Harlequin Heartwarming

        October Obsession

                by Catherine Lanigan and Rula Sinara

     To say that I love the autumn is such an understatement that I have to laugh out loud. I dream about autumn colors, and frankly, I tend to plant orange, yellow and tangerine tulips for the spring; apricot impatiens in the summer and bronze, yellow and rust mums when the first plants are rushed into the garden centers. Yes, that’s me, cruising the Home Depot parking lot in August wondering where in the world are the fall flowers?  Never mind, I should be out at the beach picnicking with my friends and grandnieces. I’m scouting for anything autumn.

   This obsession is one that goes all the way back to my childhood. While other kids loved being out of school all summer, I dreamed of new boxes of crayons and brand new three ring binders filled with lined paper. I anxiously awaited the change of fall leaves outside the schoolroom window. I thought it was a privilege to rake Maple leaves. My mother made homemade taffy apples, popcorn balls and pumpkin chiffon tarts. Then came the pumpkins on the front steps. Corn stalks that we “stole” from the farmer down at the end of our road. My mother didn’t decorate for Halloween. I did.

                                               

    Today, I had to have a shed built in the backyard to house all the fall decorations I’ve collected over my life time. I truly have something mis-wired in my brain or my chemicals are off balance because when I go into a Pier One or Hobby Lobby, my knees get weak, my heart pounds and I grab two shopping carts. I don’t need a single thing, but there I am, holding up the rest of line because I have to run back to aisle 8 and get one more beaded pumpkin or amber glass gourd.  Granted, the shed holds half Autumn decorations and half Christmas. Christmas is my other obsession, but that’s another blog.

    Once all the decorations are hung and placed around the house. I’m ready for cozy fires in the fireplace, hot mulled cider and reading!  I will plow through several novels a weekend (when I’m not writing) and let my mind waltz among the soft golden glow of my candy-corn lights and twinkling garland lights.

I’ve included some shots of my decorations to give you an idea of my over-the-top obsession.

A word here. These two pumpkin decorations are reproductions of 1920’s Jack O’Lanterns that were popular back then. When I was very little, I remember Trick or Treating with a paper mache pumpkins like the one in front. It had paper eyes and a paper mouth. Later, we got greedy about the amount of candy we could collect in a single night and up-graded to full sized paper grocery bags or shopping bags. My brothers took pillow cases!

 Rula sent you a shot of her creation she made with foam paper, beads and pipecleaners. I think it’s adorable, but not as cute as Rula.

And here’s her scarecrow couple. Very romantic. The girl-crow is reading PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. (Of course. Why wouldn’t she?)

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To keep us all in the holiday mode, remember that Heartwarming is running a Thanksgiving promotion at Harlequin.com with several wonderful Thanksgiving stories to put you in the spirit of the season. Also, if anyone likes playing on Pinterest boards like I do, visit the Heartwarming Christmas Giveaway Books on  Pinterest Boards for a chance at a free copy of  my KATIA’S PROMISE and Rula’s AFTER THE SILENCE  and some really cool Christmas decorations and project ideas! 

Be careful---all these fun things and giveaways…you’ll probably become obsessed like Rula and me!

Tell us about your over-the-topness for the politically correct Autumn holidays, aka Halloween.