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| © Poe Typography - Frank Trebillac |
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Image from Halloween 365
Okay....so I have some "Give-a-Ways" to do between now and Hallowe'en. I've actually been meaning to get to them, but September at the kids' new school has been chock full of events, preventing me from having time to do many posts. I always love to be around 'Halloween Town' here in the blog-o-sphere during the month of September because for me....this is the month of 'great anticipation'! October is just crazy busy with all kinds of wonderful Fall/Halloween activities. But September is when the Halloween goodies make their way into the stores and we get our first seasonal glimpse of our favorite holiday. Also, I decorate my entire house at the beginning of September, so I really start to get full on into Halloween mode during this month!
And that brings me to my first 'Give Away' for the season. As you have by now figured out, the name of my blog is 'The Hallowe'en Tree"! I chose that name based on my love of Ray Bradbury's book by the same title. I equally love Cartoon Network's "The Halloween Tree" movie that first aired back in 1993. It is available on VHS only, which really sucks acorns, because lets face it....VHS technology bites! And although my old copy still works.... it is now stuck in the VHS player that QUIT working at the end of our seasonal viewing this year! As thus, my beloved Halloween Tree video is currently stuck in there until we break the thing apart to remove it. But never fear...right before that tragedy occurred, I had made my husband record the VHS onto a DVD so we'd have a DVD version. For the life of me I don't know why they have not officially released a DVD version for purchase....as it is hands down the BEST Halloween Cartoon EVER in my 'not so wicked' lil' opinion! Bradbury narrated the movie and won an Emmy Award for it. And Leonard Nimoy is nothing short of spooktacular as the voice of the mysterious 'Moundshroud'!
So anyway....back to The Halloween Tree. I had watched the movie before I read the book and I fell in love for eternity. But then I finally read Ray Bradbury's book that the movie was based on, and I was thoroughly enchanted beyond words. His way of describing Halloween, and the history of the holiday, and the magic that it holds, was nothing short of incredible. I LOVE this book so much, and if there is ANY Halloween lover out there who hasn't read it.....then you are truly missing something special! So I wanted to give away a copy of "The Hallowe'en Tree" book by Ray Bradbury to one of my fellow Halloween Heads here in blog land. I wanted to get it to you early so that you could read it right away...before Halloween's arrival! I felt that if I waited until later in October, you might get to busy to read it. So I'm giving it away now. It's a quick read, we finished it over the course of one day while traveling in the car.
(These folks were "Halloween Trees" for Hallowe'en.....ha!)
There is nothing I enjoy more than stumbling upon wonderfully Magical and Creative things by sheer accident and/or dumb stroke of luck. So tonight I went on YouTube in search of something and there I found a samp
ling of "recommended" videos that I can only presume came courtesy of the YouTube marketing department. How 
The Meg and Mog books appear to be available on Amazon, and the Halloweeny art really gets me in the mood for the upcoming season. I am posting Episode 1 for your viewing pleasure, and a link for Episode 2. Happy Hump Day! :o)
The Broomstick TrainLOOK out! Look out, boys! Clear the track!
The witches are here! They've all come back!
They hanged them high,--No use! No use!
What cares a witch for a hangman's noose?
They buried them deep, but they wouldn't lie still,
For cats and witches are hard to kill;
They swore they shouldn't and wouldn't die,--
Books said they did, but they lie! they lie!
A couple of hundred years, or so,
They had knocked about in the world below,
When an Essex Deacon dropped in to call,
And a homesick feeling seized them all;
For he came from a place they knew full well,
And many a tale he had to tell.
They longed to visit the haunts of men,
To see the old dwellings they knew again,
And ride on their broomsticks all around
Their wide domain of unhallowed ground.
In Essex county there's many a roof
Well known to him of the cloven hoof;
The small square windows are full in view
Which the midnight hags went sailing through,
On their well-trained broomsticks mounted high,
Seen like shadows against the sky;
Crossing the track of owls and bats,
Hugging before them their coal-black cats.
Well did they know, those gray old wives,
The sights we see in our daily drives
Shimmer of lake and shine of sea,
Browne's bare hill with its lonely tree,
(It was n't then as we see it now,
With one scant scalp-lock to shade its brow;)
Dusky nooks in the Essex woods,
Dark, dim, Dante-like solitudes,
Where the tree-toad watches the sinuous snake
Glide through his forests of fern and brake;
Ipswich River; its old stone bridge;
Far off Andover's Indian Ridge,
And many a scene where history tells
Some shadow of bygone terror dwells,--
Of "Norman's Woe" with its tale of dread,
Of the Screeching Woman of Marblehead,
(The fearful story that turns men pale
Don't bid me tell it,--my speech would fail.)
Who would not, will not, if he can,
Bathe in the breezes of fair Cape Ann,--
Rest in the bowers her bays enfold,
Loved by the sachems and squaws of old?
Home where the white magnolias bloom,
Sweet with the bayberry's chaste perfume,
Hugged by the woods and kissed by the sea!
Where is the Eden like to thee?
For that "couple of hundred years, or so,"
There had been no peace in the world below;
The witches still grumbling, "It isn't fair;
Come, give us a taste of the upper air!
We 've had enough of your sulphur springs,
And the evil odor that round them clings;
We long for a drink that is cool and nice,--
Great buckets of water with Wenham ice;
We've served you well up-stairs, you know;
You 're a good old--fellow--come, let us go!"
I don't feel sure of his being good,
But he happened to be in a pleasant mood,--
As fiends with their skins full sometimes are,--
(He'd been drinking with "roughs" at a Boston bar.)
So what does he do but up and shout
To a graybeard turnkey, "Let 'em out!"
To mind his orders was all he knew;
The gates swung open, and out they flew.
"Where are our broomsticks?" the beldams cried.
"Here are your broomsticks," an imp replied.
"They 've been in--the place you know--so long
They smell of brimstone uncommon strong;
But they've gained by being left alone,--
Just look, and you'll see how tall they've grown."
"And where is my cat?" a vixen squalled.
"Yes, where are our cats?" the witches bawled,
And began to call them all by name
As fast as they called the cats, they came
There was bob-tailed Tommy and long-tailed Tim,
And wall-eyed Jacky and green-eyed Jim,
And splay-foot Benny and slim-legged Beau,
And Skinny and Squally, and Jerry and Joe,
And many another that came at call,--
It would take too long to count them all.
All black,--one could hardly tell which was which,
But every cat knew his own old witch;
And she knew hers as hers knew her,--
Ah, didn't they curl their tails and purr!
No sooner the withered hags were free
Than out they swarmed for a midnight spree;
I couldn't tell all they did in rhymes,
But the Essex people had dreadful times.
The Swampscott fishermen still relate
How a strange sea-monster stole their bait;
How their nets were tangled in loops and knots,
And they found dead crabs in their lobster-pots.
Poor Danvers grieved for her blasted crops,
And Wilmington mourned over mildewed hops.
A blight played havoc with Beverly beans,--
It was all the work of those hateful queans!
A dreadful panic began at "Pride's,"
Where the witches stopped in their midnight rides,
And there rose strange rumors and vague alarms
'Mid the peaceful dwellers at Beverly Farms.
Now when the Boss of the Beldams found
That without his leave they were ramping round,
He called,--they could hear him twenty miles,
From Chelsea beach to the Misery Isles;
The deafest old granny knew his tone
Without the trick of the telephone.
"Come here, you witches! Come here!" says he,--
"At your games of old, without asking me!
I'll give you a little job to do
That will keep you stirring, you godless crew!"
Since then on many a car you 'll see
A broomstick plain as plain can be;
On every stick there's a witch astride,--
The string you see to her leg is tied.
She will do a mischief if she can,
But the string is held by a careful man,
And whenever the evil-minded witch
Would cut some caper, he gives a twitch.
As for the hag, you can't see her,
But hark! you can hear her black cat's purr,
And now and then, as a car goes by,
You may catch a gleam from her wicked eye.
Often you've looked on a rushing train,
But just what moved it was not so plain.
It couldn't be those wires above,
For they could neither pull nor shove;
Where was the motor that made it go
You couldn't guess, but now you know.
Today was a busy day! Actually this weekend was a busy weekend. We celebrated a birthday here, and went to Universal and Harry Potter's Wizarding World. I was really hoping that they might have that area of the park all decked out for Halloween. You know, like the great hall is decorated in the Harry Potter films. But alas, nothing....boo hiss! But we did manage to do 2 fun Halloweeny things this weekend. 1.) We played Halloween Edition Yahtzee. I haven't played Yahtzee in years, and I am happy to report that my Halloween Magic was with me, and I rolled a Yahtzee on my very first turn...a Yahtzee of all Bats! And I beat the other 4 players to win the whole game. Woo Hoo! 
Hallowe'en is the perfect time of year to get reacquainted with the dearly departed Mr. Poe, don't you think? This art work began as a photo of some skulls I took at the Disney Store out at the Disney entertainment complex called Disney MarketPlace. They have an awesome Pirates of the Caribbean display there, with tons of "Pirates" themed merchandise for sale. I will post some more pics of the exhibit itself one day in the near future. I then took the images and played around with them, adding in other elements that made me think of Poe. 
I wanted to give a head's up on a movie that is coming out next Friday, October 23rd that I can't wait to see. The movie is called "Cirque du Freak - The Vampire's Assistant". This summer my daughter read all the books in the Cirque du Freak series by Darren Shan. She really loved this vampire saga after having just finished the Twilight series. I must admit that I myself have not read even one book in either of these two series. However, if I were going to choose one to read, it would definitely be the Cirque! And I think I do want to read them because my daughter has informed me that they would be right up my ally. I have to admit that I love the name and premise of the 'Freak Show' already. For some reason it brings to mind Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes". The movie is rated PG-13 so that all those young readers can get in to see it. And having it released right before Hallowe'en was a wonderful marketing strategy. 
sley at a freak show, who turns out to be a Vampire. After a series of events, the boy must leave his normal life and go on the road with the Cirque du Freak and become a Vampire. The books do not depict Vampires as evil creatures however, nor do they apply to them the normal stereotypes that we are so accustomed to seeing. In a more realistic take on the Vampire, they do not live forever, but rather they just age slowly. They can go into the sunlight, just not for long since they burn easily, and they don't bite to suck blood, but rather they slit a vein, drink just enough and then heal the wound with their saliva. The film adaptation has such notable actors as John C. Reilly playing Mr. Crepsley, Willem Defoe, Salma Hayek, Ken Watanabe and Jane Krakowski. 
Artwork © Wendy A. (All Rights Reserved)
Update: We just received our passports this summer and were itching to try them out. So we got up early today and headed up to Montreal, Canada. It's just 3+ hours from where we are staying in Vermont so we decided to make the trek and check it out. Today was a cold, wet Autumn day in Montreal, so there were no street performers out and about and no carriage rides. But we did go see the Notre Dame which was incredible. We basically spent our 5 hours walking around Vieux Montreal and shooting some pics. This older area of the city is quite lovely with it's brick streets and alley ways. The trees were decked out in their Fall colors, and I really loved looking at the beautiful and stylish French people sporting their coats, hats, boots and scarves. I so wish I could speak their lovely language. Montreal was a great city that I most certainly want to go back to and explore further in the not so distant future....perhaps during Winter when it is blanketed in white. :o)
Well it's time for a r
ound-up of the Hallowe'en Magazines that I've been able to find so far. My two favorites (Martha Stewart & Country Living) are still MIA. But I have found a few more that I've been enjoying. I also found a book by Matthew Mead. I had gotten a magazine of his last year and I liked it. But this is a larger book titled "Matthew Mead's Monster Book of Halloween"! The other titles I've found in the last couple of weeks are "Better Homes & Garden's Special Interest Issue - Halloween Tricks & Treats", "PaperCrafts" Sep/Oct Issue, "Harvest Baking" by Land O' Lakes, and one I've never seen before called "Create & Decorate".
as such, you automatically have a subscription to their bi-monthly travel magazine "Going Places". The issue I got today is the Sep/Oct issue. And imagine my delight at finding Pumpkins on the cover and the main title touting, "Fall's Here...Pumpkin Patches & Spooky Happenings". Can't wait to check it out. I don't do any reviewing since all art is subjective....but they are starting to hit the shelves fast and furious so keep your eyes out for them. Hooray for Fall!
The other thing I wait for eagerly each year at this time is the first magazines with Fall themes. The standards are Martha Stewart, Matthew Mead (Click here for free Hallowe'en Templates), Southern Living and many other crafting, decorating, home, garden and vacation mags. Well I was having no success until I came across this one at JoAnne's...it's called "Celebrate Fall" by Phyllis Hoffman. I've actually never seen this mag before, so this is a new treat for me this year. It covers the Autumn Holidays and Occasions like Back to School, Tailgating, Oktoberfest, Hallowe'en and Thanksgiving. It has decorating and food ideas like 'Witches Night Out' for Hallowe'en, Tastes of Fall, Outdoor Decore and Simple Centerpieces, etc. The photography is very nice, there are lots of recipes and it's a great Fall Find at $7.99. Is it Martha? No...but then who is! And I know how subjective taste and opinion is, so I am not reviewing or doing any recommending here....just giving a heads up for those of you who love the holiday mags, to keep an eye on your local bookstores. :o)
Well the latest Harry Potter movie was fantastic as always. I really love to see how the kids have grown up over the years. What a rare and special treat it is to be able to follow a book series through the same number of movies with the same actors. I asked my children who their favorite character was from the movies. And I told them mine. My 6 year old chose Harry, and my 11 year old chose Dumbledore, which also happens to be my personal favorite as well. Although I do love how well Alan Rickman plays his part as Snape. My husband likes Hagrid. So in the name of of nothing more than plain ole' curiosity....I am taking a completely informal, pseudo-psychological poll to see which Harry Potter character is most favored. So if any of you read this post and have time...I'd love to know who your favorite Harry Potter character is, and if you want to offer up why....even better! 
s growing up....I thought I'd share a photo of my all time favorite vintage Hallowe'en costume. (Some of you will remember this photo from my MS page.) I was but a wee Gypsy Witch in this image of course. But I loved the outfit because my dear Mother fashioned it out of things that were hers. I thought it was cute, and showed ingenuity on her part, to forego the store bought plastic and come up with something of her own. Although honestly, she was probably just being cheap. I do vividly remember wearing this outfit, and hating all that dangling, clanky jewelry. By the time the costume contest was held at the school Hallowe'en carnival....I had taken everything off but the black leotard. Needless to say...she never even got the chance to get me entered, and all her hard work was for not. Good thing we got this one photo to commemorate her efforts...ha!
I've been on a reading spree this last week. First I've found a new gal, whose books I simply adore. Her name is Sara Addison Allen. She's an author from Asheville, NC and the first book I read was called "Garden Spells"! I fell in love with the book because first of all, it is set in the South..so of course any Southern gal like myself is going to like that. And secondly, because it infuses some 'magic' into everyday life. (That happens to be my favorite reading recipe.) I loved it so much, that the very next day I wen
t out and bought her second book, "The Sugar Queen", and I loved it equally as much. The cashier at Barnes & Noble and I, were noting how her books have the same 'magic' formula as "Practical Magic", which I thought was just a movie. But it turns out the movie was based on the book of the same name, by Sarah Hoffman. So I promptly bought that one as well, and have finished them all. I loved each of them, and I can't wait for Allen's newest book due out next year, titled "The Girl Who Chased The Moon"! 
g is one that I am very familiar with, and see in my dreams as I await to travel there every October. It just sounded too wonderful to pass up. I just started this one, and so far, so good. Thought you might enjoy the synopsis off the back because it really gets one in to the Hallowe'en mood! You can pick these books up at any bookstore, or on Amazon.
![](<img src="http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i149/fotobabe1111/My%20Photos/Me%20Witch%20Halloween/Magickal-Moon-Animated-GIF.gif">)
