October 31: Fall Migration, Great Pumpkin, My Nobel Prize

In autumn the winding passage of ravens from the north heralds the great fall migration of caribou . . . 

The passage of ravens.  The great fall migration of caribou.  Autumn.

This morning, I heard a great flock of geese above me, loud as city traffic.  Honking and honking.  Heading away from winter, toward something warmer, something summer.  Perfect music for the beginning of Halloween.

It is late.  I have just returned from the great migration of trick-or-treating.  Both of my kids are in bed, and I am surrounded by plastic pumpkins filled with Milky Ways and Twix bars and boxes of Dots.  I am watching an episode of the new season of American Horror Story.  Believe it or not, I've never watched the show before.  It's a good way to end a windy, dark Halloween night.

The Great Pumpkin has come and gone.  It is time now to slip into November and Thanksgiving.  December is right around the corner, and Bob Dylan will be traveling to Sweden to receive my Nobel Prize.

Saint Marty wishes everybody a Happy Halloween.

October 22: White Halloween

I'm sitting in my living room right now, watching the end of the movie White Christmas.  Bing Crosby.  Rosemary Clooney.  Snow.  Irving Berlin.  There's nothing better.

I haven't gone out of my head.  I watch Christmas movies all year long.  I chose this film because it snowed this morning.  A lot.  It's still freezing outside.  The last time I checked, it was still raining white.  It looks like we're headed for another White Halloween in the Upper Peninsula.  That's not unusual.  Last year, we got a full-on storm on All Hallow's Eve.  Several inches.

Since my daughter was born, there has been exactly one Halloween that was warm and beautiful.  The rest have been Bing Crosby holidays.

Saint Marty's pretty sure Bing is going to be caroling in the Great Pumpkin this year.

Hot chocolate anyone?  It goes great with pumpkin carving.