The Haunting

            Time was going by as the church sat vacant, the once loud bell which signaled time for service was now quiet as it hung in its special place in the tower.

            It had been almost five years when in the middle of the night, the church bell rang.  The neighbors all got out of their beds to go see what was going on.

            The church was dark and sat silently and yet it had been the distinct sound of its bell just a few moments ago.

            Lights coming down the street were of the local police who thought vandals had broken into the old building and were ringing the bell.

            As the policeman got out of his car and shone his flashlight around, he could see no evidence of a break in and slowly made his way to the main doors.  Checking them, he found them locked. 

            He walked around to the side of the building looking for broken windows or perhaps the side door had been broken into, but there was nothing.

            As he returned to his police car, one neighbor asked, “What did you find?  Did someone break in?”

            “No, it must have been the wind or something.”        It was a mystery as the townspeople talked about the bell ringing in the middle of the night.

           

            It had been a week when again the bell began to ring in the middle of the night and again the police checked the building but could find no evidence of someone breaking in.

            Being late at night, they decided to wait until the morning and get a key from one of the deacons so they could enter the building to find out if someone was coming in from some other source.

            The police chief and the deacon met at the church the next morning and went inside.  They could see that the dust covered floor and pews had not been bothered and the cobwebs hung everywhere intact.

            They went to the back of the church where the rope to the bell was tied off and could find nothing that would give them a clue as to how the bell could ring by itself or that someone had been there to ring it.

            There soon was a pattern, every week the bell would ring just once in the middle of the night.  It became so common place that people quit getting up to look out to see what it was and the police quit driving by to check on the place.        

            There were all kinds of theories as to why the bell would ring, was it the wind or perhaps the bats which had taken up residence in the tower or mice climbing the rope that led to it.  It remained a mystery.

           

            For six months the bell had rang once a week.  Then one evening when a neighbor had come home late, he thought he saw a light from inside the church.  It was only momentarily but he called the police to come out to check it.

            Nothing was found and the officer told him, “It must have been a reflection.”

            But as time went on, more people complained of seeing a light inside the church and the bell began to ring more.  Sometimes it would ring two or three times a week.

            Word began to spread through the small town about the unusual goings on at the empty church.  No one wanted to believe it was haunted as some had suggested.  Houses might be haunted but not a church, they claimed.

                       

            The bell had been removed from the tower spire and the wooden slats were nailed down to keep out unwanted birds and even the bats.

            For a while, there were no complaints about the empty church.  The bell was silent now and with the windows boarded, no one could see inside.

            But then one Halloween, pranksters decided the empty church would be the ideal site for some pranks.  They ripped off the boards on two of the stained glass windows and one young man picked up a rock and threw it at the glass breaking it.

            As the four young man stood there laughing at what they had done, one of them froze.  “Look!”

            They all looked at the broken window and began to run as fast as they could away from the church.  The mist hovered near the broken glass moving in and out while the boys scattered, scared out of their wits.

            Later as they sat on a curb, the one who had broken the window, “Tell me that wasn’t a ghost.”

            One of the others laughed, “No stupid, there are no such things as ghosts.  I think someone was inside though and I just hope they didn’t recognize any of us.”

            They all agreed that it had to be that.  But as they parted to go to their homes, they each remembered the vision they had seen and secretly didn’t think it was human.

            The church deacon discovered the removed boards and broken window and with help boarded the window up again.  “Darn kids.  I don’t know why they have to cause so much mischief and trouble.”

           

            It had been a year since the four young men had gone to the empty church on Halloween.  They hadn’t gone back as they didn’t want to admit they might have seen ghosts.

            But the old church had been empty for too many years and was showing signs of neglect as well as the weather.  The slats in the spire were broken and missing allowing the bats to use it as their resting place along with other birds.  The window casings were paint bare and deteriorating and no one seemed to care.

            Even the front doors were beginning to sag and one was rotting away at one of the hinges.  The windows were nailed securely now but even then the rotting wood underneath allowed them to be loose and easily could be pried off.

            The neighborhood children all laughed at the haunted church as they would pass by but no one would linger in front of it or want to go by it at night.

            There were still reports of strange noises coming from the church and through the cracks in the shuttered up windows, light could be seen and some said it appeared to be the flickering of candlelight.

            Even the police and the deacons didn’t go inside any more.  The old church was disintegrating and no one seemed to care.

            But on this Halloween night, there was a new curiosity by another group of young men who had heard the stories but didn’t believe in ghosts.

            There were three of them who stood outside the old church looking up.  They’d seen the bats fly out right after dusk and knew they would be gone if they could get inside.

            The hooting of an old hoot owl gave them a start but laughing at the old owl, they proceeded to walk up the steps to the front doors.

            With the rotting wood, one door moved slightly, enough that the lock was dislodged and the three could open it enough so that they could walk inside.

            Armed with their flashlights, they shone them around the sanctuary and remarked about the cobwebs being so thick they were like a wall. 

            One young man rubbed his hand along the back side of the pew and said, “I think someone forgot to dust.  I don’t think this place is haunted.  I think someone is just saying that to keep people away.”

            He hadn’t any more than said it when he felt something brush by him.  He wiped at his shoulder, “Did you feel that?”

            “Feel what?” the other two asked.

            “I don’t know.  It felt like someone brushed by me.”

            They started laughing, “Maybe it was the ghost,” one of them told him.

            “I’m not kidding.  It felt like someone brushed by me.”

            Then suddenly the three boys were surrounded by misty images and just as they had appeared, candles were lit and seemed to be floating with the images as they surrounded the boys.

            Huddling together, they began to look for an escape route.  One said, “Let’s just run for it.”

            But as they took a step, the figures closed in tighter around them with the flickering candles inches away from them.

            They seemed to float in mid air and one of the boys said, “This is a trick.  This can’t be real.”  He took a step forward towards the door when a large mist appeared before him.

            He stepped back, “I think it is trying to tell us something.”  He didn’t mean to be funny or joke but at the same time he didn’t want to show fear.

            The mist seemed to become one large mist as it surrounded the young men and the candles floated around in a circle.

            The boys still huddled together decided to try to break through and make a run for it.  As one began the countdown, they started running, right through the mist in front of them, barely missing the candles.

            They made no hesitation as they shoved against the door causing it to lean from the hinge that had given way.  They continued to run until they felt they were safe back on the Main Street with stores and plenty of light.

            It was late and most people had gone home.  The trick or treaters were finished for the night and the only ones out roaming around were the ones like these boys, young people looking for adventure or maybe trouble.

            They saw some of their friends and went to tell them what had happened.  As the group listened, they all began to talk and thought it would be fun to go back and scare the ghosts.

            As the three young men joined with five of their other friends, boys and girls this time, they all went back to the church.

            The door that had been ajar was tightly closed as they approached and the three young men looked at one another.  One said, “Someone must have seen it and closed it.”

            They went up and it was unlocked so they opened it causing it to slip from the hinge and be crooked.  But it was enough that everyone could get inside.

            They moved as a group towards the altar keeping a vigilant eye out for the so called ghosts.  As they got near, the candles appeared in front of a large misty cloud.

            The girls screamed and started to run away but then screamed again as they saw their exit was blocked with another misty cloud and candles.

            The young people huddled between the two clouds.  As the flashlight were shone on them, they could see through them and soon it seemed there were more mists and even more candles. 

            The noises began; a chanting like sound with a low murmur.

            The young girls screamed for help while the boys were trying to figure out how best to avoid the mist

            The chanting was getting louder as the mist seemed to be inching its way closer to the young people.  As the boys joined in with the girls in screaming and yelling for help, the mist was closing in almost touching them.

            They could smell the wax burning from the candles and a musty smell emitting from the mist.  They had no way out.  The mist was larger and was overtaking them.

            During the night as the police officer made his rounds, he noticed the door ajar on the church.  Taking his flashlight, he walked up to it and peered inside.  He saw a figure lying on the floor and his first thought was to go to them but then he thought someone might still be inside.  He went out to his car and called for help.

            Soon, the police chief, who had been awakened from his sleep along with another officer, arrived.  The three men went inside and discovered the 8 young people lying on the floor.  Feeling for a pulse, they could find none.  They looked at their faces and could see the horror on them.

            Calling for help, the young people were removed and the chief ordered that the church be secured by any means and that someone would stand guard so that no one could go inside.

            The story soon spread around the town about the 8 young people who had been found in the old sanctuary and it was unexplained what had happened to them.

            They were taken to the local hospital, where they began to revive, each one telling the same story about how they had been overcome by a mist and were in a deep sleep.

            It was a miracle that they had survived and after being checked over, the doctors found no evidence of any lingering effects.  They were released to go home.

            Later when the eight young people gathered, they each related to one another how they had felt.  They said it was a peace, but one that brought a deep sleep to them.  They each said they had felt a presence but didn’t know what it was until one of the young men said, “It was the keepers of the church.  I heard them talking.  They said they hoped no one would disturb the church again.”

             “I didn’t hear anything,” said one, another said, “Neither did I.”  One told him, “You are just making that up.”

            “No, I really heard them.  They didn’t hurt us, they just wanted to scare us and then let us know why they didn’t want us there.   They hoped the people would come back and make the church active again.”

            The story was told over and over but the deacons and remaining members of the church had met and made a decision.  The church would not be opened again.  With all the stories of it being haunted, no one wanted to come to it.

            They decided to tear the building down.  With the neglect from sitting empty all those years and the cost of restoring it, the old church was finished.

            The wrecking crew came in to start knocking down the brick walls.

            Some say as the walls crumbled, there were waifs of mist that flew from the remains up over the church site and lingered before disappearing into thin air.

            Others claim it was only the dust that had been disturbed, but for eight of the town’s young people, they knew it was the keepers of the church.

            The site was cleared but no one would buy the lot where the church had stood and to this day it remains vacant.

            Only on Halloween if you walk by or are near enough to see, there are several misty clouds floating over the ground and occasionally some have said they’ve seen the flicker of candlelight in the mist.

Barbara Foster

Copyright (c) 2013 revised

Winner of the Eufaula Memorial Library Scary Story October 2013

The Shadow of Darkness

            The rocker stopped as the old man’s head turned to see the young girl emerging from the Library.  His vantage point from the front porch allowed him to watch the comings and goings of not only the Library but several businesses just down the street. 

            He watched as she went to the corner and turned to cross the street heading east.  Looking to see if anyone was with her and not seeing anyone, he jumped up and reached for his jacket and his beret.

            Timmy was nearing sixty and had been alone for the past ten years since the death of his parents.  He liked to walk the streets of the tiny town wearing the all familiar beret cap and nodding to people he’d known all his life.

            Some would nod or even speak, but most hurried by without paying him any mind.  Timmy wasn’t like most people.  His parents were older when he was born and his mind had never developed.  His parents had taught him anything he might need to know if he was ever left on his own, but secretly he knew that they hoped he would die before them.

            But he hadn’t and now he had been on his own for ten years.  He had learned to care for himself even if it was meager.  But he was lonely and he wanted friends to talk to but no one wanted to be his friend.

            He knew he could catch up to the young girl by taking the next street over and catching her at the intersection.  He recognized her and knew where she was headed.  It was two blocks to the intersection where he should meet up with her and his pace quickened.

           

            Anna Brown knew she had stayed too late at the library.  She’d promised her mother that she would be home before dark but she hadn’t paid attention and now she had to hurry as it was past sunset and the moon was rising to the east.

            She shifted the books in her arm and walked faster.  She should have called home and had someone come get her but it was only about a mile and she wasn’t afraid of the dark; only the scolding she would get when she got home but nothing else.

            She reached the corner where she would turn north.  When she came to the first intersection, she crossed and continued walking briskly thinking about what her mother was going to say when she got home. 

            She was mid block, in the darkness between the street lights which were also shaded from the thick leaf cover.  She thought she heard a noise and turned to look behind her but didn’t see anything.  She continued on, crossing the next street and back into the darkness.

            A feeling of being watched came over her as her heart began to beat faster and she could feel the adrenalin of fear rising.  She turned to look back and saw someone dart behind a tree.  She stood there for a moment watching but didn’t see anyone so thinking it was her imagination, she proceeded.  It was only six more blocks to her street. 

            She continued walking, hurrying her step without breaking into a run, shifting the books which kept slipping from her rapid movements.

           

            Timmy had kept his distance behind her.  He’d seen her stop and hid behind a tree so now tried to stay close to the edge of the sidewalk in case he needed cover again.  The leaves on the trees were moving due to a breeze that came up which caused uneven light to shine and he was afraid she might see him. 

            He knew that as they neared the end of this street, the street lights were gone and it was complete darkness.  He could make his move then.

            Anna couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was following her and looked for a familiar house that she could go to and have them call her parents to come get her, but of all the ones she knew, they were dark as if no one was home or perhaps asleep.  It wasn’t that late but the houses were dark just the same.

            Now the fear was overwhelming her making it harder for her to breathe as she walked faster and faster.  If she could make it to the corner, she could hide and then run the two blocks down her street in the darkness.

            Timmy could see she was moving away from him faster than he was keeping up.  He had to reach her before she got to her corner.  He quickened his pace, running from tree to tree, hiding behind and peering around watching.

            He lost track of her once and stood out where he could see and then caught a glimpse of her about a block ahead of him.  He started to follow again and saw a car coming.  He jumped behind the tree hoping they hadn’t seen him.  He watched to make sure she hadn’t gone out to flag them down.

            Anna had seen the car but it was going south and she couldn’t get the driver’s attention without making more noise or going out in the light to be seen.  If someone was following her, she had to get to her street and make a run for it. 

            Just two more blocks and she would be safe.  The sidewalk ended a block before her street and she turned to look behind her as she started to move out to the side of the street for the final block.  She didn’t see anyone and thought it had to be her imagination.

            She made it to the corner and when she turned, she saw the dark figure emerging out onto the street.

            She began to run into the darkness and didn’t stop.  She could make it home now.  She knew the road. But the gravel was rough under her feet as she ran and she hoped she wouldn’t fall.

            Timmy had reached the corner and peered into the darkness.  He could follow but he didn’t know how far ahead she was.  He stood there listening and could hear the gravel crunching under her feet.  She was running.

            He had missed his chance.  If that car hadn’t shown up, he could have grabbed her before she reached the end of the sidewalk.

            He listened and didn’t hear the crunching.  Should he follow or stay there?

             Anna had stopped just short of her house turning to see a shadow.  It was faint as the light wasn’t that good but she knew someone was there.  She began running again but tripped and fell.  She tried to get up, feeling the pain in her knee and her hand.  She heard footsteps coming closer and then her hand felt a big rock.  She picked it up.           

            Her eyes were accustomed to the dark but the shadow was wearing dark clothing and it was hard to see where he was.  She stood quietly along the side of the road afraid to breathe as the steps came closer. 

            She could hear his labored breathing and taking a chance she stepped forward and with all her strength hurled the rock in her hand straight at the shadow.  She heard the moan and a thud.

            Running as fast as she could, she ran into the house out of breathe and through broken words managed to tell her parents that someone had followed her and she had struck him with a rock.

            Her father went out to look around.  He saw her books on the ground but there was not sight of anyone else.  He shown the light up and down and could see no one.   Going back to the house he told her, “I didn’t see anyone.”

            Anna was shaking.  She knew someone had been following her and she knew she had hit them and they fell to the ground.

           

            Timmy had managed to crawl off to the side of the road and saw Mr. Brown approach.  Hiding in the ditch, he froze hoping he wouldn’t shine the light his way.  When it was clear, he made his way home.  He would get his chance again.

            Two weeks later, Anna was walking home from her friend’s house, just two blocks from hers.  It was dark but she had no fear.  Until the shadow stepped in front of her.  The shadow of darkness enveloped her as her voice froze from fear and she couldn’t make a sound.

            The last sound she heard was the raspy voice, “I just wanted a friend.”

Barbara Foster

Copyright(c) 2011

HALLOWEEN

As darkness settled in, the nightly breeze rocked the tree branches allowing the street lights to shine down their beams in a dancing pattern on the street and lawns.  The sounds of rustling leaves break the silence of the evening.

The sliver of a moon rose among the clouds of the night sky which moved so gently exposing the sparkling stars that would disappear again as if playing a game of hide and seek.

The sounds of a hoot owl mingled with the barking of dogs in the distance and the screech of fighting cats could be heard above the din.  The shadows mingled throughout leaving to the imagination as to what lay ahead or behind.

And on this night of the year, the tales of horror run rampant as ghosts and goblins move about.  Witches with their boiling cauldrons surrounded by the black cats with their gleaming green eyes piercing the darkness.  The shadows produced ghostly apparitions that floated over and around as if searching for a soul to overtake.

The apparitions and goblins along with the screeching cats and dogs disappeared into the night as voices began to fill the air with laughter and children in costume with faces hidden behind masks run from house to house calling out, TRICK OR TREAT!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

A Time For Change

Not much difference in my fictional book than what is happening in my real life story.  I've been wrestling with a decision for almost two years and I guess it is time for change.

I have fought it and argued with every possible argument but I'm losing ground and now it is time for action.  During the next few months I will be going through all my treasures and belongings eliminating those that are absolutely unnecessary and keeping those that I either can't part with or am not willing to give up just yet.  It will be a life altering experience downsizing but at the same time maybe I need to eliminate some of the "collections" I have accumulated that serve no purpose, except to give me pleasure.

I won't have to give up everything but I will admit that I am a collector, primarily of holiday decorations as well as object collections.  I have boxes and tubs of decorations for just about every holiday that comes along but once I leave this house, I know I will be in a smaller place and one that will belong to someone else so I may not be able to put out all the decorations that I do now.  I'm sure I will be able to put up a wreath on the door or maybe a small item on the porch but the days of stringing lights along the house and fence and setting up displays in the yard will be gone.

Christmas will be the hardest and I will keep some of it but the majority will have to go and I can only hope it goes to someone who will enjoy it as much as I have.

When Harold and I retired here, we had sold off a lot of our excess things but still this was our home and large enough for us to live comfortably and have the family visit and I was able to decorate so I replaced or bought new items.  But now he is gone and I'm here in a large house that has more empty rooms than full ones, a large yard that requires more work than I'm capable of keeping up with plus not to mention all the little repairs that need to be done.

I said at the time that I wanted to stay here until I had to be carried out to a care home or in a pine box but I thought he was invincible and would always be with me.  But that changed over three years ago and I've been on my own struggling to just keep up.  It takes me twice as long to mow and trim up the yard and once I get behind, there is no catching up.  The house, as I said, needs some minor repairs and recently I've had some problems with appliances.

Living on a limited income just doesn't cover the extra expenses.  I had to have a tree cut down, an unexpected expense and when I consider the extra costs of home ownership, I can see it is coming to an end for me.

I have a choice of trying to get into an apartment which I really don't think I would be happy as I've had my own home and most of the time in a rural area or one with a large lot so I have plenty of outdoor space or I can move into a trailer park where my daughter Michele lives.  It is in town but on the edge of town so I'd have the feeling of being in a rural setting and still have some privacy.  It is a quiet park with families and older residents and I would have a little more room.  I'm leaning that way.  I wouldn't have any yard work and if something breaks down or needs fixing, I would call the landlord.

So I guess this is my time for change and this time I am going to have to see it through to the end.  The decision has been made and there is no going back.  The house will be put on the market in the spring when people are looking for a lake home or retreat and hopefully will sell quickly and I can get resettled and on with my new life.  It is a sad decision and I am having mixed feelings already but it is one of necessity and so as I promised Harold, I will be strong and I will survive.

Training an Old Dog New Tricks??

That is probably what my grandson is thinking.  I had to get a new computer as my old trusty 8 year old HP finally gave up.  So this past weekend, my grandson, Zach, brought down the new one after he had made some adjustments to it and upgraded it for me.  It isn't brand new but almost and should last a while (I hope).  Anyway we all gathered for a birthday celebration as well and Zach hooked up the new computer and there were some updates and installations that needed to be done and then it was time to show me how to work it.

Now, I'm no genius when it comes to computers but I have learned a few things but they just keep changing things and making it tougher each time.

I can remember the first one we ever bought, a Commodore 64 in the 80's.  I did learn how to use it after I finally agreed to it.  I was really against a computer but I learned to do some simple programming and then when I got a job that had a computer, I had to learn more but I was fortunate that I worked for a company that did programming for businesses and they allowed me to explore the computer but also showed me so many things.  The computer that I was using was a HP 386.  I taught myself how to use Word Perfect, Lotus 123 and Quicken on that computer.  For one thing I had to use the Word Perfect in place of a typewriter and the Lotus spreadsheet was for record keeping while the Quicken was our banking business.  I called the time I worked there my computer training as I learned a lot but I realized later that there was even more to learn.

I can remember when we upgraded our Commodore to a 386 and then later to the Windows 98.  I was using that at my current employer and not only did it have all the things I knew but it also had a special program built in that I had to learn how to use as it was designed for the business.

I felt I was confident to use the computer for small business and fairly quick to learn new programs but then I began to get older.  We had to retire the Windows 98 in 2005 shortly after we retired because it had reached its limit and I say it was just plain tired.  I had used it extensively with our farm records and banking records and reports that we gave to the accountant each year to do our taxes.

In 2005 we bought another HP with XP on it and I was in love.  I had already used the old computer to write three books on and with this new one, I was ready to tackle more and soon had written the fourth and then on to the fifth and sixth and seventh plus numerous short stories.  It was a work horse and went for hours at a time when I was in the writing mood.  I didn't really have to keep any business records since we were retired.  However my husband got his own computer and after some tutoring he learned how to use it to keep records for his little retirement business.

And to be honest, I had heard about the "new" computers and how different the operating systems were from the "simple" ones I was used too.  I prayed each day for my HP to keep on working even though it was getting slower but then I'm older and I'm slower too so I put up with it.  But then two weeks ago, it decided it had enough and just quit on me.  I had no choice but to replace it.

So here I am with a new computer and a new operating system, Windows 7, and everything is greek to me.  Zach showed me a few things and I know the basics so have been able to do a few things but there are other things that have me completely bamboozled.

Luckily I have a wonderful grandson who has been patient and will be coming back down soon to help me transfer from files from the old hard drive over to this new one and maybe he will be able to train me on how to do some of the new fangled things that are on here now.

I've been spoiled by having programs available that help me through things and this time I don't have those easy to do programs so even though it will still do the same thing, I just have to learn how to go about it differently.  And I might be a little impatient as I want to do a few things but can't until I have been taught the new way of doing it.  

I guess you can train an old dog, but it might just take longer and bless his heart for putting up with me and my dumb questions.  Love you Zach.

September 2013

Fall is a bouquet of orange, red and yellow with touches of green in an arrangement created by God.   ~  Barbara Foster, August 29, 2013

September, the ninth month of the year and the month of changes.  September is the month we make the transition from the hot long days of summer to the cooler and getting shorter days of autumn.  It is when we lose the warm balmy breezes on an evening stroll to the warmth of a sweater to keep off the night chill.  September also brings the beginning of a new school year and how things have changed since I was young.  Now school begins two to three weeks before the first of September whereas I always looked forward to the day after Labor Day as being my first day of school.

I remember trying to decide which new dress I would wear and proudly carrying my tablet, no not the electronic one of today but a Big Chief paper tablet, new pencils, crayons, a ruler and an eraser.  It was always exciting to see my friends again even though we had seen each other off and on during the summer, it was different on the first day of school.  We were all anxious to meet our teachers and yet a little apprehensive as to what they might be like.

As I grew older, the supplies changed as well but I still had the same excitement and enthusiasm on that first day of school.  It always seemed like September started a new year and a new life.

Now, I love to see September come with the cooler days but I also hate it when it goes away so quickly as it means winter isn't far off.  I wish we could keep September year round.  I'm way past the age to feel the excitement of a new school year or see old friends for the first time since our days of summer.  My days all run together now and only the change in the season gives me a new look on the upcoming days.  I see my friends year round but we can still get excited if one of us gets a new outfit or a new car or even a new piece of furniture.  With age, comes a different outlook on what we view as exciting and important.  Gone are the days when we look forward to being in a classroom, or playing on the swings and slides at recess, but as we gather, we often reflect back on those days with fond memories.

I am an avid holiday and season decorator.  I want to celebrate every holiday and every season and my way is to decorate inside and outside my home.  Whether it be lights, flowers, flags, garden statues or signs, I find a way to display something to commemorate the holiday or season at the time.

My daughter accused me of having OCD, Obessive Christmas Disorder, since that is generally the holiday that I decorate the most, but I never miss out on Valentine's Day or St. Patrick's Day, and of course we have to have spring floral bouquets and wreaths, then Easter and I even go all out for the 4th of July.  But then all I have is the fall season which I decorate with wreaths and flowers of the season, scare crows and as Halloween approaches, I add the black cats and witches and jacko-lanterns but this year I have decided that I do not have OCD, I have ODD.

ODD is Obsessive Decorating Disorder.  Yes, that is me, I always knew I was odd but now there is actually a name for it.  I saw a wonderful idea to celebrate Fall and I just had to try it.  

For those of us who have artificial Christmas trees, ( I do only because years ago when Melanie was small, we had a real one that caught fire and decided it was not worth the risk) this is the perfect solution if you love to decorate as much as I do.  Put up your tree and then decorate with the colorful orange, purple or the new Candy Corn lights, assorted picks or autumn floral arrangements, some bows and anything you like in your fall decorating.  

So I have a Holiday Fall Tree which supports fall things but will have Halloween decor and then Thanksgiving before I remove it all to decorate for Christmas and since I leave my tree up until the first of the year, I will make it a winter tree with white lights, white decorations until Valentine's Day when it will be adorned with Hearts and flowers.  Of course, then there are the shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day and eggs and bunnies for Easter, then maybe a tree of spring flowers until close to the 4th of July when I can just see it covered in red white and blue.  I'll do it as long as I can.  I may grow tired of seeing the tree in the corner where it stands now but then again I may not seeing that I do love to decorate and this is perfect for me.

I hate seeing the stores refer to Christmas trees as Holiday trees so this year I'm going to tell them every time I see one of their signs that they are wrong.  A true Holiday tree changes and when it is decorated for Christmas, then it is a Christmas tree, but if they want a Holiday tree, I'll be glad to decorate one in any holiday they choose.  How do you think that will be accepted?

Maybe it is my age now and I know there have been changes that I can't control, but for those that I can, I will keep trying to keep them as they were, not for just the memories that I have but to share the joy I've had with those who are coming behind me.  My wish would be for everyone to experience the joys of life in a simpler time and to make memories that they will never forget.  So many flow along with the tide and accept the change not really knowing what they are missing.

We are all in a race.  Whether it is time or just wanting to get somewhere fast, it seems everyone is moving so fast that there is no time to smell the flowers along the way.  Why wait until retirement or when you have reached an age that you cannot be in the race any longer?  Take time now and be a little ODD.  Stop to enjoy the views, the changing of the seasons as if they are the changing of the guards and celebrate life now.  Hang a wreath up or buy a flower of the season or go all out, just as long as you enjoy it.  Go to the pumpkin patch with your children or grandchildren and be a kid again looking for the perfect pumpkin or maybe you just want a nice arrangement to display on the front porch.  There is nothing that says we can't so have fun.

Happy Fall Holiday!!!