Indian Summer?

My husband left me!

Well, sort of anyway. He went hunting for the weekend and will be back on Monday. Unfortunately he didn't get a buck or elk license this year but goes for moral support and cooking and just to be part of it.

Hightailing it for the hills

All of my family has hunted for many years and in fact the place they are hunting at right now is where my Dad and his Dad and brother's have hunted continuously for almost 50 years. I used to hunt but of course I can't now so I'm glad my husband get's to go and hang out with the other guys.
Our family has always used the buddy system so no one has to go up hunting by themselves. The unlicensed people go with the rest for fun and for safety. It has been used for good several times when someone has been injured or has become sick.
Several years ago, my husband and my dad were hiking along the hills when Dad became very tired and lethargic. His limbs were heavy and he just couldn't go on. His lips and hands began to feel numb and tingly too. He was about 70 at the time and is like a mountain goat when it comes to hiking in the hills but this time he was in trouble. My husband left him on the hill and hightailed it back to camp for the truck. He picked Dad up shortly near the trail where Dad managed to climb down to and waited on a rock. Rick and my brother's loaded up camp double time and headed back to town with Dad.
He has had 2 previous heart attacks and has some stints in his artery's so they were worried it was his heart. When they got back to town and got him checked out they eventually found out it was a reaction to a new medication the doctor gave him just before leaving for hunting. Once he quit taking it he cleared up in a day or so thankfully.
Dad is 76 this year and doing quite well and is having a great time. This morning he was the only one that got lined up with a buck and he almost got a five point. (In Colorado when we say a 5 point, we mean the buck had 5 points on each side, not altogether).

Now for the holiday of the month. Halloween!

What a beautiful Halloween we all had in Colorado. The weather was perfect and I looked forward to having kids come by for treats knowing that they weren't freezing or bundled up in coats and gloves over their costumes. It was great to have all of our grandkids come by for something special from Grandma and Grandpa. I even took the time to make a bunch of homemade popcorn balls and some caramel covered apples for them.

I took some cute pictures of them here.
Our cute little witches??






A Bear, A Mermaid, and a Dragon

Maybe Pete's Dragon? Big sister's little bear!

Amber made Mariah's little Mermaid costume last year and she wanted to wear it again. She makes a great mermaid.

A baby bear or an

opposum?

My little Mermaid

Little Bear meets Bully Dog

Grandma's little bear








I was a little surprised that we didn't have more trick or treaters come by, not even the teenagers that invariably come looking for something sweet. Even with good weather I guess most kids go to family or friends parties or go to the spook houses that are so much fun. I loaded all the kids down with a toy, a handful of candy and a home made popcorn ball on a stick.
One of the scary items I had for kids to feel in a pot!


For the older kids and preteens I had a pot inside of a black bag. Inside were some items that felt like eyeballs, liver, and a brain. they loved it and I supplied hand wipes for clean up. I think most kids like to be grossed out and maybe even a tiny bit scared, which is what makes Halloween so fun. I don't believe that having fun in this way is somehow going to bring evil into a childs mind. I always did however forbid my kids to wear witchy or devil type costumes and had them choose fun or funny costumes. We usually made them up at home anyway.

I guess every holiday has changed alot over the years and even Christmas, Hannakah or whatever holiday we each celebrate isn't quite the same anymore. The holidays have become so commercial that the real reason for it is almost lost. It becomes each families choice on how their kids view them and how they celebrate them.

For Christmas each year we usually baked a birthday cake for Jesus (as well as one for my brother who was born on Christmas Eve, poor guy). The manger scene and the story of Jesus birth was read when they were young too. We enjoyed the fun parts too with Santa and all the gifts to each other. Every Holiday is so much more fun and rich and enjoyable when kids are part of it. Their innocence and excitement and exuberance just spills over and infects everyone around them.

I really miss that, especially on Christmas morning. It's only benn a couple of years since I haven't had a child waking up on Christmas morning to the wonder and excitement of the day. It's just not the same at home and that's exactly where my grandchildren come in. We are lucky enough to be able to share in some little way with them through the holidays, even if it's not that particular day. I guess my ideals comes from my past, growing up in a large family and raising a large family.

I think it's interesting to learn about other people's traditions at the holiday's and I hope to read about your's soon.

The best gift in life is life! So..share it!