Octoberfest

Since October 31st fell on a Wednesday this year, all the churches in the ministerial alliance held a "fun night" at the fair grounds. There was a concert for the older kids and a games and candy room for the younger ones. I ran the glinko table and awarded everyone with candy whenever they played. They could play as many times as they wanted to, and were assured a prize of at least one piece each time they played. Since they could win up to nine pieces, depending which number their glinky disc landed on, it was a win-win-win situation...unless you count the money their parents would later spend at the dentist.







We had the usual array of costumes--graspy little skeletons and punk cats.












These ninjas and yodeling princess (who assured me that she wasn't a princess, but a ninja in disguise) had to get in character for their picture. I decided that the red-eyes should definitely be left in this one.

There were cute little pumpkins being carried around by proud mamas.

Gracious pirates politely requesting candy with hopeful eyes,

Waddling ducks,

Green-haired dragons,

Ethereal Garden fairies with scarlet eyes,

...and a baby peering anxiously out of the mouth of a Saint Bernard.

Oz Creatures were just waiting for Dorothy's house to fall on them.

















A teeny gnome, somehow escaped from the garden, was running around with a pacifier in her baby mouth.














I wasn't sure if this child was supposed to be a leopard...or a stuffed quail. Her metaphors were mixed, but her pony tails really cute.

I really admired this costume, because it was obviously a hand-crafted one...yet every bit as impressive as those bought off the rack.
The angry rooster doesn't seem to mind his boa feathers or the elaborate comb head dress. What really amazed me were the yellow chicken feet dangling from his mother's arms.

A peering pumpkin...

...Peter Pan

 and a determined nuclear super man
















Matching bandanas; beards the same size.




















And old men telling stories as they supervise.

Is That Scary Enough?

My daughter told me today that she is having trouble deciding how to make a Halloween costume for Zaya. He is determined to be something scary this year, but doesn't want any of the costumes they sell in stores, preferring to come up with his own ideas.

The first one was an ebola virus. Carina told him that was simply too scary and would stun anyone who answered their door.

So he thought a while longer and came up with another: A shigella bacteria. She told him that would just be too hard to explain without using the word diarrhea and might put people off, so why couldn't he choose something that wasn't disease causing?

He thought about it and said he'd be a black hole in space. She explained that, while the idea was creative without being repulsive, she didn't think she could make a costume out of negative space, so couldn't he think of something scary that was humanoid enough to fit a boy.

He did. Now he wants to be an IRS auditor. I voted for that one. He'll have to do some explaining, I know, but at least the costume will be easy.