especially it’s situated right where I garden and just below my neighbor who works for the funeral parlor? This ghost must be following her. … Continue reading →

The Great Pumpkins

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Who am I? In response to Eerie

The Rise and Fall

I know, you are just dying to read what I am about to share with you this weekend.

On a pilgrimage, we learnt the rise and fall of empires, religions and people.  One particular site that we visited was the graveyard of Lazarus. He descended into the dead.  His burial site is way deep down in a Muslim section. The Muslim’s rise in power took over many areas where Christianity thrived. The joke was, as we ascend, we are called the “rising of Lazarus.”

It’s a tiring journey. The minute we hit the bus, we are just dead to the world, visiting the dream land.

To go down further into the Dead Sea, it’s a long descent below sea level according to this demarcation line.

This is a brief history of pilgrimage to Holy Land.

 In current time and in the spirit of Halloween, here’s a macabre version of today’s challenge. The Descent of Ebola.

Source: Globe and Mail

Please do not panic.
Keep Calm and Keep on Blogging.

Pre-thought, aftermath, side-effects: Eerie

Pre-thought:

To find a perfect pumpkin, you let the baby loose in the field to choose while the adults have fun pushing the wheelbarrow in the patch.

Parents have to think of safe ways for Super Baby to go out trick or treating.  One has to call his Super Friends, Super Mice, Super Grandpa, Super Auntie and Uncle to come along as well.

Safety in numbers will dispel any eerie thoughts of the parents while they are out just around the cul-de-sac.

Super Find

Super Adults

Super Entourage

Aftermath:

Carved pumpkins with lit up candle inside will cast how eerie looking they are. The glow will surely scare the ghosts away.

Gather all the candies; count how many same of a kind in their loot.  Those candies are equal to a kilo of sugar.

Keep the Super Baby away from the fireworks to prevent any eerie mishaps.

Super Pumpkins

Super Candies

Super Baby

Side-effect:

Super Baby had one too many chocolates and was just spinning all over the place.

And these candies will surely bring your dental bills skyrocketing, and your dentist will love you for it.

Cavities and toothless, now, that is Eerie.

Super Webs

Super Mess (except baby)

And who is going to clean up the mess but Super Granny.

Haunting: The little girl did it.

The  body parts littered on the lawn: three heads of children with creepy crawlers going into their eyes.  What a gory sight.  I wondered who with the right mind could do such a thing.  Macabre!

No one was around and with my quick thinking, I pulled my camera to take pictures as evidence.  As a witness to a crime scene, I must take notes and collect evidence to back up my story.

Kneeling on the grass, I positioned myself as close as possible to the heads and tried not to touch the icky-yucky crawlers.  Click, click, click.  And more clicks, taking more shots as quickly as possible because I am just so excited with the situation.

As I was about to get up, a mother and a little girl came around.  I was surprised by their presence being caught in their lawn.  I quickly got up on my two shaky legs and before I could say something, the little girl exclaimed, “I did that.  Yup, I took them apart and put them there”.  She said this proudly and her Mom just smiled at me.

The next door neighbour is no better.  It’s a Dead Zone!

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The whole nine yards turned into cemetery.  It appears that dead bodies were dug out from the grave.  Skulls and skeletons, feet, legs, torso and an empty can of pop.  The pop will surely have finger prints of the murder or murderers.

As I was about to collect the pop can, the haunting chased me away.  The ghosts of poor souls remained on earth and never rested.  Rest In peace, my friends, rest in peace.  I promise I will find who did this unspeakable acts and said a short prayer “Have mercy on these poor souls” as I took my leave.

Green ghost

Brown ghost

Spooktacular!

Octoberian Costume Birthday Party

Fearing that I will miss the birthday party for the month of October while I was walking the Camino, they waited until most of us are present.  We celebrated it in style: costume birthday party just in time for Halloween.

It was all start cast:  Mini Mouse, Ginger of Gillian’s Island, Captain James of Star Trek, Ghost Buster, The Venetians, Race Car Driver, Pirate, Nemo, Nurse (a real one), Lulu the gypsy fortune-teller, M&M, Pikachu, Priest (a real one) and much more.

Minie, Capt. James & Ginger

The leading person who turned 60 years old is my brother who looks like David Suzuki.

Lulu, the gypsy fortune-teller is a very memorable character in our family life.  She was my mother’s friend.  How she suddenly appeared in our life remains a mystery.

Suzuki and Lulu

Mother has a way of helping out people.

I remember how Mother helped Lulu take a bath.  Lulu was apparently so dirty that the water turned brown.  She doesn’t speak our language and we only spoke English to her.  She came in and out of our apartment, bee-lined to the kitchen, helped herself out on any food to eat and made herself at home even Mother was not around.  Lulu called my mom Mother as well.  Mother is Mother to everybody and everyone.

Having had her fill, she takes out her Tarot card and starts reading them.  Talking to herself mostly and suddenly, she will say, Mother is here.  Huh? No she’s not, I said.  Next thing, Mother walks in the door.  How did she do that is beyond me.

Lulu gives Mother a reading whether she likes it or not.  Mother doesn’t mind.  I don’t know if Mother believes in fortune-telling or palm reading because it is quite contrary to our belief system.

One day, Lulu read in the card that we are going far away to another land.  Mother did not believe on that either.  And it did happen.  How did she do that?

Back to the party.  The Filipino tradition, if it’s our birthday, we are responsible for throwing in the party, bring our cake and eat it, too.  We do not wait for anybody to throw us a surprise party.  We do not wait for anybody.  We let the whole world knows that it’s our birthday and we invite as many people as we can to help us celebrate.  Celebrate we did.

As for my costume, I wore my hiking gear; boots, poles, backpack, hat, waterproof jacket and pants, iPad in a red leader pouch,  a camera, gloves, sunglasses, water bottle, etc.  Gosh, cannot believe I carried these for 15 days.  Eventually, I had to divest myself since it was boiling inside the house with all these characters and cooking going at the same time.

The Pilgrim

The cake is always gigantic.  There was no blowing of the candles because most of us are sick of colds and we definitely want to keep the germs to ourselves.

Good times, good times.  Happy Birthday to us.

Related link: Tenth month of the year