Wednesday, October 13, 2010

rollin' and howlin' in the streets

Halloween Я Us - its a family tradition for as long as I can remember.

Talk about mixed mythologies between my own earliest photographed Halloween costume as St. Patrick and our daughter’s first as an angel with two devils as parents.  

No doubt a psychoanalyst would have a field day with Halloween and me. For years I set up skeletons representing friends who had died and sat down for a beer with them at a patio table before Trick or Treat would begin.  The longer you live the more people you miss, now days it takes a parade!

With the temperature dropping just below 70°F (21°C) it was a magnificent evening for our small town Halloween parade and a bottle of Zombie Zinfandel with ‘friends’.

As the wheelchair pusher a special treat about parades is use of the streets closed to vehicles. Love that no sidewalk and no curb cut freedom.

Parades also seemingly fit Multiple Sclerosis symptoms like a glove. Short term memory loss and attention span are non factors. Life sized to larger than life unquestionably helps with visual impairment, and for a brief moment in this parallel universe sitting in a wheelchair trumps sitting on a curb.  
Dancing ghouls, cheerleaders, politicians, marching bands, fire trucks, floats, and costumes could only be made better by parade marchers giving out candy! So much candy that Patti actually said “no mas”.

For reasons I have never figured out Patti while wanting to attend will sometimes upon arrival transform temporarily into a total grump. As if on cue down the street toward the grump zone came an exuberant bouncing pack of cheerleaders and aspiring mini-cheerleaders. As if guided by some mystical unhappiness antenna they stopped pivoted and performed a happy cheer. Turning to caution Patti not to be rude I found a laughing clapping Patti. Never underestimate cheerleaders as healers.

Politicians I found a fascinating addition to this year’s parade and created the opportunity for some spontaneous chat about upcoming election choices. I do have to credit Patti for raising the quintessential political tiebreaker, “which one is giving out candy?”

Caregivingly Yours, Patrick Leer 

6 comments:

  1. You certainly have some great photos of good times! Love your attitude.
    kim

    ReplyDelete
  2. love Patti's way to decide on politics. Have to agree with her, anyone giving out candy could potentially have my vote, especially if it was chocolate!

    I think it is really neat your town has a Halloween parade; I'm also thinking I probably said the same thing last year when you reported about the parade, which seems only like yesterday, where did this year go?

    sounds like a perfect evening spent together.

    I like your Halloween tradition too with the skeletons. Good to remember your friends like that.

    (thanks for the comment on my recent blog; LOL with it, I'm thinking that would not be a pretty sight to see, 30 years later the body is just not what it used to be :)

    hoping all is well :)

    betty

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love Halloween as it is my father's birthday. Always made a big deal out of Halloween.

    However I have never heard of a Halloween parade! Sounds fun!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Fun, you two! Yeah, we had a gay pride parade shut down blocks, sooo much fun to ride my scooter in street, no traffic, into Starbucks---good times. LOL I have been considering dressing in black and shaking my pill bottle read loud while racing my power chair up and down the halls here at the assisted living home. good times! Love the pic. Explains a lot. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  5. Patti needs to make posters for Tuesday. "Vote for the one giving out the candy!"

    Good to hear from you, Patrick....
    Jackie

    ReplyDelete

Blog Archive