Mom taught me little tricks over the years and they stuck with me. She would put the hole in the bottom of the pumpkin, not the top where the stem is. She said it was easier to place the candle on the step, light it and then put the pumpkin over it than to struggle to light the candle with a match and burn yourself (there were no bar-b-que lighters then). She taught me that using a large lid of a jar to scrape the seeds out is easier than using a spoon. For pumpkin seeds, she would melt two teaspoons of butter (not oil) and mix the salt or the cinnamon and sugar or garlic salt into the butter and then coat the seeds in the mixture, that way every seed got some flavour.
Canmore was small in those days and Macleod's was the only store that sold costumes so unless a parent made a trip to Calgary, many of the kids were dressed the same. My mom always made my costumes. One year I was a gypsy. She used an old funky quilt, an old ugly orange shirt of my dad's and she sewed them together to make a gypsy dress. One of her scarves was tied around my head and she used mason jars rings as big gaudy earrings. Another year I was the caterpillar from Alice In Wonderland. She sewed a green, bulky body suit, used black hockey tape and made my Uncle Gene send one of his old pipes because she didn't know what a hookah was. One year when I wanted to be an old lady, she made a fake bun out of the hair from an old wig of hers, greased my hair and the bun with Bryll Cream and dusted it with flour to make grey hair. She took the lenses out of an old pair of sunglasses for ugly glasses and stuffed one of her bras so I had saggy boobs. She was great and creating costumes from what ever was around the house and whatever she could sew. I learnt from the best and I always made my kids costumes, except when Ryley was in his superhero phase.
At mom's home this year they had a pumpkin carving contest that was modified to accommodate the fact that many residents shouldn't use sharp objects. Mom didn't do it but I did with Janice and Alma. Instead of carving our pumpkin, we got red feathers and some felt from the art room and created "Angry Bird". Gerrie, a guy, who lost his wife to breast cancer did a pink pumpkin. There was smokin pumpkin and princess pumpkin and a penguin and it was a lot of fun. Mom watched and seemed to enjoy it.
Today they had a Halloween party and kids from the staff and members of the community came too. Some of staff dressed up and some patients too. They told bad Halloween jokes. We encouraged residents to speak about their superstitions or talk about a haunted place they knew and tell everyone what they did for Halloween with their children. There was punch and cookies and candy and the residents were pleased. Mom when was really pleased when I soaked one of the cookies in warm milk and mushed it up fine enough for her to swallow with the punch. She was alert and watching the kids and the people as they spoke. Then, to my surprise she blurted out "Halloween A-a-pples". I smiled and although this wasn't my usual Halloween with the pumpkin eating baby and bloody hand prints, it was fun and I pray she makes it to Christmas.
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