Mounds and mounds of crunchy, spicy leaves

Well, that's what I would call this post if we lived somewhere with more leafy trees. As it is, we crunch/track in the house mounds and mounds of pine needles. Have I ever said how much I love fall? I do. I truly do. The feeling in the air-- that barely there bite that grows into a huge chomp out of the thermostat by the end of October. The smells too. In New England there was a spicy smell from all of the decaying leaves. In Idaho, there's the smell of harvest and the turning over of dirt to plant new crops. Here, the mountain smells get stronger and earthier. I think I love the fall here even more than anywhere else because I've learned to appreciate the few wonderful, heavenly days of perfect temperatures, blue skies, and the joy of more than one child in school.
Now, let's add Halloween in the mix and the world is perfect! Blah, blah... all the bad things about celebrating a pagan holiday in costumes of poor taste. Hooray! Dressing up! Free candy (i.e. not free, merely trading stashes with everyone in the neighborhood)! Spooky decorations! Carving pumpkins and baking the seeds! Murder Parties! Glazed doughnuts! Caramel Apples! Ghosting all of the neighbors! Seriously! What's not to love about this time of year and Halloween?!
Here's our favorite Halloween carol that we sing all year long:
(the website for the music-- the song is "This is Halloween": http://library.thinkquest.org/J0111082/html/Activities/Witchessailing.html
Witches sailing through the sky
On their broom sticks way up high
Black cats howl as they go by
For this is Halloween!

Jack o' lanterns big and round
On each gate post can be found
Ghosts and goblins all around
For this is Halloween!

Ooo-ooh, Ooo-ooh! This is Halloween!
Ooo-ooh, Ooo-ooh! This is Halloween!

Let us borrow an old sheet
Make a costume nice and neat
And go walking down the street
For this is Halloween!

To the windows we will creep
With our ugly faces peep
Scare the folks who are half asleep
For this is Halloween!

Ooo-ooh, Ooo-ooh! This is Halloween!
Ooo-ooh, Ooo-ooh! This is Halloween!
BOO!

Last year we found another one about "Oh my Darlin' Frankenstein". I need to find the words again, because it was a favorite. Our favorite book is "Fright Night Flight". I found it when Morgan was a baby and it never gets old. At one point I read it so often (with the voices) that I had it memorized and could "read" it on command. Ah, the little gray cells, they are much diminished.