Halloween, or Hallowe’en (a contraction of All Hallows‘ Evening), also known as Allhalloween, All Hallows‘ Eve, orAll Saints’ Eve, is a celebration observed in a number of countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows‘ Day. Autumn is finally here! My favorite time of year! And the best way to start out October 1st being as Halloween is right around the corner is DECORATING! FUNNNNNNNNNNNN
The classic Hallowe’en jack-o’-lantern, a carved grinning pumpkin, is both a new and an ancient practice.
Originally, it seems to have come from an old Irish legend of a man called Stingy Jack, a miserly farmer who played a trick on the devil and as punishment was cursed to wander the earth, lighting his way with a candle inside a hollowed-out turnip.
When the tradition moved to America pumpkins were used instead of turnips, as they were both more available and easier to carve.
My favorite time of year… fall weather (love spring too), but here come the stink bugs! YUCK!! I hate bugs. Batavia (where I live) is being bombarded with them. They’re everywhere. 🙁 Here are some things I found that you can do:
Rub screens with dryer sheets – the more pungent the better. Some homeowners have found this can reduce stink bugs entering a home by up to 80 percent.
Hang a damp towel over a lawn chair or deck railing overnight. In the morning, stink bugs will blanket the towel. Dispatch bugs in a bucket of soapy water.
Squish a few stink bugs outdoors. The odor warns other stink bugs to flee. Spray bottle with two tsps Dawn ultra dish soap in a quart of water. Kills in a few seconds. I guess it dissolves a protective wax on them…??? What methods do you use??
I was gonna say, “How did you get that close to a coyote?” I wouldn’t want to! The stink bugs are coming in here too, already. I don’t try to kick them out. As of right now, they’re still trying to find their way in. Hope you have a great Fall!
Thanks for your advice on how to kill stink bugs. If they’re the same as shield bugs in New Zealand, I now have a new weapon to fight them.
That is a great coyote photo!
With our windows open now, I can hear the coyotes howling to one another. It’s so spooky… but I kinda like it too. We had one in our backyard once a few years ago — which is why our cat is an indoor cat!
Marie, What a lovely not-so Wordless Wednesday post. I enjoyed the story of the jack-o-latern and how it evolved into an American Halloween tradition. I don’t like stink bugs, either. Occasionally, they’ll find their way into the house. Can you believe DH can actually hear those things? He says they make a clicking sound. We usually place a Hefty sandwich baggie on our hand while holding a folded paper towel and scoop the uninvited guest up with it. We tied a knot it the baggie and then smash it. Having it inside the baggie contains the stink. Thankfully, we haven’t gotten many of them in recent years but a few years ago we had a horrible problem with them! Love the coyote shot! I’m sorry for the late visit. My blog break just isn’t going like I expected. Like clock-work other things came along preoccupying my time. Thanks for linking up, my friend. Have a good week!