Darkrose Manor... just accused of being Santanists.

Ridiculous...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The city that we live in has actually listed our yard haunt as a 'city attraction'. That in and of itself is, in my opinion, quite the accomplishment. I just had a rather interesting and somewhat disturbing conversation with the neighbor that lives directly to our right. She has never said anything before. We've been here for over 3 years now. But... amid her bid to see if we had time to fix the rotting fence post between our yards, (post on her side, fyi,) she made sure to mention that it was getting close to Halloween and she had some things to say. At this point, I notice something I had never noticed before. After just returning from her mailbox... and just after receiving the usual patronizing wave that lets me know she wants to speak with me... I spy the outside of the bundle she is carrying in her arms. She is carrying a magazine. That outside of that magazine reads... 'The Evangelist... The Ministries of Jimmy Swaggart'. ...insert dramatic pause here... or ...'Dummmm...dummmm.....dummmm....' Now, being that I have several Christian neighbors... most of which beg us to do the haunt each year, I initially think little of this. That is, until, she says, 'I think you should know that I am a Christian. Halloween is not a 'Holy-Day'. I view Halloween as a Satanic night and those that are invovled are Satanists.' I'm pretty sure that the woman who just asked me to fix her fence just called us Satanists. I'm fairly certain that we will not be fixing her fence post. As I attempt to tell her that I respect her's, as well as everyone else's religious beliefs, as well as making the futile attempt to school her on the origins of Halloween as well as it's predecessors... (my husband does have a degree in History and Philosophy, after all.) She sthen remarks, 'I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.' Honestly, every fiber of my being wants to haunt like I've never haunted before. This being on the year we weren't even certain that we would even be able to afford said haunt, for that matter. Thaunts? (Transcribed = haunty thoughts?) __________________ - Pandora "The surface may seem calm enough, but underneath... underneath..." www.darkrosemanor.com

To Haunt or Not To Haunt...

It's been awhile. A long while. I can't say that the months since Halloween or even Christmas have been easy ones for us. I'm not going to bore you with the dreary details, but suffice it to say that we are considering retiring Darkrose Manor. At least this year. At least it wouldn't be to the scale that we have been creating the last few years. Minimalist and simple. Maybe a few props from years past and an evening of sitting on the porch handing out candy like 'normal' folk. It would be a revisitation of our first year doing just that.

I always thought that we would haunt no matter what. That lack of time, lack of money or even lack of good health wouldn't stop us. We just loved doing it and that was why we did it. Even the nay-sayers or those inevitable crappy, trying to look cool to their friends, teenagers that specifically walk by complaining about how 'this sucks' or 'this isn't scary' couldn't stop us because we've always fantasized that those are the ones that would return home only to have nightmares.

I have been over the video clips from 2011 and once again found myself dragging my feet to put it together. I'm not sure if that was simple procrastination due to the other every day struggles for time or that the very thought somehow meant that I didn't love the haunt any longer. I'm still trying to nail that one down.

I've spent most of this morning rummaging through photos and some of my favorite blogs primarily Halloween related. Rot is always my first stop, and I spent hours back-tracking through the months of posts on his blog that I'd neglected to visit. As I was doing so, I couldn't help but feel that familiar increase in excitement as each page passed by celebrating all things Halloween. The props, the music, the videos, the words, toss in a little spanish moss and fog - and suddenly I want to start brainstorming this year's display. Or even finish editing 2011's video.

I don't know if this means that we will do anything on the scale on the last few years or if it's just a fleeting moment of nostalgia. But I do know this...


...I can't pretend that Halloween isn't approaching, even in the breath-stealing heat of this particular Colorado summer. I can't pretend that the thought of crunching leaves and cooler evenings won't remind me that time is a-wasting.

We'll see.