Let The Horror Begin
The adoption aisle are ready: ghouls and terrors waiting with bright eyes for likely suspects.
The fall equinox did not go unnoticed by Home Depot who is adopting the Hallmark strategy.
Their Halloween rivaling any Christmas extravaganza bazaar.
“On the shelter kill list? I am the kill list. No shelter is safe!” (© Image)
During a weekend’s daily trip for project necessities we stumbled across the frenzy. We must have looked overwhelmed with the wonder as a small boy shortly attached himself to us and gave a the tour of products.
Spider webs and pumpkins are so last year. Robotic human-sized creatures thrill and chill.
Our pint-sized escort pointed out large “buttons” on the floor – and being kind to obviously inept, ancient ones, he gleefully demonstrated that the buttons animated the large creatures.
Thoughtful, he would direct us where to stand for best viewing before running over and stomping the starter. He even crawled under skeletal arms robed in tatters to shift plugs so we could hear one’s maniac endless laughter.
Even though she could see our amusement, his mother, struggling to keep one small child who seemed to have as many appendages as a tarantula determined to escape its’ cage – as another ran back and forth with boxes pleading “THIS one? Can we have THIS ONE? PLEEEEASE?”, asked our usher to stop rearranging the plugs with “Honey, you know they just unplugged that one because it’s so annoying.”
And he politely did so after showing us the skeleton would actually talk with you and hold a conversation. He demonstrated by providing the vocal prompts to the ghost.
Our self-appointed Halloween tour guide’s mom did eventually get to the paint department…with a cart load of decorations and at least one Halloween inflatable in a box…but no life-sized button animated ghost that talks….but there’s always dad to persuade….Dads love scary!
“Of course I’m a German Shepherd. No. Not related to RC Cat – looks are purely coincidental.”(© Image)
Nothing like being adopted by a kid.
Despite routine scrubbing, we seem to have engraved on our foreheads, “Ask this one to play.” Visible only to kids and dogs.
It has red glowing eyes when is growls and moves. Had to share. No, it does not look like Molly Malamute if you squint. (© Image)
This free amusement park had to be shared, so we texted an advisory to several with rain-trapped children bouncing off their walls.
The desperate grasp at straws.
Hunting for haunting.
Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge.
Two Spanish Dagger parent plants getting their Halloween decorations up before it starts raining again. Their little ones enthusiastically cheering from below.(© image)
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Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge 
Being educated by a young one is exciting. They know all the ropes and are much more patient. I try to stay away from seasonal during the Christmas season as our local HD has every inflatable known to mankind (except THAT kind). Many of them talk or sing. Yikes!
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That authoritative little kid was such a hoot. We laughed all the way home (with our electrical outlet box plate cover…add Ring and the doorbell goes on strike…)
We were so surprise that there were fewer inflatables – smaller ones with sounds, but it looks like robotic creatures are this year’s “In” Halloween decor.
Sad so many will never know the fresh fall smell of orange construction paper and fading orange and black crepe paper streamers.
OK we came home with an Led pumpkin stake to perk up the porch step area. But that’s it (We’ll just pose Molly in the window for fright)
Thanks for adding a comment sure to spook!
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And LED pumpkin? Sounds festive!
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Small little bigger than a tennis ball Pumpkin globe on a stick….OK it also has a small black cat on the top – but it does not have red glowing eyes
They had one with a witch’s hat on top and one topped by a shoulder/skull of a skeleton…maybe a little too scary for the tiny ones on the block? The looming pencil plant without any leaves freaks them out enough…not to mention the toothy smiling doggie in the window HAHA
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Last Sunday the Episcopal Bishop of E. TN was visiting our church, and, during a forum after the 8 a.m. service, a young boy took up a dialogue with Bishop Brian. This went on for some time, much to everyone’s amusement, until the Bishop finally and kindly told him he must speak to other people, too. And yes, we experienced the joys of Home Depot’s giant sized Halloween display, much to Xena’s dismay. BTW, is that a huge spiderweb hanging between the 2 tall Spanish Daggers?
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What a delight that pair must have been. Kids are pretty surprising – and will ask about things. (They’ve no sense of time, but their timing is often spot on?)
That’s the small web – a much larger one – and bigger spider is between the Spanish dagger and the crepe myrtle, but the sun wouldn’t highlight that one enough to capture an image. All month we’ve been very careful to not disturb the spider webs and lizards as they are the best defense against mosquitoes- we are pesticide free yard with so many migratory birds, butterflies, hummingbirds. (and no mouthing the frog, Molly! No, carrying it around isn’t approved either…she’s pretty good, but she is bound to be heart stopping for small creatures.) With confirmed cases of West Nile fever and 1 death, the counties are having to spray/fog at night. Just too dangerous with all the rain this month…and it’s clouding up again now. Sigh. Halloween windy howls would be welcomed!
Thanks for adding a ghostly remark – paw waves!
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Yes–I had to go to Home Depot or Lowes (I can’t remember which) over a month ago for trim, and the ghouls and goblins were already out. We live in the land of never-ending holidays.
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I walked face first into a huge garden spider’s web at Armand Bayou Saturday afternoon. I’m calling that Halloween, and moving on. It wasn’t precisely scary, but it was just as attention grabbing as what you describe.
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There are several giant size webs in the backyard – really hard to capture with cell phone camera. The one between the Spanish dagger plants was luminous like an opal with shimmering colors…seems even the spiders are stepping up to HD web colors to attract visitors (who check in but don’t check out…real Hotel CA style?) The spiders really been out with the past couple of days with sun.
Really no carefree pet ownership with those (just remember to duck when trimming bushes or lawn)
Thanks for dodging in with a comment
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We’ve been dealing with lots of webs and spiders this year. There are several in the front yard that put webs up just as I’m letting the dogs out for the last time. Then in the mornings at 6:00 when I let the dogs out again, they are just beginning to gather up the web and go back up in the trees. I am not sure what species of spider this is, but there are many of them in the trees this year. They take up their whole web in the mornings, and restring a new one in the evenings. I have other types on the front and back porch, and then of course the garden orbs all around the house. I have also had a spider living in the buggy. It rides around in the windshield area, just flying on a silk in the breeze.
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You did a post on a woman’s orb spiders. It was cool. I’ve never seen spiders gather up webs in the mornings. (Pretty thoughtful for us as well as practical for them)
Miracles are just everywhere. IF only more took/had time to see. Thanks for spinning up a comment to leave
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Sounds like a harrowing time was had by all, the type of place I always give a miss. Halloween is trying to get a foothold in Australia; so far without much success, hopefully it will go away completely 😈 👿 🐻
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I can’t imagine an Aussie Halloween- stop it invasive culture at the borders! HAHA. (Not even Did de los muertos? – of course that was only around near the southern border states here until Hollywood/celebrities discovers how cute the outfits and decorations are a few years ago. Really disrespectful – they do not understand -and they should keep their little mitts off until they do.)
As it wasn’t OCt yet, we thought we’d be safe ducking into for hardware stuff…wrong. But it turned out to be fun with the kid guiding us to all the cool stuff. We could hardly stop laughing at how professional and serious – and knowledgable about what was worth the money. He must keep his parents running fast (mentally and physically) to keep up with him. Who knew we had a new adventure playground HAHA
Thanks for adding a spooky note
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Times have changed. When my kids were little, the boys next door would lie under straw and jump up to scare the kids. My son would jump out of a tree to scare them. Probably more effective than the animatronics (and cheaper).
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Audience participation is such a big thing now, maybe that will start up again. When told you were too old to trick or treat (about 6th grade here )- high school kids might have parties, but the in between ages had to get creative to not get let out of the fun. On year I painted a rectangular big box as a coffin on the porch and hid inside to rattle chains, moan and make the top rise a little as kids came up. It was ok until the kid next to the box was the tiny child across the street who go totally terrified, screamed and ran into his mom’s arms (his parents were laughing). Littles like predictability, not sudden surprises. Then I made it worse by leaping out trying to console him and say it wasn’t real. Wonder if that kid ever got to sleep that night.
But Dad was able to be talked into dry ice fog on the porch for the next Halloween.
As you say, all different now – different focus…a costly one
Thanks for scaring up a comment
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