Bittersweet October

I am getting really excited about Halloween. Not really sure why. This year I am going to try to make popcorn balls from the Martha Stewart cook book. She makes it sound so easy but I’ll probably walk away from the experience with permanent scars from hot Caro syrup splatter. I don’t’ even know if the parents in our neighborhood will let their children eat homemade popcorn balls. I know when I was a kid I LOVED popcorn balls. Trick or Treating was a bit spotty for me until we moved out of the apartment complex by LSU. College kids don’t buy candy, they rent kegs. I remember going to several doors and when they realized I was trick or treating people at the party would begin handing over spare change dropping it in my bag. My parents let me spend this change on candy that I like. No Bit-o-Honeys, no black licorice, no apples.

I always had homemade costumes. My father made some of them. One year he made me a daisy. My suit was green with white petals stemming out from my neck. Another year he made me an apple tree. This time a brown body suit and when I lifted my arms red apples dangled down. Flora and fauna seemed to be the theme those days.

One year I told my mother I wanted to be a gypsy but what I really meant was a belly dancer. She worked so hard to make the gypsy costume and when she was done I was clearly upset. She changed the whole thing and by Halloween I was a belly dancer. I had a great clown costume my mother made with big yarn balls hanging down the front as buttons. I wore that one for at least three years in a row.

Our family ALWAYS carved a pumpkin. To this day I love to carve pumpkins. In fact I have convinced our neighborhood to add a pumpkin contest to the annual Halloween festivities. I am ready for the pumpkin but we will see about the popcorn balls.