And That's It

I was just sitting down to enjoy my meal and wait for some trick-or-treaters. It's a little weird this Halloween - thanks to the lack of daylight savings time it's going to be light out when people normally start. We don't normally get many around here but, still, I'd feel awful if I didn't pass out the candy. Or carve a pumpkin. I'm not exactly a pumpkin carving king or anything. I don't do those bits where you shave off the skin and make subtle gradations with the light, I just take a kitchen knife and start hacking. But I like to think I do alright. My carvings always garner at least a few compliments. I think I did particularly good this year, went for a look inspired by those Chinese Lion things and made some good use of the negative space. It's the kind of thing that makes me wish I had a digital camera so I could take a picture to show you. Actually, I don't have any camera at all now that the one on my phone's broke. I should really get around to fixing that. Had the candy set out by the door - a nice assortment of gummies and chocolate bars that I'd hand out a few of each so no one walked away disappointed. And I was just settling in to enjoy my meal and sketch out some last minute thoughts on my novel when I got the call I've been dreading.

It turns out the dog is worse than we thought. My mother thought she'd eaten a plastic bag and, so, took her in for an ultrasound. It revealed a mass on her liver that's most likely cancerous. We wouldn't know for sure unless they operated. And, in her present condition and advanced age, there's no guarantee she survives that exploratory surgery. Or that the cancer's confined to only one lobe of the liver - my mother explained it looked rather widespread on the ultrasound. So, that's it. We're going to have to put her to sleep. And soon. It's just a matter of time.

This is the sort of night when I'd love to leave the lights blazing on my front porch, just for the symbolism. As a small beacon of warmth on a chilly, windy evening. But, at the moment, I don't really think I'm in the mood for smiling and passing out candy. So, now, I'm thinking of leaving them off.