Halloween always fascinates me. Sure, I remember living out fantasies when I was a little girl– being a clown or a cowgirl or Bugs Bunny (do I need to put the (r) after that??). My brother being a cowboy or … well I can’t remember anymore what he went as. It was the excitement of being brave enough to go to the door of a perfect stranger and knock on it, expecting tons of butter fats and sugars which we got. For me it was not so much the candy (though I had a few cavities to prove I enjoyed it), as it was the hiding behind a mask, no one knew it was “that little girl who walks the cute Westie every day after school). My first experience with anonymity I suppose, within the confines of a parent-approved activity. Now I wouldn’t recommend it unless you know absolutely every neighbor, or there is a neighborhood-sanctioned party for the little imps. But my neighborhood is relatively safe. Every year there is a steady parade of costumes to my door. And my neighbors hang ghouls and ghost-shaped sheets from their trees and put up real-looking tombstones. I know that every year there is a contest for the best illuminating Christmas decorations. I guess it’s the same for Halloween. Some yards are very elaborate, like whole cemeteries with a few abandoned souls trying to crawl up out of the ground.

What I don’t get are the dog costumes. For all of you who love these little things I am sure the elastics in those or the snaps or buttons or however they are affixed is such that it is non-binding and the dog can get out if s/he wants to. But really, those dogs in the ninja get-ups or the tutus or the fake devil ears? Some of them look pretty miserable while others actually seem to get a kick out of it. Especially chihuahuas. They look like they are thriving on the attention.

I tried to put a birthday party hat on my Lily last year and she looked like someone put a cone on her head. We skipped it this year when we celebrated our birthdays. I think the not wearing the hats greatly enhanced the taste of our red velvet cream cheese-filled cupcake and ice cream.