Happy Halloween and a Blessed Samhain!

I hope everyone is having a very Happy Halloween and a very Blessed Samhain!

I'm actually home tonight for the first time in two years. No hospitals!! WOO HOO!!!



The kids are out trick-or-treating with their friends and will eventually end up at their grandma's to hand out candy. I'm watching a Ghost Hunters' marathon. Love this show. :)



The evil Darth Mittens is not amused that I put her in a sweater for the day. She assures me that cats do not wear clothes. Tee Hee Hee!



Hope everyone is enjoying the magick of the night!

My last post for the day, PROMISE!

OK, I haven't posted this much in a week, but wanted to let those who have emailed that I'm ok. I was back in the ER earlier this week, but I'm home now.

Tomorrow is my absolute favorite holiday of the year - Yes HALLOWEEN or SAMHAIN to others. There is NO WAY I'm spending another one in the hospital. The last two years were spent there and not this year!

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers, I do appreciate it!

The Halloween Witch

The Halloween Witch


Each year they parade her about ... the traditional Halloween witch. Misshapen green face, stringy scraps of hair and a toothless mouth beneath her disfigured nose. Gnarled, knobby fingers twisted into a claw, protracting from a bent and twisted torso that lurches about on wobbly legs.

Most think this abject image to be the creation of a prejudiced mind or merely a Halloween caricature. I disagree. I believe this to be how witches were really seen.

Consider that most witches: were women, were abducted in the night and smuggled into dungeons or prisons under the secrecy of darkness, to be presented by the light of day as a confessed witch.

Few, if any, saw a frightened, normal looking woman being dragged into a secret room filled with instruments of torture. To be questioned until she confessed to anything that was suggested to her and to give names or whatever would stop the questions. Crowds saw the aberration denounced to the world as a self-proclaimed witch.

As the witch was paraded through the town, en route to be burned, hanged, drowned, stoned, or disposed of in various other forms of Christian love ... all created to free and save her soul from her depraved body. The jeering crowds viewed the results of hours of torture. The face, bruised and broken by countless blows, bore a hue of sickly green. The once warm and loving smile gone. Replaced by a grimace of broken teeth and torn gums that leers beneath a battered, disfigured nose. The disheveled hair conceals bleeding gaps of torn scalp from whence cruel hands had torn away the lovely tresses. Broken, twisted hands clutched the wagon for support. Fractured fingers locked like groping claws to steady her broken body. All semblance of humanity gone. This was truly a demon, a bride of Satan, a witch.

I revere this Halloween crone and hold her sacred above all. I honor her courage and listen to her warnings of the dark side of humanity. Each year I shed tears of respect and remember her involuntary sacrifice in the name of religion.

Written by Angel, 6/99

This poem that reminds us of those who were persecuted as witches, though many were healers and midwives, women who owned land, and those who spoke out against the rules of the time. I don't know the name of the author, other than the name Angel. Other places may credit it to anonymous. If anyone who reads this happens to know who the author is I would love to know.

This poem is not in any way intended to "bash" Christianity, it is simply a reference to the history that is fact based.

With these things in mind I hope you will remember the Halloween Witch, along with all of the others who have gone before you.

Skywatch Friday

This scene was taken at the Benzinger Golf Course in St. Marys, PA. I was there covering an awards' ceremony and the scene was too gorgeous to miss.

To see hundreds of amazing sky photos, stop over at Skywatch Friday.

My brother's girl

We finally got to meet my brother's girlfriend. Her name is Jan and I really like her. I'm sure he'll pass out reading that, since he's rarely found someone I could say that about. So, after he picks himself off the floor, he can call and say thank you! :P

He brought her home to meet our family and she passed my kids' test. If they both like her, then she's a keeper. They both like her, so ... We went to a church rummage sale and I had to tease him by handing her books on being a bride and getting engaged. No, I don't think either of them are anywhere near ready, I just had to lighten the mood. It's hard to meet your guy's family.

I'll get to see her again on Thanksgiving when he brings her back. Jan, you're always welcome here! Call me!

Camera Critters #81 or I have truly lost my mind

I must have hit my head and lost my mind. Why you ask? I now have two more pets running the house. Meet Rube and Yuri, the newest members of the family.




Do I really need two more pets? Of course not, but here they are. They are very cute and keep the dog and cat entertained for hours on end. Aphrodite (the dog) tried playing kick ball last night with Rube when he was in his exercise ball. Poor little thing was dizzy for hours after that game.

They each have their own house, but play together during the day. The pet shop guy assured us, as two male hamsters, they would do nothing but fight if they were put together. Yes, I had to try it! No, they didn't fight at all. They tried to help each other escape. SIGH!

If you want to see more animals from around the world, stop over at Camera Critters Central and find more links.

Skywatch Friday

Even though it's only mid-October, we've already had snow! Thought I'd share a scene from our town on a frosty morning.




If you want to see other sky scenes from around the world, stop by Skywatch Friday central.

Happy Birthday, Adriene and Karly!

Saturday, the entire family gathered to celebrate two of our younger members' birthdays. Our Adriene is now 5 and Karly is 10. Where do all those years go?


The party was held at a near-by Party Barn that had a pool table, video games and rides - kinda like a Chuckee Cheese without the mouse and pizza. The kids had a blast playing games. The food was excellent and both girls got a ton of gifts.

I'm a skeeball addict and also quite deadly at Wack-A-Mole. Those were the areas I was found.

Homecoming

Saturday night was the big Homecoming dance. I'm sure anyone who was a teenage girl can remember that night. :) Yes, I think back on it and am SOOOOO grateful I didn't keep the one I went with! That would have been a nightmare.

Arielle doesn't have a boyfriend at the moment. She very wisely tells me that she doesn't need a man to make her happy. YES!!! My baby has sense.

Anyhow, the lack of a male wouldn't keep her or her friends from going to the dance, kicking off their shoes and letting their hair down. She found the perfect blue frilly dress, very high blue heels and a gorgeous little half sweater that looked like it was made for the dress.

She got dressed here, so I could see her and take photos, then went to her friend's house to giggle and help her get ready. I wasn't able to drive thanks to all the pain by the time of the dance, so Chaselyn's mother offered to take the girls. Thank you, Kim! She was even kind enough to bring them here for more photos and to let me do make up repairs. I'm sure the neighbors all loved my Betty Boop pajamas when I went out with the camera. :) Ah well, I'm one of a kind.

They had a blast at the dance and Arielle even danced with one of her guy friends a couple times. He's a nice kid and her brother even approves of him, so I'm sure that won't turn into anything. What fun is it if your little brother approves of your guy?

She sent me photos on the cell phone during the night to let me in on the fun. She's the most thoughtful daughter in the world. She called when they were leaving and when she got to her grandparents' house where she was spending the night, so I wouldn't worry.

Scare Fair

All About a Party in DuBois held their annual Scare Fair over the weekend and it was a HUGE success. The kids, my mother and I went and stood in line about a half hour to get autographs from their guest stars. Not bad because others were waiting over an hour after we left.

The guests were Tony Moran ("Michael Meyers" from the original Halloween) and Cindy Morgan ("Yuri" on Tron and "Lacey" On Caddeyshack). I got my Tron UMD case autographed. It looks great in silver marker and is sitting on our entertainment center. Would love to be able to add more of the stars' signatures to the display. It was a great movie for the time it was made.

They were both happy to talk to fans and pose for photos. Moran said he hadn't seen Rob Zombie's remake of Halloween and had no interest in ever seeing it. I have seen it and ... well ... lets just say there can't be any new way to show a teenage girl's bits after that movie.

Everyone always comments on my camera, especially when the professional lense is on it - yeah, it's that HUGE. I even got in front of the camera this year for a couple photos. Hubby couldn't go with since he worked, so I wanted to show him the fun.

One of the displays was a 100 pound burger. GACK! I love my cheeseburgers, but looking at it made my stomach ache! The hosts had a 2-pound burger eating contest. Nope, I could never eat that much at once. There were make up demos, games, food, costume parade and more scheduled, but we weren't able to stay for most of it. Arielle had to get home and get ready for the homecoming dance. She did find the perfect half sweater to go with her dress while we were at the mall. I'll post about that later though.