Growing Up Halloween Pt. 5

The Separation

Once again the sound of footsteps were close by. "Francis..where did you go?"... That was Eric, Francis was glad that one of the brothers was close by because for as fast as it all happened, this trip in the field was causing alot of delay in their walk to school. "I'm right here Eric, where's Keith?" Eric was close enough now to be seen. "He was right in front of me." "I don't know, he must have missed you and went right on by..KEITH!" The air was still cold enough so that any breathing added to the thickness of the mist. When you shouted, a large growing plume of condensed breath could be seen to push and blend with the surrounding fog. While both Francis and Eric had reconnected in the mist, in the field that was supposed to be a morning short-cut, they still had to gather up Keith, and get along with their walk. What was supposed to be a short mornig excursion, had turned out to be a pain in the neck. Without figuring out exactly what had happened in the mist so far, Francis and Eric looked to call out to Keith until the three of them were together again.

The Battle of Napoleon's Field

"Keeeeeeeeeeeiiiiiiiith." "Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeith." Over and over the called went out the the missing member of this small troupe. The mist was still coming in it appeared, as even though Eric and Francis were only steps apart, if one more step were put in between the two friends, the other would slip away into the fog. "Eric...." Francis wanted to stop. "Let's stay here for a second and listen for him." "Keith!!" The two sat as still as they could. As if the more frozen they became, the etter chance of hearing Keith's call back to them. 10, 15, then 30 seconds extended into a minute and beyond. Standing still allowed for Eric and Francis to absorb what was happening to them in an otherwise friendly landscape. The idea that one of the three had just disappeared into the fog after Francis was taken far away without moving, in an instant he was gone, and now he feared that what may have happened to Keith was a fate even worse than a transformation of position. "Francis, I'm starting to think something bad is happening." While his voice was sure, Francis could tell that the Younger Lang brother was unable to understand what was happening to himself and his friends. "Let's just find Keith, and we can laugh about it later." Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeith!" Francis let out a long shout of voice and fog from the deepest parts of his lungs. As the least puff of air was extinguished and another fresh breath taken as a replacement, Francis felt a sudden urge to run. Run like he never ran before. Using his feet and arms to cut through the fog which obvisously had it in for these three young New England boys on a crisp Autum morning in October. The longer it took to get back to where they began, Francis feared they would be farther away from where they wanted to be. But before the next loud call to Keith, his close friend now lost, a loud explosion was heard just a few hundred feet from where two friends stood wanting to find the lost member of the group.

Lt. Lafleur, French Captain of the Gaurd

Growing Up Halloween Pt.4

A Short-Cut

As soon as Keith and Francis reached the edge of the field, the morning mist took control of the day. It took only a few steps in between friends to make one disappear from view. "Keith...", "Eric?".."Hey, where did you guys go?.." It seemed as if this mist had carried Francis far away from where he once stood. Without moving a muscle, the sound of someone yelling far off in the distance was heard. "FRrrr rrrrrrrrrr rrrrraaa aaaaaaa ncis!" "Frrrr rrrrrr ranc" "Here I am!!" "I'm over here!" Francis let out a sharp report before the second call had finished the call. "Where are you guys?" The mist was still blocking out all but the muted sunlight that fights its way against a fog. The sun was all that gave the scene a grip on reality as what appear to happen cannot have happened. How it came to be that now his friends were no longer right by his side, but almost too far away to be heard when yelling out a call.





The Separation

Once again the sound of footsteps were close by. "Francis..where did you go?"... That was Eric, Francis was glad that one of the brothers was close by because for as fast as it all happened, this trip in the field was causing alot of delay in their walk to school. "I'm right here Eric, where's Keith?" Eric was close enough now to be seen. "He was right in front of me." "I don't know, he must have missed you and went right on by..KEITH!" The air was still cold enough so that any breathing added to the thickness of the mist. When you shouted, a lrge growing plume of condensed breath could be seen to push and blend with the surrounding fog. While both Francis and Eric had reconnected in the mist, in the field that was supposed to be a morning short-cut, they still had to gather up Keith, and get along with their walk. What was supposed to be a short mornig excursion, had turned out to be a pain in the neck. Without figuring out exactly what had happened in the mist so far, Francis and Eric looked to call out to Keith until the three of them were together again.

Growing up Halloween Pt. 3

The Battlefield

It is more now than it was then. Then was a rolling rectangle of land with boundries that could be seen, and the sands of the pit being the farthest sight. This cold Autumn morning included a fog and steams of battle, slowly moving from one end of the battlefield to the other. Francis realized as soon as the it was in plain view, that this morning had something more to offer than just a cold walk in the woods.




The Brothers Lang

"Francis!" "Wait up!" Alerted to the sound of someone running up to him, Francis looked to see his friend coming down the street. "I thought you were going to come and get us this morning..?" Keith Lang asked through quick bursts of morning breaths of steam from mouth and nose, the result of a quick sprint down the street.

"By the time I got my boots on, and out the door, I forgot that I was supposed to get you guys." "I was only a couple minutes ahead of you anyway...Can we take a short-cut this morning?" Francis pushed through the confusion of who was to do what this morning, and thought that he could avoid Keith's scolding by adding a new twist on the morning's walk to school. "The field looks cool with all the fog that's over there near the ground, and I want to cut through the field today."

Keith and Eric were Francis's best buds. They have known each other their whole lives, and nothing is better than having a couple of good friends to grow up with. The brothers were knee deep in everything that went on in this New England neighborhood, and the three friends did everything together.

Eric was still running up to the troupe, and upon arrival spouted a good-morning before bending over to tie his always untied shoe. It always ended at three, if you saw one, you would see two more close by, because right now was the most average of average moments. Without much of a pause, and before Eric could finish tying hos shoes, Francis and Keith made way for the field, and a short-cut that would turn an average New England moment into a Halloween tale for the ages.

Pumpkin news this Halloween 2008

4Seasons Halloween Costume Shop

Where are all the Jack-o-Lanterns in 2008?

What could have been a great year for pumpkin farmers in the Midwest, has turned into a drip-dry growing season that started with drought conditions, and ended with flooding conditions which destroyed much of the U.S. inventory that would have found its way to street vendors and churches with local pumkpin patches.

"We don't have the numbers and they are definitely smaller," says Camie Goetsch, owner of Green Acres Farm Market at the corner of U.S. 31 and Lake Michigan Drive in Grand Haven. "We are known for big, quality pumpkins. Everyone comes from miles away for our pumpkins. Our pumpkins this year are big, but not what we normally have," said Goetsch, who expects to sell 20,000 to 30,000 pumpkins supplied by two local farms.

Goetsch plans to absorb the loss herself. "Thank-you!"

"I have a hard time charging more to the public because I depend on repeat business," she said. The market usually sells out a week before Halloween, but this year she expects her pumpkins to disappear even earlier. The presence of so many pumpkins so early at area farmer's markets leave some wondering whether the jack-o-lanterns will hold out for Halloween.

As these sentiments are expressed across the great pumpkin patches where you live, don't fear. There has always been more than we need, and in these times of quality over quantity, this year would be a great time to start a tradidtion of pumpkins usage that takes from the Earth, and gives back to the world a great experience in holiday fun.

4Seasons Costume Shoppe

Just because you may not find that "holy-cow" pumpkin in your local church pumkin patch, take your time to consider that the whole gourd is usable for Halloween. Pick a nice one for Jack-o-lanterns. Carve it so that a great light is glowing from within, and then bake the pumkins seeds and eat them after. This is how to use a Pumpkin for Halloween.

Growing up Halloween Pt.2

A Walk to Remember

As soon as boots hit the pavement in the early morning of a New England Autumn, the sounds that are a part of the season become more familiar with each step that he takes. This morning's walk to school would be like any other, or so it seemed, and after pulling his collar up to blow some warmth into the pocket of air around his body, Francis pushed out of the Prokop Ave., and onto Napoleon. The shortest longest walk in town.

Napoleon and the Commandos

Every day was new to a young mind with no focus or worry. Every experience is created from within, and while the mind may be at our command, it also plays tricks on reality. What happened on this morning to a young New England boy, was more than just an ordinary thing. Napoleon has come to town, and during this walk of ages, his troops were ready to march.

The Battlefield

It is more now than it was then. Then was a rolling rectangle of land with boundries that could be seen, and the sands of the pit being the farthest sight. This cold Autumn morning included a fog and steams of battle, slowly moving from one end of the battlefield to the other. Francis realized as soon as the it was in plain view, that this morning had something more to offer than just a cold walk in the woods.

The Bottom Link for Halloween

Shopping from the home makes getting a great costume for Halloween Easy!

4Seasons Halloween Costume Shoppe has new inventories for you! The habits of adults and children during the holidays is something that can easily be tracked year over year. This year, the need to celebrate each holiday is increased as ... Online classified

Growing Up Halloween

A Ludlow Halloween

The sun sets early. It's been weeks since the end of burnt umber leaves and rustling sounds of piles pushing against the fence. Drier is the season in New England when October falls. For now, the days are filled with friends and school. Bells ring forever in the crisp rolling airs of Ludlow, and Harris Brook bubbles under the way. Oh, what a sensational moment for a child who while smelling the cordwood freshly blowing up a chimney, thinks about the golblins and ghouls who soon will be running these small town streets for candy, goodies and fun.

Halloween in a 4Seasons Town

Francis pulled on one boot, and noticed the left had once again found the bottom of the cellar stairs. Now was the time of year that smells were at their peak. With the infiltration of Autumn, temperatures drop quickly and rise slowly in the morning. Even in the mud room the wet air of the morning hung low above the floor. Going down the stairs in the morning gave Francis the chance to feel the damp coldness of the cellar where not much went on but laundry. But this morning would be the same as any other which started off with a trip down to the 1st step, the boot catcher who caught foul ball boots, sneakers, socks, and the like.

Morning Retreat

Now that there was more in between bare skin and the encroaching frost finger of Autumn, there would be cereal and toast. Soon the kitchen would empty of the morning crowd. Mom made sure everyone left on time. Autumn in Ludlow was a time that had the feel of Halloween. Dark mornings and early nights mixed with blowing leaves and crisp, whispering winds which carried sounds and smells that screamed of Halloween.