The Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie Island is a popular Portland-area destination this time of year.
On the day my daughter's preschool class went, there was a lot of Oregon mud. Thankfully one of the moms reminded us to pack our rubber boots.
Fall isn't complete without a finished knitted shawl. This one, Saroyan, went to a friend. The yarn is Blue Moon Fiber Arts Luscious Single Silk. Now if I can only finish my two big projects, I can start a new shawl!
We'll carve a pumpkin this weekend, but my husband and 4-year-old had fun drawing on these little ones.
And now for a question: Anyone have a good ghost story? I’m working on fleshing out my spiritualist character and it seems like the proximity to All Hallow’s Eve should help me. Instead I’m focused on baking, costumes and other assorted fun family activities. Any inspiration would be welcome!
Laura Stanfill 
Happy Halloween to you, Laura. The pics are great, the scarf glorious (you are talented) and the pumpkin a perfect fit for a kid 🙂 The only ghost story I have is the WIP I am doing, so I am not help to you there. I googled ghosts, sightings, famous ghosts, read about a half dozen of paranormal of the same “type” (no demons, vampires, or other creepy stuff) … and it worked to give me tons of inspiration. Depending upon the type of ghost story, it also serves as great research. Have fun. BOO BOO 🙂
Ooh, you’re writing a ghost story! Fun! I’ve done quite a bit of research, including learning about ghost stories relating to specific towns where my characters travel, but the creepiness factor isn’t there. Yet. I like the idea of reading some paranormals to get inspired. Thanks for all your thoughts, and I’m glad you liked the photos!
Fantastic shawl! I want one! 😀 In high school when I almost broke my foot and was on the couch for four days, I wrote the first half of a ghost story. (Well, it was going to be a novel.) The only other time I’ve written ghostly tales are the one I put on my blog yesterday and another I wrote for a creative writing class. If you’d like to read what I have, I’d be glad to email it to you. Although, it takes place on a deserted road in Mississippi you’re more than welcome to read what I have to get you in the ghostly mood! Also, come Monday, I have a special post by a paranormal author and investigator Micheal Rivers. He discusses a true investigation he went on and gave pictures to post. That may be of interest to you as well. Anyway, I just went to a pumpkin patch with my nieces and nephew! So much fun! 🙂 Okay, this comment is long enough! Happy Halloween! 😀
See, I think you need to learn to knit, Emerald! I’ll have to check out your ghost story on the blog, and wait for Monday’s interview. Yes, if you want to send me the other ghost story by email, that’d be great! I definitely am looking to add some spookiness to my manuscript.
Last night I finished reading a historical novel, “The River Wife,” by Jonis Agee and at some point, the book turns into a bit of a ghost story. I love how she was able to continue telling the story, and add that haunting element. Perhaps that’s the kind of subtlety I’ll try aiming for.
I know! I tried, but I didn’t have the time to sit down and learn it just yet. When I’m not so busy with this launch party I’m participating in and of course after NaNoWriMo, I’m going to try knitting again. 🙂
I’ll send you that short story. It’s very “ghostly” no subtlety. 😛 However, the creature/ghost in the story was based on something my sister and I saw.
And yes, the subtlety sounds like like something worth aiming for. Also, I may have to check out this book. 🙂
Sounds like a good knitting plan, Emerald! Thanks for the story. I look forward to reading it.
You’re very welcome, Laura! Hope you enjoy it.
I love the pictures, but I can’t help with the ghost stories. I don;t believe in ghosts because that is what helps me sleep at night! But I bet there are a lot of good ghost related shows on this weekend. The Charlie Brpwn cartoon about the Great Pumpkin is as much as I can handle, though!
I love the Great Pumpkin, Emma! And when you say that about ghost stories, no wonder I’m writing flat scenes. I don’t read or watch anything too scary as a general rule. Just not my preference. Usually.
Love the shall! I am trying to learn to knit and so far its been a disaster, but that shall is great motivation!
Here is a “ghost” story for you: when my mother was a little girl of 10 she went to visit her cousins where they lived in a mobile home park. As they played tag my mother began having an asthma attack and she went inside the deserted trailer home to get some rest. She laid down on her cousin’s bed and the bed began to shake, gently at first – then harder and faster. She thought her cousins were playing a trick on her and were under the bed shaking. She called out to them to stop playing around with her, but nobody answered. She poked her head under the bed, but nobody was there. Nobody was anywhere in the room, she was alone – yet not completly. She crawled back onto the bed, which had stopped shaking, and thought perhaps she had been breathing too hard and the bed shaking was only in her head. As as she laid down the shaking began again, only this time harder and more vigorously than ever before. She held her breath and lay perfectly still, the hairs on her arms standing at attention, but again the shaking only intensified. She called out “Who’s there?” Nothing. Only silence. “Who’s there?” She yelled again, but this time she heard laughter. Demonic laughter. Terrified her curiosity got the best of her and she followed the sound of the laughter, but as she walked the diabolical laughter proceeded just ahead of her – always just out of her sight. She walked out of the bedroom, down the dimly lit hall, and finally the laughter led her out the back door. Breathless and terrified she finally laid eyes on the face of the evil laugh. A tall and burly bearded man leaned against the telephone pole, his eyes pierced through hers and with their gaze locked the man slowly rose from the ground, rising higher and higher until he disappeared into the clouds.
That story always terrified me as a child because I was sure the man was the devil himself, and my mother swears its a true story.
Wow, Heidi, that story is truly goosebump raising. So creepy! I can’t imagine what it would be like to grow up knowing that story from your mom. Thank you for sharing! And inspiring me. The two ghosts I’ve dared to write so far are pretty static–they appear and stay still in one room. The movement in your mother’s experience is terrifying! It’s amazing that she was so determined and curious that she followed the ghost. It’s also an amazing story because the ghost went from inside to outside, where she finally saw him. It seems like in most stories I’ve heard (not a lot, mind you!) the ghost either resides inside a structure or outside.
Hi Laura,
Just stopped by as part of Kelsey’s blog hop. Love your pictures. I used to do a lot of needle work when I was single, but after marriage and being a mum, I have let all that go. You are inspirational. Maybe I will get started again.
Sophi
Hi, Sophi! Thanks for stopping by. You should totally pick up needle work again–crafting is such fun, and I love having finished objects, since parenting and novel-writing are such long-term commitments. And I’ve met such great mom friends in my knitting group. The sense of community has been really wonderful and important to me.
Happy Halloween! Sadly I don’t really know any good ghost stories :/. However, my favorite kinds of ghosts are those who are spirits that simply haven’t moved on yet because they’re stuck for some reason in some in-between state, looking for something, wanting to resolve issues. I love it when ghosts have motives, wants and needs.
That’s a great point about the ghosts! I’ve written one spirit that has a reason for being there, a message to pass on through my character. But I hadn’t really thought about all the ghosts in terms of motives and needs. That’s really helpful. Thanks!