28 Weeks Along - Celebrating Autumn and Looking Forward to Many More

In an effort to keep myself busy and not think about Moanday, I’m considering heading down to Salem, MA and getting in the middle of all the craziness that Samhain/All Hallows Eve/Halloween tends to be down there. In all honesty, it is one of my favoruite drives and at just over 90 miles each way, I shouldn’t be too terribly uncomfortable. I’ll probably go down tomorrow morning as I’ve been taking care of household chores this morning and don’t want to get a late start.

Of course, my plans my change because we have some SNOW predicted. It probably won’t be anything major – meaning little to no accumulation and probably little more than just a thick dusting, but as I’ve not had a chance to test out the Swedish beast on potentially icy roads, it may not be something I want to do. However, the ground hasn’t yet frozen so it might not be too bad.

The other down side about all the festivities in Salem this time of year, is all the yummy food they have down there this time of year. While I don’t normally eat loads of sugar, with my 3 Hour GTT on Moanday, I’m not tempting fate. Nothing but protein and as much water as I can shove down my throat until Moanday afternoon, and that’s it! But there are tons of stalls with things like caramel apples, candy coated apples, fried dough, corn dogs, elephant ears….stuff like that. I’ve never had fried dough or an elephant ear and I’d like to try one dammit! I wouldn’t be able to eat very much of it, but it would still be kinda fun.

The food isn’t the main fun. No ,it’s all the stuff connected with Salem. There are tours of the dungeons where they used to hold those accused of witchcraft, there are loads of historical cemeteries around there with walking tours and there are also “ghost walks” in some of the older homes that used to be inhabited by Sea Captains of old which are now purportedly haunted. Salem was also home to one of my favourite authors, Nathaniel Hawthorne. I’ve been through the House of Seven Gables several times and I love being able to walk through the home in which he was born (behind the House of Seven Gables) and be able to connect in some small way with the past.

There are lots of unique little shops that boast all sorts of occult craziness and while I don’t cotton to most of it, I do like to go inside and walk around. Some of the books are interesting from a historical point of view. I guess being that I’m what some refer to as a “spookshow baby” there is a lot about the creepier side of Salem which I find alluring. Everytime Gareth and I have driven down there in past, on the road into Salem there is a large black building, it's an older building, but it's painted in very deep dark black shiny paint and the front doors are chained shut and the building is up for lease. Rumour has it that there were occult meetings held there for a time, and it is one of the buildings with a significant historical past. And for some reason, people who walk by it seem to give it a rather large berth. I keep meaning to take a picture when I'm down there, but I never do. Maybe this time I will.

Generally I love the atmosphere that late Autumn in New England carries with it. The air is crisp, the trees- while some are not as vibrant this late into the season are still pretty, and people seem a little bit happier, their steps seem lighter. We are all so busy preparing for Winter’s deep slumber but there’s just something else in the air. Perhaps it’s the fact that this time of year signals the turn towards not only wintertime, but getting ready for the holidays.

Does Halloween, while not really a “holiday” in the truest or most accepted sense of the word, signal the start of the official “holiday season”? For me, as I am now in my third trimester of pregnancy, I’m not only getting ready to settle in for a long cold winter....but in a sense, much like our pioneer ancestors of old, I’m physically reaping the benefits of efforts sown during the spring. While most people harvest their rewards of seeds sown during the spring - in the fall, we will be reaping our rewards early this winter.

But as much as Halloween and the coming holidays excite the young and old alike, this Halloween I look forward to sharing the next and many more with our new daughter.

Whether you celebrate Halloween, All Hallows Eve, Samhain, or even embrace more simple yet still meaningful harvest festivals, I hope you make it a happy and joyous one!