Happy Howl-oween’s Eve. Today is Monday and the snow that blanketed the Ranch has moved out (with apologies to folks who will experience the first visit from ole Man Winter). We were greeted with clear blue skies and 11ºF/-12ºC degrees and optimism for warmer temps today. Elsa greeted the morning with a sniff of the air and a very quick squat. No point dallying obviously. Despite the cold, the clear blue skies left us feeling excited for the week where temps will reach between 40ºF to mid-50’s (4ºC to 14ºC) and possible even reach the low 60’sF (16ºC) toward the end of the week. All I can say is, yes, please. This blast of Arctic cold came a bit too soon for me, though with Halloween this week, not untypical.
And in the spirit of Halloween (or Howl-oween), today is a nod to this annual holiday. Do you know how Halloween came about? According to the Tai Chi Foundation, I found this interesting article by Seán O’Neill (Lic. Ac.) explaining its origins:
“…a celebration observed in many countries on the 31st of October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows’ Day. It begins the three-day observance of Allhallowtide, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed.
It is widely believed that many Halloween traditions originated from ancient Celtic harvest festivals, particularly the Gaelic festival Samhain. Samhain marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter or the “darker half” of the year. Traditionally, it is celebrated from 31 October to 1 November, as the Celtic day began and ended at sunset. This is about halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. Samhain was seen as a liminal time, when the boundary between this world and the Otherworld could more easily be crossed. This meant the Aos Sí, the ‘spirits’ or ‘fairies’, could more easily come into our world. The tradition of dressing up is believed to have been a way of imitating, and disguising oneself from, the Aos Sí who some believed could take you back with them to their world. If they saw you looking like a spirit or deceased being they would ignore you as a potential candidate for bringing back with them.
However you feel about these things, we wish you a day filled with only good Aos Si who are kind and benevolent and who don’t get carried away with the pumpkin spice. Have fun this week and join us tomorrow where Elsa actually might dip her paws in the costume pool. Stay warm!
Live, love, bark! 🐾
The Day of the Dead (el Día de los Muertos), is a Mexican holiday where families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drink and celebration. A blend of Mesoamerican ritual, European religion and Spanish culture, the holiday is celebrated each year from October 31- November 2. While October 31 is Halloween, November 1 is “el Dia de los Inocentes,” or the day of the children, and All Saints Day. November 2 is All Souls Day or the Day of the Dead. According to tradition, the gates of heaven are opened at midnight on October 31 and the spirits of children can rejoin their families for 24 hours. The spirits of adults can do the same on November 2.
I love Halloween and I miss it already!
Pumpkin spice fragrance? Hahaha! But umm . . . I bet you they make it!
No doubt, every year there seems to more and more products that have been pumpkin spiced. 🙄
Ain’t that the truth.
When you have pumpkin spice scented trash bags and body wash, you KNOW they have jumped the shark.
Argh…ain’t that the truth?!
Ugh.
Today is Halloween and we got snow! Mom and all of us hounds love winter. It is our favorite time of the year. The snow will melt later today, but it has been fun this morning. The first one of the season is the most exciting.
The first one is always the best! Enjoy it as much as you can before it melts. And Happy Howl-oween!
Howl-O-Ween is a rather weird holiday for sure but I can remember how incredibly excited my brother and I would get figuring out our costumes and ringing doorbells to score treats. The last few years we’ve had very few trick or treaters but I do love seeing their costumes and happy little faces……..Teddy hates the sound of the doorbell so he will be hiding….and watching! Happy Halloween!
Hugs, Pam
It is a rather bizarre celebration which is probably what contributed to its mass commercialization. As a kid, I too fondly remember going from neighbor to neighbor and trying to perform an actual trick for the treat. We all laughed and it was in good fun.
I have those kind of memories too – My Mom was in charge of costuming us and I remember one year she was very late in putting one together for me and she made me wear a sheet with two eye holes cut out. I felt cheated somehow! LOL
👻 I think that’s creative and clever!
Hope you get a lot of treats for Halloween. XO
Thank you. The best treat would be few trick-or-treaters so as not to upset Elsa when the doorbell rings. ‘Course that gigantic bag of mini chocolate bars from Costco will do in a pinch if not as many show up, too. 🤣
I have very mixed feelings about dead spirits coming back to visit. Hey, maybe that’s why people wear costumes for Halloween, so the spirits won’t recognize them, LOL!
Honoring the departed is one thing, but visiting…yeah, not so much. Have a wonderful week!
A very compelling holiday all around, I enjoyed reading about it. Enjoy the celebration!
Thanks. It had some very interesting tidbits surrounding the custom. I do note there wasn’t any mention of mini packages of chocolate handed out to strangers at the door though. 😂
Yeah, where did that come from? Bribes to the ghouls not to carry you off?
The Mars Candy Company, is the only thing I can come up with.
We also got a blast of cold. It is 43 with a feels like of 36.
With sunny skies, 43 sounds like heaven compared to this morning’s chilly temp. I know my sis in Bastrop has probably put 3 sweaters on 😄 Perspective is the word of the day.
Yes, indeed.
That is a funny cartoon!
Oct 31 is also Reformation Day, the start of the Protestant Reformation, as it is when Martin Luther posted his thesis to the church doors…so we always have a church service on Oct 31 to mark that. I only ‘celebrate’ Halloween here in Blogville, LOL!!
I personally hate all that doorbell ringing by strangers and dogs losing their minds over it. Halloween ranks right up there with the Fourth of July in my books.
… wouldn’t it be great of Sam and Norman could come back over the Rainbow Bridge on a 24 hour pass ! ? …
On the one hand, yes. On the other and more likely, it’d break my heart all over again.
Is it officially time to start complaining about cold weather?
Doesn’t someone have to do it? With a bit of luck a cold snap will hit Rancho C and all your sweaters/sweatshirts will be packed in mothballs. 😈
Can’t wait to see Elsa dressed up. I am sure she is very excited about it too. LOL!! I think you should put on a costume too. 🙂
Happy Monday!
Excitement ‘might’ be a bit of any overstatement. LOL For the record, my costume wearing days are long over.
Glad you’re going to get some warm and blue skies this week. Elsa is happy about it too.
Love the history on Halloween.
Love the funny. I laughed out loud.
I linked this post to Awww Mondays as always.
Have a fabulous day and week. Scritches to Elsa and a hug to you. ♥
Thanks, Sandee-yes, we are both glad for warmer temps. It’s 34 now and we just got back from a nice but shorter walk. And as always, thanks for linking us to your Monday blog hop. So kind and gracious of you. Happy Monday!
Happy Halloween eve to you too! Snow? Here in Annapolis, MD we’re enjoying a sunny/cloudy day with a temperature of 68 degrees. Could you believe that?
My BIL in Frederick, MD posted a pic on the golf links! It seemed almost mean when I’ve been shoveling walks this weekend. LOL
Lol. I think it was.
Loved the cartoon!
Not much Halloween stuff in the shops here….Christmas tat has arrived instead…..perhaps the Chinese got their shipping dates mixed up…
Halloween is a billion dollar biz in the US. I don’t get it but companies manage to find some useless thing to entice shoppers here. As long as it’s cheap Americans will buy, buy, buy. 😵💫
Wouldn’t it be great if we could visit with our long gone loved ones for 24 hours? I’m in!
I’d probably tell them the things I should have said when they were still here. A good reminder not to take life for granted.
I had this feeling last night too… there was snow in the air… even here… have a good last october moanday and a good days before the day :O)
Thanks Weims. It’s not a favorite holiday for us (doggone doorbell) but we’ll soldier through. Maybe this will be the year Elsa won’t scare the costumes off the little kids with her “it’s a serial killer at the door” bark. Hope springs eternal. 🤞🏻
Reminded me of a country song with the lyrics – the frost is on the pumpkin, Happy Halloween to one and all at the ranch.
Thanks-right back atcha!
Burrrrr … but it didn’t last long …. AND … the cold delivered a cast on the Chiefs so your Donkeys could break the curse. Meanwhile, looking forward to Elsa’s costume treat. Have a good week.
I’m still in shock about yesterday’s Broncos game. I’d have preferred an Av’s win, but it gives everyone a glimmer of hope that the season isn’t as bad as it is. Happy Monday, Frank!
BWHAHAHAHAHAA!!! Mew mew mew mew ….”Punkin Spice!”
Heelareeus Miss Monika an Elsa!
**nose bopss** BellaDharma an ((hugss)) BellaSita Mum
Pretty clever, eh? 🎃
11 degrees F! Yikes. I guess in comparison waking up to 36 F degrees is downright balmy at the Golden K. Heard hoping you get that forecasted thaw at the ranch. The big news, or not so big after all these years, is today is 41 years for my bride Holly and I. She must be a saint! 😉
Happy Anniversary, Mike! That’s awesome. Congrats to both of you. 41 years is nothing to sneeze at.
Yeah, 11ºF was a bit of a shocker. But when it’s sunny and clear, you really don’t feel it quite as much (unless you’re out in it for a long time without gloves). The temp is already climbing toward today’s forecasted 43 mark by mid afternoon. Woo-hoo!
Thank you for the wonderful explanation.
I woke up to snow this morning! I was NOT ready (I guess I didn’t look properly at the weather app).
Happy Hallowe’en Eve!
Love the cartoon. Too funny.
Weather surprises like that aren’t our idea of a good time either. Whenever they say we’re in for some moisture I just roll my eyes because the weather Poo-bahs are almost always wrong. Guess they got the last laugh on me. Hope your snow melts quickly so you can get back on the running path. 😉 Happy Monday!
It’s been raining since I got to work, so buh-bye snow!
Happy Monday to you, too 🙂
😊