‘Twas a dark and stormy beginning to our Halloween, and minutes after making Sunny come back inside for fear she’d blow away, one-third of a gigantic tree came crashing to the ground, narrowly missing the wooden fence and charming swing set.  That was it for our scare, and before we knew it the sun replaced the rain and turned the red, orange and yellow leaves that have taken over our town even more glorious.

The real fun began with Huck’s school party where I showed up with fall-themed napkins and watched him and his new friends wrap themselves like mummies, make friendship bracelets, and eat snacks together in anticipation of the candy collecting to come. Having spent very little time in his third grade classroom (especially compared to his New York school where I practically camped out), I was the overexcited parent taking a few too many pictures and reading everything on the walls with an overly interested facial expression.  After school we rushed home for some last minute touch ups to Huck’s very homemade Origami Master costume and then headed to the downtown Square to trick or treat at the shops, which reminded us a little bit of what we used to do on good old 181st Street.

(Origami Master had no choice but to pose in front of these golden paper cranes in the window.)

(Having no idea how to accessorize a strange little Origami Master, Troy went with his standby Farmer costume and I threw on my old friend the Orange Witch Hat from Mad Hatters days past.  Troy promises to do better next year.)

While on the square, we popped in to say hello to our friend Liz (the pumpkin thief) and her to-be-born-any-day-now baby boy, and Origami Master made them a treasure from his handy pockets filled with paper.

Next we joined new friends at a pre-trick or treat party in the Historic District (which is where most Fayettevillians go on October 31st because of its sidewalks and fantastic decorations). Once it began to get dark we headed outside for the door-to-door ritual that made our feet hurt from walking and our face hurt from smiling. Secretly I was on a private tour of beautiful homes that I’ve been admiring since moving here, and the highlight came when I recognized a house from Better Homes and Gardens magazine, to which I have a secret subscription. After filling Huck’s 99 cent plastic pumpkin that’s on its fourth Halloween with us, we put our tired and happy bodies into the car and headed home to Mount Sequoyah way past Huck’s school-night bedtime.  Nevertheless, we made one last stop at Bob’s and Amy’s house so they could ooo and ahhh over Origami Master and take some of our candy.  Finally we got home, marveled at the pitch black sky & all its stars, lit our jack o’lanterns and said Goodbye to the funnest month of all.

(We took a little break on this porch where Huck got to hand out candy for the first time.  He got so excited and nervous that he spilled the entire bucket.)