HALLOWEEN HAUNTING 2024

HALLOWEEN HAUNTING 2024

Today we're posting the 17th edition of our annual Halloween Haunting poem, which first appeared on our Zoolatry blog in October 2007.  Over the years it has been rewritten to reflect the pets that were part of our lives at the time ~ kitties Maggy and Zoey, and later Dougie Dog.  It also changed ever so slightly when we moved from living in Florida and returned North to life in Maryland.  But it has always been a part of our month of Boolatry, that one month when "Zoolatry" fades away a little bit and we try to share the silly, spooky, spectacular fun our pets might have if they were part of BarkOWeen, MeowOWeen ... Halloween!

Oh, if you're wondering, or maybe not ... why HAUNTING is posting today, when Halloween is still one full week away ... next Thursday, October 31 ... well, because we can!  And because we (or JUNE) want to, and want to take a few days from "now on" to focus on some other things impawtent to us.

So, read on if you wish.  JUNE shares our poem, showing off her fave Halloween costume as the one and only polka dot kitty.  And to one and all, when the day does come, be safe.

WORDLESS ~

 

HAPPY TUESDAY

 ~ in the garden of good and evil ~

~ remember, happiness is a journey, not a destination ~

HAPPY TUESDAY

IS COMPANY COMING?

Is company coming, Mommy, I'm sure I heard the front door open ...

Awww, I don't think so, Juney.

AWWW MONDAY

 

WENT UP TO BUCKEYESTOWN

Went out to get a pumpkin.  Went up to Buckeyestown.

Wandered through rows of pumpkins.

Wandered rows up and down.

I saw this little pumpkin.  Just waiting to be found.

She was a different little pumpkin.

Midst the many on the ground.

She had a strange yet happy face.  It looked familiar you see.

Big bright eyes, whiskers wide,

and it meowed, "choose me"!

And so this little pumpkin, came home with me today.

She'll be at the door for Meow-O-Ween.

Promise!  She won't scare you away!

 

MICRO-MONSTER

 

THE INSIDE OUT LIFE OF JUNE

Anthropomorphism.  I do strongly believe that our pets ~ be they cats or dogs, or other ~ have and share emotions and feelings very similar to our own.  I've seen this, felt it in my heart and experienced it deeply with every pet I've ever had throughout my life.  During my years as a volunteer with the National Zoo in Washington, DC, serving as a "observer of behavior" for tigers, gorillas and pandas, I witnessed it firsthand in their behavior each and every time I was on duty.  So, yes, I am a true believer.

You might be wondering what this has to do with Boolatry?  In 2015, I saw the movie INSIDE OUT (first release) with my youngest grandson, and earlier this summer, with that now teenage grandson thoroughly enjoyed the new INSIDE OUT II.  

All those wonderful (or not so much so) feelings tumbling around inside those young minds ~ not to be stifled, but to be let out ~ in appropriate ways, to be understood, to be properly managed, or celebrated.  And as those young minds grow up, new feelings and emotions arrive "up there", bringing confusion, or fear, or uncertainty.  So many many, so much, so much.  

And it entered my own somewhat muddled up inside-out-adult-mind one day, when looking at my little kitty cat as she watched something or other, that her mind too was full of all those feelings ~ they were there, in her movements, in her actions, in her sounds, and on her face ~ if I was only open to seeing them.

The characters from that film are also INSIDE June,

and since we're doing "characters" all month it felt right 

to show and share these as part of Boolatry.

So, we let them OUT, for June has these feelings too!

As do all our animal and pet friends.

June will look up, wide eyed, alert, all 'round when joyful.

If anxious or stressed, she'll hunch down, or turn away, sit near furniture or the wall.

When sad or disturbed, it's likely her head will lower, her back hunch

down a bit, perhaps even her eyes close slightly.

When fearful, if not going into a full hiding mode, she will again have

wide eyes, but be in a down low attack mode.

I am thankful that we share our feelings and

emotions with our beloved pets ~ and that they honor us by

sharing theirs with us.

THANKFUL THURSDAY

BOO👻

 

THE RAVEN

Westminster Hall, a converted Gothic Revival church built on arches above the Westminster Burying Grounds, established in 1786.  Beneath gravestones, decorated tablets and slabs, granite vaults and catacombs, many now with rusted or broken locks rest hundreds of soldiers from the American Revolution and the War of 1812.  Alongside are remains of political and civic leaders of the time. Perhaps the most notable among residents here is Edgar Allan Poe.  Though not originally his burial place, he was moved here and placed in an unmarked grave at the back of the grounds.  In the late 1800s, school children in Baltimore, through a project called "Pennies for Poe" raised funds for a proper monument.  Poe, his wife Virginia, and mother-in-law Maria were reinterred for their final rest just inside the gates to the church. 

Three roses.  Cognac.  Mystery.  For sixty-years, on the 19th of January, the anniversary of Poe's death in 1849, a visitor to the burial grounds left these as a "memorial" at Poe's gravesite.  Although some have made claim to being this visitor, no identity has ever been confirmed.  The gifts were never again left after 19 January 2009.  It remains a mystery.

 

"This it is and nothing more."  THE RAVEN 

First published in the American Whig Review, 1845

And, of course, JUNE visits, though with a single rose, and wearing her Ravens cap. 

 

BOO and LITTLE BOO

. . . June and JuneToo go tricking 'n' treating . . .

AWWW MONDAY

THE FACES OF BOOLATRY

 

I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU ~

 CATURDAY ART

THE GREAT PUMPKIN

 Mine Mommy's been making me some different costumes for Boo-la-ween Night!

I wonder if Charlie Brown would approve of this one.

Purrsonally, I'd like a polka dot pumpkin ~ more me!

IT'S "WEDNESDAY"

Hi, do you remember me?

I introduced you last year to my whole family ... 

no, not the Addams Family, 

The Adamus Family!

There was my Auntie Mor-Tushie, and Great Uncle Go-Meezer.

And of course, Big Cuz Itty with Itty Bitty Kitty Kat, 

and we gave a hand up to The Thing!

And then there was me: the one and only WEDNESDAY.

This year I'm back, to show you where we

all lived ... our spooky home ...

boom boom da da dum da da dum, so scroll down to visit

CHESTER PLACE

💀 Midnight Tours Available 💀

Should anyone like to meet the 

spooky ooky snap snap whole family

featured in our post last October

CLICK HERE

WITCHY WOMAN

I am a witchy woman ~ no I'm not ~ not really,

but lots of stuff has been a-brewing in my cauldron ~ 

and lots of words that rhyme with "WITCH" have

bubbled up and out of mine Mommy's mouth.  Oh yes, oh my.

Like just last night, she wanted to visit awholabunch of my bloggie furriends ...

and I suddenly heard her say ...

OH NO, NOT AGAIN, ANOTHER 'INNERNETS GLITCH,

THIS IS A REAL B...H!

I'M GONNA PITCH THIS 'PUTER RIGHT OUTTA THE WINDOW

AND DITCH  COMCAST/XFINITY FOR GOOD!

It's time for me to go hide in my closet yet again,

I have my paws together that it stays on long enough today

that she'll calm down a little bit, I'm losing 

a lot of fur over this  ...

I AM NOT A SCAREDY CAT

 

QUIET NIGHTS TOGETHER

 CATURDAY ART

FELINE FRIDAY ~ "PUNKIN' HEAD JUNE"

OK, OK.  MEOW. 

I'm not the scariest punkin' in the field fur sure, but I mean to tell ya, 

if'n this thing has to sit on my head all month long, 

you will soon be seeing one really hissing, clawing mean cat.

  

[mine Mommy is still struggling and using those bad werdz

 to make things work here on our innernets and MY bloggie.

I been reminding her "patience woman, patience" ...

can't say it's helping much ...

think I'm going back into my closet for awhile. ] 

MEOW-OW! and HELL-O!

We're back.  Well, sorta, kinda, almost, maybe.

But Zoolatry isn't quite ready to be Boolatry, even though for every year past

that I can remember (or mine Mommy can) it happened on the first of October!

Life, and things, don't always go according to plan.

But, again ~ no complaints, no whiny-meows from here, cause even though

it's been a little upside-down and inside-out, and some loss or power,

cable and internet, and messy cell service,

ours was all temporary!

So many friends and furriends to the South of us are facing far much worse,

and for far much longer, so we have paws together for all of them.

Meanwhile, I'm keeping an eye-on-mine-Mommy 

(and my ears closed, don't wanna hear those bad werdz you know, meow) 

while she fixes up her 'puter once again 

and gets ready for us to have some Boolatry fun 

in a few days, or so, sorta, kinda, maybe ...

Meow!