Deborah Macgillivray's Blog, page 62

Happy Guy Fawkes Day!!

Some holidays make people scratch their heads at the rituals and customs.  None more stranger than Guy Fawkes Day, which doesn't seem to migrate beyond it's English origins.
Guy Fawkes is oddly celebrated.   He is, after all, a failure.  Rarely does history recall losers and failures, especially one on such a massive level.  But old Guy goes down in history for his failed attempt to blow up the king of England and Parliament.  Catholic dissident Fawkes and twelve of his co-conspirators (hey, Guy, maybe the number 13 should have clued you up?) decided James I should die when he opened Parliament on November 5th, 1605.  Their plot was months in the planning, but all came to naught when Guy was discovered lurking below in the cellars of the House of Lords.  Tellingly, there were 35 barrels of gunpowder with him.  I can just hear it now, "Hello, hello, hello...what have we here?" LOL.
Parliament declared the day a public holiday of Thanksgiving (nothing connected to US Thanksgiving), and soon the day became known as Bonfire Night, because of the bonfires lit in celebration of the plot failing.  Rather odd, since nothing blew up, no fires took place, yet this is how it's celebrated.  Go figure...lol.

My Kitty Boots, walking on his leash

Boots is such a good kitty.  He's taken to being an indoor kitty so well, but he still longs to go outside.  Solution: walk him on a leash.  You say cats don't like to walk on a leash...check him out walking

Feral cat shelters for poor kitty babies tossed away and have to fend for themselves

With winter weather coming on, it's time to think of our feral kitty friends.  You can build feral cat shelters with very little and it could  mean life or death for a poor stray cat that someone heartlessly dumped.  You could put them until a bush or shrubs.  It could mean so much to a poor cat that was toss away like a piece of garbage.




Also, cats will find shelter under cars at times, in the tire wells or the space around the engines.  Just give the hood a couple raps on cold days to make sure they are out before you move the car.

Halloween Redeux...

We had a huge wind storm, rain and thunderstorms on Halloween, so the town permitted the kids to trick or treat on Friday.  All Soul's Eve was beautiful so we have one of the biggest Trick or Treating every.  I ran through 5 big bags of candy.  Over 1500 pieces of candy found a home...lol.  They kids were polite, fun, and had a wonderful time.  

So I had a magical Halloween -- Twice! 











 It started with a glorious sunset that heralded the arrival of the kids.


A Halloween wreath Candy Thompson made for me.

 
the witch dolls Candy made were on the porch

  
 


 

 

Happy All Soul's Eve

My inner child is playing tonight

my new Christmas decoration.  :-)

Santa Snoopy

http://www.youtube.com/v/dJ9uuW2Eem4?...

Sometimes, there is a part of me that refuses to grow up and finds happiness in small things...lol.  My new toy for Christmas decorating.

Happy Samhain - All Hallow Eve Blessings!!

I simply love this time of year!
Memories of my childhood press in on me.  Not of Trick or Treating, as we did not do that.  Where we lived the houses set on huge tracks of land, 20 to 100 acres or more each, so going from house-to-house would have been an all day and night project!  The mothers (and a few dads) began donating their time to turning the school into a Halloween Festival every year.  On stage in the auditorium, Mummers and Minstrels would put on a show, and the whole building was transformed into a spooky wonderland. 
At 4PM the kids, dressed in their costumes, would hurry back to school,.  There was something oddly magical about being inside the school at night, slightly taboo, vaguely sinister.  Once the classes were organized, there was a parade through the whole town.  Often, kids with ponies would ride them as part of their costumes.  The parade would wander back to the school, and then everyone went up on the stage by class, and the audience could clap for the best costumes for each homeroom.
 Before the children glimpsed the magic in the basement rooms and gymnasium, there was a turkey dinner for everyone in the school cafeteria.  Our kitchen staff was super cooks and it was always a favorite event in the village.  After that, the gym would be opened up and the awe of wonderland would unfold.  It had been decked out with hay-bales, pumpkins, crepe paper, dried cornstalks and orange and yellow lights.  There were various booths for games of chance - a cake-walk, bean bag toss, even bobbing for apples.  A band was brought in to play music.  Monster Mash was always much requested.  In one room, they had set up a projector that screened cartoons with a Halloween theme.  Another was given over to a professional Punch and Judy style puppet and marionette show.  Each year the honor fell to the eighth grade kids to create a haunted house, back in the storage rooms that were rarely used.  And boy did they!  I recall, when I was eleven, they gave me NIGHTMARES with their gruesome scenes of torture!  Bingo was held down in the far wing for those seeking quieter entertainment.  There was simply something for everyone to enjoy.  
The love at the holiday festival spun my Shoes, Shades and Faerydust short story.
When I was 12 was one of the best ones the parents had put on.  The night was glorious. Sadly, after that it was decided that parents were too busy to bother.  They kept on with the turkey dinner and the parade, but it was never the same.  Something very precious and innocent was lost to going around begging for candy.

So this day, I will enjoy the kids coming to the door in their costumes, smile at their pleasure, yet I will feel sad they are denied the childhood magic I so enjoyed when I was their age.
Happy All Hallow's Eve

Serendipity's view of Trick or Treat La Grange Day

Downtown La Grange businesses tossed a bash for the kids (though the adults have a marvelous time, too).  They close off Main Street and allow the kids to to from business to business Trick or Treating.  I won't load all the enchanting images, too many.  211 and I am STILL loading. 



A BIG Congrats go to Lillian and Becky at Serendipty Cafe and Gifts for hosting the Zombie Walk.  They must have started over with around 150 people, and picked up about 50-75 more as we went along.  I was tired and almost didn't go, but was glad I did.




Lilian, owner of Serendipity

Serendipity's Staff getting into the Zombie Walk spirit!



Facebook Album -https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...




Sue Ann, of Rainy Days hosting the costume judging and looking lovely.




A wonderful Dad taking his two girls out to enjoy the day.




Candy has a ball.  Serendipity allowed her to pass out the treats to the kids.  She dressed at a witch and the children loved it.


A marvelous time was had by all!!  
 

And the winner is SHADOW!!!

Halloween Flash Fiction Bash: Deborah Macgillivray's contest has ended! And the winner is Shadow! She won print books of Sisters of Colford Hall series by Deborah Macgillivray– The Invasion of Falgannon Isle, Riding the Thunder, and A Wolf in Wolf’s Clothing, and of Dawn Thompson's books: Renegade Riders, Counterfeit Heiress, and The Daughter of Time! Congratulations! Don't forget the FREE READ is for all trick or treaters. 
http://kmnbooks.blogspot.com/2013/10/shoes-shades-and-faerydust-by-deborah.html
 


 

Shadow please email me at Romance.Writer.UK@gmail.com to arrange shipment of our books!

CONGRATS!!!

Shoes, Shades and Faerydust - a KMN Halloween Flash

My friend Karen Michelle Nutt asked if I would pen a short story for her Halloween Flash
at KMN Books

http://networkedblogs.com/QeEG4
Check out the sweet romance of young love and special pair of red shoes

While there, enter the contest - I am giving away three books
The Invasion of Falgannon Isle Riding the Thunder  and
A Wolf in Wolf's Clothing
In remembrance of my dear friend Dawn Thompson
I shall also include three of Dawn's book

Renegade Riders
The Counterfeit Lady
and The Daughter of Time