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!

Happy Dia de los Muertos

Happy Dia de los Muertos to you all!  As the veil grows thin between the Spirit World and ours...it's the perfect time to commune with your ancestors.  Light some candles, get out your skulls and adorn the place with bright colored marigolds.  Serve up some of your late Grandpa's favorite foods and take turns remembering the things you loved most about the dearly deceased.  Celebrate Life and Death during this festive celebration. 

Halloween Hits the World Market

So new this week here in Florida...World Market finally started getting in their Day of the Dead and Halloween Merchandise....woo hoo!  I snapped a few shots, but not all the shelves were stocked completely yet. I loved these grinning Jack O'Lantern Gourd wind chimes.  Seeing them hanging there in one giddy lil' grinning group made me oh so Halloween Happy!  

World Market also has a nice selection of Dia de los Muertos items.  I especially liked the Skeleton Cats and Skeleton Owls which were new.  I picked up a black and white Sugar Skull Head plate.  And almost bought a Sugar Skull Stress Ball because lets face it...who doesn't have stress and couldn't use an item like that every so often?!

And they also had a cute selection of Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein Movie melamine plates and serving platters that were Monsteriffic too!  

Another bonus to World Market is that they have a great selection of just about every Autumn/Halloween Beer, Hard Cider, and Wine known to man.  So if you'd like to sample one, before committing to the whole case......just pick up an empty 6-pack bottle holder, and fill it with single bottles of beer in every Pumpkin-y, Autumn-y flavor that tickles your fancy, it's that easy.  Then just take it back to your place with some Pumpkin Chips and Salsa....and you're all set to host your own lil' Beer Tasting or Mini Octoberfest in the comfort of your own home. 

There were lots of other good finds that I would have photographed and shared at World Market, but the employees who were stocking the shelves kept watching me with a suspicious eye as though I might actually make out the door with a Skeleton or bag of Chocolate Monster Eyeballs...so I decided to put the camera away, make my purchases and leave.  But it is definitely worth checking out if you have one in your area!

Day of the Dead Headed Your Way

Sugar Skull Pumpkin from crumbsofglory.tumblr.com

The 'Day of the Dead' is headed your way just in time for Halloween this year! Is it just me, or does everyone just love the colors and details and sugar skulls associated with Dia de los Muertos?!  This is a Mexican celebration that honors those who have passed on.  It's no depressing, morose affair geared to cast gloom and sadness....but rather it is a colorful, festive cacophony of light, sound, colors, flowers, candles, dancing and skulls....lots of artistic skeletons and skulls.  And the celebration is a joyful one that encourages people not to fear death, but to embrace the memories of those passed on and celebrate them with fond remembrance.  I have been a collector of Dia de los Muertos art and relics for quite awhile.  I suppose it's a natural progression for those of us who love Halloween to also love the aesthetic of the Day of the Dead.  And when I first started collecting, there was little merchandise to be found locally in stores, and what could be located, would usually sell out very quickly.  
Fast forward to this year...and I've noticed something very interesting while making my Halloween rounds...many of the stores that carry Halloween merchandise, also have Day of the Dead items in stock this year....Michael's, World Market, Kirklands, Home Goods just to name a few.  I find this a most exciting development, and welcome addition to my Halloween procurement activities.  Below is a photo I took of the Day of the Dead shelf at Michael's.

Day of the Dead Merchandise at Michael's

But I also discovered something else....apparently 'Dia de los Muertos' has seeped into the American mainstream consciousness, for in addition to an increased presence of Day of the Dead merchandise and brand packaging, there are also several 'Day of the Dead' animated movies slated to premier this year as well...that's new!  

The first one oddly enough, will be called "The Book of Life".  This full length animated movie by Reel FX Creative Studios and 20th Century Fox is slated to hit theaters mid October.  What a perfect time for this movie to debut.  "The Book of Life" is, according to IMDb...."set on the Mexican holiday, the Day of the Dead, and tells of a young man named Manolo who is torn between what he wants to do (play guitar and win the heart of the girl of his dreams) and what his family wants him to do. He ends up traveling across three different worlds to find himself." 

Animator Jorge Gutierrez co-wrote and directed the movie.  He said, the art in this movie "takes its building blocks from Mexican folk art, old Mexican movies and stories from my childhood."  The art work is indeed richly detailed and vibrant, just as you'd expect to see during the colorful and festive Dia de los Muertos celebrations.  I especially love the night lighting and village scenes...which remind me of some of the magical night scenes found in Coraline.  Regardless, the movie will be coming out at the perfect time of year, slated for October 17th, making it a must-see for the upcoming Halloween Season!   
The other slated Dia de los Muertos movie is an animated film by Disney's Pixar Studios. However, there was a rather cringe worthy controversy that plagued Disney earlier this year when they actually had the audacity to try and trademark the phrase "Day of the Dead" / "Dia de los Muertos"!!!!!  Are you kidding me?  Yep, they actually felt they had a right to co-opt an entire culture's long standing traditional holiday, along with merchandising rights for Day of the Dead paraphernalia!  Eeeegads!  Now I love Disney, and I love Pixar Studios even more....but that is down right arrogant, absurd and totally unacceptable!  And apparently the Latino community felt very much the same about it, and took to the inter-web to voice their objections!  Thankfully, someone at Disney came to their senses and the trademark request was withdrawn.  Besides, where would they have gone next....Christmas, Hanukkah, or (shudders).....Halloween?!  That's just preposterous...but moving forward, the Pixar movie itself is still a good possibility for 2016, and it will no doubt be terrific!  

In the meantime...be sure to add   "The Book of Life" movie to your October activities this Fall!  And check out "The Book of Life" Official Movie Trailer below.

 THE BOOK OF LIFE encourages us to celebrate the past while looking forward to the future. (Official Movie Trailer Below)

All "Book of Life" Images © Reel FX Creative Studios / 20th Century Fox

Beware of Flying Reapers

This is a fantastic Halloween Scare Tactic, boy would I love to have one of these on Halloween Night!  Kudos to Tom Mabe!

Macabre Opera Mask

Happy Friday!  It's the weekend....hooray!  So I had been contemplating a Halloween Masquerade Ball for this year's party theme, and I just saw this fabulous Skull Opera Mask that apparently had been available in the past on Amazon.  I LOVE this!  It's also versatile, and could easily be used for Dia de los Muertos themes and parties as well.

Since Opera Masks are traditionally held up with the little stick on the side, it only makes sense that this Macabre Mask is held up with a 'Skeleton Arm' of course!  How completely Creepy and Clever is that?!. Unfortunately, it's no longer available on Amazon, so if anyone knows where else this beauty could be purchased, I'd love to know.

Day of Dearly Departed Souls!

Our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them.

~ George Eliot

So yesterday and today, November 1st & 2nd, is when Día de Los Muertos is traditionally celebrated.  And although I've never been to an event, I sure would LOVE to go.  So this year as I was lamenting my failed attempts at making Halloween happen to my liking...I decided to see if there were any Day of the Dead celebrations in our area that I could attend to appease my hurt feelings.  Well of course there's not...no surprise there, go figure!  There was one museum that had some small something or other, but that's pretty much all I could find.

Until.......I expanded my search to the entire state of Florida.  Then I found something that really caught my interest and looks like BIG fun.  Unfortunately, I discovered this on October 30th and that was just not enough time to get our ducks in a row to head down there today, October 2nd.  It's the South Florida, Day of the Dead Celebration in Ft. Lauderdale.  This is the event's 3rd year, and apparently it grows ever more popular each year.  There are all sorts of fun events going on in the City Arts District which has several streets blocked off for the event.  Here are some of the Fun & Fabulous Festival Offerings...

* Giant Skeleton Puppet Processional and Parade 
* Day of the Dead Art Exhibitions and Market 
* Community Ofrendas and Calaveras Skull Mask exhibits 
* Day of the Dead Film Festival 
* Hearse/Art Car/ LowRider Auto Show
* World’s Tiniest Skeleton Parade Floats & Kazoo Band
* Landscapes of the Dead Exhibition  
* Live Music at the Bone Yard Bandstand
* Circus Bizarra Side Show, Midway and Funhouse
* Memento Mori-Go-Round
* Great & Prescient Fortune Tellers Vladmir Plotzsky & Madame Glo
* Cupcake Burlesque
* South Florida Pirates & Ghost Ship
* Animale Mexotica
* Skeleton Street Circus: Trapeze, Stilt Performers & Cirque Performances  
* Mr. Bones Heckle Puppet Show
* Calaveras Mask Making
* Live Skeleton Body Art and Face Painting
* Kid Zone and Petting Zoo
* Calaveras Cantina Food Trucks (Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina, Peru and others)
* Day of the Dead Crafters Market
* Costume Photo Booth
* Exotica a Go Go Day of the Dead After Party at the Mai Kai Restaurant
* Day of the Dead Shimmy Shake Review at the Green Room Nightclub


I don't know about you...but I REALLY want to hit this up next year.  The only I'd like better is if it were being held in a Cemetery...but beggars can't be choosers.  So I'm going to plan for it in advance for next year.  And I think it will fall on a Saturday next year too, so that would be even better.  My only decision is do I want to take the kids to let them experience something cool from another culture, or do I want to go with just the hubby or some friends and really let loose...ha!  I need to start looking for Day of the Dead make-up tutorials on You Tube!

So today on Día de Los Muertos, don't forget to light some candles and honor your relatives and ancestors who have passed on to the other side!  They may be gone, but they are never dead until they're forgotten....so don't forget to remember them today!  After all, the veils are thin and maybe their spirits will see fit to drop in and celebrate the day with you!   
Happy Día de Los Muertos!
(All artwork © South Florida Day of the Dead Celebration)

Halloween 2012 Recap and Apology!

Well the New Year has begun for some.  All Hallow's Eve sets the great wheel of time in motion and with it the old year dies and passes away, while a new year full of opportunities is born.  So with any New Year, I feel I should reflect on what I learned.  So I will give my Halloween Recap in today's post.  And this is a long post because I need to provide myself a record of this year.  Why am I recapping now?  Well because for me this October was somewhat of a FAIL, at least in some respects.  For instance, before the month ever arrived, I was already swamped with obligations involving work, school and volleyball.  I had intended to do lots of crafting and prepping for the upcoming Fall season during the hot summer months but alas the summer was wrought with needy family members, sickness and relentless volleyball activities.  So I got nothing done and was already starting out behind schedule. :o(

I must also now confess and apologize for being a complete failure with the Halloween Countdown this year.  I never want to skip out on it because it is an important part of my Fall ritual, but this year I was unprepared and quite a failure.  Actually, I thought I was doing good, with 5-6 posts already done and ready to go.  However,  I had to use those while on vacation since I can't work from up there.  Also, I've had a bit of a time getting used to the new blogger changes which I do not like.  So when I got home from vacation, I had no posts done, and VERY LITTLE time to work on them.  Usually, I have at least SOME time, to get something whipped out each day....but not this year.  It was very difficult to find the time, and that was causing me a good deal of unhappiness and anxiety.  So there are many days with no posts, and all I can do is apologize for coming up short.  I vow to do better next year.  I am going to prepare a couple of posts each month and save them, so they are ready to go for next year.  I had so much stuff to share too, lots of great photos from my travels, poems and art, etc.  So I hope that I will be more on my game next Halloween season, and I hope that I can be forgiven!

I don't know about the rest of you, but September is almost more fun than October for me.  September is Pre-Halloween....the build-up!  The month of anticipation and preparation.  But I was barely able to do anything because of all the other requirements coming from the school and sports.  I've never been a big sports fan because I'm not athletic, but this year I grew to loathe them!  They truly believe that the sport is the ONLY thing that should matter in your life. So needless to say, our annual Autumn trip to New England in the middle of the VB season did NOT go over well.  But I told them last year that it was an annual event for us and we would ALWAYS try to take it at that same time.  So that drew in some negative energy.  And as a result, I am seriously rethinking our involvement. 

(I don't know about other folks, 

but this is what I see when I look at a Volleyball!)

Then the Florida Highschool Sports Association, in all their UN-infinite wisdom, scheduled a play-off game on Halloween night!  NOT because the week was packed with games and they had no choice....NO, there were NO OTHER GAMES scheduled for any of the 4 other days that week....NONE!  Just one on Halloween night!  WHO DOES THAT CRAP!  Obviously there was someone who dislikes Halloween making those decisions, and they decided to ruin it for everyone.  I intend to write them a very stern letter about this too.  So my son was upset because he thought he'd have to miss Halloween for his sister's game.  But we agreed that she'd have to go on her own with the team instead of us taking her. I can't tell you the negative effect this had on my mindset this year.  I was so bummed, that I almost couldn't get out of my funk to even pretend to enjoy anything else.  But on a positive note (depending on your perspective), as the fickle finger of fate would have it....her team lost when they shouldn't have, and they were out of the playoffs just before Halloween!  So the rest of us were quasi-happy, and we all got to be home for Halloween.

But with all my good plans, I got pretty much NOTHING accomplished this whole season.  I did put up the Apothecary and most everything inside, but not until the first of October.  I usually have it all up by Labor Day.  And the front yard had nothing in it at all until 3 days before Halloween.  That doesn't usually happen either. So I shall take stock of what I was able to accomplish and enjoy.  We did go to New England and Zipline, and the weather was so cold; there were actually a few small snow flurries while we were there.  We did go to Salem, (aka HalloweenTown) and  because we went later in the season, the color down there was really beautiful.  We went to the farms and ate apple cider donuts, fresh apples, hot spiced cider and pumpkin treats a-plenty.  We watched several of my favorite Halloween shows, including Disney's Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Halloween Tree, The Good Witch and a few others.  We had lots of autumn breakfasts filled with pumpkin donuts and pumpkin coffee.  We got to do a small 'Corn Maze' and do some small scale 'Punkin' Chunkin' too! 

AND....for the first time in a while, I was actually able to carve my own pumpkin this year!  In years past, we always have a big Pumpkin Carving Party which means I am working my butt off attending to the needs of all the party guests.  And as such, I am unable to sit down and actually enjoy the festivities myself.  That's the burden I choose to bare as the Official Halloween Cheer-Meister in my area.  And with the kids' new school schedule, and the relentless onslaught of our daughter's Fall Volleyball schedule, we have been unable to host a big party for the last two years.  The high school actually scheduled all the Homecoming activities for the last week before Halloween this year, with a Saturday night Homecoming Dance on the night we usually have our party.  CURSE THEM!  And of course our daughter wanted to go, which made a big party impossible!  (Have I mentioned how incredibly distraught I am over the havoc the school continues to wreak on my month long Halloween Celebration?!)  So there was no party of course, but there were a few days left before Halloween.    And the weather here was quite chilly and autumn perfect, so we made hot Potato Bacon Cheese soup and carved our Pumpkins...just the 4 of us!  So I actually got to get my hands down in the pumpkin guts and carve that baby myself, which was a complete joy for me!  I sprinkled their lids with cinnamon, brought them all inside, and lit them up to add to the ambience.  Here they are...nothing spectacular, but it sure was fun!  (There are only 3 because my husband just helped us with the hard parts that we didn't want to do...ha!)

And finally, All Hallow's Eve was upon us....WAY too quickly, but it arrived at last.  We had 14 family members over to the house.  The weather was fantastic this year and was cool enough for Chili and cornbread muffins.  We had pumpkin chocolate chip bread, spiced cider, ghost cupcakes, and smores. The kids were decked out as zombies and a witch doctor.  The Golf Cart got a few new additions this year....notably, one of my Skeleton crew decided to hitch a ride on the roof....yes, beware of hitchhiking ghosts skeletons!  And he was quite the talk of the busy streets.  We even had people taking pictures of us which was a little disconcerting...ha!

Also we were told, that next to the Haunted House, we were the best house in the area and people were stopping to take photos of themselves and their kids in front of our Graveyard, Man-eating Spider and Lord of the Harvest Scarecrow.  So that fills my wicked lil' heart with much happiness and makes it all worth it!  :o)

We live in the back of the neighborhood.  And what's so magical about our little area is that the day before Halloween you'll see very little stuff in any of the yards (except ours), and the streets are empty except for the kids who live back here. Sometimes I even wonder to myself if this is the year that no one will show up or bother with Halloween.  But it never fails....a Magical Halloween Wind blows in overnight and come 7:00 pm on All Hallow's Eve, this place has mysteriously transformed into Halloween Central.  I am SO LUCKY to live right here.  And I'm not talking about just our neighborhood as a whole, which is really huge....but back in our section, where the night really comes alive...or DEAD!.  Yes, THIS is where the Magic Happens!!!  I've said it a bunch, but my neighbors never disappoint.  And our area's reputation has grown so big, that we now have city police posting no parking signs on the grass down the main entrance into our 'hood'!  

Yes, they come from far and wide.  Masses of people....the 'nubile young', the 'roudy raunchy teens' and the 'older than dirt' alike!  They come in by car, foot, bike, tractors, hayrides and this year....even a BUS!  I kid you not, a small bus towing a hay wagon filled with people behind it....showed up to trick or treat.  Part of the draw is that SO many houses decorate and give out good candy.  Part of the draw is the throngs of costumed revelers themselves, and then part of the draw is the house on the last street, that puts on a REALLY GREAT small scale Haunted House, with props and costumed characters to rival Universal.  In fact, I'm pretty sure they must have ties to somewhere...cause those props cannot be found at the Spirit stores.  They do tons of lighting, music and fog out front, and the scares start in the yard and go through the downstairs of the house and back out.  I LOVE THOSE PEOPLE!  They are my heros!  It is SO MUCH work, and they do it without fail every year, and it's all free!  They let masses of complete strangers into their home...(I'd never do that...uh uh, no way!)  And they do it all for the love of Halloween!  And because they do....I LOVE THEM!  

And can you believe, that we don't even know them personally?  I have no idea who they are. They live right around the corner; so you'd think I'd go over and introduce myself to them.  But I choose not to know them, because I prefer the mystery of it all.  I like how it's a regular house of people the rest of the year, but on Halloween Night, and ONLY Halloween Night....it magically transforms into a Haunted House!  So I choose to let them remain a mystery to me.  And this year, as we went through the house, they actually got me pretty good....someone came from behind, and scared me so, that I screamed out loud and almost mowed down the kids trying to get out the door....ha!  :o)

So as I reflect on this past Halloween, I am torn by the emotions I've felt.  Unhappiness at nothing working out like I'd planned....tempered and soothed by the sheer joy of the night itself, which was nothing short of Spooktacular as always.  And in the end, I guess Halloween Night itself does trump everything else when it is as perfect as it was.  So with that, I will end this excruciatingly long post that was admittedly done to help me reconcile my mixed feelings about my favorite month of the year.  I do hope everyone had a most Magical Halloween, thanks for letting me share mine with you! :o)   
(All images © Wendy Amdahl (all rights reserved)

It's Beginning to Look a Little Like Halloween!

It's Beginning to look a lot little like Hallowe'en!

Hello Hello....not sure who is still haunting the halls over here in Halloween Town, as I've been MIA for most of this year so far. I've certainly missed reading about all things spooky and ookie, but it's been a busy year for me. I thought I'd attempt to make a post here and there along the way, but time kept on "tickin', tickin', tickin', into the future".....so I figured I should just wait until Autumn was a little closer so that I could write, out of 'anticipation and excitement' once again.

Garden Ridge

Garden Ridge

It's hotter than Hades here in the Sunshine State, so it's hard to believe that Autumn is just around the bend. In fact, there are already Autumn and Halloween items slowly creeping their way into area stores here, like Michael's, JoAnnes, The Dollar Store and Garden Ridge.

And I am well aware that the ever-earlier and earlier creep of Halloween merchandise into stores is a 'bone' of contention for some...but I try never to look a headless gift-horse in the mouth.

However, I must complain loudly about Hobby Lobby having their entire Christmas section up while only having a few Autumn rows, and NO HALLOWEEN at all! A full Christmas section in JULY?! With no Halloween to be had? That's just downright dastardly if you ask me!

Hobby Lobby

Anyway, I have missed everyone here so much. Time just flies by at warp speed lately it seems, and I never have enough time to do all that I'd like to do. But, I hope everyone is starting to feel a little spark of electricity in the air as the first signs of the season begin to emerge. I know I always thrill to my first Halloween sightings....even when they are in July, because it is that gradual buildup, and weekly trips to the stores to see what is new that I enjoy so much. In fact, I also found my very first Autumn Magazine at Target too....
Phyllis Hoffman Celebrate Autumn!
So I will be making an effort to sweep the dust off of my doorstep, and clear the cobwebs out of my cauldron, so I can get back into the swing of things here in Halloween Town, and I look forward to checking in on everyone's blog to see what I've missed! :o)

The Sign of Death & Doom

Is this a sign that the end is nigh?
Does it warn of an impending Zombie Apocalypse?

No, but it is about as cool as it can possibly be, don't you think?! These are the new traffic signs that were being installed in New York city last spring. (You just gotta admire a city with a twisted sense of humor like this!) Apparently you see a regular 'living' pedestrian as long as you keep your car below 30 mph. But accelerate above that threshold, and you will receive the 'Traffic Sign of Death & Doom'! This is just a gentle yet grim little reminder that speeding can ultimately lead to the demise of yourself or others! Mayor Bloomberg feels that these new 'graphic graphics' will help 'drive' the message home...(no pun intended............well okay, maybe it was.)

Not fair...why does New York always get all the cool stuff? So do you think this will work to keep those surly New Yorkers in check? Will they suddenly begin to care about mowing down pedestrians in the street, when there is no evidence that they ever have before? (No disrespect here towards NY...I love the place, but the drivers can be ruthless.) I guess only time will tell. As for me....I have to just come clean here and say, right or wrong, that this would only serve as utter temptation for me, because I would SO go over the speed limit every time, just to see the little skeleton!
And you know that most of you would too!

Happy New Year

Well HELLO my spooky friends! And a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all! Oh how I've missed you while I've been away. As you may recall from my last post on 11/11/11....I was awaiting transport from my mother ship to return me to the planet from whence I was spawned, and said celestial excursion was to have unfolded at precisely 11:11 pm. And as you can surmise, I have henceforth returned to this great green orb you all call home, to enlighten you to the myriad of wonders in the worlds beyond. And to deliver to you the mucho elusive 'meaning of life'!

Sadly....my transport into the crevices of outer space never transpired. Nope....11:11 came and went with not so much as a single 'bat signal' from my mother planet. Zippo, zilch.....nada! Quite frankly the date itself was SO uneventful, that I could not even bring myself to crawl onto my blog and confess that I'm still stuck on this 'bat-shit' crazy planet with the rest of you. I just hoped for more, ya know?

But alas, I've been left with nothing to look forward to now. Unless of course you want to count that Dec. 2012 Mayan Calendar DOOMSDAY thingy, and the end of the world as we know it! But honestly....who, but only the most miserably downtrodden and morose of us, would really be looking forward to a date like THAT?!!!

So, it looks like it's back to the same ole', same ole' grind of life as I knew it. And the only good thing I can say, is that with the dawning of a new year, comes the renewed sense of anticipation and optimism that comes with counting down the months to Hallowe'en once again. So now that I've gotten those other pesky year ending holidays out of the way....I am looking forward to kickin' around Halloweentown with you guys and ghouls.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season....whichever holidays you chose to celebrate! Looking forward to the New Year ahead!

Oh, and I also wanted to share the most bizarre strory to hit Hollywood in a while, in case you haven't been watching the news coverage. You're not gonna believe it, but apparently Beyoncé sought the services of a 'Witch' in her not too distant past, and as we all know....magic ALWAYS comes with a price! Looks like it's time for the new mother songstress to pay up! Watch the video below for all the juicy details! ;o)



Blue Ivy Taken By Evil Witch Who Gave Beyoncé Her Beautiful Singing Voice

Festival of the Dead

"From my rotting body, flowers shall grow
and I am in them and that is eternity."
~Edvard Munch

I plan to do a wrap up post of the Hallowe'en festivities in the next few days. And I still haven't gotten around to everyone to wish them a Happy Hallowe'en (which will now be belated). But today and tomorrow is Dia de los Muertos so I thought I'd take this opportunity to honor the days that honor the dead! I realize some folks might consider this a strange holiday or custom, but I am just in love with the whole idea of it. To me, those who die are never dead. I feel they are always still here with me as long as I continue to think of them, dream of them and remember them in my daily life. I don't want my Father to be forgotten just because he is no longer on earth with us. I want my kids to think of him just as fondly as they do those grandparents who are still here. So we reference the funny things he did when something reminds us of him, or the way he chose to discipline versus the way we do. We remind them of times he spent with them to keep his spirit close at hand, and never far from our hearts and minds. Just because someone is gone, doesn't mean you quit loving them or remembering them and it really shouldn't in my opinion.I like to think that the lives of the loved ones we've loved and lost are worth far more than to just be erased from our memories because we no longer see them on a daily basis. So the custom of celebrating the life and death of those who've passed seems a very natural thing to me. And couple that with the fact that I really do love graveyards and color and flowers and skulls and music......and it just seems a perfect thing to celebrate. I've often said that I don't want my funeral to be some sad, morose affair where a preacher threatens my friends and family members with fire and brimstone. But rather I'd love for them to have a party in my honor....pick a theme and celebrate and share all the funny stories of the odd and strange girl that I was. Poke fun at the quirky things I did that made me...me! And above all, be happy that I am at rest from the cold cruel reality of the mortal world. In fact, a Dia de los Muertos celebration in my honor might be a fun idea for my funeral. And as a spirit....I just know I'd be right there with them having the time of my life death!
I've never been fortunate enough to attend a Dia de los Muertos celebration before, although I'd absolutely love to. In fact, I'm not really sure we even have them here in central Florida. I know they are big out in California, and I'd love to attend one someday. Not sure if it is acceptable to encroach on another family's honoring of their deceased however, but I'd love to join them in honoring their relatives if they didn't mind an extra person. To me there is just something warming about the colors and the art of the festival...that takes the pain and sadness out of death. So today I'd like to honor my own group of friends and family who've passed on, and celebrate The Festival of the Dead!All Art and Photos © 2011 Wendy A. (All Rights Reserved)

The Veils Grow Thin on All Hallow's Eve!

HAPPY HALLOWE'EN / SAMHAIN!“The Bat that flits at close of Eve
Has left the Brain that won't believe.
The Owl that calls upon the Night
Speaks the Unbeliever's fright."

~ William Blake

"Hark! Hark to the wind! 'Tis the night, they say,
When all souls come back from the far away-
The dead, forgotten this many a day!"

~ Virna Sheard

I heard a whisper whispering.

I heard a whisper whispering,

Upon this fine fall day...

As I went out walking this fall afternoon,

I heard a laugh a'laughing.

I heard a laugh a'laughing,

Upon this fine fall day...

I heard this whisper and I wondered,

I heard this laugh and then I knew.

The time is getting near my friends,

The time that I hold dear my friends,

The veil is getting thin my friends,

And strange things will pass through.

(Author unknown)

"Shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen,
Voices whisper in the trees, "Tonight is Halloween!"

~ Dexter Kozen

The Old Graveyard

By: Kurtis Primm

There is an old graveyard

I always walk by

Where others before me

Have died and now lie.

And when I walk by it

It gives me the creeps

To know that one day

It’s there that I’ll sleep.

Sometimes I see shadows

And I often hear sounds

Could it be coming from those

Buried deep underground?

I walked past one evening

It was quite late at night

I could see them there standing

A trick of the light?

I saw one approach

With it’s pale outstretched hand

And it beckoned to join it

So I turned and I ran.

Now I’ll never walk past

That old graveyard again

Cause I’m scared

I may never be heard from again.

The old graveyard’s still there

And I know in my mind

That the dead are there waiting

Just biding their time.

So if you walk past

And you hear the wind moan

It may not be the wind

But them calling you home.

Tis' Hallowe'en once again and I am a busy lil' witch preparing for all the evenings festivities. It has been raining all night and all morning, but the sun is now shining through and cold air is moving in. We will begin preparing the hot soup and bread, chips and dips, pumpkin bread and cookies, cupcakes and spiced apple cider. Friends and family will be here soon, and the house will be a buzz with activity as excited children (and even more excited Wendy) get dressed and ready to shuffle into the moonlit night breeze to get our fill of Trick or Treat!

Thank you all for joining me in the Countdown to Hallowe'en this year. You guys are what really make this season and this holiday such a treat for me. I'm very grateful to be able to share my time with other Autumn People and Hallowe'en Heads who love it as much as I do! May you all have a Magical All Hallow's Eve filled with scares and candy and fun! :o)

All Photos © 2011 Wendy A. (All Rights Reserved)