October 31, 2014

Your Halloween hangout.

Cousin Itt and the Plague Doctor dropped by Meadhouse at 6:30:

Untitled

I was so impressed, I put that at the top of the post, originally published beginning at this point:

DSC05016

That's an old pic. From 2009. I'm looking back on old Halloweens blogged in years past. The nicest one was the first year of blogging, 2004:

Two boys, maybe 9 years old, show up, one in a monster suit, another in just a nice pin-striped suit.
So what are you? A man ... but any particular type of man?

I'm an insurance salesman!

Ooh! That is scary!

Here's my card.
The card says:
Trust Me Insurance Services

I.M. Scheister

Pay me now and you'll never see me again.
Next were two girls, also maybe 9. One was Elvis. The other was dressed in a school uniform and had nicely done stage makeup creating the illusion of scissors and a pencil stabbed into her head:
You're Elvis.

Yes.

And you, you're a character from some horror movie I haven't seen?

No.

You're a schoolgirl ...

Yes ...

You're a schoolgirl who hates school!

Yes!
A young girl dresses as Leah LaBelle. A group of young boys all follow a sports theme (referee, Cubs fan) but one of them violates the theme and is a burglar. I question the referee guy about the theme of the group and he tells me the burglar guy "just sneaked in." Good save!

Chris takes the next doorbell ring (after pausing last night's TiVo'd SNL with Kate Winslet).
Anything good?

Eh ... one was George Bush.
Five high school kids: two Greek philosophers, two hippies, and one pimp! I asked the pimp what he was doing hanging around with philosophers and hippies. Pimp had no good answer.

Two girls, maybe 14, one is the old classic, a cat. The other:
You're ... you're 80s Girl!

Yeah.

With leg warmers!

Yeah.

Leg warmers rule!
Today, it's 6:10 and the doorbell has only rung once, and that was an hour ago.  Meade was out walking the dog, and I don't like answering the door when I'm alone. And the person at the door was alone and a teenage boy. Why would a teenage boy trick-or-treat alone and early — before dark? Plus, he was dressed as a murderer and carried a cleaver — a fake cleaver, I think. I did not engage in an '04-style banter. I realize now that I could have said: And who are you supposed to be? Mr. Cleaver?

Oh! Just as I was finishing this a whole bunch of kids came. One said he was "an undead farmer killed in a car crash." Another was "the doctor from Dr. Who." Wouldn't that just be Dr. Who? I don't know. As I said to the young lady: "I don't watch Dr. Who, but you costume looks very accurate."

UPDATE at 7:20: We got a ninja and a turtle. Not a ninja turtle. A ninja and a turtle.

39 comments:

Purpleslog said...

The show is called "Doctor Who", the character is just "The Doctor".

Ann Althouse said...

So then she was Dr. Who… or… you mean there is no Dr. Who?

tim maguire said...

New house, new neighbourhood, never seen so many trick or treaters. We ran out of candy 20 minutes ago and my daughter has been volunteering her own candy since. But I fear she will run out soon.

Meade said...

Hey, Purpleslog — that is one beautiful Golden you have on your Flickr site!

Wince said...

Isn't the "Cousin Itt" character hostile to the gender questioning community?

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

For the first time in 20 years we won't be home to hand out candy as my son has a football game at home. As kids we scored hugely trick-or-treating and I always felt it was important to reciprocate as an adult. I also felt a little contempt for those mugwumps who darkened their houses and begrudged a few pieces of candy to the kids.
Alas, now I bear the guilt.

Ann Althouse said...

Hey, where is everyone?

They came in one huge burst at about 6:30.

chickelit said...

They came in one huge burst at about 6:30.

Refractory period.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

We used to live in Alabama in a subdivision that attracted kids from outside the neighborhood. We gave out full-sized candy bars, over a hundred a year.

Now I live on a fairly rural street, and another year has come and gone without a trick-or-treater.

chickelit said...

It's not even dark here.

Ann Althouse said...

We're in a neighborhood that's very nice and yet the houses are close together. And people are very nice. It's a great place to trick-or-treat.

pm317 said...

I don't like answering the door when I'm alone.

?!

We went out to dinner at 6ish -- neither of us cook on a Friday night. We left Kitkat and Reese's (those medium sized ones) by the door and it was all gone by the time we got back at 8ish.. Mystery: did the first person/group take it all or did they all behave? There was enough for about 15 kids if everyone took one piece.

pm317 said...

we saw tons of kids everywhere in the NW DC neighborhoods that we drove -- they had blocked one road with an SUV and tape.. haha. Saw even adults dressed up walking with the kids..nice.

madAsHell said...

My Mom lives by the elementary school, and she gets a bunch of kids. I live eight blocks away on the side of a hill, and we can only depend upon the immediate neighbors to ring the bell.

Hagar said...

The joy police has about killed trick or treating in my neighborhood. Must have been at least 5 years since the last kid came around, so I just have chocolates for myself from now to New Years.
(Just in case some kids do come again, I still buy the candy.)

madAsHell said...

Cousin Itt?? That is soooo 1965.

That's gotta be one of the guys from ZZTop.

Wilbur said...

Halloween is great, seeing the tricked-out kids at the door. But Halloween is for kids. Little kids, not hulking 16 year-olds trying to score free sweets.

Normally, Mrs. Wilbur and I go out to a nightclub about every other Friday or Saturday night. Halloween and New Years Eve are exceptions to this. Those are good nights to stay home.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

" Mystery: did the first person/group take it all or did they all behave? There was enough for about 15 kids if everyone took one piece. "

The bowl on the stoop is a bonanza for the first unescorted kid to hit your house. Trick-or-treating is, at heart, a mercenary endeavor.

Birdwatcher said...

Went back and read the Halloween post from 2004. Loved it. Thank you for all these years of sailing out onto unknown waters, writing this blog.

FullMoon said...

Dang teen-agers! I usta get my German Shepard all riled up and on a short leash before I opened the door. (Low voice) Siiic em SSic em!

Haha,. I sure miss that dog.

Ann Althouse said...

"Went back and read the Halloween post from 2004. Loved it. Thank you for all these years of sailing out onto unknown waters, writing this blog."

Thanks for the thanks and thanks for reading.

Known Unknown said...

The Doctor is in

Hagar said...

I am told that in the old days, Halloween was for moving the neighbor's outhouse 5 ft. to the rear.
Another good one was to use a farmhand to lift his car or pickup up on the barn roof.

Patrick said...

We had some 80s girls tonight. Made me feel old!

chillblaine said...

I second Birdwatcher's sentiment.

No little monsters here. No sidewalks or streetlights. They probably caravan to well-prospected neighborhoods. If I do get one, I am prepared to offer Medifast diet packets.

Freeman Hunt said...

Watching "Mitt." It turns real life, where Romney isn't president, into a horror show. So depressing. How did this guy lose?

Freeman Hunt said...

Our neighborhood is a trick or treat destination. Hooray! I love handing out candy. And pretzels.

chickelit said...

How did this guy lose?

He was bad-mouthed into oblivion and enough people listened. The comments section here was a near perfect microcosm. Don't you remember Crack's histrionics?

Freeman Hunt said...

The election that destroyed most of my interest in politics.

Jane the Actuary said...

So my son wasn't the only Black Plague Doctor!

Though I have to say, I think his costume was better. :)

http://janetheactuary.blogspot.com/2014/10/happy-halloween.html

Patrick said...

Was trading along worth my kids while they went trick or treating tonight. Had to put out a fire! Somehow some leaves started burning in a back yard where no one was home. By the time I saw it, it had spread to the next yard, where no one was home also. Called 911 and did my best to smother it, but it was too much. It also started a grill on fire, bit I was able to disconnect the propane tank. The FD arrived and saved the day. Meanwhile, my kids took off and got about a million pounds of candy.

Laura said...

Bwahaha! Ya'all missed the first pregnant/postpartum Supreme Court justice who roots for Purdue, since her cracker daddy couldn't loosen up family ties long enuf to honor the fellowship he were offered! Boilermakers all around! Hic!

Laura said...

Jeez, all our'n teenagers bypassed the butterscotch and went straight for the granola bars and Nutragrain. Shoulda loaded up on Everclear for the dear ones!

Be said...

Earlier tonight while putting out a pumpkin, ran into my beautiful, not to mention gorgeously gravid neighbor from two doors down. During the course of our chat, she said that the toddler party wasn't slated to come down our street, because it was a quiet one.

I mentioned that an awful lot of oldsters were kind of looking forward to seeing the little ones' costumes.

Wouldn't you know it, but, an hour later ended up with something like 20 little ones crowded at the doorstep.

It took a bit to both hand out the cho co lates and compliment everyone on their costumes.

This will propel me into the New Year.

Coconuss Network said...

Just one lil trick-o-treater as a witch, hat and a mini-real-broom with her Mama. Very cute. She got Toblerone minis. The rest for us till New Year's. Halloween happens more in the schools in Germany, not so much outdoors.

tim maguire said...

Great 2004 post, maybe it's because you're in a university town, but they seemed awfully sophisticated. Reading the exchanges, I'm picturing kids much too old to be trick-or-treating.

It also made me wonder if I read that post the first time around. I started reading blogs in the late 90's, before they called them blogs (I think a libertarian blog "One Vicious Bastard" by J.D. Tucille, now a Reason writer, was my first). I tried blogging a few times between 2001 and 2003 but couldn't maintain the effort.

Anyway, my blogroll peaked around 2003 and I have been pairing down ever since. It's been a lot years since I added a blog, but I can't for the life of me remember how or when I discovered yours.

Larry J said...

Halloween encourages and teaches kids to act like Democrats. They show up at your house demanding free stuff and threatening trouble if you don't comply.

Ann Althouse said...

"Halloween encourages and teaches kids to act like Democrats. They show up at your house demanding free stuff and threatening trouble if you don't comply."

1. The threat of a "trick" isn't even understood by kids today. And there doesn't seem to be a "Mischief Night" anymore as there was when Meade and I were kids.

2. The Democratic approach would be to take money out of my paycheck before it reaches me and distribute a candy-buying card to the kids. No costumes, no dependence on the choices and goodwill of neighbors.

Larry J said...

The Democrats promised se millions of people free stuff and to raise Hell if people don't give it to them. It's Halloween writ very, very large.