Halloween, Halloween, this is Halloween. All hail the pumpkin king!
Come little children, it’s time to play
We D’Agostinos love Halloween! It is hands down our favorite holiday. We had such fun creating magick in our little plot at 201 Miles. T made a witch’s castle one year as a surprise for us all. And a graveyard complete with wooden headstones and campy sayings. Ghosties swung from the trees, wooden characters made by my Dad stood guard. In the side yard, our towering scarecrow sported a necklace of orange lights and creepy satin green hair. She would billow with the wind, face in a permanent twisted screaming grin.
Waiting for tiny visitors…
Our giant Evil Clown terrorized the neighbors from the peak of our dining room roof. We had loads of pumpkins scattered throughout the yard, some with goofy grins and others with menacing faces, casting a yellow glow beckoning you to come hither. T would play spooky music during the trick or treat hours. We loved watching the little squirts wander down our street in their getups, spy our yard and come sprinting to see it close up.
Girl, our fairy princess!
One year, I decided my little brown dog Girl would fulfill her love of all things pink and join us trick or treating. Girl was my alter ego ( her temperament a mix between Glinda the Good Witch and Carol Kane’s Ghost of Christmas Present from Scrooged.) This little ottoman-shaped pooch was a delightful mix of sass, melting brown eyes and deep abiding love. She was no doubt my angel sent to care for my heart during the difficult months of my parents passing. If I close my eyes I can see her still, in her divine pink costume, tail wagging causing her tutu to sashay as she bounded up the steps to the neighbors’ houses. Her fairy princess hat twinkled with silver stars and her feathered wings glistened with tiny pink pearls. Her treats were the grins, laughs and pats from adoring humans who were powerless to resist her insouciant charm. Girl made you happy. Plain and simple.
This Halloween begins a new tradition. T and I will be heading to the catacombs where Edgar Allen Poe is interred. It’s the only night of the year visitors can wander the underground tunnels of the Westminster Hall and Burying Grounds. It will be magical and exciting to share something new with our adopted town.
Yet, I confess, tonight, a little part of my spirit will be strolling the dark special street where our hearts rejoiced, and a little brown dog delighted us all. 
Happy Halloween all!
