Gone Feral In Idaho

... well, sort of. Last Halloween was the final year of Haunt Stress, at least as far as I was concerned. My biggest stress was the elaborate light show with tons of homemade spotlights run from my computer using freeware that was buggy and often shut down unexpectedly. That and the hundreds of feet of wire that ran throughout my entire yard. Connections would fail and troubleshooting was extremely tedious and exhausting. We ran the light show for 9 years and it was amazing when it worked. I spent hours sequencing lights to music and it was so satisfying to watch. But the show always glitched worse and worse throughout the night each year. That seemingly miles of wires everywhere made it impossible to walk around in without damaging something. We limped it along last Halloween, but I was so stressed and exhausted afterwards that I'd end up feeling pretty bummed out by the end of it all. That isn't what the Halloween experience should be like. I do it to be a part of my comm...

Photo credit Pumpkinrot.com I'm a terrible blogger. I haven't checked since early May this year. It appears my greatest inspiration for doing the yard haunt has gone AWOL since mid-June. I am concerned because he usually posts several times a day and announces hiatus times like clockwork. I hope all is well and I miss your inspiration. I hope we all hear from you soon. 

I've had this haunt for four years now. The fence is three years old, it is long overdue that I make some improvements and honestly, finish some things. There is a lot that needs redone, but I'm chunking away one bit at a time. The fence has never been finished. I used to get away with the bottom not being painted black by piling up leaves. We won't have that many leaves this year due to our neighborhood being at least 40 years younger than the last one. I finally finished painting the darn thing, even the undersides for the small TOTs to make it look real. I also added some rust that I've meant to do since the inception of the project. I am also toying with cobwebs. I also got some paper mache in this week as well. Attention to detail is my new motto.

Photo by Pumpkinrot Don’t you ever laugh as the hearse goes by, For you may be the next to die. They wrap you up in a big white sheet From your head down to your feet. They put you in a big black box And cover you with dirt and rocks. All goes well for about a week, Until your coffin begins to leak. The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out, The worms play pinochle on your snout. They eat your eyes, they eat your nose, The eat the jelly between your toes. A big green worm with rolling eyes Crawls in your stomach and out your eyes. Your stomach turns a slimy green, And pus pours out like whipping cream. You spread it on a piece of bread And that’s what you eat when you are dead. Poem shared by a coworker

Kyle dug the wreath out of the rafters of the garage. The Halloween one. I added some autumn colored leaves and a string of battery powered LED's. I love that we now have a season to bring all the ghoulies out of the garage rafters. He is really getting in the festive mood this year, and is currently looking up zombie makeup on the tubes. Ahh... the season is upon us haunters! I'm just starting to feel right at home again. Bring it.

Here's what 9 cheapo mini spots can do to a new prop. This guy is of course inspired by Pumpkinrot's 2007 haunt . Kyle liked him better undressed, but I told him that the mystery of what's underneath is what is important to me. I hope I get the light animation down for this year's haunt. I might be a static prop haunter, but my lighting will be a bit, um, dynamic.  

So, I had a nice hop to my step after making homemade breakfast burrito's with Kyle and then eating mine while sippin' some coffee and checking the 'tubes when Rot snuck up on me again with a post of my most recent photos.  Day made, right there.  We ran errands which included yet again MORE rebar for props and a stop at the local veggie stand for corn stalk bundles.  While paying for the corn stalks I got way ballsier than I anticipated and straight out asked the guy if he'd give me a discount on pumpkins in bulk.  He first offered me 10 for $40, but if I get 20 he'd really "make it worth my time".   I have no idea what that means, but he'll be there in the afternoon so we can make the deal.  I'll update with the results.  I hope I score big!

As a little kid, my sister and I would go bonkers in anticipation of the neighbors down the street setting up their yard haunt in the late '70s and early 80's.  When we first found it , we didn't know what to call it; that was the first year I remember trick'r treating.  My mom had me in a homemade clown costume and I my sister was a lion.  She always sewed costumes for us lucky kids.  I know she sent me the photo long ago, but I have no idea where it is.  I was very young, but I remember so much about that day, including the knee I skinned while running up the first driveway of the afternoon.  I remember the smell of rotting leaves, the cool air, and the smell of tar in the drive; I cried because I was so embarrassed.  I got over it though when we met up with a real live Frankenstein that scared the bejeezus out of me. Then there was t hat one house with the bodies hanging out all the windows, the bundles of corn stalks, the coffin with a va...