As I have written about before, we go all out for Halloween (okay- every holiday, to be honest), and this year was no exception, even with Dan’s bad knee and crazy work schedule at the theater and my bad back and hectic schedule at school. My creative and fun-loving husband spent two days turning Chez Gainey into the perfect haunted house. We had it all- animatronics, inflatables, a graveyard, a fog machine, pumpkins galore, and the best selection of candy you can buy on sale at Costco. We were ready to give the children of Southside the spookiest Halloween experience they could find in the ‘hood….and then the rains came. Torrential, dismal, and settling in for a few days. The forcast called for rain in the evening, but it came hours earlier. We were disappointed and sad, dashing outside to gather all of the carefully placed decorations before they were ruined. It seemed that this Haloween we got tricks, but no treats….except that we did end up with some nice treats after all.
After the frantic rescue mission, we looked at each other, hugged, and started laughing. We decided that even though no one else saw it, this was the best Halloween decorating that Dan had designed, and we had a blast putting it all together and playing with all of the animatronics we’ve collected over the years. We settled in the sunroom with the pups in front of the fire with a Danhattan (Dan’s wonderful twist on a Manhattan) to enjoy the rain and watch for any determined trick-or-treaters that might brave the weather- cauldron of candy at the ready.
Coops paying her respects…
Halloween Kasey…
We listened to the wonderful Halloween mix that Dan had put together for his yoga class (his students look forward to every holiday yoga class, waiting to see what Dan will do).
We talked, we reminisced, we laughed. No need to be upset – life happens, and on a regular basis, too. I went upstairs to put some laundry away and heard Dan’s excited cry over the sound of the pouring rain, “Honey! Trick-or-treaters! Hurry!” Sophie (always at my side) and I flew downstairs to the sunporch and saw the large crowd of costumed children (and one great sport of a neighbor dad festooned in a head to toe pink bear costume) coming up the thirty-four stairs. Dan opened the door to greet them, candy cauldron in hand. The dad said he was sorry not to see our place all decked out, that they looked forward to it every year, and we promised it would be back next year- and it will. We exclaimed over the cute costumes and loaded the kids up with big handfuls of candy- they deserved it after braving the rain and the stairs. They all headed back down the stairs, giggling and talking- not letting a little rain spoil their fun. A good lesson for us all.
Coops stressing over the rain and foiled plans…
Buds in front of the fire…
Our evening was made- trick-or-treaters! They were the few, the proud, but it was so fun to see them and share in their joy of the holiday. Another reminder to be flexible and go with the flow. Things may not turn out as planned, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy what unfolds. You just have to bring your own sunshine to the party.
The View from Here 