It's Bill, 10/25/26: Spidoween
Debbie Decorates
Debbie Decorates should probably be the title of this blog. Debbie decorates for holidays and birthdays. Of course, she weaves this in with clamming, tipping for wreaths, gardening, and running a farm household. She also is an artist, painting local landscapes and crows. I think she has the most fun making life-size mermaid sculptures. It seems like there is always a mermaid in progress. She makes her mermaids from found objects, typically from beachcombing in front of her farmhouse. Debbie sells her art in local shops.
Getting Ready for Halloween
Deb starts decorating for Halloween before the end of September. There are 2 parties, the first for her granddaughter, Harper, for Harper’s 3rd grade class. The 25+ third graders’ Halloween party is Saturday, the week before Halloween. On Halloween, us big kids have our own spooky, fun-filled Halloween night. Decorating for both parties, Debbie has been the hostess for over 25 years.
The spooky decorations are all over, both inside and outside. Deb agrees with me there are over 2 dozen spiders! And accompanying webs. When asked about spiders, Deb confessed she doesn’t like spiders! So there. Outside, there are pumpkins, cornstalks, mums. Deb’s husband, Paul, has already set up the Haunted Walk, which goes about 1/4 mile uphill, past the pond, to the top of the pasture. And back downhill. Starting just after dark, Harper and her classmates start the walk with skeletons jumping out, ghosts appearing, werewolves howling, a monster emerging from the pond, chainsaws starting, tractors backfiring. The kids are yelling and running around.
More than two dozen spiders, and Debbie doesn’t even like them!
Halloween Games and Festivities
Harper is the hostess, greeting her guests. A number on their hand to draw for a door prize. They also get to paint a paper plate to wear on their head. Everyone is in costume. The kids run around the front lawn, blowing off steam. Later, each guest guesses how many pieces of candy are in the jar. Best guesser takes all.
The children play Pass the Pumpkin, Wrap the Mummy, a bean bag toss into a pumpkin. There is music, dancing, merriment. They play “Musical Chairs.” We all remember scuffling quickly to get a seat, always fun!
Of course, there are loads of sweet Halloween goodies spread out on the farm table in the kitchen. Door prize numbers are called near the end. The last game is Bobbing for Apples. They all go home wet! It’s three hours of chaos. And fun for all.
Pumpkins, ghosts, skeletons, and spooky surprises at Debbie’s farmhouse.
Halloween Fun for the Adults
Adults have their fun, too. Counting family and friends, there are more than 15 adults helping with the Haunted Walk and Halloween games. For the adults, this is just a youthful run-through of the actual Halloween party at Deb’s on Halloween night. We’ll be there, smiling in costume!
I just had a nostalgic Halloween memory. In October of ’94, just after my 1st divorce, I was driving my red Tacoma around with my 2 new, orange tiger kittens, Trick and Treat.
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