Halloween Fright.

Well it's over for another year, people ask me if we get any children because I live out in the country and I always answer yes we do, we usually get one or two every eighteen to nineteen years. That is the true fright about life around here, it's dying out. Every now and then a young family will move in but once the children reach school age, the parents realize their kids will not have access to the type of education that schools in the city offer and so they leave. Very sad actually, many of the small villages around here have no children, like some sci-fi movie where all the children have been taken away. ............................................ The other scary thing for me is that Halloween marks the beginning of the pre drab grey days before winter. Gone are the colourful leaves, the bright orange pumpkins, the ripe red apples, the cool nights with warm days. No, now it rains and rains and everything looks grey, the sky, the trees and the cold air runs down the back of your neck like ice water. .......................................... Scary as well, Halloween has become political, some places ban it so that people won't be offended or left out because they choose not to take part. I can't help feeling nostalgic about Halloween, it was a fun evening for us, back in the day when kids were constantly reminded to be seen and not heard, compared to today where they are expected to be spoiled and catered to. When did Halloween become a symbol, once upon a time it was just a fun activity for kids, to dress up, to meet their neighbours, to get treats, end of story. There is no great conspiracy behind the tradition. ...........................................I wanted to post yesterday but internet goblins prevented me, so more annoying than scary. Speaking of annoying, I was getting candy yesterday afternoon just in case some little lost child did show up at my door and I had to duck and weave around all the store employees putting up the Christmas decorations, too soon, too soon.