Ever since we passed Labor Day and the weather started to change I've been obsessed with one question... will he, or won't he?
I'm talking about my neighbor Jim, the Exterior Decorator, and his Halloween Extravaganza.
On the one hand, I couldn't see him not doing it. He has a huge capital investment in Halloween accoutrements and let's face it, they're good for one day only.
But on the other hand, there was his unfortunate hernia operation last winter. Perhaps he just wouldn't be up to it. Easter did pass without so much as an egg or a bunny, and when Memorial Day and the Fourth didn't produce even a flag I became concerned.
So imagine my pleasant surprise when I drove past his house the first, crisp Sunday of October and saw him in the yard assembling his menagerie. Already the huge inflatable witch was up, and the even larger inflatable grim reaper. I was driving and unable to snap a pic, so I figured I'd grab my phone and take a photo later in the day when I walked the dogs.
But later that afternoon as we rounded the corner I was shocked to see... nothing! It was all gone, like Brigadoon.
Had I imagined it?
Was it just a test drive? That seemed unlikely as it was all tried and true from the previous year. Maybe there were "technical issues". Whatever. His intentions were clear so I figured it was just a matter of time before it all went up again. So I waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Two weeks went by and the only thing that appeared was the above assemblage of the frog on the Arc de Triumph on the mailbox. I'm pretty sure this is just Jim "freestylin'" and has nothing to do with Halloween. Regular readers will notice that the Arc has been repurposed.
So what gives? Had he had second thoughts? Backed out due to health concerns? What? The thought of Halloween without Jim's All Hallows Eve Tableau and the little bit of joy it gave me each morning was too much to bear.
So it's with an immense sense of relief I can report that Halloween is apparently back on! Below is the yard as it looked this morning. I can only imagine what it will look like this afternoon. I notice he swapped out the witch for an inflatable scarecrow - a wise choice I think. You don't want to repeat previous successes and it's a little more kid-friendly. I'm guessing the scarecrow was the source of the delay. He probably had to save up a couple of disability checks to pay for it.
I can hardly wait for all the rest - the bats and the ghosts, the scarecrows in Jason hockey masks, the floating heads and voice activated monsters. And the tiki torches and hanging frogs (I don't get that either, but it's a tradition).
Today, all seems right with the world.
