Not that we thought about how much it cost since none of us had much money to spend anyway. I had an allowance of 25 cents a week. Oh, it took us forever to spend our allowance at the 5 and 10 Cent Store.

I was thinking about Arkansas and Oklahoma tonight as I read a great mystery set in those two states and in France. I can remember driving through Poteau, Oklahoma where much of the book is set. It's "Bonita Faye" by Margaret Mosely. It's not your average mystery but it is a good book, the narrator is delightful, and it's a thought provoking story.

Most of the kids tonight have cheap store bought costumes that aren't nearly as charming and fun as the amateurish homemade outfits we had that probably didn't look as good, but I doubt that most parents have time to help make halloween costumes now. It was always more fun as we look back and forget the bad times.

I heard some talk this year about moving Halloween so it would always be on a weekend but that would really separate it from it's roots of All Hallow Eve, not that many people treat it as a holy day anymore, or even remember that it is. I remember in Mexico it was a big day and people thought the dead family member's spirits came back to their homes to eat the food, well, the spirit of the food, and then the live family members could eat the physical food. How's that for having your cake and eating it too.

I teased my daughter she was a spirit that didn't make it back since she was born on November 1st. In fact, I can remember going into labor on Halloween as I was handing out candy. My son had just turned three and watched the first few people in costumes with interest, then realized that I was giving them candy, HIS CANDY. You understand, he considered that all candy in the house was his. Then he started howling in anger. Between that and beginning labor, though I didn't realize at first that that was what it was, made for a memorable evening.

A year later I was divorced and back in Oklahoma and took him trick or treating. He was thrilled to find out that he could get candy. Talk about a cool scam!

In Mexico the adults came back the night of October 31st, but the children came back the night of November 1st, so, since I was born November 2nd, my mother would tease me that I was a child spirit that had lost her way. I always thought that was kind of cool until I found out where babies really came from. I don't know why I never wondered about the children born on all the other nights.