Monster Mashers

Whatever the season or holiday, living in the country provides the perfect backdrop. Growing up, this proved especially true on Halloween when spooks could be hiding in cornfields or in gardens almost bare or in haylofts where bats swooped and creepy creatures lurked behind the bales piled high. With poplar trees nearly stripped of leaves, the remaining ones on the gnarly branches would rustle in the wind-their edginess scripted for the night of ghosts and goblins.

And if nature's backdrop wasn't enough for little imaginations to grab hold of and enhance all the more, stir in ghoulish adults with a foot still firmly placed in childhood wonder and pranking and you had the perfect scenario for the most scariest-most horrifying, monster mashing Halloweens ever-the kind you look back on as an adult and feel blessed with the memories. Memories of a grandmother whose nose was fit for a witch as was her heckle and whose long grey hair when left to fall seemed to fall forever; an uncle with not only one but both feet firmly planted in childhood with creepy masks and an ability to appear out of the dark on any given twist or turn as one is trick or treating; another uncle who could recite "Little Orphan Annie" in such a way that when he looked up and with a final pause and twist of his tongue said, "And the goblins will get you if you don't watch out" you'd feel chills down your spine yet you wanted to hear it again and again; and an aunt who made that season of suspense even more fun by hanging apples by strings for us to try to bite with our hands behind our backs plus bob for apples floating in a bucket of water. Most times the water ended up covering the floor and those trying to snatch hold of one.

To top it all off-when you'd get home and empty all your goodies out on the rug and divide them into piles you'd keep an eye out for that witch with a hook nose or monster with a creepy mask because it'd turn out out they loved eating candy too!