October is almost here! Let's embrace it and all that it brings!

October is almost here!!!! I will be so happy that the official haunting month has arrived. I have been ready to decorate for Halloween for the past few weeks, but I like to enjoy my fall decor before I add the Halloween things. So, I wait until Oct. 1 to bring out the creepy and spooky and funky Halloween decor. And, (drum roll please...) that is tomorrow.

This year has been harder than most on my waiting for my official decorating time. I have been so into Halloween and my plans for the first Boo Bash at Haven Haunt. I am substituting this week for four days and so yesterday, I ran up to my fav thrift store, the Resale Barn, during my conference time, to check out the Halloween stash. I am subbing in the little town where the store is located and so being here gives me another excuse to look for more things for the Boo Bash. Although the inventory has slowed down at the Resale Barn, they still had some great stuff. In my opinion, they had the right idea this year. They have had Halloween items out for over a month and people have been able to shop and build up their decor or costume items over time.

Now, that the big retail stores have their Halloween wares out and the specialty stores are booming, I already have a plan and am able to pick up the odds and ends pieces that I must buy new.

Halloween has become a new passion with me this year. I was just reading on some other blogs and realized that I still don't like some things about Halloween. I am not into the dark side of things. Like one of my fellow bloggers, I don't like vampires, either. I agree with the view of this blogger that it is probably because they are just evil. I do have quite a few props, costumes and decor that are vampire based, but they are lighter in nature.Can vampires actually be lighter in nature? Hmm...probably not, but the items I have with vampires are sort of funky---not scary or evil looking.

I also am at odds with my church over the entire Halloween issue. I realize that much of this material CAN and IS of the dark nature, (which I do not like nor participate in), but I just love a good scare and the escapism of the holiday. I have read Bram Stoker's Draculaand although it is not a favorite, I can appreciate the great literary worth of the novel.

I also am in favor of kids reading---too many won't read at all. So, what is the harm of them reading fantasy literature of books about teen vampires or wizards. Reading is a life skill and it expands your mind and makes you much more capable of higher order thinking and reasoning. So, let's encourage kids (and adults to read).

There is a book fair going on in the library of the schools here this week. I went in yesterday to browse the books and noticed that this book fair is heavy into Halloween themed books and posters. Well, gee, it is the time of the year and some of the most popular books and movies this year were about vampires, magic and such. So, please pardon me for being a little concerned that some parents were critical of these books being presented in the book fair! There were ample other choices. Have a family discussion with your child and set parameters for your family, if you wish, but hey, please don't impose your beliefs and restrictions on the others.

Let's be respectful and tolerant and not make, too much out of this current reading frenzy of young adult literature. I grew up reading everything I could about King Arthur and Merlin and Stoker's vampire and great pieces of literature that are today being banned for one reason or another. They didn't warp me---they made me into a well read critical thinker. I hope to see this trend continue. I found my own niche of reading comfort and it wasn't in these areas, just because I was exposed to such stories through literature. The end result was that I explored many types of books and found a passion in books and learning.