Evening's Glow

"No Spring nor Summer beauty hath such grace

As I have seen in one Autumnal face."

~J. D.

It’s one of those cozy nights.  The kind where simply pulling your hair up makes you chilly—I’m thankful for the warmth of long, thick hair.  

I’m feeling ultra-productive.  Laundry is churning away.  Fresh towels decorate the bathrooms.  My schoolwork is caught up.  Life is balanced—I like that—a lot.

Oh the autumn nights, clad with their golden/gray light.  There’s something about the glow of my Halloween Tree and the soft aura of candy corn and purple twinkle lights that just has me itchin’ for sheepskin slippers and flannel pajamas.  I smell my spaghetti squash baking in the oven and enjoy the faint, vegetative aroma it sends dancing through the air.  I’m so thankful for the bounty of summer’s abundant harvest. 

Like a potion bubbling in an iron cauldron, my Halloween Tree stirs up memories of my childhood.  All of the decorations hold a meaning, a memory, a happy thought. 

See the little black cat?  That was my prize for having the best costume in my kindergarten class.  No one could guess who the portly hobo was—no princess or fairy wings for this girl (grin).

Notice the crochet ghost and pumpkin?  My Mamoo made those.  They were magnets that previously decorated her homey kitchen and refrigerator. 

The ceramic pumpkin-head ghost with the missing hand?  I broke it when I was about six or seven years old.  I remember it tumbling from its high perch on the counter. 

The ever-so-festive candy corn lights?  My mama and papa got me those last year.  I found them hanging on my door with a little note from my dad.  “Trick-or-Treat,” it said.  Yes, you guess it, I still have the note.

I tell you more stories of the Halloween Tree later.  But now, I must prepare for sleep.  Time to snuggle in and listen to the pitter-patter of the mid-night rain.