Friends of ours often hosted gatherings for family and friends at their farm. There was an old abandoned two-room house on their property that was perfect for a Halloween party. It was isolated, surrounded by trees and lit only by lanterns. They called it "Nick’s" in reference to its former owner. This method of describing locations is a common practice among rural people.
Everyone dressed up in Halloween costumes. Some costumes were store-bought, while others were thrown together from whatever was available in a pinch. No one cared.
Throughout the evening, the parents visited, and the kids chased each other around outside. Halloween time in Saskatchewan can be chilly, and some years, there is snow on the ground. I don’t remember there being any snow yet, but it was crisp outside that evening. The kids played so hard that they barely noticed the cold. When they came inside, their cheeks were rosy red, and their costumes were rumpled and dirty.
All the families pooled the food and snacks they had brought into a yummy lunch. It was all about the snacks.
On the drive home, in the cozy warmth of the vehicle, we realized that our six-year-old son who was dressed as Batman reeked of cow poop. He had tripped over a cow pie while running around outside in the dark and failed to mention that fact to me.
Our Halloween costumes in this 1996 photo have a back story to them. The kids had their costumes for trick or treating so they were set, but The Hubs and I needed to come up with costumes. I am a bit creative, but I stink at costume design. It has never been my strong suit.
A few weeks prior to the Halloween party, The Hubs had an unfortunate and painful accident. He was a member of a local team roping club. The club met at an area ranch once a week throughout the summer for fellowship and some friendly steer roping competition.
One evening The Hubs was at the roping arena preparing to take his ride. His horse was tied to a wooden rail fence and had its head down as it grazed intently on the lush grass. At the same time as he leaned over the horse’s head to untie him another horse collided with them.
Startled, the horse snapped its head up to see what was going on. The horse’s head caught The Hubs in the mouth. Some previous dental work after a hockey injury had left him with a three-tooth bridge that was anchored to his remaining upper front tooth. When the horse’s heavy head connected with his mouth, all four of his upper front teeth were ripped out. The force of the blow pushed the bridge up, cutting his gums.
The Hubs called me and said he had lost a tooth in the incident. He contacted his dentist and a friend drove him to Shellbrook for some emergency dental assistance.
When he got home, I saw that there was nothing left between his eye teeth. I was shocked to say the least.
When we were trying to think of Halloween costumes that year we decided to go dressed as vampires. I wore fake vampire teeth; The Hubs didn’t need any as he already looked like a vampire. I do know vampires have front teeth, but The Hub’s eye teeth looked so prominent with no teeth in between that it did look like he had vampire teeth.
Unfortunately, his dental state made him feel self-conscious and he isn’t showing his teeth in the picture. Trust me, his teeth were gone, and his gums were healing from the stitches. It cost thousands of dollars in dental work to patch him up, but I must concede that the toothless look did go great with the costume. Good times!
Our littlest granddaughter was only six weeks old on Halloween last year. This year she will be strutting up to front doors with her sisters. She won’t have a clue why, but she will be right in there anyway.
Trick or Treat
Happy Halloween
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LINKS & TIPS ⬇️