The wind had been raging nearly all night and the early morning as well. It followed an ugly day of torrential rain which would have been the perfect setting for Halloween; in fact, all you needed was to plop this skeleton donning a babushka while hoping to thwart a bad hair day into the frightful mix.   I heard that wicked wind howling while I was still swaddled in my blankets and I was not so eager to climb out of the warm bed and head to the cold kitchen.

The wind gusts were still in high gear later when I left the house. Multi-colored leaves were swirling around my feet, making a beeline to the open garage door and sneaking under the car to the back of the garage in a heartbeat.  Glancing up to the trees, I watched wind gusts mercilessly strip the tall trees of their leaves, rendering them nearly bare.

My intention was really only to run the car since I didn’t relish the thought of rolling down Emmons Boulevard like a tumbleweed. But, ever the optimist, I laced up my walking shoes before going out anyway.  I plunked a hat on my head to keep my hair in place and a couple of times I had to pat it down as the wind kept whooshing around me.  I swear I saw the wind whisk Dorothy and Toto right by me.

We’ve had quite a smorgasbord of weather this week. Monday it was frosty and I mustered a four-mile walk though my teeth were chattering most of the time.  Tuesday was gorgeous – warm and sunny and I got another four miles added to my total.  Wednesday’s soaking rain spoiled my walk but made for extra snoozing so it was not all bad.  But today … well, today even the poor birds couldn’t fly straight.

The photo of this creepy-looking character is from a massive Halloween display over near Detroit and Pingree Streets in Lincoln Park. I first visited this house last December when my friend Marge took a video of the Christmas display and posted it on Facebook.  I went over the next day to take a look.  On a whim, I headed over there figuring they’d also go all out for this spooky season and I was right.  The display was impressive in the morning light, but at night the strings of lights and many inflatable characters, now collapsed, must be a sight to see.  There was a Dracula, skeletons, monsters, gargoyles and many ghoulish creatures hanging suspended from tree branches.  I lost count of the collapsed inflatable characters and the gravestones were plentiful as well.

Today’s walk entailed just a couple of trips around the neighborhood. I’m grateful for the upcoming time change and the chance to extend my walking time and bulk up my miles.