It’s that time of year again, Halloween. Those haunted houses are everywhere thanks to the spirited Cub Scouts of Rio Rancho. Just what I need- a place I can go to be scared, shocked and spooked. I don’t need a haunted house for that.

I already have the Halloween creeps from reading New Mexico Ghost Stories by Antonio R. Garcez and it is quite scary. Why? Because it is a collection of mysterious happenings, alright I’ll say it, hauntings around New Mexico as told by real people who have experienced them. There has been strange phenomenon in every corner of our state; and its not just Roswell. There is one story of a ghostly sighting in Bernalillo, that is about as close to Rio Rancho as they get. There is something to be said for being a young city. Another spooky tale is told of the Albuquerque Veteran’s Hospital and a few in Old Town, as you would expect. This isn’t science fiction or a Stephen King novel, it’s the real thing. Why do I spook myself? It intrigues me and I think I can handle it until I get half way into the book and the tapping starts on the window and the shadows start watching me lie there reading about them.

Have you found your perfect pumpkin yet? Seems designing your jack-o-lanterns has become so artistic nowadays. When I was about nine years old, my best friend, Amy was over with her pumpkin. My mother began carving the top off so she could scoop out its slimy insides. The next thing we knew mom had carved her pinky lengthwise exposing her finger’s slimy insides. Bob Costas, i.e. my brother, was calling the play-by-play from the bathroom before she was wrapped in a dish towel and rushed to the ER. We have been telling this story in my family for thirty-six years and yes, we can laugh about it now; well, some of us can. Who can forget a ghoulish Halloween story that happened right in their own kitchen?

This time of year brings about another holiday which I like much better. November 1, All Saints Day, and November 2, All Souls Day are known as the Mexican celebration Day of the Dead. This is a time when Mexican families remember their dead and the continuity of life. According to tradition, November 1 is set aside for remembrance of deceased infants and children, often referred to as angelitos (little angels). Those who have died as adults are honored November 2. It is a festive time. Customs include colorful adornments and lively reunions at family burial plots. Also included is the preparation of special foods, offerings laid out for the departed on commemorative altars and religious rites that are likely to include noisy fireworks.

Although they don’t appear in Garcez’s book, there are eerie places in Rio Rancho that are not celebrated or advertised and I can tell you I have seen some of them first hand. One that gives me the heebie-jeebies is the back of my vegetable crisper just before I clean it and occasionally my daughter’s gold fish tank. You may have passed by some other places and not even realized it. Like the over-ripened avocados in the produce section at the grocery store? C’mon, I swear I’ve seen those really soft shriveled ones move! And my heart took a jolt last Sunday at the check out counter as I was handed my receipt. It closely resembled a birthday party streamer. Eeek! Are you sure that total includes my preferred shopper discount? Stay safe, eat lots of candy and watch out for the little goblins.

Quote of the Week: “Now everything's cool, Drac's a part of the band. And my Monster Mash is the hit of the land. For you, the living, this Mash was meant too, when you get to my door, tell them Boris sent you”. –from the Halloween standard: “Monster Mash” by Bobby “Boris” Pickett.