Good morning, all! Yes, there's no more matzoh ball soup, not to be had for ready money (an IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST reference). If Nurse Jane were still visiting, instead of taking care of a dog and cat in Oregon, I'd be back to full health by now.
Halloween was one of my favorite days during my childhood: my Mother made popcorn balls for her favorite neighborhood kids so we had a treat for several days, at school there would be cookies frosted into jack-o-lanterns from Central Pastry, and the big trick-or-treat night was a general group trek which the whole neighborhood got into. At one house, I remember the homeowner (I remember the house but no longer the family), after his wife had given us candy, came running from the back of the house wrapped in a sheet and screaming bloody murder. We all ran down the driveway yelling our heads off and clutching our gaudy trick or treat bags. It was always four of us, my brother, John and Tom Hawkins, and I. John was my best friend and we were inseparable, from the morning school bus until one of us had to go home from each other's house to do homework. I still remember being terrified after the four of us saw THE BLOB, but the most frightening movie I remember from my childhood was INVADERS FROM MARS, which seemed to define my alienated situation from my parents. I had great nightmares about people getting sucked into the ground.
Halloween costumes? No memory, none, except they were usually gaudy and cheap dimestore items.
