tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51556089727903914722024-02-20T20:35:47.254-08:00Halloween Fun for AllJOMObloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16997359694943689407noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155608972790391472.post-78240658099694225802012-10-31T06:33:00.000-07:002012-10-31T17:32:55.436-07:00 HAPPY HALLOWEEN - 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYpwfB1cqvxfdVyWP8TSXeMqtB3p0fk7xXktzpiWyKmZWJLFoiZ1Z4_up8DY_HgVn0xpQmnj0tfZC3jy5a-Dl-MAh6YSWykIFjEv9URTEHP-twhoqPTYTCOAcIredUWfJlS4Q_kLkgt3uk/s1600/gogos_322+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYpwfB1cqvxfdVyWP8TSXeMqtB3p0fk7xXktzpiWyKmZWJLFoiZ1Z4_up8DY_HgVn0xpQmnj0tfZC3jy5a-Dl-MAh6YSWykIFjEv9URTEHP-twhoqPTYTCOAcIredUWfJlS4Q_kLkgt3uk/s640/gogos_322+-+Copy.jpg" width="428" /></a></div>
<br />JOMObloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16997359694943689407noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155608972790391472.post-65513478709930092982012-10-20T08:21:00.003-07:002012-10-20T08:46:38.602-07:00Haunted Places<h1>
<span data-mce-style="color: #ff0000;" style="color: red;"> Want to get your Halloween Spook On?</span></h1>
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Here are our top five locations guaranteed to give you the creeps this Halloween Season.</h3>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"># 5 Myrtles Plantation</span></h3>
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">As a general guideline, we typically do not encourage our readers to visit haunted homes unless the location has at least a baker’s dozen of frequent entities. Otherwise, it is hardly worth their time and expense, but we will make an exception for Myrtles Plantation's reported dozen spooks.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Metaphorically speaking, you can’t swing a black cat around your television set this Halloween season and not catch a show that features the fascinating story of romance, murder, and hauntings that reportedly occur at this historic antebellum plantation. </span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Learn more by visiting: <a data-mce-href="http://www.myrtlesplantation.com/index.html" href="http://www.myrtlesplantation.com/index.html" target="_blank" title="The Myrtles Plantation">The Myrtles Plantation</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx66hsFnGGHWMYj8Tt4WZEDMk4_-jqn_DC-Y69TERltnRATnDtHy9qP3PmGRHdiR0ohPB61GB10-f8K87ztOach7h89IwwqjulDRmM9LmOMtCyU8Dv21Ew9A1hNVGN1BIhKtfWx-lIAAIZ/s1600/Myrtles+Plantation+postcards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx66hsFnGGHWMYj8Tt4WZEDMk4_-jqn_DC-Y69TERltnRATnDtHy9qP3PmGRHdiR0ohPB61GB10-f8K87ztOach7h89IwwqjulDRmM9LmOMtCyU8Dv21Ew9A1hNVGN1BIhKtfWx-lIAAIZ/s320/Myrtles+Plantation+postcards.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"># 4 Mansfield Reformatory (aka Ohio State Reformatory)</span></h3>
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Built to look like a German Castle, this former palace for the naughty, just gives you the willies looking at it! Who wants to spend time in a prison under the best of circumstances, let alone go to rusty, deteriorating, big house of boo?</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Spirits are alleged to abound here! Visitors tell of satistic guards, forelorn prisoners, and even the warden’s own “accidentally” shot wife that still frequent the grounds. During the Halloween season, the facility has an extremely popular paid attraction (must be at least 13 years old) called Prison Experience: Dead Walk – they make it sound so nice!</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"> Make your own prison break by visiting: <a data-mce-href="http://www.hauntedx.com/" href="http://www.hauntedx.com/" target="_blank" title="Mansfield Ohio Prison Experience">Mansfield Ohio Prison Experience</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspS6-UCAyWZssF9riuUGCw2mr9RFIYiDC7keq-9ZZZ5HYBsOy7ulTFwCkJTYxHzKeV8KdaG9rmNn4CRG4xi-wDZINnHgWpEM5dMXIz7kcovDuPau42wYwVjFrUo6BRK1eLRgAhQWHKGR2/s1600/Mansfield.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspS6-UCAyWZssF9riuUGCw2mr9RFIYiDC7keq-9ZZZ5HYBsOy7ulTFwCkJTYxHzKeV8KdaG9rmNn4CRG4xi-wDZINnHgWpEM5dMXIz7kcovDuPau42wYwVjFrUo6BRK1eLRgAhQWHKGR2/s320/Mansfield.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"># 3 St. Augustine Lighthouse</span></h3>
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Unlike prisons, lighthouses are cool places to visit regardless if they are haunted or not. Here you will learn all about the original Blue Man (years before he formed a group) who likes to chill in the basement, as well as the tragic story of the former lighthouse keeper, whose daughters, along with another girl, drowned when the lighthouses supply trolley they were playing on suffered a catastrophic failure! </span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">This is one Halloween beacon sure to lead you to haunted shoals. For more information, we dare you to visit:<a data-mce-href="http://www.staugustinelighthouse.com/events/darkofmoon.html" href="http://www.staugustinelighthouse.com/events/darkofmoon.html" target="_blank" title="Dark of the Moon tour"> St. Augustine Lighthouse's Dark of the Moon tour</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRCUy9pEt6j_uCJLYmqj94-buzVu3nSuVVo-eNuwzsDvC5tg2LSvtN25sqGO8BJUcOI9Ki9Qzr1aX_PKknVB9R_0DuDBhU4sAGAVsVWYUdmym_rL_O8IxjiCSukUDkITGcVj5zV49rzV_J/s1600/St.+Augustine+Lighthouse+Postcard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRCUy9pEt6j_uCJLYmqj94-buzVu3nSuVVo-eNuwzsDvC5tg2LSvtN25sqGO8BJUcOI9Ki9Qzr1aX_PKknVB9R_0DuDBhU4sAGAVsVWYUdmym_rL_O8IxjiCSukUDkITGcVj5zV49rzV_J/s320/St.+Augustine+Lighthouse+Postcard.jpg" width="192" /></a></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">#2 Peoria State Hospital</span></h3>
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">This one is a no brainer – in fact, everything we post on our blog is a no brainer, but we do the best we can with the limited resources our DNA grants us. </span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Peoria State Hospital is always near the top of most recommend Haunted Places to visit list. Someone needs to investigate to see if there is a connection between weird castle designs in prisons and hospitals and frequency of haunting. Perhaps these designs are satellite dishes for the receiving departed.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">It is also no wonder the patients here went insane, even the location had more names than Sybil. The facility has been called Peoria State Hospital, Bartonville State Hospital or Illinois Asylum for the Incurable Insane (how is that for an optimistic prognosis doctor!).</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Find out more about their brand of crazy at: <a data-mce-href="http://www.peoria-asylum.com/" href="http://www.peoria-asylum.com/" target="_blank" title="Peoria-asylum">Peoria Asylum</a> and <a href="http://ghostlyworld.wordpress.com/2012/09/10/ohio-state-reformatory/" target="_blank">Ghostly World</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt8la-0TZCk-XMpjupYOb70wm5_ErYkCTPWIWwW0gfQPmVmNZ2ZreeYKU1_s1N91smOuO02JAeeJVxRZox4xQ2JU1G_BbYt4PRGvxIKSPO6P0CNcdU2hlN9F8v2gylcld727BV6eYNmd5y/s1600/Perior+State+Hospital+postcard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt8la-0TZCk-XMpjupYOb70wm5_ErYkCTPWIWwW0gfQPmVmNZ2ZreeYKU1_s1N91smOuO02JAeeJVxRZox4xQ2JU1G_BbYt4PRGvxIKSPO6P0CNcdU2hlN9F8v2gylcld727BV6eYNmd5y/s320/Perior+State+Hospital+postcard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"> </span><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">#1 Waverly Hills Sanatorium</span></h3>
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Even if it wasn’t reported to be one of the most haunted places in America, Waverly Hills Sanatorium goes off the spooky richter scale. This expansive sanatorium once housed thousands of patients who were undergoing bizarre treatments for tuberculosis (the "White Plague").</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">The real human toll here was staggering. Most patients were sent here to die. Although the actual number of patients who died here might never be known the fact that the facilities tunnel has been nicknamed the “Death Tunnel” or “Body Chute” gives you some sense of the scale of the operation.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Here is how you can check in for treatment: <a data-mce-href="http://therealwaverlyhills.com/" href="http://therealwaverlyhills.com/" target="_blank" title="Waverly Hills">Waverly Hills</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf5rOQt8qAuf7wGscZ4-ORpBivv-OvHaFOb4ovW72ycclNP-Ysa6251NuJvq3Q5zW6pcjL0C4PUlGV-Fab0HxMIWrtU3Po7FvxqD_OVf0bkdZW2md4cN_PjGx1yXxGICqChidLwS1mEdGa/s1600/Waverly+Hills+Sanitorium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf5rOQt8qAuf7wGscZ4-ORpBivv-OvHaFOb4ovW72ycclNP-Ysa6251NuJvq3Q5zW6pcjL0C4PUlGV-Fab0HxMIWrtU3Po7FvxqD_OVf0bkdZW2md4cN_PjGx1yXxGICqChidLwS1mEdGa/s320/Waverly+Hills+Sanitorium.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #800080;" style="color: purple;">It's a Wrap!</span></h3>
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Well that wraps-up our recommendations for our top five locations to get you spooked this Halloween season. Whether you are a firm believer or an ardent skeptic, these locations are sure to get the hairs on the back of your neck to stand up!</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">As always, we welcome your thoughts and recommendations here at Halloween Fun for All.</span>JOMObloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16997359694943689407noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155608972790391472.post-38270927423854404302012-10-19T08:22:00.000-07:002013-02-23T09:17:03.041-08:00Time for a Break?<span data-mce-style="color: #333333;" style="color: #333333;">by John Morgan</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #800080;" style="color: #b45f06;">Micro Fall and Halloween Breaks</span></h2>
<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/need-a-micro-break.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/need-a-micro-break.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-746" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/need-a-micro-break.jpg" height="329" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/need-a-micro-break.jpg" title="Need a Micro Break" width="247" /></a><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">The daily challenges that most of us face, seem to be growing in complexity and urgency.</span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"> </span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Just reflect on recent conversations with family, friends and colleagues - almost everyone is tasked with doing more, with fewer resources. </span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Frankly, it is a bear just to hold your own, let alone gain any forward momentum. Dysfunctional, seems to best describe most of our personal and professional lives.</span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Fortunately, we can all take microbreaks that allow us to hit the mental refresh button.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"> </span><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">For example, yesterday, I had a rare business need to take the train from Sacramento to San Jose, California. </span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">It was a welcome change. I brought plenty of work with me to maximize my three-hour trip, but I was amazed throughout the course of the journey how wonderful and refreshing brief glances out the window were for my spirit.</span><br />
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/sacramento-railyard-2012.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/sacramento-railyard-2012.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter wp-image-744" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/sacramento-railyard-2012.jpg" height="326" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/sacramento-railyard-2012.jpg" title="Sacramento Railyard 2012" width="434" /></a></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">As I boarded the train and peeked out the window, I could see the fascinating old railyard buildings. All were in various states of disrepair, but thankfully, these buildings somehow seemed to walk that fine line of being <strong><em>“cool and intriguing,”</em> </strong>rather than earning the moniker of: <strong><em>“Someone should do something about this mess - it’s a menace to the community!”</em> </strong></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Within seconds of leaving the station, passengers find themselves going over the Sacramento River, where two old ghost steam paddle wheelers are alleged to materialize from time to time. Forever locked in an epic race to see who is the faster of the two vessels.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">Old Town Sacramento can be seen along the eastern river bank. It is here where mysterious apparitions from beyond are
reported to peer at tourists from the windows of surrounding old western
buildings. Many more are said to interact with the living in the areas ancient
underground tunnels.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;">Even Mothman
has been reported on the Tower Bridge which can viewed just south of Old
Sac.</span></span><br />
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</span><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">In minutes, you pass one of the major wetland bird sanctuaries in North America as you travel across the Yolo Causeway. Ducks, geese, pheasants, pelicans, and even sandhill cranes can be viewed as you make your way over this large floodplain. The influence of Fall was seen everywhere, even though the temperature outside was in the 90s.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">The first station stop occurs near UC Davis and from the train you can see the agriculture student’s fields of corn and pumpkins. Next you travel through Dixon, which recently held the title for the world’s largest corn maze!</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">For the remainder of the journey, I was treated to sight after sight of images of Autumn and Halloween. From my window I could see the eerie looking Ghost Fleet in Suisun Bay, catch sight of the supposedly haunted Alcatraz and USS Hornet, and view the Oakland Raider stadium, as well as view construction going on for the new 49er stadium in Santa Clara.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-751" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/mothball-fleet-uss-iowa1.jpg" height="368" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/mothball-fleet-uss-iowa1.jpg" title="Mothball Fleet USS Iowa" width="497" /></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">The entire trip afforded brief reminders of how beneficial it is to simply take a moment to reflect on the world outside our typical challenges and life routines. </span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Even if you cannot travel, simply view various web sites of places you would like to see or better yet, challenge yourself to explore subjects or places that you have never focused on before. A great starting point is to see where your blog is being viewed and make it a point learn more about the people and things in that part of the world. Which reminds me that I need to find out how Halloween is celebrated in Moldova!</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Let's face it, we all need to take a break from time to time. If nothing else, it will afford you a fresh perspective from daily grind. As always, we appreciate you taking a macrobreak with us here at Halloween Fun for All.</span>JOMObloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16997359694943689407noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155608972790391472.post-64842855564216294862012-10-13T06:18:00.000-07:002012-10-13T06:44:50.475-07:00Has Halloween Become Over-Commercialized?Halloween News<br />
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<span style="color: red;">Warning:</span> <em>Did you know that kids today believe that Halloween is all about <span style="color: #351c75;">“Having Fun and Getting Candy.”</span></em></h3>
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Watch this shocking expose from <span style="color: orange;">The Onion </span><span style="color: black;">and then decide if Halloween has become Over-Commercialized!</span></h3>
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JOMObloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16997359694943689407noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155608972790391472.post-55205927560450918452012-10-11T08:44:00.001-07:002012-10-12T04:53:25.442-07:00Pet Costumes - Americans spend $370 Million AnnuallyHalloween News<br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: #351c75;">Proof that Americans are Nuts!</span></h1>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #ff0000;" style="color: red;">"Sorry Russell, the Only Jack</span><br /> <span data-mce-style="color: #ff0000;" style="color: red;"> We Want Around Here is on Our O-Lanterns!"</span></h4>
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<dl class="wp-caption alignleft" data-mce-style="width: 178px;" id="attachment_676" style="width: 178px;">
<dt class="wp-caption-dt"></dt>
<dd class="wp-caption-dd">Admiral Cutie</dd></dl>
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<a data-mce-href="http://bizarreworld.spreadshirt.com/" href="http://bizarreworld.spreadshirt.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class=" wp-image-676 " data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/admiral-cutie5.jpg?w=240" height="210" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/admiral-cutie5.jpg?w=240" title="Admiral cutie5" width="168" /></a><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">According to a recent CNN survey, Americans are expected to spend $370 million this Halloween season on costumes for their pets! That is an increase of over $40 million over last year. </span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Well, that is to be expected since we are living in such robust economic times - </span><strong><em>what better use is there for spending our excess discretionary boo bucks than on pet costumes?</em></strong><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">In general, we here at </span><strong>Halloween Fun for All</strong><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"> don’t give a <a data-mce-href="http://www.americanshihtzuclub.org/" href="http://www.americanshihtzuclub.org/" target="_blank" title="American Shih Tzu Club ">Shih Tzu </a>how you spend your hard-earned greenbacks! However, if Reality TV has taught us anything, it’s this: <em><strong><span data-mce-style="color: #800080;" style="color: purple;">“All issues and problems with people and their pets originate in the gray matter – no matter how limited - found between the ears of the primate in that relationship.”</span></strong></em></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><em><strong><span data-mce-style="color: #800080;" style="color: purple;"></span></strong></em></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">If you have ever watched an episode of <em>“The Dog Whisperer”</em> or <em>“My Cat from Hell,”</em> you will quickly discover that nearly all animal behavioral problems originate with the pet owner or guardian not treating the animal like an animal. In short, the two shows' basic principle is this:</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"> <span data-mce-style="color: #800080;" style="color: purple;"><strong><em>“STOP TREATING YOUR PETS LIKE THEY’RE PEOPLE!”</em></strong></span></span></div>
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span data-mce-style="color: #800080;" style="color: purple;"><strong><em></em></strong></span></span><br />
<strong>Cats are cats and dogs are dogs - isn’t that wonderment enough?</strong><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"> Animals are great companions. It is impossible not to marvel at the parallel and mutually beneficial relationship that humans and especially cats, dogs and horses have developed and maintained through the passing ages.</span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Here at <strong>Halloween Fun for All</strong> headquarters, we love animals. We have two cats, one dog, two rats, one hamster, one turtle, one bearded dragon (lizard), one tarantula, and two black widow spiders! In the spirit of full disclosure, we have adorned our dogs and cats - even the bearded dragon - in various costumes.</span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Is it the right and responsible thing to do? Certainly not, we can recognize that it is not beneficial to the animal. We cannot hide our bizarre compulsion behind the </span><em><strong>“Dolphin Show Get-Out-of-Jail-Free Tarot Card”</strong></em> <span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">disclaimer of <strong><em>"the tricks you are about to see here today are natural behaviors that can be observed in the wild."</em> </strong>We have yet to read about packs of wolves donning “Princess Leia” outfits before the hunt nor have we received reports of bearded dragons dressing like Elvis in the Australian Outback – until now!</span><br />
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/elvis-bearded-dragon.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/elvis-bearded-dragon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-675" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/elvis-bearded-dragon.jpg" height="294" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/elvis-bearded-dragon.jpg" title="Elvis Bearded Dragon" width="256" /></a></div>
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"> </span><br />
<h2 data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: orange;">So we are left with the conclusion that Americans are nuts!</span></h2>
JOMObloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16997359694943689407noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155608972790391472.post-76014287594667307022012-10-07T05:26:00.000-07:002012-10-09T06:56:08.864-07:00Pumpkins Galore!<h2>
<span style="color: orange;">Annual Visit to Bishop's Pumpkin Farm</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQjhXn_ZIXz6NtVbDWWFhCzql4ZQzC90l07oJbv3uMf5TZFVynswLAflkBmwSQW3t7PmNoNQmbfnR4MW_Tu58MBf6AdsD725_GwTOMJEHYn77YbsKiLL5NqWGBt7jJ-oYnTxT7pFnxNoIQ/s1600/DSCI4125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQjhXn_ZIXz6NtVbDWWFhCzql4ZQzC90l07oJbv3uMf5TZFVynswLAflkBmwSQW3t7PmNoNQmbfnR4MW_Tu58MBf6AdsD725_GwTOMJEHYn77YbsKiLL5NqWGBt7jJ-oYnTxT7pFnxNoIQ/s320/DSCI4125.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<strong>Wheatland, CA</strong><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"> – You do not have to look any farther than your local pumpkin patch or farm to realize that Halloween is gaining in popularity.</span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"> </span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Since 2003, our crack research and trend analysis team has ventured to the Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm in Wheatland, CA to assess the health of the holiday. <strong>We are delighted to report that Halloween is in good spirits and doing well.</strong></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">For you history buffs, <strong>Wheatland became the base camp for the Donner Party survivors after they finally crossed the Sierra Nevada Mountains</strong>, but of course they became infamous for eating more than Wheatland’s legendary pumpkins.</span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Anyway, rather than our usual snarky observations and bizarre factoids, we’ll try something new, and merely post some images of our fun-filled outing. </span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"> Should you find yourself in the greater Sacramento region during the Halloween season, we encourage you to include a visit to Bishop's Pumpkin Farm as part of your short list of things to do while you are here. For more information, check out their web site: <a data-mce-href="http://www.bishopspumpkinfarm.com/" href="http://www.bishopspumpkinfarm.com/" title="Bishop's Pumpkin Farm"><strong><span style="color: #351c75;">Bishop's Pumpkin Farm</span></strong></a></span><br />
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JOMObloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16997359694943689407noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155608972790391472.post-4416791571285233152012-10-05T08:42:00.001-07:002012-10-05T16:22:00.865-07:00Field of Screams - Corn Mazes Exposed!<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">By </span>John Morgan<br />
<h1 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ff6600;"><em>"Help - I am Lost</em><em> and I Haven’t </em></span><span data-mce-style="color: #ff6600;"><em>Even Entered the Corn Maze Yet!"</em></span></span></h1>
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/enter-corn-maze.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/enter-corn-maze.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-609" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/enter-corn-maze.jpg" height="242" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/enter-corn-maze.jpg" title="Enter Corn Maze" width="390" /></a></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong><span style="color: #351c75;">Halloween is a big enough and versatile holiday to handle just about everyone’s tastes.</span></strong> Since Halloween is agile enough to please just about everyone, there are bound to be elements that simply are not your cup of cider. </span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">At the risk of polarizing our readers (and we know who both of you are), we here at <strong><em>Halloween for All</em> </strong>have a confession to make: corn mazes appeal to us as much as pork flavored ice cream - we are simply lost regarding their popularity. </span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="clear: left; color: black; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-610" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/pumpkin-corn-maze2.jpg" height="219" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/pumpkin-corn-maze2.jpg" title="Pumpkin corn maze2" width="286" /></span><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">So, if we understand it correctly, the allure of corn mazes consists of the following: you get to go to the country; you get find a corn maze that suits your needs; you get to shuck out some boo dollars; you get to enter a hot, humid, perhaps bug infested corn field; you get to have hours - perhaps even days - of fun as you wander around seeking an exit. Is that correct (minus of course any effort on our part to describe anything remotely resembling fun)?</span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">We are huge fans of critical thinking here at <strong>Halloween for All</strong>, it is the only way we can maximize the limited gray matter in our gourds. Therefore, we will apply Barbasol shaving cream to the problem and then whip out <a data-mce-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam's_razor" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam's_razor" target="_blank" title="Occam's razor"><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Occam’s Razor </span></a>- which states that <strong>the simplest solution is often the best</strong> – and we will shave ourselves a solution in no time!</span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Ah, we have it! <em><strong><span style="color: #990000;">Don’t enter the maze. Even better, stay at home!</span></strong></em></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"> <span style="color: #351c75;"><strong>So in a real sense you will be saving corn by not visiting a corn field.</strong></span> When you stay home, you won’t expend any corn ethanol; when you don’t use any corn ethanol, fossil fuels aren’t used in creation and transportation of the corn ethanol; when farmers decide that it is better just to grow corn in the former maze paths, additional corn will be grown; when additional corn is grown, more feed is available for domestic livestock; when more feed is available, pigs will multiply and get larger – which in turn can be used for making more pork flavored ice cream. It is the perfect win-win!</span><br />
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<em><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong> Isn’t it wonderful what you can do with properly applied critical thinking!</strong> </span></em><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">However, we also realize that <strong><span style="color: #351c75;">there are some corn haters out there who can not or will not be persuaded to not go into a corn maze no matter how compelling the arguments against it are!</span></strong> Therefore, we reluctantly will provide you with the following resources for your sick amusement: </span><br />
<ul>
<li><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.cornmazesamerica.com/directory.php?state=US" href="http://www.cornmazesamerica.com/directory.php?state=US" target="_blank" title="US Corn Maze directory"><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: #bf9000;"><strong>US Corn Maze Directory</strong></span></a></span></li>
<li><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.wikihow.com/Find-Your-Way-Through-a-Corn-Maze" href="http://www.wikihow.com/Find-Your-Way-Through-a-Corn-Maze" target="_blank" title="Tips on how to navigate a corn maze"><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: #38761d;"><strong>Tips on how to navigate a corn maze</strong></span></a></span></li>
</ul>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;">One final warning</span></strong> before we select submit to this post, let us ask you this: <em><span style="color: #351c75;"><strong>Are corn mazes part of a complex, subsidized government effort, to keep us distracted and misinformed, in order to fog the collective memory of humankind regarding not the nature of corn mazes, but rather the true alien menace - crop circles?</strong></span></em> </span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Quick tell us, what came first, the corn maze or the crop circle? See for most you, you simply do not know or worse, you might even be thinking “I don’t care!” <em><strong>And</strong> <strong>if that is the case, wouldn’t that be exactly how the power elite would want you to feel.</strong> </em></span><br />
<h2 data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: orange;"><em>"Cucurbita Panem et Circenses"</em></span></h2>
JOMObloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16997359694943689407noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155608972790391472.post-22899380614589129122012-10-02T07:26:00.002-07:002012-10-03T19:03:34.835-07:00One-ton Pumpkin Squashes the Competition Halloween News<br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;"><span class="mceItemHidden" style="background-color: white; color: red;">NEW WORLD RECORD!</span></span></h2>
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/the-freak-ii-lives.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/the-freak-ii-lives.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-585" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/the-freak-ii-lives.jpg" height="286" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/the-freak-ii-lives.jpg" title="The Freak II lives" unselectable="on" width="383" /></a><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span class="mceItemHidden">A one-ton pumpkin squashes the competition at the <span class="hiddenSpellError">Topsfield</span> Fair! History was made when Ron Wallace's massive pumpkin, "The Freak II," became </span><strong>the first pumpkin to break the one-ton mark!</strong></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Readers, we have to ask ourselves, <strong><em>"what is going on in the family of Cucurbitaceae?"</em> </strong>The alarm bells are ringing.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">It was only in 2000 that the 1,000 pound pumpkin barrier was broken. So let's get this straight, <em><strong>pumpkins have doubled in size in just 12 short years!</strong></em> We here at <strong>Halloween Fun for All</strong>, recognize that this is bigger and more dynamic than any previous c-change in the orbit of Halloween.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIx-k_ZvUhW3PyHKiALzk0fdgGJNc9zttAXsUtbR_x2jJAJubsEXYHEpoAkQ5z5L_DOFX1prxWMBIzfjKnGGALTGNqc3oiKapTcRzJqdsAe24pmTUtH55xWdK6Cc-jtkIVQP1aE_hyphenhyphenKLHl/s1600/pumpkin+mayan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIx-k_ZvUhW3PyHKiALzk0fdgGJNc9zttAXsUtbR_x2jJAJubsEXYHEpoAkQ5z5L_DOFX1prxWMBIzfjKnGGALTGNqc3oiKapTcRzJqdsAe24pmTUtH55xWdK6Cc-jtkIVQP1aE_hyphenhyphenKLHl/s1600/pumpkin+mayan.jpg" /></a><span class="mceItemHidden" style="color: black;"><strong>Is this the dire warning of the Mayan calendar manifesting itself in Massachusetts?</strong> Why are the two presidential candidates so mum on the matter? Could the fabled 13th planet <span class="hiddenSpellError" pre="planet "><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nibiru_cataclysm" target="_blank">Nibiru</a></span><span class="mceItemHidden"> </span>actually be a pumpkin? We don't know about you, but we're not waiting around to take marching orders from some kind of monstrous <span style="color: orange;"><strong>orange</strong></span> overlord!</span><br />
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<span class="mceItemHidden" style="color: black;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong><u>This a call for action</u>!</strong></span> <strong><em>Please, while there still may be time, each and every one of<span class="mceItemHidden"> </span>us needs to devour<span class="mceItemHidden"> </span>anything made of pumpkin.</em></strong> We need to tip the scales back in humanity's favor. So have another piece of pumpkin bread and drink another pumpkin spiced latte.</span><br />
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<span class="mceItemHidden" style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;">After all wasn't it <span class="hiddenSpellError" pre="it ">Aragorn</span> who said:</span></span></div>
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<em><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><strong>"Hold your gourd, hold your gourd! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men and women fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of Halloween fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of woes and shattered pumpkin fields, when the age of pumpkin carving comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we eat and fight, but mainly we eat! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you feast on all that is pumpkin Men and Women of the West!"</strong></span></span></em><br />
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/smashed-up-pumpkins.png" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/smashed-up-pumpkins.png"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-584" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/smashed-up-pumpkins.png" height="411" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/smashed-up-pumpkins.png" title="Smashed up pumpkins" width="620" /></a></div>
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<br />JOMObloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16997359694943689407noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155608972790391472.post-37907584180969472742012-09-29T08:25:00.003-07:002013-04-25T05:33:13.266-07:00Perfect Halloween Destinations<h4>
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<span style="color: #666666;">by John Morgan</span><br /> <strong><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">The Cauldron List</span></strong></span></h4>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #800080;" style="color: purple;">Halloween Travel</span></span></h1>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHxCA2S9LgK8vF787EdUAL7kMfW0qOAkiDFPzB31rGPFMSvq7eIjtVZm3cX5G1q9-cQGk268yhya60zZyUtRDxOBCy1uyBAgKseqIrp_VKbCi7sMZnlzXO8tgIwGa1muZoU_sAkAatygqy/s1600/Dracula's+Castle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHxCA2S9LgK8vF787EdUAL7kMfW0qOAkiDFPzB31rGPFMSvq7eIjtVZm3cX5G1q9-cQGk268yhya60zZyUtRDxOBCy1uyBAgKseqIrp_VKbCi7sMZnlzXO8tgIwGa1muZoU_sAkAatygqy/s320/Dracula's+Castle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="background-color: white; color: black;">But not just any travel, mysterious forces have cast a strong spell on us that requires us to solely focus on those destinations that celebrate the rich tradition and spirit of Halloween. These are the enchanting locations that we would like to experience - at least once - before we do any haunting of our own.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="background-color: white; color: black;">Here is <strong>The Cauldron List’s top Halloween Travel Destinations</strong>: </span><br />
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<span style="color: red;">The Real Dracula’s Castle<br /> Romania</span></h3>
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/vlad.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/vlad.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white;"><img alt="" class=" wp-image-560 " data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/vlad.jpg" height="182" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/vlad.jpg" title="Vlad" width="191" /></span></a><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="background-color: white; color: black;">And you thought <a href="http://halloweenfunforall.blogspot.com/2012/09/ravens-crows.html" target="_blank"><strong>Ravens and Crows</strong></a> got a bad rap when literature refers to them as a <strong>“murder of crows”</strong> or an <strong>“unkindness of ravens.” </strong>How would you like to go on Ancestry.com and discover that you are related to Vlad the Impaler and his father Vlad II Dracul from order of the House of the Dragons?</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="background-color: white; color: black;">Many attribute Vlad the Impaler as the real life inspiration for Bram Stoker’s immortal <span style="color: #660000;"><strong>Dracula.</strong></span></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="background-color: white; color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="background-color: white; color: black;">OK, things are never as easy as they seem. <span style="color: #660000;"><strong>There are actually three castles in modern-day Romania that claim to be “Dracula’s Castle”: </strong></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bran_Castle" target="_blank"><strong>Bran Castle</strong></a><strong>, </strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poenari_Castle" target="_blank"><strong>Poenari Castle</strong></a><strong>,</strong> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunyad_Castle" target="_blank"><strong>Hunyad Castle</strong></a><strong>.</strong> Although it's worth pointing out the Stoker’s own notes state that he invented the castle and placed it on an empty mountain top.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="background-color: white; color: black;">We figure it is not every day we get sojourn through the rugged Transylvanian and Wallachian terrain so why not visit all three. Just make sure to drop by the local Romanian Leu Store to pickup plenty of garlic, crucifixes, and wooden stakes – along with greeting cards, batteries and helium balloons (what else does one go to the Dollar Store for?).</span><br />
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<span style="color: red;">Festival of the Dead<br /> Salem/Danvers, Massachusetts</span></h3>
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/witch-house.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/witch-house.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white;"><img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-565 alignleft" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/witch-house.jpg?w=200" height="200" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/witch-house.jpg?w=200" title="Witch House" width="133" /></span></a><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="background-color: white; color: black;">Talk about Halloween sensory overload:<strong> </strong><a href="http://halloweenfunforall.blogspot.com/2012/09/which-witch-are-you.html" target="_blank"><strong>witches</strong></a>, necromancy, séances, Celtic ceremonies and dramatic fall foliage all in one - better make that two - locations!</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="background-color: white; color: black;">Just like in Dracula’s Castle, time seems to cloud the record, as various parties claim to be the real fright deal in order to entice you to spend your boo bucks in their locations. In Massachusetts, <strong>both Salem and Danvers claim to be the sight of the original witch trials of 1692 and 1693.</strong></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="background-color: white; color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="background-color: white; color: black;">It appears that Mrs. Hickok, my eighth grade history teacher, must have had a broom in the game for promoting Salem, because she never once called it the Danvers Witch Trails. Where do the lies end Mrs. Hickok? Was the Boston Tea Party really a Gloucester Espresso Soiree?</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="background-color: white; color: black;">Just like the curtain between the physical and spirit world grows thinnest around Halloween, perhaps you will become clairvoyant enough to decide which witch community has rightful claim to the historic witch trials. Either way, a trip here will leave you enchanted.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red;">Sleepy Hollow, New York</span></h3>
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="background-color: white; color: black;">Finally, a Halloween location that exists without much controversy. After all Halloween is not worth losing your head over - just don’t tell the Hessian I said that!</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="background-color: white; color: black;">There is plenty to see and do in this small community to celebrate Halloween. Although there are parades, hayrides, pumpkin patches, and various festivals and events held throughout the community approaching Halloween, <strong>the one can’t miss event is the annual Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze at Van Cortlandt Manor</strong> (tickets are required and they do sell out quickly).</span><br />
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/great-jack-o-lantern-blaze.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/great-jack-o-lantern-blaze.jpg"><span style="background-color: white;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-563" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/great-jack-o-lantern-blaze.jpg" height="346" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/great-jack-o-lantern-blaze.jpg" title="Great Jack-O-Lantern Blaze" width="620" /></span></a><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="background-color: white; color: black;">Sleepy Hollow is a fantastic destination to celebrate Halloween. You will experience the same spooky locations that inspired Washington Irving’s classic tale, <em><strong>The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.</strong> </em> You might even be unfortunate enough to sight the Headless Horseman himself. If you do, just make sure you can outrun the person next to you. <strong>That should be enough to ensure that you come out head and shoulders above the rest of the Halloween revelers.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;">Stonehenge, Hill of Tara, and an Irish Pub<br /> Great Britain</span></h3>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="background-color: white; color: black;">The foundation of today’s Halloween celebrations can directly trace its origins back to the Ancient Druid, Roman and Catholic traditions and beliefs that blended in the melting cauldron that is Great Britain. As such, Great Britain is a dream location to celebrate Halloween!</span><br />
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/stonehenge.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/stonehenge.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-564" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/stonehenge.jpg" height="215" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/stonehenge.jpg" title="stonehenge" width="320" /></span></a><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="background-color: white; color: black;">Visit to <span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://sacredsitetour.com/Sacred-Sites-of-Ireland/hill-of-tara.html" target="_blank"><strong>Hill of Tara</strong></a></span> and other Druid locations where Samhain festivals were originally held. Warm yourself by a bonfire, the likes of which brought some of Halloween’s most recognizable symbols of the <strong><a href="http://halloweenfunforall.blogspot.com/2012/09/halloween-symbol-bats-for-many-people.html" target="_blank">bat</a> </strong>and <strong><a href="http://halloweenfunforall.blogspot.com/2012/09/halloween-symbol-owls-they-enter-worlds.html" target="_blank">owl</a></strong> to become indelibly linked with the holiday.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="background-color: white; color: black;">Then find a warm pub, enjoy a pint or two and recount the legend of <strong><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://halloweenfunforall.blogspot.com/2012/09/how-jack-o-lantern-got-its-name.html" target="_blank">“Stingy Jack.”</a></span></strong> Who tricked the devil in an Irish pub and in the process became the inspiration for the modern-day jack-o-lantern.</span><br />
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<em><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;">So those are our recommendations for </span><strong>perfect Halloween destinations </strong><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;">that celebrate the spirit of Halloween's rich history and traditions.</span> <strong>As always, we welcome your thoughts and comments.</strong></span></span></em>JOMObloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16997359694943689407noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155608972790391472.post-33800348576078426252012-09-23T09:05:00.000-07:002012-10-11T12:19:31.333-07:00Goblins - What the Heck are They?By John Morgan<br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Halloween Symbols</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: lime;">GOBLINS</span></h1>
<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/goblin-1929-mag-cover-2.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/goblin-1929-mag-cover-2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-483" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/goblin-1929-mag-cover-2.jpg" height="311" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/goblin-1929-mag-cover-2.jpg" title="Goblin 1929 Mag Cover 2" width="235" /></a><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">As a lifetime Halloween enthusiast, I have to come clean: <strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">I have never understood what the heck a goblin is.</span></em></strong> Oh sure, I have faked the funk enough: <em><strong><span style="color: #741b47;">“Goblins, I know all there is about goblins! They love hanging out with ghosts and you don’t even want to get me started on their subspecies, the Hobgoblin!”</span></strong></em></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">It is time to stop faking it until I make it. Today, I have decided to finally ferret out the little (they are little, aren’t they?) rascals. </span><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Let me do a quick Google search. Ah yes, here we go<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">…"</span></em><em><span style="color: #38761d;">the term goblin is a collective noun for evil spirits like redcaps and bugbears.”</span> </em></strong>Well<em>, </em>mystery solved then - this will be my shortest post to date.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong>(Note to self<em>: If anyone asks me to explain redcaps or bugbears, I will just shake my head in pity, boldly state that they are goblins, put on a facial expression that conveys “what else could they possibly be?”, then turn and walk away in mild disgust</em>).</strong></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">As someone who currently is not much of a gamer, unless you count the occasional Spider Solitaire game while I am waiting for something to upload, I am guessing that I might be in the minority in my goblin quandary. Especially since we are now living in a post <strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">“Dungeons and Dragons”</span></em></strong> and <em>“<strong><span style="color: #741b47;">World of Warcraft”</span></strong></em><span style="color: #741b47;"> </span>age.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Maybe I am suffering from a mild form of amnesia.</span></strong> I have always admired the <em>Lord of the Rings</em>, it’s quite possible that goblins were thoroughly described and chronicled throughout Tolkien’s classic series. After all, just by reading the series and watching the trilogy, I have through osmosis acquired an understanding of trolls, elves, and ring-wraiths and the like. If pressed, I would hazard that the LOTR character Gollum is probably the most goblin-like. Yet, I would not be in the least surprised, if someone admonished me by definitively declaring that Gollum was a redcap, bugbear, or hobgoblin - whatever the heck they are?</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="clear: right; color: black; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignright size-full wp-image-484" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/surprised-gollum2.jpg" height="236" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/surprised-gollum2.jpg" title="Surprised Gollum2" width="273" /></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">OK, so let me see if I can at least get a handle on Hobgoblins. Let just go to Wikipedia. Here it is: "Hobgoblins –seem to be small, hairy little men who—like their close relative, brownies”…<strong><span style="color: #741b47;">STOP! STOP right there! Is someone messing with me?</span></strong> How come every definition of a goblin or goblin relative is defined as something resembling an even a more obscure mythical creature?</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Great, it goes on to state that Shakespeare’s <em>A Midsummer Night's Dream </em>character Puck is a hobgoblin. <strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Now I am even more confused, wasn’t Puck a half goat, half devil looking thing like Phil from Disney’s Hercules?</span></strong></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">At this point, I no longer give a</span> <span data-mce-style="text-decoration: line-through;" style="text-decoration: line-through;">@#%&</span> jack-o-lantern what they are! It is time for me to break this infinite vague definition chain and just proclaim that all <strong><span style="color: #741b47;">I know about goblins and their evil spirited kin is that they are now my least favorite Halloween characters!</span></strong><br />
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/phil1.gif" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/phil1.gif" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignright size-full wp-image-485" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/phil1.gif" height="159" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/phil1.gif" title="phil1" width="144" /></a></div>
JOMObloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16997359694943689407noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155608972790391472.post-3038692904941751342012-09-22T14:35:00.000-07:002012-09-23T05:04:37.461-07:00The Wolf Man has me howling mad!<span data-mce-style="color: #ff0000;" style="color: red;">(Reader's Alert: I would give this post a PG-13)</span><br />
<h1 data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;">
<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/the-wolfman.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/the-wolfman.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-440" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/the-wolfman.jpg?w=201" height="300" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/the-wolfman.jpg?w=201" title="The Wolfman" width="201" /></a><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>“Even a man who is pure in heart<br /> And says his prayers by night<br /> May Become a wolf<br /> When the wolfbane blooms<br /> And the Autumn moon is bright”</em></span></h1>
<h2>
<span data-mce-style="color: #800000;" style="color: maroon;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">The Wolf Man</span> </span></h2>
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="color: #990000;"><strong>You have got to be kidding me - <em>the werewolf is the victim!</em></strong> </span>OK, I have got to calm down. Let me take a few deep cleansing breathes before I go any further into exploring the only canine that got Cesar Millan to talk above a whisper!</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Let me spend a good "Night on Bald Mountain" and enjoy a Chernobog view of the situation. If I understand the facts correctly: Larry Talbot (aka The Wolf Man) is estranged from his family; and he only returns home after his brother dies in a hunting accident (<em>hey boys in Scotland Yard, you might want to <strong><span style="color: #674ea7;">check Larry’s whereabouts during the time of the alleged accident – ask yourselves who stands to gain if something should happen to the first-born son?).</span></strong></em></span><br />
<strong><em></em></strong><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong><em></em></strong></span><br />
<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/wolf-man-peeping-tom.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/wolf-man-peeping-tom.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Larry Talbot" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-443" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/wolf-man-peeping-tom.jpg?w=300" height="241" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/wolf-man-peeping-tom.jpg?w=300" title="wolf man peeping tom" width="300" /></a><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"> When Larry arrives back home, the first thing he does <span style="color: #990000;">- <em><strong>the very first thing </strong></em>-</span> is not show compassion or sympathy for his Dad or his brother’s surviving friends, no, he is no sooner home than the dashes upstairs <strong><span style="color: #674ea7;">grabs one of his father’s telescopes and gets his soon-to-be four-legged voyeurism freak</span></strong></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: #674ea7;"><strong> on spying on the village hottie.</strong></span><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">He is obviously so grief-stricken, <strong><span style="color: #990000;">Larry hauls his destined to be shaggy tail down to the village</span></strong> where he spotted the vixen just moments before entering her family’s store. He buys the largest and cheapest (<em>kids, don’t read this nor ask your parents what it means</em>) phallic symbol in the store</span><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Then he pours on the sappy: <em>“My brother just died and <span style="color: #674ea7;"><strong>I can’t stand the thought of being alone right now</strong>”</span></em> (<em>the oldest trick in the G.I. and Soon-to-be-Monster Icon playbook</em>). The sly dog actually convinces the lovely Gwen Conliffe into not only going on a pity date with him, he’s so brazen he gets her to bring a “<em>friend</em>” along to act as “<em>chaperone</em>.”</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">When the date doesn’t live up to Larry’s expectations <strong><span style="color: #990000;">(<em>what did he expect would happen after taking the ladies out to free Gypsy festival? His generations version of a “mac & cheese and Redbox movie” date</em>)</span>,</strong> Gwen’s friend Jenny decides to leave.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Larry’s such a fine gentleman that he’s content with letting Jenny walk home through the misty dark forest all alone. As fate would have it, Jenny is attacked by the thought to be extinct British wolf. <strong><span style="color: #674ea7;">Obviously frustrated over how the evening was going, Larry whacks the wolf to death with his silver tipped cane</span>.</strong></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;">By this point, Jenny no longer accepting calls at </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkpGQUflBwU" target="_blank">867-5309</a></strong>, the wolf manages to bite Larry before dying, and it turns out that the wolf is actually a Gypsy man named Bela, who was transformed into a wolf because of a legendary curse…and who are we supposed to feel sorry for? <strong><span style="color: #674ea7;">Of course, it’s obvious - Larry!</span></strong></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Someone has to tell the Welsh townsfolk of Llanwelly to stop being a bunch of enablers! It's past time to go all <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2007-07-24-barker-phrase_N.htm" target="_blank">Bob Barker</a> and <em><strong>"fix"</strong></em> the problem permanently.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"> </span><br />
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/wolf-man-just-a-little-trim.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/wolf-man-just-a-little-trim.jpg"><img alt="" class=" wp-image-444 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/wolf-man-just-a-little-trim.jpg" height="276" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/wolf-man-just-a-little-trim.jpg" title="Wolf Man Just a little trim" width="366" /></a><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/wolfman-target.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/wolfman-target.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-447" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/wolfman-target.jpg?w=150" height="112" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/wolfman-target.jpg?w=150" title="Wolfman Target" width="150" /></a><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">But oh no, everyone is still fine with good old Larry. He even attends Bela’s funeral. In fact, Bela’s mother even gives Larry a charm. Being the progressive player that Larry is, when things with Gwen and Jenny failed to work out, he has no problems going on a second date with Gwen - <em><strong><span style="color: #990000;">just as long as she brings her fiancé Frank along so the boys can get into a shooting contest.</span></strong></em></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong><em></em></strong></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">When the full moon comes, it’s Larry’s turn to stalk the woods and terrorize the townsfolk. Why Jenny is not even fully in the ground when Larry decides to maul her gravedigger.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong><span style="color: #674ea7;">After making messy all over the rug</span></strong>, Larry explains to his Dad that he might be a shapeshifting monster; however, his Dad being the enabler he is, insists that Larry is simply showing the psychological elements of <a href="http://melissabarrett.hubpages.com/hub/Real-Werewolves-Three-Cases-of-Lycanthropy" target="_blank">Lycanthropy</a> <em>(someone who believes they’re a wolf - instead of the dawg we know Larry to be)</em>.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Larry goes on to morph, yet again, into his fury counterpart and stalks through the local forest. This time he gets his leg caught in a bear trap. <strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Finally, we are going to witness justice being served!</span></em> </strong>Alas, who comes to his aid? Why the mother whose son Larry bludgeoned to death. Here, she gives the most enabling diatribe of the entire story: </span><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">"The way you walked was thorny; through no fault of your own. But as the rain enters the soil; the river enters the sea; so tears run to a predestined end”</span></em></strong>…yadda yadda yadda.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"> </span><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Please, let’s be honest here, <em>“<strong><span style="color: #990000;">The way he walked was horny; it was through every fault of his own; and he wanted to soil more than just the rivers and seas!”</span></strong></em> I must apologize, I normally don’t get so tawdry on this blog - <em>it’s just that the Wolf Man has left me howling mad!</em></span><br />
<em></em><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/wolf-man-gwen.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/wolf-man-gwen.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-446" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/wolf-man-gwen.jpg?w=236" height="300" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/wolf-man-gwen.jpg?w=236" title="Wolf Man & Gwen" width="236" /></a><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Larry shifts into a werewolf for one final time and decides he is going to have a howling good time with Gwen. Anyway, thankfully <em><span style="color: #674ea7;">"<strong>parentus-wolfus-interruptus</strong>"</span></em> occurs when John Talbot, Larry’s dad, catches up with them in the woods. Sir Talbot goes all Al Capone in <em>The Untouchables</em> over Larry’s canine rear end, which resulted in Larry going to <em>"live on a farm in the country"</em> if you get my meaning.</span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"> </span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">The seasoned gypsy woman repeats her prayer but adds,<em> “Your suffering is over, and now you will find peace for eternity."</em> <span style="color: #990000;"><strong>Finally, your suffering is over, as you have come to the end of this ranting blog post</strong>.</span></span><br />
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<br />JOMObloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16997359694943689407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155608972790391472.post-67160338125258665472012-09-15T14:18:00.001-07:002012-09-17T06:43:20.856-07:00Grave Thoughts<span style="color: #666666;">By John Morgan</span><br />
Halloween Symbols<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLcFQ0F7k3rlorwPvK7hHTO9TMXdOAiIwtkwlBe1fFJCV9vCIxSA36qNx6LnOEda-WB4GLwGnsy1OzWgz8mJbF8azCgtJTGG0Zm4s6tAJWq1UXVmwXKjtILMs19LmeXxs9E50gFCDV7Zc0/s1600/Cartoon+grave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLcFQ0F7k3rlorwPvK7hHTO9TMXdOAiIwtkwlBe1fFJCV9vCIxSA36qNx6LnOEda-WB4GLwGnsy1OzWgz8mJbF8azCgtJTGG0Zm4s6tAJWq1UXVmwXKjtILMs19LmeXxs9E50gFCDV7Zc0/s320/Cartoon+grave.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">GRAVESTONES</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Picture a dark, windy
night, you hear the crack of distant thunder, leaves crunch as you approach the
cemetery, as you open the creaky cast iron gate to the cemetery, a cat lets out
a banshee-like shriek and bolts past you…You get the picture, besides, we were running
out of clichés. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Few things are spookier than
cemeteries, gravestones, and our bad creative writing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><strong>And you thought math was hard<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Death is a tough subject. <strong>It is like
looking at your bills to pay pile</strong>, eventually you will have to deal with it –
but there are so many others things you would prefer to be doing first. One epithet
put it this way:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgy9gc-5H7OENdEiK-OsOoJ5YreN7Xb5YtMqJnEa3kDrQ5ZSHrqNJR_lwpphu4NlGpPuXVmEJ12mWu041nlc76W1ieVx_s4oGkeGOou4j1UPayz9oJzHSlHZ77pvsvP02sCCTJJaHKfzO/s1600/Death+is+a+debt+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgy9gc-5H7OENdEiK-OsOoJ5YreN7Xb5YtMqJnEa3kDrQ5ZSHrqNJR_lwpphu4NlGpPuXVmEJ12mWu041nlc76W1ieVx_s4oGkeGOou4j1UPayz9oJzHSlHZ77pvsvP02sCCTJJaHKfzO/s640/Death+is+a+debt+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Great, so
even in death, we are still haunted by debts!</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Hopefully you have the mettle to stay with us as we step
through the cemetery gates and enter the world of gravestones, headstones, and
crypts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This is one Halloween symbol that
will make our traditional ancient Greek, Roman, and Celtic friends look like the
"<em>New Kids on the Halloween Block."</em> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><strong>Stones in the Stone-Age</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Neanderthals
and early man left indicators of memorializing those who passed away by
performing various burial rituals. It appears, they frequently took great pains
to ensure that their fellows were buried in deep caves and pits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">There
were some very practical, as well as spiritual, reasons for memorializing the
dead. Clearly people need to show respect and remembrance for the departed, but
proper inurnment (is also theorized) reduced the spread of disease and kept
scavengers from, well, scavenging. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><strong>What good are you?<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
first headstones and markers were not much more than heavy stones placed over
the burial site. The conjecture here has been twofold: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> <span style="color: magenta;">
</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black;"><strong>Reduces
scavengers success rate<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><strong>The
dead stay put!</strong> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong>Which will it be...the Carrot or the Stick?</strong></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It
is fascinating to see the evolution of headstones. Designs moved from a simple
rock, to frightening winged death head figures and skulls. This symbolism was
not lost on the people of the day: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Better start living a virtuous life or there
will – literally - be hell to pay!”</i></b> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67pOub8EesfaX5q9CzlenIFKzK3GQy4sVgi-cMM__BQ3vhvU3Hc6hY3mj9FerdL_TfCbcGuQwlu5jPDx0SaNG7esE0jzsJr6L4ABpnYLhCM605W6tbUYQFdgLjLzGmjYFMfUIUXr_LSLZ/s1600/Devastated+Angel+w+frame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67pOub8EesfaX5q9CzlenIFKzK3GQy4sVgi-cMM__BQ3vhvU3Hc6hY3mj9FerdL_TfCbcGuQwlu5jPDx0SaNG7esE0jzsJr6L4ABpnYLhCM605W6tbUYQFdgLjLzGmjYFMfUIUXr_LSLZ/s320/Devastated+Angel+w+frame.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
Victorian era designs incorporated sweet pudgy cherubs, elaborate majestic crosses,
billowy white lambs, and large sorrowful angels. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Of
course, people did try to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“dress to
impress,”</i> individuals and families with power would – and still do – build elaborate
“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I love me”</i> shrines <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(think
Facebook but with a lot more marble)</i></b> as tributes to their greatness and
success.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">OK, OK, we hear you</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">…we will try to
stay focused on how this all relates to Halloween.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;"><strong>People are dying to see your Halloween decorations</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Today,
as we rapidly approach Halloween, people are in their garages and workshops
preparing to build their own Halloween graveyards. Check out this video on how
realistic you can get! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/XyfmBL5JuH0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">And
what would a tombstone be like if it failed to have personalized witty
inscriptions. Such as,
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">"Here Lies The Pillsbury Dough Boy. He
will rise again."</span><br />
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><strong><em>What
will future Halloween decorations look like?</em></strong> We recently spoke with a Director
with the Northern California Neptune Society and he indicated that in
California approximately 50% of people are opting for cremation over a
traditional burial. So perhaps in the coming years, people will be <em><strong>"urning"</strong></em> for a different type of lawn decoration.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
ceremonies and rituals associated with memorializing are thought to strengthened
the bounds of family and community. Grieving is a very natural part of how
humans (and some animal species) cope with death. Look at this amazing article:
<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1223227/Is-haunting-picture-proof-chimps-really-DO-grieve.html">Chimpanzees grieving</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><strong>Till the bitter end</strong></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Even
though designs and materials have changed through the years and are still
evolving, one thing hasn’t changed our desire to memorialize, grieve and
reflect on those who “assume room temperature.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As someone put it, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Death must be great, because no
one has come back from it yet!” …</i></b>well at least that is until we run out of
rocks!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6nxa-h4PN05uHLXV-LRLRQ_3bU_62VkPLnUKNJ41lUpAqURUdQFkl_YnINe62TprZAjNvgZp40TvRddcX4OO9uXZIphH3K3iR0C07uNWw2WpQ5CQxbqiwdaAbzAtRQqy_gygaFfSWW7x0/s1600/Jack+and+Charmian+London's+grave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6nxa-h4PN05uHLXV-LRLRQ_3bU_62VkPLnUKNJ41lUpAqURUdQFkl_YnINe62TprZAjNvgZp40TvRddcX4OO9uXZIphH3K3iR0C07uNWw2WpQ5CQxbqiwdaAbzAtRQqy_gygaFfSWW7x0/s320/Jack+and+Charmian+London's+grave.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Jack & Charmian London's Grave</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Glen Ellen, CA</div>
JOMObloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16997359694943689407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155608972790391472.post-28010423932486982922012-09-12T18:57:00.000-07:002012-09-22T14:15:48.273-07:00Spiders Halloween Entanglements<strong><span style="color: #999999;">By John Morgan</span></strong><br />
Halloween Symbol<br />
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/spider-jack-o-lantern.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/spider-jack-o-lantern.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img class="alignleft" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/spider-jack-o-lantern.jpg?w=300" height="296" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/spider-jack-o-lantern.jpg?w=300" title="Spider Jack-O-Lantern" width="320" /></a><span style="color: black; font-size: x-large;"><strong>SPIDERS</strong></span><br />
<br />
<br />
Visit a haunted or abandoned house, open a graveyard crypt (we know, as if you haven’t visited enough of them already), or approach any suburban home on October 31<sup>st</sup> and you are sure to brush aside scores of spider webs. <br />
<br />
No mad scientist lab would be complete without showing a blatant disregard for dusting.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">How did we get so</span> <span style="color: black;">popular?</span></span></strong><br />
<br />
Arachnids are now joining the ranks alongside Santa and Frosty as a favorite seasonal inflatable yard decoration. Some inflatable spider animatronics are even complete with flailing fangs! <br />
<br />
Together, let us see if we can begin <strong>untangling the spider's web</strong> of clues to discover how spiders became associated with Halloween in the first place.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">Mysterious Origins</span></strong><br />
<br />
For most of the major Halloween symbols, it has been a fairly easy task to locate just where and when they entered Halloween’s orbit. We usually start by looking for associations with ancient <strong>Roman, Celtic, and Catholic customs, beliefs, and traditions.</strong> However, tracking the historical links associating spiders to Halloween proved by far the most illusive thread in understanding Halloween’s dream team of characters.<br />
<br />
Most sources vaguely link spiders to Halloween because they live in dark, scary places. Some reference that spiders, along with cats and owls, are witch’s <strong>"familiars"</strong> – <em>lesser demons who do the witch’s dirty work</em>.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">Cryptic</span> <span style="color: black;">Message</span></span></strong><br />
<br />
We have even reached out to E.B. White’s best friend, Charlotte, seeking her thoughts on the matter. All we keep getting back is a cryptic note in her web: <strong>“<em>Halloween, some holiday</em>.</strong>” Thanks Charlotte, you are big help! While we are all enjoying delicious BLTs (<em>that reminds us, has anyone seen Wilbur?</em>), we will have our top cryptologist here at <strong>Halloween Fun for All</strong> working around the clock to break Charlotte’s encrypted message.<br />
<br />
Until then, we can share that Spiders have long been associated with mysticism.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">You're traveling through time and space</span></strong><br />
<br />
Their web weaving is often interpreted as a simile for the progression of time, fate, and the cyclical rhythms of nature.<br />
<br />
<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/spiders-come-not-here.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/spiders-come-not-here.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/spiders-come-not-here.jpg?w=300" height="213" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/spiders-come-not-here.jpg?w=300" width="300" /></a><strong><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">What's Shakespeare doing</span> <span style="color: black;">here?</span></span></strong><br />
<br />
It has also been used as a metaphor for shady financial dealings. One of the world’s most secretive and exclusive societies, “The Bohemian Club,” uses the symbol of the owl as they sacrifice “dull care” and they warn: <strong><em>“Weaving spiders come not here”</em></strong> (<em>Shakespeare quote</em>) – in other words, let’s party and forget business for a while!<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: black; font-size: large;"><strong>We've got your number</strong></span><br />
<br />
Numerologists link the number 8 to life path energies. With eight legs and eight eyes, spiders must have life path energies coming out of their spinnerets. It is also a number associated with acquiring great wealth. <br />
<br />
Our research team has even listened to a numerologist on Coast to Coast AM, who advised keeping the number 8 in your wallet or purse, in an effort to encourage Benjamin and all his dead president friends to join him there – Hamilton is also welcome there for showing his strength of character and his toughness (<em>as well as his poor life management skills</em>) by dueling Aaron Burr.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">Don't be such a</span> <span style="color: black;">pest!</span></span></strong><br />
<br />
As pest abatement specialist spider’s rank up there with bats in helping to eradicate bugs that threaten crops. Most organic farmers welcome and encourage these bug eating vacuums to take up residency in their fields. <br />
<br />
We have even put up a wooden hexagon device in our <strong>Halloween Fun for All</strong> garden to encourage their web building, but the spiders seem more than content to ignore it in favor of their daily attempts to ensnare one of us!<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">Perhaps it's genetic?</span></strong><br />
<br />
You may harbor an instinctive fear of spiders. All those appendages and eyeballs are enough to put anyone’s senses on edge. Perhaps there is a built-in DNA alarm that fires off warning flares to our personal command and control centers, every time we encounter either a snake or spider. Vigilantly cautioning us to approach with extreme care - these things are dangerous! <br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: black; font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">Dog gone</span> it!</span></strong><br />
<br />
Many naturalists theorize that dogs, wolves and coyotes still spin around in an effort to scatter any spiders, tics or other potential threats before they finally commit to lying down <em>(quick someone needs to tell Atticus Finch that before he accidentally shoots that dog who is just getting ready for a siesta…too late</em>).<br />
<br />
<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/happy-halloween-spider.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/happy-halloween-spider.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img class="alignright" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/happy-halloween-spider.jpg?w=300" height="201" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/happy-halloween-spider.jpg?w=300" title="Happy Halloween Spider" width="300" /></a><strong><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">Untangling the Spider's Web</span></strong><br />
<br />
Hold everything! Our cryptologist just came rushing in and handed us her findings. <br />
<br />
Oh we see, folks it appears that <em>“<strong>Halloween, some holiday”</strong></em> equates to <em><strong>“Halloween, it is what it is.”</strong></em> <br />
<br />
So no matter what Halloween is to you, we want to thank you for managing to adhere to our weak web of facts and observations as we did our best untangling the spider's web. <br />
<br />
<strong><em>In the end, the spider’s connection with Halloween seems as mysterious and varied as the creatures themselves.</em></strong>JOMObloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16997359694943689407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155608972790391472.post-30871562659499966362012-09-12T18:50:00.000-07:002012-09-18T07:27:35.574-07:00Black Cats Colorful Past<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666;">by John Morgan</span></div>
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Halloween Symbol</div>
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/black-cat-in-jack-o-lantern.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/black-cat-in-jack-o-lantern.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignleft" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/black-cat-in-jack-o-lantern.jpg?w=300" height="226" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/black-cat-in-jack-o-lantern.jpg?w=300" width="240" /></a><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong>BLACK CATS</strong> </span><br />
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Cats are mysterious and elusive creatures to understand under the best of circumstances, but when they are covered in black fur, those characteristics go up exponentially - especially to us superstitious prone two-legged mammals.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Who Owns Who</strong></span><br />
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For those of you that have ever shared your home with a cat <em>– owning seems out of the question</em> – it is easy to interpret a feline’s behavior with being astute, clever, resourceful, independent, and a bit mystical. <br />
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A cat’s gaze can appear to convey a wide range of emotions, and, at times, it can even be unsettling. It is almost as if cats have a wisdom or awareness of things beyond our senses or comprehension.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Love Me or Hate Me...I'll get the job done!</strong></span><br />
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Throughout history, cats have shared a love/hate relationship with their human counterparts. In ancient Egypt, the cat headed goddess Bastet was worshiped. Some cats were even mummified. Egyptians made the connection between cats controlling the threat of disease carried by rats; therefore, by helping to reduce the rat population, cats escalated its own status as a revered ancient Egyptian symbol. <br />
<br />
Romans considered the cat sacred and they were linked to the moon goddess Diana. They associated cats as guardians of homes and as symbols of domestic goodness (something that baffles us since our three cats welcome anyone into the house and they are seldom up to any good).<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">You can't tell your symbols without a program!</span></strong><br />
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We have to admit it also gets a bit confusing and unsettling when we attempt to untangle superstition, history, folklore, and urban legend when it comes to understanding cats connection to Halloween.<br />
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As with many of the other Halloween symbols, the origins of the cat as an iconic figure for the holiday can be traced back the Samhain celebrations of the Druids and Celts. This was considered a time when the veil between the spirit and living worlds dissolved. <br />
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Great bonfires were built on the tops of hills to ward off evil spirits and to honor the souls of people who had died in the past year. It is also here that things go sour for our four-legged furry companions.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Why you really want to hurt me</span></strong><br />
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The Celts are said to believe that <strong>cats were evil</strong> and the <strong>guardians of the Underworld</strong> - as such, they must be sacrificed! Other accounts, state the Celtic people thought cats were reincarnated souls who were able to see the future. After two thousand years things can get a bit bedeviled to sort out; however, what is clear is that negative beliefs towards cats kept building as their bonfire flames pierced the night sky.<br />
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/vintage-black-cat.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/vintage-black-cat.jpg"><img alt="" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/vintage-black-cat.jpg" height="415" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/vintage-black-cat.jpg" title="Vintage black cat" width="620" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Is it just me, or does it seem hot in here?</strong></span><br />
<br />
While bats and owls were drawn to the bonfires associated with Samhain and later All Hallows’ Eve ceremonies, cats were unwillingly thrown into the bonfires by a fearful populace - a practice that continued for hundreds of years.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Some friend you turned out to be!</strong></span><br />
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One thing is for certain, while the dog may be man’s best friend, the cat has been linked as a witches favorite <em><strong>“familiar”</strong></em> (term for lesser demon). Just as witches are strongly associated with times of transition, black cats were also linked to these same transitional portals – ritualistic times when the curtain between life and death, shadow and light, were at its thinnest. <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">You are judged by the company you keep</span></strong><br />
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Folklore abounds with accounts of witch’s transitioning into cats and vice versa. During the days of witch hunting, single women seen in the company of cats were frequently considered witches and dealt with most severely, cavorting with a black cat removed any doubt.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">True Colors</span></strong><br />
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Many cultures connect the color black with the unknown and with an absorbing quality that conceals ones true intent. Thus, black cats became targets of peoples suspicions and superstitions. White cats have been sacrificed for their symbolism of purity by various occult groups.<br />
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<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Superstition and <strong><span style="font-size: large;">persecution </span></strong>continues to this day</span></strong><br />
<br />
Unfortunately, cats remain the target of evil intent. Whether caused by those practicing the black arts, pranksters who focus their cruel action on cats, or individuals who adopt or steal cats to incorporate them into their "living" Halloween decorations, the toll on cats is quite real and it is not just limited to black cats. <br />
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Even today, emotions and superstitions about cats persists. Animal shelters and feline adoption programs frequently will not allow black cats to be adopted from late September until early November, and additional screening and protective measure for all cats go into effect in the days just prior to Halloween.<br />
<br />
As difficult as it is to pin down a cat, it is equally challenging to condense and understand the history of the black cats association with Halloween.<br />
<br />
<br />JOMObloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16997359694943689407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155608972790391472.post-6964377089694994452012-09-12T18:39:00.000-07:002012-09-20T07:53:07.680-07:00Which Witch are you?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #444444;">By John Morgan</span><br />
Halloween Symbol<br />
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/flying-witch.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/flying-witch.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-238" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/flying-witch.jpg" height="282" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/flying-witch.jpg" title="" width="199" /></a><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><strong>Witches</strong> </span></span><br />
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Other than the pumpkin, no other symbol comes close to the witch in association with Halloween. <br />
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<strong><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: large;">Take a Good Look Around You</span></strong><br />
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Heck, just look around her and you will see a virtual “Who is Who” of Halloween casting: bats, cats, rats, owls, toads, cauldrons, moon, and broom - and we are just to getting started.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">Which Witch do you need?</span></strong><br />
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While the pumpkin might match her in notoriety, it would be hard to match the witches A-list Halloween celebrity status in longevity and adaptability. Styles come and styles go, but the witch is not only credited for shape shifting into other forms, such as the owl, but she can also seemingly alter her appearance to look like “Witch Hazel” or like Veronica Lake - as well as dozens of other variations in between. <br />
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<strong><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">Your Resume says you're very adaptable</span></strong><br />
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This adaptability has also led to a confused public; who are constantly perplexed regarding the motives and intent of the witch. In fact, Glenda pinpointed the problem quite well when she asked Dorothy, <em>“Are you a good witch or a bad witch?”</em> Well, we do not need a focus group to come to the conclusion: <em>that all depends on your point of view and the lenses of the society you are viewing her from.</em><br />
<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/v-lake.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/v-lake.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignright" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/v-lake.jpg" height="320" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/v-lake.jpg" title="V Lake" width="252" /></a><em></em><br />
<strong><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">What's the Weather Like?</span></strong><br />
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Witches have been linked to pagan rituals for thousands of years. Throughout each of those years, accurate forecasting of the weather, seasons, fertility and harvest were highly esteemed because of their inevitable effect on humanities well-being. <br />
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Before the advent of the Internet, TV, or weather satellites, people relied on the “Old Farmer’s Almanac,” “feelings in their bones,” or those who claimed to be skilled in the arts of divination and prophecy to see beyond the present.<br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><strong>A Broomstick for any season</strong></span><br />
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In times of seasonal and celestial transitions (All Hallows’ Eve and Beltane), witches come into their own.<br />
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Light and shadow, life and death, feast and famine, these are the things that witches excel at interpreting and understanding as they practice their craft along the peripheral vision of this world and the unseen.<br />
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;"><strong>Great at Multi-Tasking</strong></span><br />
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Whether witches are casting magical spells, tapping unseen energies, reciting incantations, healing or harming, they represent a mirror of the culture observing and interacting with them. We are all capable of great good or great harm. <br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><strong>Love/Hate Relationship</strong></span><br />
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The witch has either been the benefactor or the antagonist of our beliefs; as we project our own thoughts and biases into the complex witch's brew. Witch-hunts and witch-trials have been very real with deadly consequences throughout history. Today, Wiccans can be seen at various Harvest festivals as well as a host of other mainstream activities and events.<br />
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With such a rich history, strong supporting cast, and virtually limitless palette of colors and themes to portray the witch, we look forward to exploring this topic in greater detail in future posts – now if we can only decide on which witch we want to write about next.<br />
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<br />JOMObloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16997359694943689407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155608972790391472.post-91859003243986374102012-09-12T18:32:00.000-07:002012-09-14T05:00:52.540-07:00Owls - Woo are you?<br />
<span style="color: #666666;">By John Morgan</span><br />
Halloween Symbol<br />
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/primitive-owl-in-bowl.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/primitive-owl-in-bowl.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-225" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/primitive-owl-in-bowl.jpg?w=233" height="300" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/primitive-owl-in-bowl.jpg?w=233" title="" width="233" /></a><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong>OWLS</strong> </span><br />
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They enter the world’s stage at dusk. Much like the leathery winged Halloween symbol, the bat, it is believed that owls became frequent visitors to Celts Samhain bonfires.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;">Shhh, Keep it Quiet!</span></strong><br />
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Despite their large size, owls are incredibly stealthy, seemingly appearing from nowhere to those who encounter them.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Owls, You're Ancient History</strong></span><br />
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In ancient Athens, the owl was so revered that it appears on their first widely circulated coin. The ancient Romans honored the owl by depicting its image alongside Minerva, the goddess of wisdom – which they had adapted from the earlier Greek legends of Athena and her ties with owls. <strong>For some ancient cultures, sighting an owl during times of crisis or war was considered a good omen.</strong><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;"><strong>Can you Keep a Secret?</strong></span><br />
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Throughout history, owls have remained mysterious creatures that have long been linked to humanities <strong>secret shadows of influence and power</strong> (<em>Illuminati and the Bohemian Club</em>). What we do know about owls is that they are mostly solitary and nocturnal.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPk-eQqiD8wZ6_IDXG-UlpeE3XpIGx0qUq8zXGsNquM20-HVnmYj6XXn-sCFQvY1ZPuejv1Vl2vdsUWbyeW9h8r09VBgH7JANjDf7B_PP254pAntLWzsYwdu1fxZ_kODDykhrD1lhsiw4/s1600/European+owl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPk-eQqiD8wZ6_IDXG-UlpeE3XpIGx0qUq8zXGsNquM20-HVnmYj6XXn-sCFQvY1ZPuejv1Vl2vdsUWbyeW9h8r09VBgH7JANjDf7B_PP254pAntLWzsYwdu1fxZ_kODDykhrD1lhsiw4/s320/European+owl.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Eye Spy</span></strong><br />
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Perhaps the most prominent features of an owl are their large predatory - forward facing - eyes. Although, certainly a case can be made for the owls apparently spine defying rotating head as being its most attention-getting attribute.<br />
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/owls-witches.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/owls-witches.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignright" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/owls-witches.jpg?w=187" height="130" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/owls-witches.jpg?w=187" width="80" /></a><strong><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;">Woo Said That?</span></strong><br />
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In addition to their haunting “woo-woo” vocalization, many species are able to emit a piercing screech that cuts through the ebony night sky like a knife. There is a strong association between witches and owls. <strong>There are tales of witches shape-shifting into owls; which some believe accounts for the owl’s witch-like screech.</strong> <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Creatures from Another Planet</strong></span><br />
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Even in modern times, there are claims by apparent alien abductees who state that they frequently encounter owls during their abduction experiences. Author Whitley Strieber theorizes that the image of an owl serves as a screen-memory that masks the true nature of the abduction experience. However, we will disembark here from that discussion and leave that subject for another blog.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;">Wise Beyond Your Years</span></strong><br />
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You do not to have to live in the “Hundred Acre Woods” nor seek the Yoda-like wisdom of the Toosie Pop chomping owl, to get the connection between owls and our continuing desire for knowledge, and ultimately wisdom. Just don’t bother asking him where the candy is because his bowl is all empty! And whatever you do, stay away from Woodsy – although he means well - something is just not right with that Strigiform.<br />
<br />JOMObloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16997359694943689407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155608972790391472.post-34018001962459338622012-09-12T18:27:00.000-07:002012-09-13T21:53:58.945-07:00Bats Incredible <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<span style="color: #999999;">By John Morgan</span><br />
Halloween Symbol<br />
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/bat-closeup1.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/bat-closeup1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-177" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/bat-closeup1.jpg" height="317" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/bat-closeup1.jpg" title="" width="212" /></a><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong>BATS</strong> </span></span><br />
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For many people, bats are perhaps one of the most bizarre creatures in the animal kingdom. <br />
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<strong>Bats are the only true flying mammal</strong> -- sorry Bullwinkle, your friend Rocky merely glides. <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Keeping you in the Dark</span></strong><br />
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They live in shadows and darkness, which evokes strong emotions. Bats roost in hollows, crevices, and caves, as well in other fearful locations people tend to avoid: attics, abandon homes, and speaker’s podiums.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;">Nature's Bug Sapper!</span></strong><br />
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Emerging at dusk to feed (mainly on insects – <em>go get them bats!</em>). Many species locate their prey using echolocation (using sound to produce echoes off its food source). Their <strong>echolocation</strong> adaptation has also developed some rather unusual facial structures and curvatures that just add to the bats otherworldly appearance.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Now We See the Light</span></strong><br />
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It is generally believed, that bats became associated with Halloween through their frequent visits to the large bonfires built during the Celts annual <strong>Samhain</strong> festivals. We have all heard the expression, “like moths to a flame.” Well, we could easily develop that logic chain further by saying, “like bats to a moth.” <br />
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<strong><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;">There at First Call</span></strong><br />
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Since bats were there during the genesis of the customs and rituals that ultimately led to Halloween, they have become one of the holiday's most powerful symbols. Bats appear to be forever linked to the uniqueness of the season, as they fly through space and time alongside their two-legged -- costume adorning -- mammalian cousins.<br />
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<br />JOMObloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16997359694943689407noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155608972790391472.post-15060293634471302062012-09-12T18:22:00.000-07:002012-09-13T22:27:00.275-07:00Skeletons - Get out of the closet!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<span style="color: #666666;">by John Morgan</span><br />
Halloween Symbol<br />
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<strong style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-153" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/skeleton2.jpg" height="265" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/skeleton2.jpg" title="" width="223" /></strong> <strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">BONES, SKELETONS</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"> & SKULLS</span></strong><br />
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Where does one look in order to flesh out the connection between Halloween and the powerful symbols of bones, skeletons, and skulls? <br />
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Well, we can certainly trace it back to various ancient cultures <strong>“Day of the Dead”</strong> customs. <br />
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<strong><span style="color: orange; font-size: large;">Sometimes you can be such a Hard Head</span></strong><br />
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The Celts referred to the skull as the "<strong><em>house of the soul</em></strong>." Bones have been used for thousands of years in divination rituals.<br />
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Frankly, there is just no getting around the fact that seeing our internal DNA scaffolding is an unsettling reminder of our own mortality – Hamlet, Horatio and poor Yorick will be glad to fill you in on the philosophical implications.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">A Look Inside</span></strong><br />
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Why even the Grim Reaper is reduced to wearing a designer "flasher-style" trench coat, complete with matching hoodie, in order to keep us from seeing his bony altogether. He is the very embodiment better make that framework - of what potentially awaits all of us when our spirit departs this mortal plane.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">X-<span style="color: orange;">ray</span> E<span style="color: orange;">yes</span>!</span></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_dhymOIbZR6ZXGvb_dDswlPPv69QbruxR06U3cbS41lXSFndDMPJzJp15myLPUWcUWL9RLmHzxG0RmzO3Igv1zHGRcb261_7rLT8TRuSDxIlcK40AzTXEraR9_a7JXaFkt3kPRrPVG_M/s1600/X-Ray+Eyes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_dhymOIbZR6ZXGvb_dDswlPPv69QbruxR06U3cbS41lXSFndDMPJzJp15myLPUWcUWL9RLmHzxG0RmzO3Igv1zHGRcb261_7rLT8TRuSDxIlcK40AzTXEraR9_a7JXaFkt3kPRrPVG_M/s1600/X-Ray+Eyes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_dhymOIbZR6ZXGvb_dDswlPPv69QbruxR06U3cbS41lXSFndDMPJzJp15myLPUWcUWL9RLmHzxG0RmzO3Igv1zHGRcb261_7rLT8TRuSDxIlcK40AzTXEraR9_a7JXaFkt3kPRrPVG_M/s320/X-Ray+Eyes.jpg" width="320" /></a>For many, it is a humbling and unsettling to contemplate the skeletal structure that gives our bodies its shape. <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Skeletons are People Too</span></strong><br />
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That is right, we saw you squirming in class the day your seventh grade science teacher forced you to watch programs on digestion and the skeletal system. Your attempts to disassociate yourself of any similarities between the kids being x-rayed while they chomped on apples and jugged down pints of milk were entirely unsuccessful.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: orange; font-size: large;">Reminders of our own Mortality</span></strong><br />
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There is just no denying that bones, skeletons, and skulls are tangible reminders and eerie symbols of decease and death. Heck, just look at poison warning labels and pirate flags - <em>not to mention poison pirate flags made of labels</em> - these are all stern signs that beware danger lurks here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyW6JBrCNcW-XjDDlTt-CPHHEBTLXTN56pABU_cCneSMxSU-hYTMmYIGTSRU4NE-kA6_JvX60O8a5lC9CLhThJJqOR6XJhswPY_OQAQbFdfA5SfyUsoH80M0VfHAXZKuQyjAYuib6Y8bU2/s1600/untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyW6JBrCNcW-XjDDlTt-CPHHEBTLXTN56pABU_cCneSMxSU-hYTMmYIGTSRU4NE-kA6_JvX60O8a5lC9CLhThJJqOR6XJhswPY_OQAQbFdfA5SfyUsoH80M0VfHAXZKuQyjAYuib6Y8bU2/s320/untitled.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Oh, skulls, just wanna have fun</span></strong><br />
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Not all images of bones, skeletons and skulls evoke fear. In Mexico, the annual <strong><em>“Día de los Muertos” </em></strong>(Day of the Dead) is celebrated with vibrant and colorful portraits of using these symbols.<br />
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The spirit of this festival is to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. Sugar skulls, and the departed loved one’s favorite foods and beverages are left at their grave site as gifts of remembrance.<br />
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<strong>So no matter how you like to recognize Halloween</strong>, there is bound to be a way to bring your own skeletons out of the closet for them to reflect your own style and personality during the Halloween season.<br />
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<br />JOMObloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16997359694943689407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155608972790391472.post-47163353539176091912012-09-12T18:15:00.001-07:002012-09-14T08:17:50.335-07:00Ravens & Crows - You can quote me on that!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<strong><span style="color: #666666;">By John Morgan</span></strong></div>
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<strong>Halloween Symbols</strong></div>
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/crow-on-pumpkin-for-blog3.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/crow-on-pumpkin-for-blog3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-124" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/crow-on-pumpkin-for-blog3.jpg?w=246" height="300" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/crow-on-pumpkin-for-blog3.jpg?w=246" title="" width="246" /></a><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">RAVENS & CROWS</span></strong><br />
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Let’s face it, when literature refers to your kind as a <strong>“murder of crows”</strong> or as an <strong>“unkindness of ravens”</strong> you might have an image problem.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: large;">Public Relations <span style="color: black;">Nightmare</span></span></strong><br />
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It probably will not help your public relations experts conjure up a positive PR campaign if they keep finding you eating carrion, as well as each other; unless, of course, you are planning on filming: <strong><em>“Ravens & Crows – The original Zombie Apocalypse!”</em></strong><br />
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On the plus side you are both: highly intelligent (especially given your limited bird brains), frequently engage in play, collaborate when needed, and you have good socializing skills (ravens, this is an area that needs work…the crows are kicking your tail feathers in this category).<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Need to Work on Your Image</span></strong><br />
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So what’s the problem? Oh yeah, you eat each other! It also does not help that you are always hanging out in the wrong places with the wrong crowds. Honestly, would it hurt you to stop being the first ones on the battlefield once in a while? <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #bf9000;">Just Say No</span>...Crow</span></strong><br />
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And for heaven’s sakes, learn to say “no” when the witches and warlocks ask you to help them with a special project or potion.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-uYftuEh_bBoOZlEByZWmHg9hef264Lz_pwVmyaHmonsXmI2mrd1Yky-ZvmIaarjR9JSUfZ8kYOwMRKCtVJluXZpYg0Duh-HBfTBpGx-TzZCvF3yEx822RhBMC59q7eZNBTbHW2LEqZu5/s1600/Peacock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-uYftuEh_bBoOZlEByZWmHg9hef264Lz_pwVmyaHmonsXmI2mrd1Yky-ZvmIaarjR9JSUfZ8kYOwMRKCtVJluXZpYg0Duh-HBfTBpGx-TzZCvF3yEx822RhBMC59q7eZNBTbHW2LEqZu5/s200/Peacock.jpg" width="105" /></a></div>
<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: magenta;">P</span><span style="color: cyan;">e</span><span style="color: #cc0000;">a</span><span style="color: #674ea7;">c</span><span style="color: #a64d79;">o</span><span style="color: #7f6000;">c</span>k<span style="color: lime;">i</span><span style="color: #0c343d;">n</span><span style="color: #45818e;">g</span> it</span></strong><br />
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Just look at yourselves, you are always dressed in black…liven things up a bit – take a risk – peacock it up a little.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: large;">Develop some Stretch <span style="color: black;">Goals</span></span></strong><br />
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I mean really, what have you done in the last couple thousand years in the areas of personal development and growth? That’s right, I am talking to you ravens; the <strong>Celts linked you to war</strong> and death and you have been mired in it ever since. <br />
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Crows, did I say something that amuses you? Wipe those smiles off your beaks, because the ancient <strong>Romans used you guys for divination practices</strong> so neither of you are without a creepy flight path through history. <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Wash your Beaks out with Soap!</span></strong><br />
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And since we are talking about self-improvement, your “cawing” has got to go! Now we are even getting reports from the field that you have been mimicking human voices again. That has to stop immediately – it freaks everyone out!<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: large;">Ask yourself, <span style="color: black;">"Am I willing to Change?"</span></span></strong><br />
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Look we have all heard the phrase, <em><strong>“the only constant in life is change,”</strong></em> but frankly I am just not seeing it with either of you. <br />
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Hey, if you are happy being Halloween icons then do not change a thing. I have said all I want to say to you two <strong>Corvids</strong>, except that if you happen to see any rats and bats on your way out, tell them I need to see them regarding similar concerns.<br />
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<strong><em></em></strong>JOMObloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16997359694943689407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155608972790391472.post-87171434465901044622012-09-12T18:09:00.000-07:002012-09-18T08:25:16.249-07:00You don't know Jack-O-Lanterns about Pumpkins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #666666;">by John Morgan</span></div>
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Halloween Symbol</div>
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/pumpkin-driver-22.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/pumpkin-driver-22.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignleft wp-image-125" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/pumpkin-driver-22.jpg?w=300" height="200" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/pumpkin-driver-22.jpg?w=300" title="Pumpkin driver - 2" width="200" /></a><em></em><span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;"><strong><span style="color: orange;">P</span>UMPKINS <span style="color: black;">&</span> </strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: black;">JACK</span>-O-<span style="color: black;">LANTERNS</span></span></strong> <br />
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The iconic Halloween symbol of a pumpkin was a New World replacement for the two red-headed-stepchildren of the vegetable kingdom known by their common names the <strong>turnip</strong> and the <strong>beet</strong>, as well as their equally esthetically challenged dirt dwelling cousin the <strong>potato</strong>. <br />
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Originally the turnip and potato were carved and illuminated with candles and placed in Irish doors and windows to ward of an interesting spirit named <strong>“Stingy Jack”</strong> (he deserves his own post) and other wandering spooks. <br />
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The Scots used turnips as well, but the English celebrated the season drumming to a different beet (<strong><em>Warning bad pun ahead</em></strong> <strong><em>- proceed at your own risk!</em></strong> Did you know that it is a little known historical fact that when an English man or woman was cut during the carving process they called their injuries “beetnicks”).<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">Irish Influence </span></strong><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7698XFOuEbpNdwQmxu0kXZEB-ig-v2ubmrzlrZ7Bj3zwyPyV6dk-zs5IC8NX-l4Iek9VoZJ6FV6eOAkgAafDizTEm67E-z4zyeT3gKOIGlpY02CuXwL0giRhlIDZl-px4OC_QOcztxBG/s1600/Shamrock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7698XFOuEbpNdwQmxu0kXZEB-ig-v2ubmrzlrZ7Bj3zwyPyV6dk-zs5IC8NX-l4Iek9VoZJ6FV6eOAkgAafDizTEm67E-z4zyeT3gKOIGlpY02CuXwL0giRhlIDZl-px4OC_QOcztxBG/s200/Shamrock.jpg" width="155" /></a><br />
So when Irish immigrants came to America and they discovered the "gourdgeous" pumpkin, kersplash went the turnip and the potatoes into the stew pot, and out came the carving knife and the Jack-O-Lantern was born!<br />
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<br />JOMObloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16997359694943689407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155608972790391472.post-72454175829584625552012-09-09T17:23:00.000-07:002012-09-17T06:40:06.598-07:00Ghosts, we see right through you!<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/ghost-pulp-with-gun.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/ghost-pulp-with-gun.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-320" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/ghost-pulp-with-gun.jpg?w=280" height="320" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/ghost-pulp-with-gun.jpg?w=280" title="" width="297" /></a><strong> By John Morgan</strong><br />
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<strong>Ghosts</strong> - A misty orb, a cool presence, or a frightening phantom from beyond. Ghosts fascinate our imagination, haunt our dreams and fuel our fears. This is one Halloween symbol that does hit the historical trifecta when it comes to having its roots firmly grounded (<em>at least as firmly as a ghost can be grounded to anything</em>) in Roman, Celtic and Catholic traditions:<br />
<ul>
<li>Roman - Celebrations of the dead (Lemuria and Feralia)</li>
<li>Celtic - Samhain Festival of the Dead</li>
<li>Catholic - All Saints Day</li>
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Losing a loved one is never easy. All cultures have developed their own beliefs, rituals and customs to help cope and understand death. It is inescapable that our bodies come with a limited warranty for parts and services. Although the scientific RD Team is working feverishly to extend the boundaries of our existing models limitations.<br />
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Yet, what happens to our uniqueness, our spirit, our soul when our bodies finally succumb to ravages of time, wear, or unfortunate circumstances has been one of the greatest mysteries and hotly debated topics of all time.<br />
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Depending on what historical Halloween resource or expert is doing the telling (<em>and if you have read any of our other posts, you already know that we are hardly what you can call a reliable resource and the only thing we are experts at is wandering off topic and butchering the English language</em>) the Roman celebrations for the dead had some influence in eventually shaping the customs and rituals that led to Halloween. Exactly how much is uncertain, so we will move on to some of the stronger evidence in the ghost’s vapor trail through the history of Halloween.<br />
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/lego-ghost-jack.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/lego-ghost-jack.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignright size-full wp-image-323" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/lego-ghost-jack.jpg" height="272" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/lego-ghost-jack.jpg" title="" width="212" /></a>So let’s look back to those early Samhain festivals; for the sake of argument, we will say the year is 50 AD. Just imagine harvest time is finally over, you are now entering the darkest and coldest time of the year (<em>at least it is in the Northern Hemisphere – you know the top half of the world - where the toilets actually flush in the proper direction</em>). Eccentric King Ludwig will not host the first Oktoberfest for another 1750 years or so. The Fall Classic, Johnny Depp and Katy Perry are still another two millennium away – even the Jersey shores are nothing more than another unremarkable tidal marsh (<em>That reminds us, if someone shows up at the <strong>Halloween Fun for All</strong> front doorstep, trick or treating in that awful Snookie outfit we saw at Spirit Halloween last night, so help us, we will sell our pumpkin farm, close this blog down, buy a rodent ranch and open up shop at “Ground Hogs Day for All”</em>).<br />
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Where were we? Ah yes, we are in the heart of Celtic territory, year 50. We can almost hear it now<em>, “Mathair, I am bored… there’s nothing to do?” “Angus, why don’t you muck out your room, take your annual bath, and then round-up a Druid priest. Tell him to build up an immense bonfire and start the animal sacrifices without me. I can’t do a thing until I can put together some goodies to place outside the doors and windows - because as you know lad, ain’t no one happy until our restless, wandering, endoplasmic dead relatives are happy.”</em><br />
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And so it was from the very beginning of the Samhain festivals that we see a strong connection between what would eventually grow into Halloween and the ghostly spirit world. Remember, this is a special time for the Druid priests and the Celtic people. It is a unique ethereal time; a time for divination and a time for spirits to walk the earth among the living. The supernatural and natural worlds merge as one.<br />
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Now let us examine how the Catholic creation of All Saints Day effects Halloween in respects to our ghostly friends. All Saints Day had its foundation poured in 609 AD, but the blueprints to overlay the Catholic rituals on top of the Samhain traditions were drafted back in 601. Now with labor negations, permit delays, zoning regulations and manufacturing shortages, the actual construction for All Saints Day was not completed until 998 AD. That is when a French monastic order – Cluny – began a special mass for all the departed Christian souls. The primary function of holding the mass was to pray for intercession on the part of all the souls in Purgatory.<br />
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/cluny.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/cluny.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-325" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/cluny.jpg" height="377" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/cluny.jpg" title="" width="620" /></a><br />
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Ghost really begin to materialize around Halloween in the 1800s as Americans enjoyed telling ghost stories. Spirituality was spreading all across the young nation. Why even before the Great Emancipator became legend for allegedly impaling stakes through the undead’s hearts, he gave his to Mary Todd. Both he and Mary were utterly devastated at the lost of their son Willie. Many people claim that President Lincoln actually held séances in the White House. To this you rightly say, “<em>what does that have to do with ghosts and Halloween?</em>” To that we reply, probably not much, other than it was a reflection of how wide-spread spiritually was accepted in those years and that Halloween certainly is a perfect vehicle for examining all things ghostly.<br />
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You only need to turn on your television to know that something remarkable is happening in Western Culture regarding people’s beliefs in ghosts. Clearly, spirits are on the rise. According to 1978 Gallup poll only 11% of Americans believed in ghosts, less than the number of people who believed in Sasquatch or Nessie at that time. Today, poll after poll indicates that almost 50% of American’s believe in ghosts. (<em>To learn more about all things ghostly, check out <a data-mce-href="http://ghostlyworld.wordpress.com" href="http://ghostlyworld.wordpress.com/" title="Ghostly World">Ghostly World </a>).</em><br />
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Ghost and paranormal shows dominate or at least have more than an ethereal presence on satellite programming. Practically every network offers at least one ghost or haunting themed show. Why there is even a show on Animal Planet, "The Haunted," which chronicles animal’s interactions with the spirits from the beyond.<br />
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Regardless of your feelings on the ghost and spirit realm, their connection to Halloween started as a tribute to love one’s who had passed. And while not everyone welcomes an unplanned for vapory family reunion, it is sobering to reflect that we are just one link in an enormous chain of lives, choices, and events that ultimately allowed you to be here reading this blog and for us to create it. Regardless of what day it is, it is always worth wild to pause to remember the true miracle of our existence. So from everyone here at <strong>Halloween Fun for All</strong> we would like to thank your ancestors – where ever they are – for allowing you to spend a few of your precious moments with us as we spin laps around the sun together.<br />
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/brown-with-rock.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/brown-with-rock.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter wp-image-322" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/brown-with-rock.jpg" height="340" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/brown-with-rock.jpg" width="434" /></a></div>
JOMObloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16997359694943689407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155608972790391472.post-65224597469589403392012-09-08T06:42:00.000-07:002012-09-08T06:42:49.414-07:00How the Jack-O-Lantern got it's name<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/vintage-halloween.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/vintage-halloween.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-85" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/vintage-halloween.jpg?w=300" height="195" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/vintage-halloween.jpg?w=300" title="vintage Halloween" width="300" /></a><strong>By John Morgan</strong><br />
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Halloween is filled with fascinating folklore. One of the more colorful legends can be found in the story of “Stingy Jack.” After all, the namesake of the Jack-O-Lantern deserves a memorable tale. And just like the endless variety of faces that can be carved onto pumpkins, our story in question has equally inexhaustible variations to fit the designs of those doing the telling. The details might change a bit, but the main plot of the story remains consistent.<br />
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So with that in mind, we will instruct Mister Peabody and Sherman to step aside, while we enter the “Wayback Machine” (and for you younger readers think “Time Warp Trio” and for the racier set, think “Hot Tub Time Machine”) and set the controls to Ireland, say a few centuries back.<br />
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Now according to all accounts, Stingy Jack was not only renowned as a drunkard, he was equally reviled for his inability to pay for his drinks. Charming characteristics, I think we’ve all known a Jack or two. Anyway, Jack wasn’t without other virtues, all of them bad; he could bamboozle and hoodwink almost anyone into paying his bar tab for him. Now, it’s mighty hard to find loyal repeat customers when your primary services are deception and being a prodigious drinker, so Jack was forced to wander from village to village seeking new customers to ply his undesirable trade.<br />
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Many have argued that vanity might be humanity’s greatest sin. However, did you know that the devil isn’t without his conceit as well? So when he learned of Jack’s unscrupulous behavior, the devil set off to find Jack and confirm whether or not the rumors about Jack’s less than angelic qualities were true.<br />
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/devil-for-blog.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/devil-for-blog.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-139" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/devil-for-blog.jpg" height="221" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/devil-for-blog.jpg" title="" width="290" /></a>On that fateful night, Jack had been successful in acquiring drink a plenty. As he was staggering down a cobblestone path Jack noticed a body in the road. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the body was none other than Prince of Darkness; no question, it looked like it was finally time for Jack to give the devil his due.<br />
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Since Jack found himself at bat in the big leagues with the Great Deceiver firing nothing but heat from the pitcher’s mound, he figured he had nothing to lose by taking his best cuts. He persuaded the devil to forestall collecting Jack’s soul until Jack could have some parting drinks of ale before the devil forever cut his mortal coil. Old Beelzebub recognized a kindred spirit when he saw one and he agreed to honor Jack’s request. They went to the local pub. After knocking a few dozen back, it was time to settle the score with the barkeeper and then the devil. Well just like the Grinch, good ‘ol Jack, <em>“thought of a lie and he thought of one quick.”</em> Jack convinced the devil to turn into a sixpence so that Jack could pay the tab. Astounded and more than a little impressed by the boldness of Jack’s query, Lucifer agreed.<br />
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Well, what do you expect would happen when two master deceivers collide? Of course, game on! Once the devil had shape shifted into a coin, Jack placed the coin in his pocket next to a crucifix. A crucifix is the devil’s equivalent to kryptonite to Superman, so the Great Deceiver was left powerless and unable to resume any other form. Ultimately a deal was struck between Jack and the devil. The devil would be allowed to morph back as long as Jack could keep his soul for another ten years (in some accounts the bargain is just a one year contract extension; of course, it’s nearly impossible to confirm the accuracy of events when your only witnesses are the village drunk and Satan himself).<br />
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OK, let’s fast forward ten years, the devil comes to collect. It appears there will be no escape for Jack this time. He makes one final appeal to the devil to please allow Jack to at least enjoy one juicy apple before he goes to the eternal barbecue pit below. Unbelievably, the devil agrees and he even climbs the apple tree himself to fetch Jack’s apple. Immediately, Jack surrounds the trunk of the tree with crucifixes (he carves the sign of the crucifix into the tree in other accounts). This time Jack isn’t seeking a one or even a ten-year extension, this time Jack wants his record to be completely exonerated. Jack demands that the devil promises to never take his devious soul to Hell. Reluctantly, the devil concedes to Jack’s terms.<br />
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Well just like <em>“one doesn’t simply walk into Mordor,”</em> as a rule one just doesn’t simply trick the Prince of Darkness and live happily ever after. All that fast and easy living caught up to Jack, which led to an early demise. Upon Jack’s death he was denied entry into heaven for his sinful and unrepentant ways. Dejected he dragged his sorry soul down to the gates of Hell, where the devil refused to allow him to enter as per their bargain. While the devil admired Jack’s shrewd resourcefulness, he felt that Jack was a bit too clever to have running amuck in Hell, so he wasn’t too upset about letting this one get away. Refused entry to both Heaven and Hell, Jack was forced to endlessly wander all eternity in the netherworld with only a lantern carved from a turnip and a single coal from the furnace of Hell to guide him.<br />
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Now, soon after Irish immigrants arrived in America, they discovered that the New World pumpkins made a much superior lantern in which to tell their “Stingy Jack” legend and that’s where the Jack in Jack-O-Lantern got its name - at least that's the story I am telling.JOMObloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16997359694943689407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155608972790391472.post-82260899001569097022012-09-07T13:17:00.001-07:002012-09-14T08:12:05.374-07:00Halloween Symbols<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcS06ngNERbyU5FccpiBBj1_sN-dg-3YEqn-Ent5r9aLAecXX_IPqVBRHuv_EG9SIYaougCZ8fsT7940W3HBCmBElha1YnV4osa7HfEbHP06btdbdHf3UJABOq52Ba-yOqc-LtTUoYqniv/s1600/witch-cat.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcS06ngNERbyU5FccpiBBj1_sN-dg-3YEqn-Ent5r9aLAecXX_IPqVBRHuv_EG9SIYaougCZ8fsT7940W3HBCmBElha1YnV4osa7HfEbHP06btdbdHf3UJABOq52Ba-yOqc-LtTUoYqniv/s1600/witch-cat.gif" /></a><strong>By John Morgan</strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">Halloween Casting Call</span></strong></div>
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One of the many reasons Halloween is so unique is due to the unusual cast of characters and symbols associated with the celebration. <strong>Halloween’s symbols reflect the spirit and the essence of its storied customs and traditions</strong>, while also remaining agile enough reflect the values of today.<br />
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Depending on how these symbols are illustrated or crafted in popular culture, directly affects the emotions and thoughts we ascribe to each.<br />
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For example: When we see a Disney or Loony Tune depiction of a skeleton it certainly doesn’t evoke the same reaction as a skeleton created for one of Rob Zombie's or Wes Craven’s films. <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Amazing Adaptability</span></strong></div>
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Part of the allure of Halloween is its incredible versatility and adaptability; even Halloween’s symbols have an innate ability to morph, as needed, to fit our desires.<br />
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So let’s <strong>take a closer look at each of Halloween’s important symbols:</strong> <br />
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/pumpkin-driver-22.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/pumpkin-driver-22.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignleft wp-image-125" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/pumpkin-driver-22.jpg?w=300" height="200" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/pumpkin-driver-22.jpg?w=300" title="Pumpkin driver - 2" width="200" /></a><em></em><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: orange;">PUMPKINS</span> & </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">JACK-<span style="color: orange;">O</span>-LANTERNS</span></strong> <br />
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The iconic Halloween symbol of a pumpkin was a New World replacement for the two red-headed-stepchildren of the vegetable kingdom known by their common names the <strong>turnip</strong> and the <strong>beet</strong>, as well as their equally esthetically challenged dirt dwelling cousin the <strong>potato</strong>. <br />
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Originally the turnip and potato were carved and illuminated with candles and placed in Irish doors and windows to ward of an interesting spirit named <strong>“Stingy Jack”</strong> (he deserves his own post) and other wandering spooks. <br />
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The Scots used turnips as well, but the English celebrated the season drumming to a different beet (<strong><em>Warning bad pun ahead</em></strong> <strong><em>- proceed at your own risk!</em></strong> Did you know that it is a little known historical fact that when an English man or woman was cut during the carving process they called their injuries “beetnicks”).<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">Irish Influence </span></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7698XFOuEbpNdwQmxu0kXZEB-ig-v2ubmrzlrZ7Bj3zwyPyV6dk-zs5IC8NX-l4Iek9VoZJ6FV6eOAkgAafDizTEm67E-z4zyeT3gKOIGlpY02CuXwL0giRhlIDZl-px4OC_QOcztxBG/s1600/Shamrock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7698XFOuEbpNdwQmxu0kXZEB-ig-v2ubmrzlrZ7Bj3zwyPyV6dk-zs5IC8NX-l4Iek9VoZJ6FV6eOAkgAafDizTEm67E-z4zyeT3gKOIGlpY02CuXwL0giRhlIDZl-px4OC_QOcztxBG/s200/Shamrock.jpg" width="155" /></a>So when Irish immigrants came to America and they discovered the "gourdgeous" pumpkin, kersplash went the turnip and the potatoes into the stew pot, and out game the carving knife and the Jack-O-Lantern was born!<br />
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/crow-on-pumpkin-for-blog3.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/crow-on-pumpkin-for-blog3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-124" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/crow-on-pumpkin-for-blog3.jpg?w=246" height="300" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/crow-on-pumpkin-for-blog3.jpg?w=246" title="" width="246" /></a><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">RAVENS & CROWS</span></strong><br />
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Let’s face it, when literature refers to your kind as a <strong>“murder of crows”</strong> or as an <strong>“unkindness of ravens”</strong> you might have an image problem.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: large;">Public Relations Nightmare</span></strong><br />
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It probably will not help your public relations experts conjure up a positive PR campaign if they keep finding you eating carrion, as well as each other; unless, of course, you are planning on filming: <strong><em>“Ravens & Crows – The original Zombie Apocalypse!”</em></strong><br />
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On the plus side you are both: highly intelligent (especially given your limited bird brains), frequently engage in play, collaborate when needed, and you have good socializing skills (ravens, this is an area that needs work…the crows are kicking your tail feathers in this category).<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Need to Work on Your Image</span></strong><br />
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So what’s the problem? Oh yeah, you eat each other! It also does not help that you are always hanging out in the wrong places with the wrong crowds. Honestly, would it hurt you to stop being the first ones on the battlefield once in a while? <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #bf9000;">Just Say No</span>...Crow</span></strong><br />
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And for heaven’s sakes, learn to say “no” when the witches and warlocks ask you to help them with a special project or potion.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-uYftuEh_bBoOZlEByZWmHg9hef264Lz_pwVmyaHmonsXmI2mrd1Yky-ZvmIaarjR9JSUfZ8kYOwMRKCtVJluXZpYg0Duh-HBfTBpGx-TzZCvF3yEx822RhBMC59q7eZNBTbHW2LEqZu5/s1600/Peacock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-uYftuEh_bBoOZlEByZWmHg9hef264Lz_pwVmyaHmonsXmI2mrd1Yky-ZvmIaarjR9JSUfZ8kYOwMRKCtVJluXZpYg0Duh-HBfTBpGx-TzZCvF3yEx822RhBMC59q7eZNBTbHW2LEqZu5/s200/Peacock.jpg" width="105" /></a></div>
<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: magenta;">P</span><span style="color: cyan;">e</span><span style="color: #cc0000;">a</span><span style="color: #674ea7;">c</span><span style="color: #a64d79;">o</span><span style="color: #7f6000;">c</span>k<span style="color: lime;">i</span><span style="color: #0c343d;">n</span><span style="color: #45818e;">g</span> it</span></strong><br />
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Just look at yourselves, you are always dressed in black…liven things up a bit – take a risk – peacock it up a little.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: large;">Develop some Stretch Goals</span></strong><br />
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I mean really, what have you done in the last couple thousand years in the areas of personal development and growth? That’s right, I am talking to you ravens; the <strong>Celts linked you to war</strong> and death and you have been mired in it ever since. <br />
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Crows, did I say something that amuses you? Wipe those smiles off your beaks, because the ancient <strong>Romans used you guys for divination practices</strong> so neither of you are without a creepy flight path through history. <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Wash your Beaks out with Soap!</span></strong><br />
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And since we are talking about self-improvement, your “cawing” has got to go! Now we are even getting reports from the field that you have been mimicking human voices again. That has to stop immediately – it freaks everyone out!<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: large;">Ask yourself, "Am I willing to Change?"</span></strong><br />
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Look we have all heard the phrase, <em><strong>“the only constant in life is change,”</strong></em> but frankly I am just not seeing it with either of you. <br />
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Hey, if you are happy being Halloween icons then do not change a thing. I have said all I want to say to you two <strong>Corvids</strong>, except that if you happen to see any rats and bats on your way out, tell them I need to see them regarding similar concerns.<br />
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<strong style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-153" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/skeleton2.jpg" height="265" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/skeleton2.jpg" title="" width="223" /></strong> <strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">BONES, SKELETONS</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"> & SKULLS</span></strong><br />
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Where does one look in order to flesh out the connection between Halloween and the powerful symbols of bones, skeletons, and skulls? <br />
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Well, we can certainly trace it back to various ancient cultures <strong>“Day of the Dead”</strong> customs. <br />
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<strong><span style="color: orange; font-size: large;">Sometimes you can be such a Hard Head</span></strong><br />
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The Celts referred to the skull as the "<strong><em>house of the soul</em></strong>." Bones have been used for thousands of years in divination rituals.<br />
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Frankly, there is just no getting around the fact that seeing our internal DNA scaffolding is an unsettling reminder of our own mortality – Hamlet, Horatio and poor Yorick will be glad to fill you in on the philosophical implications.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">A Look Inside</span></strong><br />
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Why even the Grim Reaper is reduced to wearing a designer "flasher-style" trench coat, complete with matching hoodie, in order to keep us from seeing his bony altogether. He is the very embodiment better make that framework - of what potentially awaits all of us when our spirit departs this mortal plane.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">X-<span style="color: orange;">ray</span> E<span style="color: orange;">yes</span>!</span></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_dhymOIbZR6ZXGvb_dDswlPPv69QbruxR06U3cbS41lXSFndDMPJzJp15myLPUWcUWL9RLmHzxG0RmzO3Igv1zHGRcb261_7rLT8TRuSDxIlcK40AzTXEraR9_a7JXaFkt3kPRrPVG_M/s1600/X-Ray+Eyes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_dhymOIbZR6ZXGvb_dDswlPPv69QbruxR06U3cbS41lXSFndDMPJzJp15myLPUWcUWL9RLmHzxG0RmzO3Igv1zHGRcb261_7rLT8TRuSDxIlcK40AzTXEraR9_a7JXaFkt3kPRrPVG_M/s320/X-Ray+Eyes.jpg" width="320" /></a>For many, it is a humbling and unsettling to contemplate the skeletal structure that gives our bodies its shape. <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Skeletons are People Too</span></strong><br />
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That is right, we saw you squirming in class the day your seventh grade science teacher forced you to watch programs on digestion and the skeletal system. Your attempts to disassociate yourself of any similarities between the kids being x-rayed while they chomped on apples and jugged down pints of milk were entirely unsuccessful.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: orange; font-size: large;">Reminders of our own Mortality</span></strong><br />
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There is just no denying that bones, skeletons, and skulls are tangible reminders and eerie symbols of decease and death. Heck, just look at poison warning labels and pirate flags - <em>not to mention poison pirate flags made of labels</em> - these are all stern signs that beware danger lurks here.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Oh Skulls just want to have fun</span></strong><br />
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Not all images of bones, skeletons and skulls evoke fear. In Mexico, the annual <strong><em>“Día de los Muertos” </em></strong>(Day of the Dead) is celebrated with vibrant and colorful portraits of using these symbols.<br />
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The spirit of this festival is to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. Sugar skulls, and the departed loved one’s favorite foods and beverages are left at their grave site as gifts of remembrance.<br />
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So no matter how you like to recognize Halloween, there is bound to be a way to bring your own skeletons out of the closet for them to reflect your own style and personality during the Halloween season.<br />
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/bat-closeup1.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/bat-closeup1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-177" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/bat-closeup1.jpg" height="317" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/bat-closeup1.jpg" title="" width="212" /></a><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong>BATS</strong> </span><br />
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For many people, bats are perhaps one of the most bizarre creatures in the animal kingdom. <br />
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<strong>Bats are the only true flying mammal</strong> -- sorry Bullwinkle, your friend Rocky merely glides. <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Keeping you in the</span> Dark</span></strong><br />
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They live in shadows and darkness, which evokes strong emotions. Bats roost in hollows, crevices, and caves, as well in other fearful locations people tend to avoid: attics, abandon homes, and speaker’s podiums.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Nature's Bug Sapper!</span></strong><br />
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Emerging at dusk to feed (mainly on insects – <em>go get them bats!</em>). Many species locate their prey using echolocation (using sound to produce echoes off its food source). Their <strong>echolocation</strong> adaptation has also developed some rather unusual facial structures and curvatures that just add to the bats otherworldly appearance.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Now We See the</span> <span style="color: black;">Light</span></span></strong><br />
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It is generally believed, that bats became associated with Halloween through their frequent visits to the large bonfires built during the Celts annual <strong>Samhain</strong> festivals. We have all heard the expression, “like moths to a flame.” Well, we could easily develop that logic chain further by saying, “like bats to a moth.” <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">There at First Call</span></strong><br />
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Since bats were there during the genesis of the customs and rituals that ultimately led to Halloween, they have become one of the holiday's most powerful symbols. Bats appear to be forever linked to the uniqueness of the season, as they fly through space and time alongside their two-legged -- costume adorning -- mammalian cousins.<br />
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/primitive-owl-in-bowl.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/primitive-owl-in-bowl.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-225" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/primitive-owl-in-bowl.jpg?w=233" height="300" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/primitive-owl-in-bowl.jpg?w=233" title="" width="233" /></a><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong>Owls</strong> </span><br />
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They enter the world’s stage at dusk. Much like the leathery winged Halloween symbol, the bat, it is believed that owls became frequent visitors to Celts Samhain bonfires.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="color: #783f04;">Shhh</span>,</span> Keep it Quiet!</span></strong><br />
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Despite their large size, owls are incredibly stealthy, seemingly appearing from nowhere to those who encounter them.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Owls, You're Ancient History</strong></span><br />
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In ancient Athens, the owl was so revered that it appears on their first widely circulated coin. The ancient Romans honored the owl by depicting its image alongside Minerva, the goddess of wisdom – which they had adapted from the earlier Greek legends of Athena and her ties with owls (see <em>A Brief History of Halloween</em> on how cultures would layer their beliefs and customs on top of another society's traditions). For some ancient cultures, sighting an owl during times of crisis or war was considered a good omen.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: #783f04;">Can you Keep a</span> Secret?</strong></span><br />
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Throughout history, owls have remained mysterious creatures that have long been linked to humanities secret shadows of influence and power (Illuminati and the Bohemian Club). What we do know about owls is that they are mostly solitary and nocturnal.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Eye Spy</span></strong><br />
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Perhaps the most prominent features of an owl are their large predatory - forward facing - eyes. Although, certainly a case can be made for the owls apparently spine defying rotating head as being its most attention-getting attribute.<br />
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/owls-witches.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/owls-witches.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignright" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/owls-witches.jpg?w=187" height="130" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/owls-witches.jpg?w=187" width="80" /></a><strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #783f04;">Woo Said</span> That?</span></strong><br />
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In addition to their haunting “woo-woo” vocalization, many species are able to emit a piercing screech that cuts through the ebony night sky like a knife. There is a strong association between witches and owls. There are tales of witches shape-shifting into owls; which some believe accounts for the owl’s witch-like screech. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Creatures from Another Planet</strong></span><br />
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Even in modern times, there are claims by apparent alien abductees who state that they frequently encounter owls during their abduction experiences. Author Whitley Strieber theorizes that the image of an owl serves as a screen-memory that masks the true nature of the abduction experience. However, we will disembark here from that discussion and leave that subject for another blog.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #783f04;">Wise Beyond Your</span> Years</span></strong><br />
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You do not to have to live in the “Hundred Acre Woods” nor seek the Yoda-like wisdom of the Toosie Pop chomping owl, to get the connection between owls and our continuing desire for knowledge, and ultimately wisdom. Just don’t bother asking him where the candy is because his bowl is all empty! And whatever you do, stay away from Woodsy – although he means well - something is just not right with that Strigiform.<br />
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/flying-witch.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/flying-witch.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-238" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/flying-witch.jpg" height="282" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/flying-witch.jpg" title="" width="199" /></a><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong>Witches</strong> </span><br />
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Other than the pumpkin, no other symbol comes close to the witch in association with Halloween. <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #351c75;">Take a Good Look Around</span> You</span></strong><br />
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Heck, just look around her and you will see a virtual “Who is Who” of Halloween casting: bats, cats, rats, owls, toads, cauldrons, moon, and broom - and we are just to getting started.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Which Witch do you need?</span></strong><br />
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While the pumpkin might match her in notoriety, it would be hard to match the witches A-list Halloween celebrity status in longevity and adaptability. Styles come and styles go, but the witch is not only credited for shape shifting into other forms, such as the owl, but she can also seemingly alter her appearance to look like “Witch Hazel” or like Veronica Lake - as well as dozens of other variations in between. <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #351c75;">Your Resume says you're very</span> adaptable</span></strong><br />
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This adaptability has also led to a confused public; who are constantly perplexed regarding the motives and intent of the witch. In fact, Glenda pinpointed the problem quite well when she asked Dorothy, <em>“Are you a good witch or a bad witch?”</em> Well, we do not need a focus group to come to the conclusion: <em>that all depends on your point of view and the lenses of the society you are viewing her from.</em><br />
<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/v-lake.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/v-lake.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignright" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/v-lake.jpg" height="320" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/v-lake.jpg" title="V Lake" width="252" /></a><em></em><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">What's the Weather Like?</span></strong><br />
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Witches have been linked to pagan rituals for thousands of years. Throughout each of those years, accurate forecasting of the weather, seasons, fertility and harvest were highly esteemed because of their inevitable effect on humanities well-being. <br />
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Before the advent of the Internet, TV, or weather satellites, people relied on the “Old Farmer’s Almanac,” “feelings in their bones,” or those who claimed to be skilled in the arts of divination and prophecy to see beyond the present.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: #351c75;">A broomstick for any</span> season</strong></span><br />
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In times of seasonal and celestial transitions (All Hallows’ Eve and Beltane), witches come into their own.<br />
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Light and shadow, life and death, feast and famine, these are the things that witches excel at interpreting and understanding as they practice their craft along the peripheral vision of this world and the unseen.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Great at Multi Tasking</strong></span><br />
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Whether witches are casting magical spells, tapping unseen energies, reciting incantations, healing or harming, they represent a mirror of the culture observing and interacting with them. We are all capable of great good or great harm. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: #351c75;">Love/Hate</span> Relationship</strong></span><br />
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The witch has either been the benefactor or the antagonist of our beliefs; as we project our own thoughts and biases into the complex witch's brew. Witch-hunts and witch-trials have been very real with deadly consequences throughout history. Today, Wiccans can be seen at various Harvest festivals as well as a host of other mainstream activities and events.<br />
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With such a rich history, strong supporting cast, and virtually limitless palette of colors and themes to portray the witch, we look forward to exploring this topic in greater detail in future posts – now if we can only decide on which witch we want to write about next.<br />
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/black-cat-in-jack-o-lantern.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/black-cat-in-jack-o-lantern.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignleft" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/black-cat-in-jack-o-lantern.jpg?w=300" height="226" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/black-cat-in-jack-o-lantern.jpg?w=300" width="240" /></a><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong>BLACK CATS</strong> </span><br />
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Cats are mysterious and elusive creatures to understand under the best of circumstances, but when they are covered in black fur, those characteristics go up exponentially - especially to us superstitious prone two-legged mammals.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: red;">Who Owns</span> Who</strong></span><br />
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For those of you that have ever shared your home with a cat <em>– owning seems out of the question</em> – it is easy to interpret a feline’s behavior with being astute, clever, resourceful, independent, and a bit mystical. <br />
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A cat’s gaze can appear to convey a wide range of emotions, and, at times, it can even be unsettling. It is almost as if cats have a wisdom or awareness of things beyond our senses or comprehension.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Love Me or Hate Me...I'll get the job done!</strong></span><br />
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Throughout history, cats have shared a love/hate relationship with their human counterparts. In ancient Egypt, the cat headed goddess Bastet was worshiped. Some cats were even mummified. Egyptians made the connection between cats controlling the threat of disease carried by rats; therefore, by helping to reduce the rat population, cats escalated its own status as a revered ancient Egyptian symbol. <br />
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Romans considered the cat sacred and they were linked to the moon goddess Diana. They associated cats as guardians of homes and as symbols of domestic goodness (something that baffles us since our three cats welcome anyone into the house and they are seldom up to any good).<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">You can't tell your symbols without a</span> program!</span></strong><br />
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We have to admit it also gets a bit confusing and unsettling when we attempt to untangle superstition, history, folklore, and urban legend when it comes to understanding cats connection to Halloween.<br />
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As with many of the other Halloween symbols, the origins of the cat as an iconic figure for the holiday can be traced back the Samhain celebrations of the Druids and Celts. This was considered a time when the veil between the spirit and living worlds dissolved. <br />
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Great bonfires were built on the tops of hills to ward off evil spirits and to honor the souls of people who had died in the past year. It is also here that things go sour for our four-legged furry companions.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Why you really want to hurt me</span></strong><br />
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The Celts are said to believe that <strong>cats were evil</strong> and the <strong>guardians of the Underworld</strong> - as such, they must be sacrificed! Other accounts, state the Celtic people thought cats were reincarnated souls who were able to see the future. After two thousand years things can get a bit bedeviled to sort out; however, what is clear is that negative beliefs towards cats kept building as their bonfire flames pierced the night sky.<br />
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<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/vintage-black-cat.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/vintage-black-cat.jpg"><img alt="" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/vintage-black-cat.jpg" height="415" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/vintage-black-cat.jpg" title="Vintage black cat" width="620" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Is it just me, or does it seem <span style="color: red;">hot</span> in here?</strong></span><br />
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While bats and owls were drawn to the bonfires associated with Samhain and later All Hallows’ Eve ceremonies, cats were unwillingly thrown into the bonfires by a fearful populace - a practice that continued for hundreds of years.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Some friend you turned out to be!</strong></span><br />
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One thing is for certain, while the dog may be man’s best friend, the cat has been linked as a witches favorite <em><strong>“familiar”</strong></em> (term for lesser demon). Just as witches are strongly associated with times of transition, black cats were also linked to these same transitional portals – ritualistic times when the curtain between life and death, shadow and light, were at its thinnest. <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">You are judged by the company you</span> keep</span></strong><br />
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Folklore abounds with accounts of witch’s transitioning into cats and vice versa. During the days of witch hunting, single women seen in the company of cats were frequently considered witches and dealt with most severely, cavorting with a black cat removed any doubt.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">True Colors</span></strong><br />
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Many cultures connect the color black with the unknown and with an absorbing quality that conceals ones true intent. Thus, black cats became targets of peoples suspicions and superstitions. White cats have been sacrificed for their symbolism of purity by various occult groups.<br />
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As difficult as it is to pin down a cat, it is equally challenging to condense and understand the history of the black cats association with Halloween.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">Superstition and <strong><span style="font-size: large;">persecution </span></strong>continues to this</span> day</span></strong><br />
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Unfortunately, cats remain the target of evil intent. Whether caused by those practicing the black arts, pranksters who focus their cruel action on cats, or individuals who adopt or steal cats to incorporate them into their "living" Halloween decorations, the toll on cats is quite real and it is not just limited to black cats. <br />
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Even today, emotions and superstitions about cats persists. Animal shelters and feline adoption programs frequently will not allow black cats to be adopted from late September until early November, and additional screening and protective measure for all cats go into effect in the days just prior to Halloween.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/spider-jack-o-lantern.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/spider-jack-o-lantern.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img class="alignleft" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/spider-jack-o-lantern.jpg?w=300" height="222" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/spider-jack-o-lantern.jpg?w=300" title="Spider Jack-O-Lantern" width="240" /></a><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong>Spiders </strong></span><br />
<br />
<br />
Visit a haunted or abandoned house, open a graveyard crypt (we know, as if you haven’t visited enough of them already), or approach any suburban home on October 31<sup>st</sup> and you are sure to brush aside scores of spider webs. <br />
<br />
No mad scientist lab would be complete without showing a blatant disregard for dusting.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">How did we get so</span> popular?</span></strong><br />
<br />
Arachnids are now joining the ranks alongside Santa and Frosty as a favorite seasonal inflatable yard decoration. Some inflatable spider animatronics are even complete with flailing fangs! <br />
<br />
Together, let us see if we can begin <strong>untangling the spider's web</strong> of clues to discover how spiders became associated with Halloween in the first place.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Mysterious Origins</span></strong><br />
<br />
For most of the major Halloween symbols, it has been a fairly easy task to locate just where and when they entered Halloween’s orbit. We usually start by looking for associations with ancient <strong>Roman, Celtic, and Catholic customs, beliefs, and traditions.</strong> However, tracking the historical links associating spiders to Halloween proved by far the most illusive thread in understanding Halloween’s dream team of characters.<br />
<br />
Most sources vaguely link spiders to Halloween because they live in dark, scary places. Some reference that spiders, along with cats and owls, are witch’s <strong>"familiars"</strong> – <em>lesser demons who do the witch’s dirty work</em>.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">Cryptic</span> Message</span></strong><br />
<br />
We have even reached out to E.B. White’s best friend, Charlotte, seeking her thoughts on the matter. All we keep getting back is a cryptic note in her web: “<em>Halloween, some holiday</em>.” Thanks Charlotte, you are big help! While we are all enjoying delicious BLTs (that reminds us, has anyone seen Wilbur?), we will have our top cryptologist here at <strong>Halloween Fun for All</strong> working around the clock to break Charlotte’s encrypted message.<br />
<br />
Until then, we can share that Spiders have long been associated with mysticism.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">You're traveling through time and space</span></strong><br />
<br />
Their web weaving is often interpreted as a simile for the progression of time, fate, and the cyclical rhythms of nature.<br />
<br />
<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/spiders-come-not-here.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/spiders-come-not-here.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/spiders-come-not-here.jpg?w=300" height="213" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/spiders-come-not-here.jpg?w=300" width="300" /></a><strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">What's Shakespeare doing</span> here?</span></strong><br />
<br />
It has also been used as a metaphor for shady financial dealings. One of the world’s most secretive and exclusive societies, “The Bohemian Club,” uses the symbol of the owl as they sacrifice “dull care” and they warn: “Weaving spiders come not here” (Shakespeare quote) – in other words, let’s party and forget business for a while!<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>We've got your number</strong></span><br />
<br />
Numerologists link the number 8 to life path energies. With eight legs and eight eyes, spiders must have life path energies coming out of their spinnerets. It is also a number associated with acquiring great wealth. <br />
<br />
Our research team has even listened to a numerologist on Coast to Coast AM, who advised keeping the number 8 in your wallet or purse, in an effort to encourage Benjamin and all his dead president friends to join him there – Hamilton is also welcome there for showing his strength of character and his toughness (as well as his poor life management skills) by dueling Aaron Burr.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">Don't be such a</span> pest!</span></strong><br />
<br />
As pest abatement specialist spider’s rank up there with bats in helping to eradicate bugs that threaten crops. Most organic farmers welcome and encourage these bug eating vacuums to take up residency in their fields. <br />
<br />
We have even put up a wooden hexagon device in our <strong>Halloween Fun for All</strong> garden to encourage their web building, but the spiders seem more than content to ignore it in favor of their daily attempts to ensnare one of us!<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Perhaps it's genetic?</span></strong><br />
<br />
You may harbor an instinctive fear of spiders. All those appendages and eyeballs are enough to put anyone’s senses on edge. Perhaps there is a built-in DNA alarm that fires off warning flares to our personal command and control centers, every time we encounter either a snake or spider. Vigilantly cautioning us to approach with extreme care - these things are dangerous! <br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">Dog gone</span> it!</span></strong><br />
<br />
Many naturalists theorize that dogs, wolves and coyotes still spin around in an effort to scatter any spiders, tics or other potential threats before they finally commit to lying down (quick someone needs to tell Atticus Finch that before he accidentally shoots that dog who is just getting ready for a siesta…too late).<br />
<br />
<a data-mce-href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/happy-halloween-spider.jpg" href="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/happy-halloween-spider.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img class="alignright" data-mce-src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/happy-halloween-spider.jpg?w=300" height="201" src="http://halloweenforall.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/happy-halloween-spider.jpg?w=300" title="Happy Halloween Spider" width="300" /></a><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Untangling the Spider's Web</span></strong><br />
<br />
Hold everything! Our cryptologist just came rushing in and handed us her findings. <br />
<br />
Oh we see, folks it appears that <em>“<strong>Halloween, some holiday”</strong></em> equates to <em><strong>“Halloween, it is what it is.”</strong></em> <br />
<br />
So no matter what Halloween is to you, we want to thank you for managing to adhere to our weak web of facts and observations as we did our best untangling the spider's web. <br />
<br />
<strong><em>In the end, the spider’s connection with Halloween seems as mysterious and varied as the creatures themselves.</em></strong>JOMObloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16997359694943689407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155608972790391472.post-87114480941116575372012-09-05T15:31:00.000-07:002012-09-14T06:45:34.861-07:00How Halloween Began<br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";">By John Morgan<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW3XAvTp33WjiZX8CGeZTaVqnLlXlbqzDgnWJodFDbqt4zzW5WbcrUzqZGThHNcWpwJ4OdLEB4YkrVy0IyZZhgFBGO_IvLWZAPXovBYfQtnAjJJTnVcM4285mxe00JlauOLJho6IVBadxh/s1600/Halloween+pumpkin+moon+&+cat.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW3XAvTp33WjiZX8CGeZTaVqnLlXlbqzDgnWJodFDbqt4zzW5WbcrUzqZGThHNcWpwJ4OdLEB4YkrVy0IyZZhgFBGO_IvLWZAPXovBYfQtnAjJJTnVcM4285mxe00JlauOLJho6IVBadxh/s320/Halloween+pumpkin+moon+&+cat.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: x-large;"><strong>How Did Halloween get Started?</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";">Halloween’s
history is a mixed caldron of traditions and beliefs. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";">It has been brewing since
long before the days the Romans sailed to the British Isles to collide with the
Celts in 43 AD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over time, ancient
Roman, Celtic, pagan rituals and Catholic traditions all fused together to create a new
celebration. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<strong><span style="font-size: large;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">Harvest Time and the Cooler Days to Come</span></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";">For
many cultures, harvest time is the most important event of the year – it
certainly was the case for Celts who held <strong>“Samhain”</strong> festivals at the end of
their harvest season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";">A successful
harvest helped to ensure food for people and their livestock. Conversely, a
poor harvest was a harbinger of hardship and dire days ahead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";">In
the days of Samhain festivals, it was believed that this was also the <strong>time when
the ghosts of the dead got to frolic with the living.</strong> Spirits of departed loved
ones were welcomed with offerings of food and drink. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";">However, the Celts
discouraged unwelcomed visitors from the beyond by donning frightening disguises;
thereby, enforcing their version of <strong>“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">no
shoes, no shirt, no service</i>”</strong> policy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Malgun Gothic;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Malgun Gothic;"></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Malgun Gothic; font-size: large;"><strong>Costumes and Treats already?</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";">So with the Samhain festival traditions, <strong>we see people offering goodies
and wearing costumes </strong>– already things beginning to sound familiar.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Blending of Cultures</span></strong><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";">All
well and good, but where does all this blending of cultures come into play in
shaping Halloween? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";">The <strong>ancient Romans</strong> were some of the greatest empire builders
the world has ever known and <strong>Catholic missionaries</strong> have spread their beliefs
across the globe. Ultimately, these two important powers and belief shapers
made their way and influence felt - either by sword or cross – throughout the
Celtic regions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";">Now
back in the day, Romans celebrated a pagan <strong>festival of the dead</strong>, which as
everyone knows, was celebrated at the end of February – the end of the Roman
year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";">When the Romans conquered the Celts, they learned that Celts too had
their own celebration of the dead which was the second major function of the
Samhain ceremonies and it was held on the <strong>Celtic New Year</strong>, November 1<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<strong><span style="font-size: large;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Layering Beliefs and Customs</span></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";">Rather
than to outright abolish existing traditional celebrations, it ultimately
became more effective for the conquering people and/or key influencers to
<strong>overlay their beliefs and ideologies on top of the local customs and beliefs.</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";">Thereby,
getting what we call today “buy-in” for the new powerbrokers <strong>rebranding or
repurposing</strong> efforts of existing local customs and such was the case that
eventfully led to the creation of Halloween.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_Agjpm2Jc6QBy9tMxPXPxwkjZpho1BRgDPbZrN7lvOW752NHt2R67JQuZSVh9lPDBuq9OAPNAtn-_-0MDoyYuZKlnZzJ30y_zgatOhb8ppyTsA1XaxW9Nnk4eVa0VkvrHWJ-Z1uoS_ez/s1600/Roman+Celtic+Cross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_Agjpm2Jc6QBy9tMxPXPxwkjZpho1BRgDPbZrN7lvOW752NHt2R67JQuZSVh9lPDBuq9OAPNAtn-_-0MDoyYuZKlnZzJ30y_zgatOhb8ppyTsA1XaxW9Nnk4eVa0VkvrHWJ-Z1uoS_ez/s320/Roman+Celtic+Cross.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: large;"><strong>Things Come Together</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Malgun Gothic;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";">Ok,
so here’s where things get tricky, but it’s also where hopefully things come
together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";">We have two separate cultures
the <strong>Celts</strong> and the <strong>Romans</strong> - each with their own traditions and beliefs - now we
have <strong>Catholic missionaries</strong> with their uniqueness coming into the mix. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";">Both the
Celts and the Romans have festivals celebrating harvest and the dead.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";">The Catholics had their own time designated (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">timeline still debated, may have been held at
various dates depending upon the location - most sources link the original date
to May 13</i>) to honor and remember Catholic Saints.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Malgun Gothic; font-size: large;"><strong>Let Simmer for About 1,000 Years</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Malgun Gothic;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";">Now, as best as we can tell, Pope Gregory III
recognized that <strong>it must costing people a small fortune purchasing special occasion
cards</strong> for all these various festivals and celebrations, so he took pity on
everyone and moved the entire ball of wax lips to November 1st. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Malgun Gothic;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Malgun Gothic; font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: orange;">Halloween</span> is Born!</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";">It became known
as <strong>“All Saints Day”</strong> or <strong>“All Hallows’ Day”</strong> which in turn made <strong>October 31<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup>
“All Hallows’ Evening.”</strong> And just as fast as you can say, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">what’s a nine letter word of Scottish origin that marks the celebration
held on the last day of October?”</i> …presto, change-o, you have <strong><em>Halloween!<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";">As
you can tell, we’ve just scratched the surface of Halloween’s history. You’ve
glimpsed its origins. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";">Yet for Halloween to <em><strong>endure for roughly two thousand
years</strong></em> it must cast a strong spell heavily laced with strong appeal, community spirit
and incredible adaptability.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";">Halloween has always demonstrated a remarkable
ability to adjust or conform to fit the cultural norms reflected in the people
celebrating it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";"><strong>More to Come...</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";">Keep checking for future
entries in which will explore how Halloween celebrations have changed through
the years.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSAw6grwoMp4uhoFFHfgmZF0cuYUXyHBs7gC-Q2VENRu91f7FoONmI5oCIifUINTcyJInR95bQBPXF8HdoQeiVpF_4Mh97O-iGjW9IaMVBfPOj_x6j-HDFLbnflrrp9n-iPW_89g3B7X_y/s1600/Old+owl+and+moon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSAw6grwoMp4uhoFFHfgmZF0cuYUXyHBs7gC-Q2VENRu91f7FoONmI5oCIifUINTcyJInR95bQBPXF8HdoQeiVpF_4Mh97O-iGjW9IaMVBfPOj_x6j-HDFLbnflrrp9n-iPW_89g3B7X_y/s320/Old+owl+and+moon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
JOMObloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16997359694943689407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155608972790391472.post-22909553155856941982012-09-01T10:09:00.000-07:002012-09-25T18:49:17.708-07:00Tips on how to get in the Halloween Mood<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">By John Morgan</span></strong></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><em>Halloween
is on its Way</em></span></strong><br />
<span style="font-size: 20pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><strong>Welcome to September!</strong></span> If
you love autumn and especially Halloween, then this is the time of year when
you really start building excitement, as the days grow shorter and the nights
get cooler.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">To help you generate enthusiasm as Halloween
pulls us all into its gravitational field, we thought you might enjoy these <strong><em>tips to help you get into a Halloween mood</em>:<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;"></span></b><br />
</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM-wUnemRbXFj33lhr678EAS0CL_3CmBeu7EQolGfw7jxLeVC7CnvTyoEevg7rx1BkyJWUDa2soDTfGFshrjiPMmS3cHN4t33pOB_9DrrxGJ8OUQPwxGsf4_V3Gbo0qYUTf5eG07ZHg1CH/s1600/Carlsbad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM-wUnemRbXFj33lhr678EAS0CL_3CmBeu7EQolGfw7jxLeVC7CnvTyoEevg7rx1BkyJWUDa2soDTfGFshrjiPMmS3cHN4t33pOB_9DrrxGJ8OUQPwxGsf4_V3Gbo0qYUTf5eG07ZHg1CH/s200/Carlsbad.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;">1. <span style="color: #351c75;">Go Spelunking!</span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b><br />
<br />
What is more eerie than
going underground or reading the word "spelunking" for that matter? <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<o:p> </o:p>
Your senses will thank you
for the change of scenery. There is stillness in a cave unlike anywhere else. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Amazing and somewhat alien
structures will captivate your eyes. As you grow accustom to your adventure
beneath the surface you will notice new earthy and mineral smells.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<strong><em>If you do not have any
caves in your area, you might want visit a local mine or take an underground
city tour.<o:p></o:p></em></strong><br />
<br />
<o:p> </o:p><br />
<br />
</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UFCc19NiIWloMzHHkCjKVKpADRbUAt5jfZ_VlkADXuvfJDJ1dYySHsiA_o8dMb4N3esnnQd8Nli78U8t9yIEAZJrV5RE-PKj4o7FKQbq1woMK9x-kDN-lPHjruMzZWEtcLOJYBByPyOW/s1600/tombstone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;"> 2. <span style="color: red;">Visit an Old Graveyard<o:p></o:p></span></span></b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7_DUI_84kfQj73nSeHOO03MlaEDjLOWloy_6sZ5Wvgqt55Y5RqjafIUZ0KTMDXpdPNaLPAeUTDSbz4H_riMndSkaWj-2YrA6mWXICjYoTtKJoNVpSB2MiPe1QSXvhryUhcyOQf4-lupN/s1600/eerie+tombstones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7_DUI_84kfQj73nSeHOO03MlaEDjLOWloy_6sZ5Wvgqt55Y5RqjafIUZ0KTMDXpdPNaLPAeUTDSbz4H_riMndSkaWj-2YrA6mWXICjYoTtKJoNVpSB2MiPe1QSXvhryUhcyOQf4-lupN/s200/eerie+tombstones.jpg" width="200" /></a>Is there anything spookier
than wandering through an old cemetery? <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
As you carefully and
respectively make your way through the cemetery, clues will begin to unfold. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Family stories begin to reveal themselves.</b>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<o:p> </o:p>
<br />
Echoes of love ones
eternally united, valiant heroes honored, and untimely tragedies can be heard
as you walk back through time.</span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE7xUm53Lux_9fB_4tduu0LU13UD92OFotqusaxMEgH2Qz0x5JGxek67o69beJ7vI0-e6UzCsf8RNQG29d_qwHlmw7rRJfwiwBCkvwQI_k6gQxZJn9Ohve5AQlT7gM8IX8EjSlkrBspxxL/s1600/vintage-halloween-card1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE7xUm53Lux_9fB_4tduu0LU13UD92OFotqusaxMEgH2Qz0x5JGxek67o69beJ7vI0-e6UzCsf8RNQG29d_qwHlmw7rRJfwiwBCkvwQI_k6gQxZJn9Ohve5AQlT7gM8IX8EjSlkrBspxxL/s200/vintage-halloween-card1.jpg" width="131" /></span></a><strong><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 20pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">3. Go Bird or Bat Watching</span><o:p></o:p></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<br />
Halloween is filled with
bird and bat images and lore. Seek out viewing areas where turkey vultures,
crows, ravens, owls, as well as bats, are likely to be observed. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
After all, it is virtually
impossible not to get in the Halloween spirit when you sight a <strong><em>“murder of
crows”</em></strong> or an <strong><em>“unkindness of ravens.”<o:p></o:p></em></strong><br />
<br />
And did you know that Bats
make up twenty percent of the planets classified mammal species? So it is
likely that you have some flying near you! <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Even if you fail to spot
one these fascinating winged Halloween icons, we bet that you will still be
happy for spending some quality time out of doors.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
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<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfOMgLHN2KmdNygy2P8aZQfUJWl5Djpw33-x2iL3XaTXQDMiJOmzu1PkU9oEjwCI8429bNamQpx5cuHATwOvuZHf2QqUEzC-3k2fMYGVcdV-MMln7gJU3KsbE3Ta3RWxTRIoa0iTyvnnZ9/s200/Bat+vintage.jpg" width="200" /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: 20pt;"><strong>4. <span style="color: #351c75;">Build a Bat House<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span><br />
<br />
<o:p><strong> </strong></o:p><br />
We have all seen the news
about the viruses that mosquitoes can transmit. <strong><em>Did you know that more people
have died from mosquito carried diseases than all the wars in history combined?
<o:p></o:p></em></strong>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
What better or more
environmentally friendly way to combat this threat than by encouraging the
greatest mosquito eradicator of all time – the bat - to do their leathery
winged thing by building them their own bat house.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p><br />
</span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfGLeAiif4fdRibEjA5BC_yCjp-hw55ZIgMsNaGWPLf49ArK__XMQNmiwiXacMilVNlPQ-wzpOBzrjKiHKlw5vGPH7UwvM5ExV4o54kK5hkIpvfkgCOW-uMnz7nWRhMAbljgmsQBycT87f/s1600/Apples.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfGLeAiif4fdRibEjA5BC_yCjp-hw55ZIgMsNaGWPLf49ArK__XMQNmiwiXacMilVNlPQ-wzpOBzrjKiHKlw5vGPH7UwvM5ExV4o54kK5hkIpvfkgCOW-uMnz7nWRhMAbljgmsQBycT87f/s320/Apples.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5. <span style="color: red;">Take a trip to pick your own apples and
nuts<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">These are two of the oldest
symbols associated with Halloween. Harvest time is one of the most important
events for any culture. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">You owe to yourself to go
out, roll up your sleeves, and track down and subdue your own fruits and seeds.
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Plus, unlike most ventures,
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">you will be in complete control of
quality</b> - if you do not like it, do not pick it. There is always another orchard
just on down the road.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjC5kH9pKhtipRJV6f0jBcvP5pwYmoC_TEWuAi9OMxofA2xI8TV3xO-_RFvhJ-LYXVUTtDdmw3t635iBZV4K5w9pUlzLhmn1wY8ZTKLWSkK_-PUTLJn5DiKxo-lbGZl_ryBZ2O8qTTr6g_/s1600/Haunted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjC5kH9pKhtipRJV6f0jBcvP5pwYmoC_TEWuAi9OMxofA2xI8TV3xO-_RFvhJ-LYXVUTtDdmw3t635iBZV4K5w9pUlzLhmn1wY8ZTKLWSkK_-PUTLJn5DiKxo-lbGZl_ryBZ2O8qTTr6g_/s320/Haunted.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">6. Visit a Haunted Place</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Every region has someplace
that is considered haunted.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">All manner of structures
and locations have accounts of strange things materializing and interacting
with us mere mortals. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Whether you are a
paranormal investigator or a firm skeptic, you will surely be entertained – <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">perhaps even a bit frightened</b> – as you
explore around the edges of darkness and understanding.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOTQADgfM7dNjLsvv7vzfXmXAtrzHtOhXow6f3hyJrRFEQ82Zp0v-LWBxNwFG6g3rz9eFQmz9mQb3jC7Auu1Yg9X5VlAjWEUIvRFCm54yL8njEHHmsvaRYlf69Qhol6RcdLIsZ1eZ3OoBs/s1600/My+dear+Aunts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOTQADgfM7dNjLsvv7vzfXmXAtrzHtOhXow6f3hyJrRFEQ82Zp0v-LWBxNwFG6g3rz9eFQmz9mQb3jC7Auu1Yg9X5VlAjWEUIvRFCm54yL8njEHHmsvaRYlf69Qhol6RcdLIsZ1eZ3OoBs/s320/My+dear+Aunts.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;"><strong>7. <span style="color: #351c75;">Watch a Movie, Listen to Music or Read a Book<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 20pt;"><o:p><strong><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></strong></o:p></span><br />
</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOTQADgfM7dNjLsvv7vzfXmXAtrzHtOhXow6f3hyJrRFEQ82Zp0v-LWBxNwFG6g3rz9eFQmz9mQb3jC7Auu1Yg9X5VlAjWEUIvRFCm54yL8njEHHmsvaRYlf69Qhol6RcdLIsZ1eZ3OoBs/s1600/My+dear+Aunts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">
Each of us has their own
unique tastes in this category…so we will not even try to give recommendations
on how to scratch your unique Halloween media selection itch. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<o:p> </o:p>
However, if you do not find
any movies, music, or reading options that appeal to you...<strong>why not flip the topic over</strong> and write and film your own short
movie, compose your own music, or write your own Halloween story? <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
This can all be done for
your own entertainment; no critic ever need see or hear what you produce unless
you want them too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLKhOdr1jVSp2cQNSM0t8n-movytets_h8axqkHTk4E0cd8Q4L7acu_nRRElI0kKVHmstsHnsthsFfK3KcIgcRuBgUqmukCD8fqh9jlDY9VpMakjTOvUd0jsbZp_N2gZBPdzFtHYIHRYIK/s1600/Fall+Wreath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLKhOdr1jVSp2cQNSM0t8n-movytets_h8axqkHTk4E0cd8Q4L7acu_nRRElI0kKVHmstsHnsthsFfK3KcIgcRuBgUqmukCD8fqh9jlDY9VpMakjTOvUd0jsbZp_N2gZBPdzFtHYIHRYIK/s200/Fall+Wreath.jpg" width="200" /></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">8. <span style="color: red;">Paint, Draw or Craft a Halloween Themed Work<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLKhOdr1jVSp2cQNSM0t8n-movytets_h8axqkHTk4E0cd8Q4L7acu_nRRElI0kKVHmstsHnsthsFfK3KcIgcRuBgUqmukCD8fqh9jlDY9VpMakjTOvUd0jsbZp_N2gZBPdzFtHYIHRYIK/s1600/Fall+Wreath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Let
your imagination run wild!</i>
We hear some of you already
saying, <em><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“but I am just not creative.”</b></em> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To that we say, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">"so what!"</b> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Give it a try anyway, you
might discover a hidden talent. It does not matter if you are creatively
challenged or you are the next Grandma Moses, the goal here is to have fun and
to get you in the Halloween mood.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5VaAml4swdQx0mIkc8GysV0Y49z52lBWrz1kKZQugnylQO_8Avi_uquzblcYgU05aOpKpuCcAyuEKo84D6lPGvfuT0xyl8i2w1E7fsM5MB_B_QBFSzfAwsAoRYB2oKj0USQ6FrVDPM1Y_/s1600/Pumpkin+coin+purse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5VaAml4swdQx0mIkc8GysV0Y49z52lBWrz1kKZQugnylQO_8Avi_uquzblcYgU05aOpKpuCcAyuEKo84D6lPGvfuT0xyl8i2w1E7fsM5MB_B_QBFSzfAwsAoRYB2oKj0USQ6FrVDPM1Y_/s200/Pumpkin+coin+purse.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;">9. Go shopping!</span></b> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We get it, there is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">probably nothing scarier than looking at your
finances</b>, especially when your discretionary boo bucks have vanished
quicker than the Invisible Man and your household budget is stretched beyond
even Elastigirl’s breaking point! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">However, <strong>"there is shopping and then there is spending."</strong> Sometimes just wandering through the various stores fall collections, smelling the pumpking spice candles, or scanning the costumes is enough to get us in the Halloween frame of mind. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;">It can also be fun to visit a thrift stores to create your own costume or take a trip to a farmer’s market to immerse yourself in the tastes, sights and smells of the season.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVrVZR5XF1VWcSvHKjfPkl0ypS0LNBPAeq3Oo1cfNMi-EuMZQzcY4TQYBaf-Bf9OYSqt_mwxNRbKaM0zsoubf9yh4sv-Px2WGO8jPITJAeUDMVbVRe_JJiNyhOWlLomyOv42QzYVvaoQOB/s1600/Surfing.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVrVZR5XF1VWcSvHKjfPkl0ypS0LNBPAeq3Oo1cfNMi-EuMZQzcY4TQYBaf-Bf9OYSqt_mwxNRbKaM0zsoubf9yh4sv-Px2WGO8jPITJAeUDMVbVRe_JJiNyhOWlLomyOv42QzYVvaoQOB/s200/Surfing.png" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;">10. <span style="color: #351c75;">Surf the Web</span></span></b><span style="color: #351c75;"> <o:p></o:p></span>
<br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hey, you found us all right
- so you already know that there is a growing community online who share your
passion for Halloween. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
There are virtually limitless
resources on the web to help you explore what fascinates you the most about
this special time of year - and <strong>we thank you for allowing us to be one of them!<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
The ways to enjoy and
foster the spirit of Halloween is as varied and dynamic as the people celebrating
it. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;">As such, we welcome your
recommendations on how you get into the Halloween mood. You are encouraged to
drop by anytime and we look forward to posting more fun activities and
recommendations on how to make <strong>Halloween
Fun for All</strong>.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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