Tastes of the season into the pot,
bubbling and boiling together til hot,
wafting through air, in steamy puffs and in rings,
are the magic spells and smells that Thanksgiving brings.
Thanksgiving Hotpot, A. E., 2013
Raphael Tuck & Sons, series No. 123., 1908.
The weather here on the west coast is definitely Fall-like at last, chill temperatures and brisk gusts of wind remind me of why I prefer this time of year. Time to break out the scarves and mittens, flannels and fuzzy slippers. Just to make cozying up that much more enjoyable. The approaching Thanksgiving holiday makes me pause and reflect, as I still see pumpkins decorating porches and sills and tabletops. We always save one or two from October to enjoy through November – a bright orange reminder – it’s interesting how the pumpkin, the idea of it, transitions from the herald of giving treats to the herald of giving thanks. Many of us will close the holiday with that slice of spicy sweetness. It’s a fitting way to bookend Autumn. Enjoy this New Yorker cover from 1973, a house simply celebrating the season.
New Yorker Magazine, Stevenson, 1973
13 days past Halloween and I’ve decided it all went way too fast. The outside decor has been removed and the interiors are nearly back to pre-Halloween state. Though not entirely as there are some aspects of the interiors that I liked too much to take down. I maintain the house never looks so well than it does in October. In any case the neighborhoods have begun to transition towards the next holiday season and soon Thanksgiving will be here. The color palette is still where I like it to be, greens and oranges well represented and Fall weather steady even for the West Coast. Everywhere I look I still keep an eye out for those hidden Halloween touches still peeking out from behind other decor, always so exciting when spotted. Holdovers and clearance tables. Or just avid conspirators like myself determined to keep it going as long as possible. I often look to collections around the house to inspire me – like my New Yorker Magazine covers. I’ll highlight others in coming weeks, but here is the first I framed and its still my favorite. She is obviously getting ready for a big night out. It keeps me smiling and looking forward.
Artist Abe Birnbaum, 1967
This quarterly online magazine publishes “Sensationalist and Fantastical Fiction”, I advise checking it out. The site offers up some great reads also great cover art for its pubs. The dark and mysterious quality of the writings and illustrations are appealing. Enjoy. Click banner for link.
A drawing of Snape by J.K. Rowling –
“On Tuesday 21st May 2013 an annotated first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, containing J.K. Rowling’s personal annotations and illustrations, raised £150,000 for English PEN and for J.K. Rowling’s own charity, Lumos, when it was sold to an anonymous bidder at a Sotheby’s auction.”
It may seem too early to experience Halloween withdrawals, but I guess I shouldn’t feel too alone in my sense of lost focus. I’m leaving my “hauntscape” up until turkey day gets too close to ignore. In any case, its a bit daunting to think about packing it all up just now.
I suppose others may be experiencing the same…
Click image for source
Went to my local pumpkin patch yesterday to procure pumpkins for the big day. Got four fine examples of pumpkin flesh. Just love it when I spy a pumpkin sitting out on someones porch or sill or fence post or driveway. All that potential of carving artistry just waiting on the knife. These fleeting expressions of Halloween glee come and go so quickly, just a day in the sun, a night under the stars and then gone to a fate that may include a prank or a slow degradation on the stoop or even a quick trip to the garbage. It’s like Halloween itself, there and gone so quickly – its the slow build up that we can savor, contemplating the all too brief interlude of “Malevolent Mirth”.
This pottery studio produces some really amazing pieces and I appreciate the way they embrace Halloween in some of their work. Take a little time to visit their site, and if tempted to procure remember that Wayne is a treat and will do his best to assist you. I love the skeleton masks I ordered and the luminaries too. They are having an annual sale coming up on the 26th of October so if you find yourself in the Portland, Oregon area it would definitely be worth a stop.
