Spooky Toes And Fingers

Patty humored me and sent the pictures of her latest manicure and pedicure for use on my blog. You can see she is getting into the Halloween spirit. It happens to be one of her favorite occasions. She's very creative and her yard and house are brimming with orange and black goodies.

There's always a bale of hay in her front yard, complete with pumpkins, corn stalks, and a scarecrow. As you near her front door, a motion-activated cat, witch, or ghost will scare the socks off of you. Inside are pumpkin candles, pumpkin dishes and bowls, and Halloween characters abound. I admire her for her creativity and energy. I do good to get a bowl of candy to the door on the 31st.

The bale of hay and pumpkins will remain until Thanksgiving, that is unless someone steals them. Last year someone grabbed her pumpkins, jumped back into a van, and sped off. This was caught on their security camera, but not close enough to make out details.

Thanksgiving also marks the day her Christmas tree goes up, fully decorated with an American theme. Then, all the wreaths, Santas and snowmen find their place in the yard or house. Patty is very good at celebrating every occasion with gusto. I rely on her to let some of that enthusiasm rub off on me. I'm not exactly a Scrooge - Christmas is my favorite holiday - but I need a push in the right direction. Patty comes over and helps me decorate my tree. We've even made a middle of the night run to Wal-Mart for some finishing touches. I appreciate the lengths she goes to in spreading Christmas cheer my way.

But now it is Halloween that is almost upon us. It doesn't surprise me that Patty would extend her decorating ideas to her toes and fingers. She's already given Robin butterscotch-flavored lip balm and green apple for me. If you can't make out the designs in the picture, they are cats, a pumpkin, and a spider web.

"My toes look like sausages," she said me with a laugh.

"The picture had to be a closeup," I told her. "Anyone's toes would take on the sausage appearance."

She said her salon told her they do wonderful Christmas trees so this may not be the last you see of Patty's toes and fingers. Of course, I, being the practical one, asked why spend the money for Christmas toes, only to cover them with socks? Then, I remembered the weather we've been having and told her it was a good idea. Christmas may still find us in flip-flops.