Monday 29 October 2012

Hanging On A String In Our World

HALLOW'S EVE is soon upon us and ghoulish scenes mingling with images of autumn have crept into our West Coast lives.

This is the season of fields sprouting pumpkins and pumpkin paths. The orange melons rest like bloated balloons on haystacks and overflow the huge boxes that house them at stores where they are sold.

A type of squash that seems like a vegetable but isn't, the fruit spills out onto the streets and into our homes. As a child I loved the fun of carving pumpkins and eating the delicious salted seeds my mom roasted in the oven as a treat.

Halloween has grown like pumpkins in popularity perhaps because it gives people a reason to get creative. There is a range of costumes to check out, from sweet to sinister, at my earlier post here. A Halloween event would not be complete without characters like the Grim Reaper, a harvester of souls.

Fascination with faux danger and hints at our demise are fostered early. The Grim Reaper's skeletal hand waved a realistic scythe at kid's on a ride at the local garden centre recently.

A gigantic spider also lurked on the train with toddlers inside. Since humans seem to innately fear spiders, lookalikes of the creepy creatures appear in odd places this time of year.

I sometimes wonder ... why do we fabricate frightening images when there is plenty of real horror to see in the world? Homes that are normally cheery like this one at Crescent Beach ...

get into the Halloween spirit with decorations that are comically eerie.

Many people have at least one grouchy hollowed out pumpkin with a candle inside called Jack-O-Lantern sitting on their doorstep.

Some lawns are littered with skeletons ...

and headstones.

It is not uncommon to see bats, witches and goblins swaying on tree branches.

Someone is peering out the window of this home. Is he crying for help to get out or waiting to pounce on someone who goes in?

This leggy spider draped over the mailbox seemed to wink as I walked by.

A real spider looking for warmth dangled outside my own window.

A small chill crawled up my spine when the flash went off on my camera and transformed the spider into a fuzzy ghost in front of my eyes.

Life seems to hang on a delicate string sometimes. As I conclude this post my thoughts are with the people that were shaken on Saturday by a 7.7 earthquake in Haida Gwaii in the northwest coast of BC as well the people hurt by a hurricane now threatening the east coast.

As children plan to go trick-or-treating on Wednesday night, it is not the little ghosts but a monster storm named Sandy that is howling through towns giving people much more than a fantasy fright.

To explore sights from around the globe, link to Our World at the sidebar.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

See more BC scenes at Penelope Puddlisms: BC Life Is A Whale Of A Ride.

Monday 8 October 2012

A Half-Full Thanksgiving

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” - William Arthur Ward

A PRETTY TABLE SET to stimulate the appetite in a room rippling with occasional laughter is not a big event but something I truly did appreciate this Thanksgiving holiday. One day has been designated to remind folks to be grateful in a world that has its equal share of joy and sadness. It is odd, though, how it is often easier to express a complaint.

I sometimes wonder ... is there enough good news being spread around kitchen tables and a focus on the glass being half full instead of empty? Perhaps the things I take for granted are the very things I need to say thank you for and acknowledge more. According to author William Arthur Ward, “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”

To explore sights from around the globe, link to Our World at the sidebar.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

See more BC scenes at Penelope Puddlisms: BC Life Is A Whale Of A Ride.

Monday 1 October 2012

Getting Sand In My Shoes To Send A Message

UNBEKNOWNST to Bill I wrote a message in the sand at Crescent Beach on behalf of those who wish him well. After all, what new gadget can a wife get her husband on his birthday after over thirty years? I plan to surprise him later with this picture I posted. Even though it didn't cost a penny or come gift-wrapped, I hope he likes it and sees that my heart is in the right place.

To explore sights from around the globe, link to Our World at the sidebar.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

See more BC scenes at Penelope Puddlisms: BC Life Is A Whale Of A Ride.