Day of the Dead - Animated Video

Happy Dia de los Muertos one and all!  There are many reasons to love this Mexican celebration....the color, the flowers, the candles, the sounds, the lights, the fiesta, the sugar skulls, the skeletons....need I go on??  It's a lovely heartfelt celebration of those family and friends that have passed on to the other side.  And although it's a celebration of the dead, it's also very much a celebration of life, a remembrance of those lives that touched ours.  This is how death should be celebrated if you ask me...piercing the veil through space and time to reunite with those whose lives touched yours!  Please enjoy the animated short "Dia De Los Muertos" from Whoo Kazoo!

Pumpkin Carving and Poe - Muppet Style

Thought the Halloween Countdown was a good time to go 'back in time' and visit the The Muppets on Halloween!   

First up is the Muppet Halloween short... 

"Zero Mostel reads Poe"...in honor of today's Winners of The Halloween Tree, Edgar Allan Poe Book Give-Away!   

Laugh along as the comedian's fears are "counted and compelled", so they can "quickly be dispelled"! 

And next up is the Swedish Chef who's looking to carve himself up some Jack O'Lanterns and turn them into tasty Pumpkin Pies....but the Jacks have a plan to stave off the massacre.  See who claims victory in this Halloween themed retro short...viewer discretion is advised.

"Swedish Chef Carves Pumpkins"!

Oh the HORROR of Frozen!

As most of the world knows by now....Disney's Frozen has pretty much taken over the world.  And I must admit that I really like it too.  I liked that Elsa was basically.....well, a 'Good Witch' in a way!  I felt as though I could relate to her steely reserve and controlled manor....and her need to finally just "Let It Go"!  And besides, the Snowman's name was OLAF!  This obtuse and strange name (at least by American standards), also happens to be my husband's middle name.  And frankly, over here on this side of the pond, not many had ever heard of it before Frozen unleashed its icy magic on the world.  Now his funky name (that I refused to bestow upon our son), is known by millions of children and parents around the globe. Who would have ever 'thunk' that, ha!   

But anyway, it appears we have another classic case of 'good girl gone bad'!  Yep, as the world at large was being mesmerized and hypnotized by those crafty Disney Sorcerers of the big screen....many of you, including myself, may have failed to notice the  
'Dark Side' of Frozen!  It was right there all along, you just had to be paying close attention.  But just in case you think I jest, or you refuse to believe that everything has a 'dark side', even something as seemingly innocent as Frozen ....then have a look for yourself at the video proof below .  Even Frozen could pass for Horror if only it's 'CUT UP' in just the right way, muhahaha!  :o)
(© Disney / Bobby Burns / The Frozen Horror Trailer / YouTube)
 

The Littlest Pumpkin Farmer

So it's almost the middle of June, and for many that means it's also Pumpkin Growing Time.  

In order for those shiny round orbs to be plump and round and ripe in time for Halloween....there is a lot of hard work that must precede the prize, and this is the time of year that Pumpkin Farmers everywhere are getting their head in the game.
And that includes pint sized Farmer, Milan Lukes of Manitoba.  Yes, Milan may be a bit smaller than the average Pumpkin Farmer, but the boy's 'got game' when it comes to cultivating squash!  It started with his love of all things that are orange....which inevitably ended up with every Halloween Lover's favorite orange object....the PUMPKIN! 
Milan learned everything he could about growing pumpkins and got straight to work.  He tilled up a patch in his backyard,  planted his seeds, watered, fertilized, composted, heated them and even left a night light on for them.  But he says that the real secret to successfully growing a giant, is in selecting the perfect seeds to plant.  Apparently using seeds that came out of a 1300 lb. gourd increases the odds in your favor of cultivating another giant specimen.  Thus at the end of last year's growing season, Milan's labors of love rewarded him with a 500 lb. Giant Pumpkin, taking 21st place at the local Giant Pumpkin Growing Contest, and a $100 prize!  And that just served to peak his interest even more!  He will attempt to best his own record this coming Fall....when he hopes to reach at least 800 lb.  You gotta love the tenacity and determination of this little fella!  Be sure to check out the video link below of Milan's Pumpkin Farm...it's really inspiring to see his journey!

(Image of Lukes © Janice Lukes)

Big ambitions for 11-year-old boy growing pumpkins | CTV Winnipeg News

Ghost Story - Island of Deadly Dolls

“He is the intermediary between us, his audience, the living, and they, the dolls, the undead, who cannot live at all and yet who mimic the living in every detail since, though they cannot speak or weep, still they project those signals of signification we instantly recognize as language.” 

~ Angela Carter "Wayward Girls and Wicked Women

Halloween is all about being spooked right?  And let's face it, there are a LOT of SPOOKY people, places and things in this world.  One such spooky place that I just learned of may be old news to some of you, but it was all new to me, so I thought the Halloween Countdown was a great place to share it.  I saw it on my homepage yesterday, and the image was so creepy that I had to investigate it further...

 

This is one of the creepiest Tourist Attractions in Mexico and it's called "The Island of the Dolls", or in Spanish, “La Isla de la Munecas”!  Creepy Dolls rank right up there with Creepy Clowns in my book.  I think there is something disconcerting about seemingly innocent, childlike things having a dark and sinister side to them, that really taps a nerve in our collective psyche!  So here is the bizarre tale....

A hermit by the name of  Don Julian Santana, moved to the island.  Now he was married, but is rumored to have lived the last 50 years of his life alone on the island.  When he moved there he discovered a small girl drowning in the canal and was unable to save her.  He was understandably quite distraught by the events.  Later, Don Julian found a doll floating in the water, and he believed it had belonged to the drowned child.  So he fished it out of the water and hung it up in a nearby tree.  He did this to honor the young girl's spirit and to help protect the island from any further tragedy.

This marked the beginning of his obsession with collecting old, broken dolls and placing them all around the island and the waterways.  He was also said to have fished other old dolls from the waters believing them to be drowning children.  But other stories recount the man as being tormented by the spirits of the dolls, and his collection and placement of the creepy dollies was as a shrine to appease the spirit that was tormenting him.  He believed he could hear the dolls whispering and that the spirit was beckoning him to come into the water.

Now you may or may not think the man was just slowly succumbing to his own madness, and perhaps he was.  But there is one last chilling twist to this terrifying tale.   Apparently, in 2001, old Don Julian was discovered by his nephew, drowned in the very same canal, at the same place where he'd found the young girl.  Coincidence?  Or are there more malevolent forces at work on that island?

The island is now being operated by Santana's family, as one of the world's weirdest and creepiest tourist attractions.  But there have been many a visitor who has felt the unnerving sense that the dolls are watching them.  They've claimed to have witnessed the dolls moving their broken limbs, blinking their eyes, and whispering through the trees.  As such, it is now recommended that visitors offer the spirits a gift of appeasement upon first stepping foot on the island.

I've included a video below that has some good images of the very creepy mutilated dolls, along with a recounting of the tale.  So what do you think?  Do creepy dollies make your skin crawl?  Do you think there could really be discontented spirits on the island that drove Don Julian slowly mad, and eventually beckoned him to his own watery grave?  And would you dare go there for a visit?

The Witch, The Cat and The Owl

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 sampling of "recommended" videos that I can only presume came courtesy of the YouTube marketing department. How creepy nice of them to invade my privacy monitor my viewing habits so that they could recommend further viewing material for my enjoyment. But lo and behold, the first video I see has a cartoon Witch on it, so of course I had to take a look. And I'm so happy I did too. For what I found is a cartoon that I can honestly say I've never even heard of before tonight. Now I'm sure there will be those of you who've known about this for ages, especially my friends in Europe....but this is the first time I've seen it, and I wanted to share, just in case anyone else has been in the dark since the 70's.

Meg and Mog is the story of a Witch (Meg), her black striped Cat (Mog), and their friend Owl. With 3 of my favorite things represented (Witches, Cats and Owls)...I knew I'd just have to love it. Apparently, Meg and Mog was a children's book series written by Helen Nicoll, that was first published in the 70's. It was later made into an animated pre-school series, which aired in the UK in 2003. It's a cute little cartoon, but what I enjoy most, is the very basic animation style of Jan Pienkowski. Meg is a well-intentioned Witch dealing with the not-so-good results of her spells. Mog is her talking striped cat, and the 3rd character is a talking Owl. The actual story is somewhat weak, but considering the intended audience was pre-schoolers, I guess I can't complain. 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)

Episode 1


Episode 2 - Meg and Mog Espisode 2

A Fond Farewell to Halloween 2010 - Recap

Well Hallowe'en has once again slipped hauntingly into the land of pleasant memories. It takes its place in the boneyard of Hallowe'ens past. But like all Hallowe'ens before it....this one too, deserves to have a fitting wake. A trip down memory lane to recap the highlights of the magic it left in the hearts and minds of our Hallowe'en loving family!
Yep, it's official....the post Halloween blues have settled in. You would think it to be a feeling only experienced by children after Christmas. And it's true that I often feel quite childish in my fascination with all things Halloween. The excitement and the anticipation are very real for me. So the build up to the day is every bit as exciting as the day itself. Thus I often begin to mourn its passing even before the actual day has arrived. But I can honestly say that Halloween night this year was just as perfect as it could possibly be. Halloween falling on a Sunday made for a nice relaxing day. The kids and I even had time to catch some Halloween shows on TV and make the Gingerbread Haunted House we were given as a gift. I thought it turned out pretty cute.We had a gathering of friends and family over for dinner and treats before the evening's festivities began, and you can see some of them in the photo below. There are still several others that failed to make it into this shot, including me, because I was taking the photos. Although the intentions were there, some of us, myself included....did not actually dress up in costume this year. We just ran out of time and energy I suppose. But we did wear assorted hats and ears at least!
We had yummy Potato Bacon and Cheddar Soup for dinner with warm bread for dunking. It was the perfect hearty meal to fill everyone up so that our energy would sustain us through the night. And of course there were lots of cakes and cookies and dips and candy as well. The elders of the family come and dress up to stay back at the house to pass out candy, while the rest of us head out into the streets to take the kiddos Trick or Treating. These are my little nieces all dressed up and ready to head out for the night!
My daughter and her quartet of tween-agers giggled and chatted incessantly as they disappeared into the crowd of families. And we decided to take the new Electric Vehicle out and about. You can't really see it here, but we affectionately named our cart "Black Magic", and I designed a decal of the name, with a crescent moon and stars to put on the front. I figured if the neighbors weren't scared enough of us already....they would be now...muwahahahaha!
Now this might seem a bit like cheating, but I can assure you that we were just one of several folks on golf carts Sunday. Our neighborhood is very large, but beyond that, the lots are very large, which makes for a lot of walking. On foot, the kids and adults typically can only make it down 2 streets, 3 streets max, before your feet are aching. And since it's Florida, you're usually drenched in sweat too. But not this year....
Not only was the weather cool and perfect for a change, but we decided to deck the 'Golf Cart' out in jack o'lantern lights and Halloween decals, and use it to transport our large crew around. It seats six adults, but can take more when there are smaller children or smaller tushies on board! So we devised a system to work in shifts. The hubby and I always rode up front, then we'd take my niece, her husband, my two little nieces and my son to a street and drop them off. Next we'd go pick up my daughter and her 3 ghoulfriends from the street they were on, and drop them off on the next street, where we'd pick the first group back up again and take them over to the following street. That way everyone got to ride and walk and it was far less tiring. I had little mini lighted Jack O'Lanterns up on the dash and we had Halloween music on the CD player. It was heaps of fun. That's the hubby up front, and just a portion of the rest of the clan. Our neighborhood has truly morphed into Trick or Treat central. And literally hundreds of people come from all over. I like to think that I have been instrumental in spreading the contagion of Halloween excitement here. Oh...and I don't know if any of you remember earlier this year when I blogged about our neighbor who gives out candy to the little ones and beer in paper cups to the parents, but here is a photo of him. We heard the call as we approached his house..."who wants some beer"?! We took him up on the Heineken he had on tap in a mini keg in that little refrigerator you see in the background! His little beer station has become an institution here....ha! He and his wife have 2 young children themselves, so don't worry, he would never serve any alcohol to minors.
The house on the street over from us has a really good Haunted House every year. It's occupied by college age/young adults who seemingly have some connection to Universal Studios because their props are very professional and high tech. They certainly aren't available in any Halloween store around these parts. They do up the inside of the house, as well as lighting up the entire front yard. And you can hear their 'Halloween' theme music from several streets over. The image below is their yard, but again I just had my small camera so the quality is not that great.
While we were there, 2 John Deer tractors pulling big hayride wagons showed up and an entire fleet of Trick or Treaters young and old disembarked and swarmed the haunted house. I tried to take some photos to show not only the Haunted House, but also the flocks of people milling about. It's really a magical time, and the back section of the neighborhood where we live, is the most festive section of the whole subdivision. It always make me smile and chuckle to see hayrides coming through a golf course community. It lets you know that Halloween is serious business here! :o) Needless to say, there is always some debate over whether the residents approve or disapprove of the fact that people who don't even live here, come into our neighborhood to Trick or Treat. It obviously means that we must buy a LOT of candy which is expensive when you give out the good stuff. You don't even want to know how much we spend just in candy alone....it would SCARE you! BUT....all the extra people make the whole area so festive and exciting. And they are all usually very well behaved. I say....bring em' on! I will note however, that we have seen an ever increasing age to the Trick or Treaters here, including old teens, young adults and even an old granny this year, who had her bag out for loot. I like that...and why the hell not?! Life has 364 other mundane and responsible days to be a grown up....why not be a disguised kid again one night a year?We received many compliments on our yard haunt, especially the real iron gates we use for the little cemetery and of course our 10 ft. scarecrow. My parents said that people were stopping in front of the scarecrow and taking pictures of their kids and families standing in front of him. I love that!
And THAT right there....is why we do all that we do on Halloween. For those kids who will remember fondly when they are grown.....trick or treating in a really cool neighborhood where everyone totally got into the spirit. Where there were haunted houses, and hayrides. Where the candy givers all dressed up and tried to scare them right back, and where they gave out the good candy. The candy that you can't wait to sit down with at the end of the night for the big 'Candy Exchange'! That's one of our own kids' favorite parts of the night!
And one day, those same kids, long since grown up....will dig out their vintage Trick or Treat photos to show their own children and grand kids, or share them on their blogs. And those photos will show them standing in front of my graveyard and scarecrow....and people who love Halloween like we all do here, will ooh and ahh over the customs and costumes of those days of yore!
So it's time once again to wave good-bye to the passing year, and to another enchanting Halloween season! I bid thee a fond farewell old friend, and I await your return again in the coming year!

Parting Shot - Plundering the Loot

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!

The second Halloweeny thing we did was 2.) Read "The Halloween Tree" book by Ray Bradbury. Of course I love "The Halloween Tree" video, it's my favorite Halloween movie of all because it captures not only the magic of the holiday, but also its ancient roots as well. It smartly teaches children why they even bother to celebrate it at all. But the book is SO much better even than the cartoon movie, because it can really get more in depth with the story. And Bradbury's magical way with words and descriptions just can't be beat. If you haven't actually read this book, I would encourage you to read it this Halloween Season, and every month of October from here on out. It's truly a spectacular celebration of the most magical holiday of all!

With that being said...I'm just posting a 'Parting Shot' image. That's my term for images taken from behind, which are some of my favorites. This shot above is of my niece, pillaging and plundering her loot after a hard night's work of Trick or Treating!

Closing Remarks on Hallowe'en 2009

Hello, Hello....
I am just now checking back in after all the Hallowe'en/Samhain festivities. I apologize for the brief hiatus, but a little recuperation was needed...ha! We had a great Hallowee'n here, although it was unseasonably warm, even for Florida. And I learned that I am no make-up artist. I've never put my kids in costumes that required a lot of make-up before, but this year I had to manifest some make-up magic for a Dracula, a French Mime and the French Mime's Zombie friend. Wow...who would have thought it would be so difficult? That cheap white KISS make-up they sell at Walmart is NOT the route to go my friends, consider yourselves warned for next year. Eventually we did prevail, however I am not receiving any medals for my efforts.

The neighborhood was bustling with revelers, and the people on the next street over put on their annual Haunted House again. And when we were finished with the Trick or Treating, we had about 11 people come by the house for some Potato Bacon Cheese Soup, 7 Layer Dip and Chips, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread, Cookies and Apple Cider.

Of course, the kids' favorite part of the evening is The Great Candy Exchange. They all sit on the living room floor and empty the contents of their bags in front of them to inspect the merchandise. Then they begin a frenzied exchange that goes something like this....
"I'll give you 2 Skittles, 1 Candy Corn and 1 Whoppers in exchange for 3 Reese's Cups." To which the fellow trader may reply with a welcome "DONE!", or may come back to the table with a counteroffer, such as...."No, but I will give you 2 Reese's Cups and 1 Hershey Bar." "DONE!" And so it goes until the bulk of the candy has been successfully traded away to give each child a higher percentage of their favorites, by off-loading what they dislike. This works well as long as there are not 2 people with extremely similar tastes.

Then later that night, once the chitlins are fast asleep, Mom and Dad make our own rounds into their bedrooms to thieve away the items that we like best. It all works out really well actually. Then they are given a week or two to eat what they can, before the remainder gets shipped off to my husband's office. And it is at this final resting place, where grown men who DO NOT need any candy, polish off the remaining morsels of another year's Trick or Treat bounty.

So to sum up this year's festivities....It Was All Good! And I sincerely hope everyone had a wonderful holiday as well....and thus begins another year on the wheel of time! :o)
Photos © 2009 Wendy A. (All Rights Reserved)