A Real Life Day of the Dead

Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, was a week ago and Hubby and I had fully intended on attending at least one if not two of the art shows in town celebrating this event. But Life threw a curve ball at us, as Life sometimes does (especially of late).
My son-in-law died on that date. This was the father of the four grandchildren who Hubby & I live with. Fortunately for them, they are all so young that his death really has no impact. Yes, it is sad that they will never get to know their father. But because of extenuating legal circumstances, these children were never going to get to know him.
The Universe has a plan for all of us. Sometimes that plan fits the ideal we all have in our minds. Other times it doesn't. But regardless, there are lessons to be learned, joyous events to delight in, sadness to remind us of how short our existence can be and loved ones to embrace. So let us all take a moment to relish in the moment of the day and tell those around us just how much they mean to us.

A Brief Interlude...

My sister, Becky sent me these awesome magnets! Are they not the coolest? And just in time for The Day of the Dead! She is always on the look out for the coolest things!

Well, I know you're probably tired of listening to me by now. After all, I've been talking for a month! So I'm going to take a brief interlude and catch my breath. I'd like to Thank Domestic Witch and Mrs. B for putting on two glorious parties!

And I have a lot of creations that need to be attended to. So I will be back soon with more stories to tell; tales of arrowheads and rocks, Indian legends and myths, bread and cookie recipes and (of course) the occasional tidbit about Halloween!
Because in CANDY CORN Land, Halloween is a way of Life!
Until then... Happy Haunting!

Dia de los Muertos

Dia de los Muertos

by
Ed Held
(Dear Sweet Hubby wrote this for his English class)

“Dia de los Muertos”, Ticker mumbled, “Day of the Dead”. Ticker sat, or rather slumped, in the sleaziest bar in Tijuana, drunk off of his ass. Again. “Dia de los Muertos” he mumbled again. Why can’t I convince anybody that this year will be different? That this year November 2 will really be a day of the dead? Well, I guess tomorrow they will find out. “You’ll all find out!” he suddenly shouted. The bartender stared at Ticker until he decided that Ticker was just another drunk tourist celebrating the holiday a little too hard and a little too early.

Ticker had been convinced for a long time that the world was going to end on November 2, 2009. He was a watchmaker by trade, and as such was very interested in the concept of time. He had discovered an ancient method of timekeeping buried deep under Ayers Rock in Australia while he was there on vacation several years ago. While he was investigating this method, he made a startling discovery: the exact time and date the world was going to end. He had tried to show his find to anybody that would listen. The ones that bothered to halfway hear him out were convinced that he was just another new-age crackpot with a doomsday prophesy.

Ticker didn’t know what was going to happen tomorrow, all he knew was that the world was going to end. All of his calculations had pointed to November 2, 2009 at 8:06 am, sunrise. “Why didn’t I do more to convince somebody?” he thought. Ticker knew people, powerful people, who would believe him but without knowing exactly what was going to happen what could they have done? Caused widespread panic? Better to let them enjoy what little time they had left. “Mas Tequila” he mumbled as he threw the last of his Pesos on the bar. Let the bartender keep what was left, tomorrow they wouldn’t matter to anybody. The bartender set up two shots of Tequila on the bar, swept up all of the coins, and went off cursing in Spanish under his breath. Ticker ignored him as he picked up one of the shots and knocked it back. He wondered if he should at least try to make one last effort to warn somebody. “Screw ‘em” he muttered as he gulped the last shot and passed out.

All Hallow's Eve

Halloween is a celebration of Spooks and Goblins, Spirits and Witches, Mysteries and Magick. What we now call Halloween actually evolved from an ancient European holiday known as All Hollow's Eve. This was the day supernatural spirits were known to wander the earth. It began as the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. Samhain marked the moment when the veil between the living and the dead was lifted and the inhabitants of the two worlds could commune. For about 2000 years, October 31st meant bidding goodbye to summer, welcoming winter and remembering the dead. Samhain marked the death of the old year and the birth of the next. It was a day of the dead, a night of magick and mystery, a time when ghosts and lost souls roamed the land. According to legend, every Samhain the souls of the dead were set free by the Lord of the Dead. It was believed that many of these spirits then roamed the natural world searching for bodies to possess. Families began dressing in scary disguises and noisily marching around their neighborhoods to scare away these immortal souls. This practice became the origin of the modern Halloween tradition of wearing costumes. So the next time you are choosing what to be for Halloween, remember all those spirits looking for a strong healthy body to inhabit, and pick a costume that is truly terrifying!