Waiting for Halloween

I got the candy, and the pumpkins, and the scary ghoul costumes, we're all set for trick or treat. The garden path decorated itself in expectation of little guests. Well, technically I was too idle to clean up the fallen leaves, but I recently renewed my committed to a positive outlook on life and refuse to see it that way.
I'm trying to ignore the hibe
al light, or lack thereof, that puts a chill through the bones for no other reason than a rodent inspired instinct to settle into a cozy tree hollow and stockpile nuts. Ugh, winter.
After a whirlwind of summer activities, most of which didn't yield any noticeable benefit, the normal gardening pace seems almost slow. The sun is too low, the shadows are too long and it feels a lot later, a lot closer to winter than it actually is.
The wind rouses a rusty crackle from the barren leaves and makes my heart feel unsettled under the crude October sun.
Who cares! It's almost Halloween, with Jack-o-lante
s, giggles, bowls of candy, ominous music and artificial fog. Last year's beggars' night still brings a smile to my lips, especially the image of that little Elsa from Frozen. She had a long flaxen wig that trailed behind her, twice longer than the train of her gown, and swept up the barren leaves in its wake like an oversized brush.