Hello, my lovelies,

Happy Autumn,

Although I do love summer, we have to say goodbye, even here in Southern California. The holy-hell-90-degrees days are almost gone, thank goodness, and what was that humidity? I felt like I was living in Texas.

There’s just something about autumn though, isn’t it? Cooler, brisker, scarier. Some of the leaves turn colors, although, East, you’ve got us beat. It’s sweater weather again, pumpkin lattes come out, and gourds appear outside every market. I’m waiting until the temperature dips a little more to buy my pumpkins. I don’t want my decorations to cook on the porch.

When I was a little girl, Halloween books took the place of summer books from the library: Ginnie and Geneva by Catherine Woolley, The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken, The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Koningsburg, Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw, The Soul Brothers and Sister Lou by Kristin Hunter Lattany, and the GOAT of them all, Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. Autumn was a time when my mother would stop telling me to play outside, and I could sit and read to my heart’s content.

All our children and grandchildren live far away now, so I must have Halloween fun with them through videos and online. I decorate – the skeleton comes out dressed in whatever looks good that year – witch brooms are on the porch, and, this year, low lying green fog. I can’t wait. I’m primarily doing it for myself, though. All the real action is down a couple of blocks down where most of the kids in our neighborhood live, but I’m hoping as they get older, they’ll visit us too. One year we had cars and cars of kids come by. I don’t know where they came from, but we all had fun giving out candy, seeing their costumes. I know some people don’t like it when parents drive their kids to other places to get candy. I don’t care. Halloween is for the children, and if they have fun and no one is hurt, that’s a win. Just don’t trample my garden.

My neighbors and I meet around my firepit, drink, sing scary songs with guitars and such, and hand out candy. It’s a nice habit and it keeps the kids from going down darker areas around our houses. We also do the same thing for Christmas. Without the candy and the kids.

I don’t know what my costume will be this year. I have a black sheep hat that I’ve been trying to wear for years now, but if it’s 80 degrees outside at 7:00 PM, that’s not going to happen. Usually, it’s either a witch or a Ghostbuster, unless I’m going out to parties. Maybe I should check the crystal ball for a clue.

By the way, the picture you see is me with my seafood gumbo, a delicacy in our house. My husband, who is from the gulf coast of Texas and Louisiana, taught me how to make it, and it’s always a holiday when it’s gumbo time.

Happy Halloween, all y’alls,

Naomi