A HALLOWEEN HAUNTING 2026

A HALLOWEEN HAUNTING

This should be our 19th year* to publish our traditional A Halloween Haunting poem. 
It first appeared on Zoolatry in 2007.

It has been presented through the different pets who have shared our

lives over time - Maggy, Zoey and Dougie Dog.

What has not changed is our wish for all, humans big and small,

along with pets, to share a fun holiday.  To those who are home, handing out treats,

secure your pets safely, peek out before opening doors.

To those who venture out, with little ones and pets, keep a watchful eye, 

return home safe and sound.

Boo.  Meowz.  Woofs.  

And Happy Halloween from Zoolatry.

____________

Do not read further, for this is now an opinion, a political opinion.

This is actually the 18th edition of A Halloween Haunting.

On October 31, 2024 we chose to break our own tradition and did not publish this poem.

We were then just 4 days away from a presidential election in the USA, and wrote, in June's voice, 

"I can be catty about this ... I think orange is just fine for

the pumpkin at my door, but never for the leader of my country."  

Yet, it came to be.  And here we are today.  It is absolutely our opinion that this country made 

the wrong choice and we have paid the price.  

Our leaders, all, need to be women and men of good character, morals, decency 

and absent these the rest does not matter.  The choice was clear in 2024.

It is clear again as we will hold elections next week on November 3, 2026.

We can choose better this time.  It may only be a small step forward toward

righting many wrongs, but it is one step in the right direction.

____________

THE CLOSET

Mine Mommy was beginning to pack away Boolatry things,

I saw our Christmas box come down from the high-up shelf.  I peeked as she carefully folded

each of my costumes, wrapped them in tissue and gently put them in the box ... for next year.

I couldn't even really remember if I had worn any of them this month ...

I watched as each one ...

There was Jesse June, but where was my pal Woody?

And baby Yoda.  Whose name turned out to be Grogu [you can read more about that down at the end].

Oh, it was fun to be a Scarey-Crow, but I do love bird watching, not scaring them.

And really, I am not a Little Devil.  Well, not often.

Raggedy Ann.  This costume borrowed from Zoey, who came before, thank you.

The painter, Bob Ross.  I can't paint, it gets all over my tummy furs!

Toad.  Remember, don't nibble the mushrooms.

Despicable Me.  I am not, not, not at all.  Right?

And always, The Great Pumpkin.

Best Costume Ever: Me: The Polka Dot Kitty Girl June

Here, from October 2021, the story of how Baby Yoda got his name

I was just a baby myself then, so I could fit in his 'egg'.

 

TREAT ... or TRICK?

. . . it's a trick . . .

don't open the door

THANKFUL THURSDAY

 

EEEKKK !

BY THE BY:

For any who think we might get a little too pawlitical from time to time,

apawlogies!

HERE TODAY IS A FUN & AMAZING FLASHBACK

you cannot miss.

[especially pet bloggers who were around 10 years ago, yes 10 years!]

Remember this?

JUST CLICK HERE 

 

"NEVERMORE"

 

WHERE DID ALL THOSE CHARACTERS COME FROM?

Honestly!  Truly!  All I did was spend Friday "In My Dreams" with Super Girl ... 

and Saturday, traveling with some mine Mommy memories 

about Horton, the big blue eley-phant ... 

then ... suddenly, unexpectedly ... 

when I return to the garden, for the Tea Party ahead ... 

and oh no ... oh dear!

... therefore ...

you shall not see me again,

nor hear from me ...

not a meowz ...

tail swish ...

or gentle purr ...

for friends, there is much work to be done in the garden!

Alas, the ghouls 'n' ghosts 'n' monsters 'n' more

'n' all those other characters come from and 

how did they get in ...

we have the best security ... and cameras ... and ...

[I know I locked the garden gate ... didn't I?]

MEOWZ

CATURDAY ART ~ with HORTON HEARS A WHO

Hello Horton.  I'd like to be a big blue eley-phant for Halloween.

Little June, I'm not sure I can accommodate you as you are quite small.

But Horton, you always said, "a person's a person, no matter how small".

True, but you are a cat.

I know you can do something . . .

Oh, Horton, magic.  Love my big ears 'n' tail.  Purr-fect!  Meowz!

[now let me share a little once-upon-a-time story about

another Horton that mine Mommy knew and loved

and some wonderful kitties who came before ...

"OK, June ... I would love to hear a story ... about 'me' ..."]

_____________________________________________

2014

MEET HORTON

Auntie Dee's RV, fondly named after that big blue pachyderm,

about to hit the road ... with Miss Ann, now Angels TK, Pip and Zoey.

We would travel from Maryland to Florida,

stopping for little adventures along the way ... and did so for several years to follow,

and yes ... the kitties were all "happy wanderers.

2015

Of course, HORTON and HORTON

Here, with an adventure in the beautiful little town of Micanopy, FL and another

when we visited Cross Creek, FL known as the long-time home and orange grove

of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.  She lived there beginning in the late 1920s

until her death, writing her best known book while there, "The Yearling".

Yes, Horton took us many many places wonderful, fun

and beautiful over the years.  He and his Mommy still travel 

North to South every year, they are "snow birds" ... though we no longer

travel with them, we do miss our days of adventures.

_________________________________________

HORTON HEARS A WHO

was written by Theodor Geisel Seuss, Dr. Seuss 

in 1954, published by Random House

The big blue, with his elephant-sized heart, was always known

to save the day, and famously said,

"any person big or small, can speak up for what is right."

Well, said, Horton.

We can all speak up for what is right,

when we cast our votes on November 3, 2026,

right, Horton?

CATURDAY ART

 

FELINE FRIDAY ~ "IN MY DREAMS"

IN MY DREAMS

I always dreamed of being Super June Girl,

flying high in the sky,

viewing my city from so very high.

[of course, my mask would protect my eyes ...]

"come back, I called to my Super Girl from Firefly ...

but off she did zoom, not even a goodbye ...

In my dreams, 

I will wait, with quiet soft sigh ..."

Meowz.

Speaking of "super things",

our friend JUNO,

he lives in that beautiful city, Toronto,

is celebrating his 20th Blogoversary!

PLEASE CLICK HERE

to visit this super pup!

FELINE FRIDAY

 

THANKFUL THURSDAY ... and SUNSHINE

I must say I have certainly enjoyed many days this week, sitting here in my rounder,

thankful for the sunshine on my shoulders.

Meanwhile, mine Mommy is more or less, emphasis on the more, wondering why our

temperatures remain in the mid to high 80s and saying "where went autumn" and why are all

the trees on Charles Street still full, lush and green?  It's too, too hot!

So, she is mostly in absentia, off in her my pretend Tea Party Garden, washing tea cups,

dusting tables, arranging flowers and just whatever she must do to ensure

it is just right for our guests ~ are you coming?  I hope so, meowz.

THANKFUL THURSDAY

 

MONSTERS 'n' GHOSTS 'n' THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT

BUMP

 

YOU'RE INVITED TO A TEA PARTY

Yes, we're having a Tea Party, and we'd like you ~ any, all of you to attend.

To R.S.V.P. to our invitation, here's all you need to do ~

Anytime, between now and Oct 20, email us your best picture, 

wearing your finest hat ~ a Mad Hatter, or other hat ~ a full shot of you, or head shot,

your own design, or AI generated.

If you're not up to making such a picture, you can also send us your picture [no hat],

and we'll make one for you ~ we ask for these as soon as possible please!  

If we design pictures for you, we'll email back to you

so you can post if you wish [no obligation to do so].

Only one guest per family please, and when you send us a picture,

be sure to include your name and the name of your blog.

And remember, no nibbling on those mushrooms near our

cottage door ~ Alice is unable to attend, she's way to tiny and we couldn't

find her anywhere, and that Cheshire Cat has promised to be

on best behavior.  

And we'll all share tea Friday, October 23. 

Questions?  Just ask!  Mad Meowz!

 

BEWITCHED

I'm a little more

bothered and bewildered 

by how that "other witch" got into my picture!

FELINE FRIDAY

Speaking of being "bothered",

I should be the one in PURPLE!

I mean really - my guys are 3-1 in the AFC North right now,

that's tied for 1st place, keep it up.

GO RAVENS!

 

It's Wednesday ~ No, really ~ IT'S WEDNESDAY

I'm Wednesday.

No, you're not ... look down, I'm Wednesday.

No.  You're a pretender.  A figment of Firefly's imagination

No.  I am real.

No, you are not.

Look at your sox, they are not striped, so you are not real.  I am real.

Well, Morticia was busy with her beauty routine and had no time for laundry.

Lurch can do laundry.

He went to market, to market, to buy a fat ...

Grab your pig tail, pretender, your

fantastical fantasies are just more Firefly falsehoods.

I am Wednesday, the real Wednesday, here on Wednesday.

And mine Mommy's last name is almost close enough to prove it!

                                                                                                 

 

A THUMP, A MOAN, A GROAN

While I was busy pawing through my toy box

and searching around for some Halloween decorations,

a taking another peek through my costumes for the days ahead ...

I heard ... a thump, a moan, a groan.  No, not a monster.

Mine Mommy had taken a stumble, thankfully not a tumble.

And then, she could not sit-stand.

Like an untrained pup ... no sit, no stand.

For the last few days ... pain patches, pills, pads that heat,

none have helped and she moans, groans and nearly

dropped my food bowl [!!!] on my furry little head trying to move it

from the counter top to the floor at breakfast time.

Selfishly, my pictures, my posts, done before are ready for the week to come,

so I can be here, doing my Boolatry boo's and boo's.

I cannot go anywhere else as she will not be sitting here

[except she says to pay rent and must-pay first of month bills, of course].

So furgive me, yet again, yes again, once again!

Boo.  Boo hoo.  Of course, meow, I do hope she gets all better soon. Meowz.

 

CATURDAY ART ~ ATHENA, CAT GODDESS OF WISDOM

Of course, we must first acknowledge our very own Athena, Cat Goddess.  
Here every Saturday inviting we pet bloggers to present and share 
our "visions of art" in any way we choose.  

We thank her.

Today, having read that for Halloween 2026, 

an "Athena costume", from the feature film The Odyssey,

is a favorite on many lists, 

we've chosen to share manipulated art of June ... 

as the Greek goddess of wisdom in two versions.

CATURDAY ART

a blog hop presented by

Athena and Marie

FIRST, June becomes the Greek goddess in a costume fully designed on

Adobe Creative Cloud, our traditional choice for photo-art.

Admittedly, working this way, with many layers, took us about

2-hours to complete the image to our liking and finally layer her

onto a background.  We've had family members travel to Greece

and "borrowed" a photo of theirs, removing them of course,

to achieve an authentic setting.

I was happy with the image ... sigh.

SECOND, on a whim, I asked Adobe Firefly [artificial intelligence for art]

to create an image of June, as Athena, the Greek goddess.

Costumed, with an appropriate background. 

Sigh.  My image, remember ~ to my liking, 2 hours of traditional

designing, but yes ~ I still find it fun and challenging, well ~

Firefly did it's thing, it's magic, and did it well, in less than a minute.

And here it is.  Impressive.  Yes, it is.

I had given it a different, silhouetted pose of June as the base

and limited direction.  I reduced the final image to the same size as

my own version, and placed it in an identical ruled gold frame,

otherwise I did not manipulate Firefly's work.

Briefly I felt a little sad, outdone, diminished.  Twenty plus years of

learning Adobe Photoshop, evolving into Adobe Creative Cloud and doing

my best to improve my limited artistic skills over time ...

now, in seconds, AI becomes the artist, and well...  impressive!

CATURDAY ART

BEWARE ALL YE WHO ENTER HERE . . . Feline Friday

You unlock this door with the key of imagination.

Beyond it is another dimension - 

a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight,

a dimension of mind.

You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, 

of things and ideas.

You've just crossed over into 

the Twilight Zone.

Quote, given by Creator and Host Rod Serling at the
opening of his classic show, The Twilight Zone.
The show ran from October 1959 through June 1964
and has had many revivals in the years since:
1985, 2002, 2019 and even now in 2026 can be seen
by many sy-fy fans on various channels.

FELINE FRIDAY

 

BLUE ~ or ~ BOO?

33 DAYS
No, not until the Big Boo Day.
33 days until what we hope will be the Big Blue Day.
November 3, 2026.  Midterm elections.

Vote.  If it is your choice, vote Blue.

It does not matter how you may have voted in the past.

It does not matter if you are Independent, Republican, Democrat.

It does not matter if you have not even voted in recent elections.

It does matter if you don't vote.

Your vote matters.

Local elections, state elections, elections for U.S. Senators and U.S. Congressmen and Women 

who will represent you in the years to come are on the 

November 3 ballots all over our nation.

If you do not vote, make your choices ~ you give up the right to speak out in the future.

Vote early.  Vote by mail.  Vote in person.

BOO

And be aware that these elections have been threatened and continue to be, in every way possible.  This is not likely to stop on November 3.  The current administration is taking all actions, legal or not, defying court orders, and more to interfere with the protected right to vote.  Twenty-six states have until the 30th of November to fully certify their election results, and seventeen more will not fully certify until December.  This allows time for this administration to act in ways that cannot even be anticipated.  And think into the coming year -- to the first week of January 2027, when Congress must seat its new members -- what might we face at that time?  Any who follow politics on a regular basis is fully aware that the "monsters of Halloween" will not go away on that night -- those monsters will stay with us for some time to come, doing the maximum damage and havoc they've put into practice in the preceding months.  Beware ... BOO.

June will officially begin her

Boolatry, and non-pawlitical posts

tomorrow ... so you may return then to

read a "not mine Mommy ranting" post.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN from ZOOLATRY

 

THE GNCAT GNOMES GARDENS of GOOD and EVIL

Earlier this month, while doing my family genealogy research, I met a few of my rather infamous ancestors, The Cat Addams Family.  Afterwards, my dear friend DANI began to help me look deeper into my background, and she discovered another branch of my family tree ~ the Gncat Gnomes!  Then (with a little help from her Mom, Wendy) she gathered them all together and sent them all the way from Canada to Maryland so I could meet them, joining them for formal introductions.  So, come with us please to meet them in the Gncat Gnome Gardens of Good and Evil.

The garden entrance was forbidding, but the topiary gnome-shaped trees and shrubbery were most imposing.  While I was a bit overwhelmed by the strange gnomes waiting in the shadows to guide us, I did keep my eyes on the threatening one high above.  Meanwhile, DANI had spotted a very welcoming gnome cousin, smiling down upon us and assured me we were indeed welcome. 

We stopped first in a sun-dappled enclosure where DANI introduced me to my Great Aunty TigGNer Gnome and she was charming and so pretty.  The shy flutterby Great Uncle GNeorge spoke little and stayed quiet atop his fence, safely away from we intruders.  He did however, wave a wing with a gentle goodbye as we moved on.

The next stop was definitely one we could have passed by!  We all know that every family has its share of "black sheep" and sad to say, mine was no different.  Admittedly, I enjoyed meeting them ~ albeit from a distance.  DANI said that according to her research, all were just second or third cousins, for which I was thankful.  Gnome Batty intrigued me with her purple sparkles ... Gnome BunEars way in back had adorable pink paws, and that snaggle-toofed nameless one in the middle did remind me a bit of Angel Zoey.  So I politely offered up a soft meow, but no cat cuddling with this clan.  

And then, then!  OhMyGncat Gnome ~ surely I am a direct descendant of her, how could I not be?  Nearly hidden in her paper-tent, little Miss GnomeJuneyOne waited to bid us farewell.  We did touch noses, we did give cheek-rubs and shared some tail wagging and I told her how much I loved my paper-tents.  She agreed they are the best fun and that's why she had channeled her love of them to me!  I will remember and think often of her and it was hard to meow goodbye to her (to all), but our time here had come to an end.  T'was a gnome garden of much good ... only maybe a bit not.  So I left happy and content having met my new family of once upon a time. 

Our visit to the Gnome Gardens to meet and greet would not have happened without our friend DANI ~ so thank you and a very big paws up.  Dani and her creative Mom, Miss Wendy did the art and design for all the "good - and the not so good, too" little gnomes shown here today.  All we did was tuck them into some backgrounds.  So again, thanks for bringing some fun to our month of Boolatry.  You might want to visit Dani, if you don't already know her ... she's a beautiful kitty lady with an amazing blog ~ O DANI GIRL.

QUOTH THE RAVEN ~ Caturday Art

We couldn't really complete the month of Boolatry without a visit to...are you ready?  Yes...a graveyard, a real one!  This one is right here in our own hometown.  A historic place, and the last home of a famous native son (well, maybe, lots of controversy there).

If you want to visit just find your way to 515 West Fayette Street in Baltimore, where you'll discover Westminster Hall, Burying Grounds and Catacombs.  Established in 1786 it is the resting place for hundreds of soldiers from the American Revolution and Civil War as well as political and business leaders of the times.  

It's most well known occupant is certainly Edgar Allan Poe.  I have visited there, today JUNE visits virtually, with a rose and a quote ~ 

" Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.' "

Poe's classic poem of love, loss and descension into madness.  Though one most often hears the above quote, the original poem is very long and thoughtful and can easily be found online.  It was first published in 1845, only a few years before Poe's untimely death.  

And just to lighten up our Caturday Art post, JUNE wears her Baltimore RAVENS cap ... who are standing 5/3/0 at the top of the AFC.   

CATURDAY ART