HALLOWEEN AND MY FATHER

Left to Right -- my fraternal grandmother, my young father, and my fraternal grandfather

Rosemont Avenue, Berkley, Michigan

Celebrating Halloween when I was young in the forties and fifties was not only celebrated by kids but by my father. The reason being was that he was born on Halloween so our family celebrated the whole month of October with porch pumpkins, cardboard images tacked to our windows of spiders, black witches and cats. Topping it all off was a five foot cardboard skeleton hanging from our front door. We were the most "ready for" Halloween house on our block. 

Today of course houses can be decorated like stage plays with full size plastic devilish figures dancing across yards. 

I took this photo as it closely resembled my memories of Halloween. Not so plastic but imaginative creations.  

 A real spider that I noticed a week ago while checking out an old school. He was travelling across the old porch boards probably choosing a place to hide where he could jump out and scare children on Halloween night. Of course I enlarged him in Lightroom

This house would have made a great haunted house for us kids to scream and run through and maybe a few adults too (like my father).

PORCH DRESSED FOR FALL

PUMPKINS AND MUMS CLIMB UP AND AROUND A HOME'S FRONT PORCH

BIRTHDAY PUMPKINS

Pumpkins, butternut squash, and Cushow squash (striped) on a wagon bed. 

A southern "sittin" porch is seen in the background

My father was born on Halloween. All through my years of living at my childhood home and later living away I have placed pumpkins outside on his birthday to celebrate. He died in 1991 but I still carry on my tradition of setting out pumpkins. I know folks set out pumpkins for Halloween and that makes neighborhoods look very festive. I think my pumpkins add a touch to that look. My father would have liked this continuation of festive Halloween pumpkins for his birthday.

This past weekend I discovered a farmer's wife standing by a farm wagon parked in the street at a suburban yard sale selling squash and pumpkins. She told me that she had hauled the produce from her farm. Pumpkins were either one dollar or two dollars.The squash was priced in the same range. She mentioned that the pumpkins were not the same size that they usually are due to the summer drought. I thought they were just the right size.

I dug down in my small stash of cash and found six dollars to buy two butternut squash and three pumpkins. It was a beautiful sunny day.The woman and I discovered we had a similar interest, photography. This led to a lengthy conversation. 

Soon I was pulling into my drive. My mind was full of my father. Then I noticed the exact place I was going to put his pumpkins. On the chair that I found beside the road about a month ago. There I could view them every time I pulled into my drive. An early Happy Birthday to you Dad!

LOCAL TAILGATE FARMERS

TAILGATE FARMERS GEORGE AND ROY ON THE RIGHT.
 A canopy tent adjacent to the truck's hatch provides protection from the elements

You hardly see farmers selling their produce along side of the road anymore. But if you know where they are likely to set up you hightail to those spots when you know garden crops have reached maturity. 


Above are two two Kentucky farmers selling tailgate style along highway 25 by Richmond. Today they are selling fresh picked Silver Queen corn from George's fields. 


George has been a farmer all his life. Roy was born and raised in Kentucky but moved away with the service and then worked 40 plus years in Indiana. He now lives back in Kentucky. I asked  him why he moved back after being away for so many years and he said, " why it's home." and George picked up on that and added, " Kentucky is always in your blood." 


Together they keep busy as they sell to cars and trucks that stop at their spot. They told me they always sell out of corn each time they set-up -- "why just the other day a dump truck stopped and bought 30 dozen ears from us." I asked them why such a load of corn? They told me they just sell, they don't ask what they are going to do with it.  They laughed.


Their best sellers are cantaloupe and tomatoes -- they always sell out early with these crops.  They sell pumpkins in the fall -- I'm looking forward to that time. I will be checking with them about the pumpkins as they tell me they sell quickly. 


These two men represent the friendliness of native Kentuckians -- always making you feel comfortable when you are asking lots of questions.