October 31, 2009

All Hallows' Even.

The past five days went by in a flash. Wonderful days when everything in my world was just right. The house is empty now, devoid of the scents and sounds that make me so happy. Gone is the strong, pleasing voice that would call my name, like no one else can, and sing "Galway Girl" to me...

But, Batcat is right here next to me, purring loudly, waiting for me to set the fire. Watching him brings peace to my senses at all times, as his presence keeps certain things in life constant. His curiosity is astounding and the way he is able to relax highly contagious.
Every time I do something out of the ordinary he is ever so present inspecting and investigating. In the same spirit, he was assisting me recently when I was carving this years Jack-o'-lantern. I love carving pumpkins for Halloween. Over the years I have created quiet a few scary heads and they have never been the same.
Halloween is one of my absolutely favorite celebrations. It has roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Christian holy day of All Saints. The festival was unknown to me as a child, but we did observe All Saints Day on the 1st of November. This was a much more solemn celebration, when we would remember family members that have passed on, by visiting their graves, lighting candles. It held a certain tranquility and sadness. I recall the long walks after the onset of darkness in the autumn cemeteries, where hundreds of candles would flicker, bringing the realms of the living and the dead in close proximity.

My first acquaintance with Hallows' Even came while living in North Carolina and very quickly I became fond of the sentiment behind it. The celebrations were non existent in Scandinavia just a couple of decades ago. Over the last few years, the Celtic festival has found its way into the cold north and as soon as the darkness settles over us tonight, many doorways will be guarded by a plethora of Jack-o'-lanterns.
Happy Halloween everyone.

28 comments:

Nessa said...

What a great step by step collage.

Ghost, Goblins, Ghouls, Oh, My

Unknown said...

happy Halloweeny to you also!!

cats are very curious and demanding of our attention at times, only on their time though!!

Gal Friday said...

Those are some perfectly scary Jack O' Lanterns you have there! And a Happy Halloween to you!
I was thinking of you last night because The Swell Season was on Conan O' Brien...Irish musician with Czech musician making beautiful heartfelt music together...

Julie Hibbard said...

Can you teach me how to make the beautiful montage of photos that you have posted so often? They are so fantastic!
Welcome back...you have been missed!
Enjoy this special day!

Sandi McBride said...

I hope you and BatCat have a peaceful safe Hallow'een...BatGirl sends her regards...
Sandi

steviewren said...

You make me wish I'd carved a pumpkin this year. Have you ever painted a face on one? One year my painted pumpkin lasted until Christmas time.

Sorry you are feeling lonely with the Irishman gone...glad that you have the batcat.

MsTypo said...

Love the jack o'lanterns!! I have vivid memories of doing that every year growing up. I hope you baked the seeds - they're a really tasty snack!! :)

Keera Ann Fox said...

I had wonderful Halloweens when I lived in California, both as a child and as an adolescent. Here in Norway, the tradition arrived in stores about 10 years ago. I just can't get into the water-downed, commercial version I experience here, so tonight I'm seeing a play, rather than be annoyed by the doorbell. :-)

You, Protege, are carrying out Halloween as I remember it used to be, so have a happy one! BOO!

Unknown said...

What a nice montage, Protege! I find it interesting how you wound up living so far away from the U.S.! Great Halloween decorations. I enjoy stopping by here!! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!:D

Maria said...

It must be sad to be alone again. Hope you get together again soon.

Keera Ann Fox said...

Oh, Protege, check out this pumpkin-destroying video! Now, this is how to "celebrate" Halloween! http://www.periodicvideos.com/videos/feature_pumpkins_halloween.htm

G said...

You're an ace girl pumpkin-carver! I love the shot of bat cat gazing out the window. I'm sorry your Irishman is gone - it sounds like a wonderful few days. Hugs. :)

Reading Tea Leaves said...

We missed you Protege but so glad you had a wonderful time with your Irishman. You must feel a little lonely tonight but you have dear Batcat to keep you company like only our little furry friends can!!

Your carving of the pumpkins is fantastic - I do like their scary faces!

I find the celtic history behind All Hallows' Eve fascinating and a reminder of how important this day was to our ancestors.

Have a fun (and safe) Halloween:)

Jeanne x

Brian Miller said...

hapy halloween! and what a treat, ou are back! we have a lot of fun with halloween, off to get the boys ready! love the pumpkin!

sprinkles said...

Welcome back, I've missed you!

My computer is downloading updates at the moment so it's taking forever and a day for your pictures to post. Ugh!

Sorry the Irishman has gone. What a bummer! Glad you have the Batcat to keep you company. It's not the same, I know, but it helps.

Betsy Brock said...

Sounds like a wonderful time with your man! And Bobcat isn't the jealous type? ;) Happy Halloween...love your jack-o-lantern!

Cat in the road said...

Welcome back. Your true love may be temporarily gone, but your virtual friends are still here, and then there’s always Batcat. I’m getting ready for the parade in Manhattan. It’s the one day of the year that everyone in NYC gets to revert back to being a kid. Have a “Happy Halloween.”

Brenda Pruitt said...

Happy Halloween to you too!
Brenda

Holly said...

Welcome back friend!!! I am happy for me and sad for you that you are back. It is sad that sometimes we literally live for those 'certain moments' that never last. I hope for you that someday those sounds and smells will be a permanent presence in your life!!

Love the pumpkin callage and the Halloween sentiments.

Happy All Hallows Eve dear friend!!! Oh, and I am so glad that you enjoyed your little gift!! :):)

Jill from Killeny Glen said...

We are finishing up our festivities here and the kiddos are happily tasting many treats collected in their Trick or Treat escapades tonight!


Happy HAlloween to you!!
Your Jack A Lantern is WONDERFUL!

Unlikely You said...

Denmark, Denmark, what do I know about this country? Poor me only knows about the delish Danish cookies :P Anyway, the pumpkins you carved look so perfect and bright orange that it may easily pass off as fake plastic ones, amazing.

Zuzana said...

=Nessa,
thank you so much for that kind comment.;) xo

=Doreen,
thank you, hope your Halloween was great as well.;) xo

=Tina,
amazing coincidence. When we took a walk downtown the other day, me and P bought the movie ONCE and I just watched it yesterday (most likely when you were posting your comment here). This almost weird. It is the movie that launched Swell Season.;)
Hope you had a great weekend.;)xo

=Julie,
thank you.;) As for the collage I make it using Photoshop. I am sure you are familiar with that one as you too use Mac.;) xo

=Sandi,
thank you so much, that was very kin.;) And thank you BatGirl.;) Hope you likewise had a great Halloween. xo

=stevie,
I never painted a pumpkin, what a great idea. I hope your Halloween was great too, thank you for your kind words.;) xo

=Cairo,
glad I brought back some lovely childhood memories.;) Did not bake the seeds this time.;) xo

=Keera,
thank you for your wishes, glad you enjoyed the play.;) And thank you for the link!;) xoxo

=Michael,
thank you for your always kind comments; I likewise enjoy when you stop by.;) Hope you too had a lovely Halloween.;)

=gaelikaa,
I hate when he leaves, but I am sure you know first hand how it feels.;) Thank you for your lovely comment.;) xo

=BPG,
thank you, that was kind of you to say.;) Glad you like my pumpkin, it became a "cute" scary one this year.;) Always love when you stop by.;) xo

=Jeanne,
what a lovely comment! You are so right in all accounts, I too love the Celtic history behind the celebration.
Glad you like my pumpkin and I hope your Halloween was a great one as well.;) xo

=Brian,
ah, always happy when you stop by, I hope you and the family had a great evening.;) Thank you for the kind words.;)

=DeeDee,
thank you so much for visiting.;)

=sprinkles,
I had major trouble getting onto all the blogs yesterday, I do not know if it was the server, but perhaps it was the same for you.;) Thank you as always for your kind comments; hope you too had a lovely Halloween.;) xo

=Betsy,
yes, I had a great time. No, Batcat loves the Irishman.;) So no trouble there.;) xo

=Scribe816,
ah, that was such a nice thing to say, that made me happy. Always enjoy when you stop by. I hope you enjoyed last evenings parade, sounds like a lot of fun.;))

=Brenda,
thank you very much; hope you had a lovely evening too.;) xo

=Holly,
thank you my dear friend for always leaving kind comments.;) Ah yes, I am planning a post about your lovely gifts, they made my day and week.;) Hope you had a fun Halloween with the family.;) xo

=Jill,
ah, thank you and a lovely Halloween to you, a belated one.;) But it sounds like you all had a great evening, with lots of fun.;) xo

=Jyun,
thank you for stopping by and leaving a kind comment, please come back again to learn more about Denmark.;)

Hilary said...

What a great pumpkin-carving mosaic.. you always find a great way to show your creativity. I'm sorry that this week ended so quickly for you once again.. sigh. Hugs to you, my friend.

Unknown said...

this is a perfectly shaped pumpkin. wow! I love the it. It smiles.

I Am Denise Katipunera

Zuzana said...

=Hilary,
thank you my dear friend.;) Glad you enjoy the progressive photography of my pumpkin carving.;) I really like that term that you invented.;) Thank you for the hugs, they were needed.;)
xo

=Denise,
yes, this year I made a cute scary face.;) Glad you liked it.;) xo

Claus said...

Welcome back!
Great Jack-o-Lanterns! I wish I could carve one...maybe next year? Question: what do you do with them after the season is gone? Always have wondered that.

Zuzana said...

=Cladia,
thank you so much.;) I had fun carving the lanterns with Batcat's help.;)
The pumpkins are eventually thrown, if you have a compost you can put them there as they will rot away. Unfortunately, once a pumpkin is carved it keeps only for about two weeks before it starts decaying, and finally collapses onto itself.;)
xoxo

Zuzana said...

Oups, sorry, I meant Claudia of course:;)