Day Two Hundred and Twenty-One, October 25, 2020

Health: Currently eating pumpkin pie for breakfast.

We are not decorators. Of any type, but especially of Halloween type. We live in the Deep Woods and therefore have never been graced by trick-or-treaters and have always had to travel miles to perform the ritual of trick-or-treating ourselves, and so our house has always Remained Just Itself during the Halloween season. We are not even sure when we last carved a pumpkin.

Not This Year, Dammit.

Feeling a bit separated from the world and its joys yesterday, we ventured to Western Lebanon, ourselves and two of the offspring, and managed to overshop in such a way that really did Improve Our Moods. We bought enough decorations to at least partially fill the holes in our souls and when the rains did clear, we worked for hours to create a Haunted Trail in the old horse field. Luckily, we were hosting a socially distanced campfire in the evening, and there would be people present to frighten.

And frightened, they were. Despite the slight misunderstanding between actor and narrator that resulted in a dearth of jump scares.

And after the adults had had their fill of Practical Fright and reverted to their usual Existential Fright, the youngers kept on with the pretense of fear, hiding and seeking in the long grass and bouncing on the trampoline and attempting professional moves on the direly unprofessional half pipe in the old horse barn. And nothing clears the heart of despair than the sound of kids Laughing in the Dark.

“Remember New Year’s” said our neighbor at one point. “Remember the fire you had then and we all burned our regrets? I think about that fire sometimes. About how we had no idea what was coming.”

“Huh,” we answered. “Could be we need to try something different this year.”

May we all keep laughing in the dark this winter.

Friends, patriots, citizens of the globe, we wish you well. Be healthy, be safe.

And Much Love to all.

Sincerely,

A mere countrywoman