There's a first time for everything, I've heard, and today I did a first - went to the corner C-store in my pj's for a cold Dr. Pepper. Made me sorry I ever laughed at Virginia Jutman for pulling similar stunts. She was usually there for a pack of cigarettes. And of course, I ran into a neighbor. Oh well! Who cares? Nothing cures a Dr. Pepper headache like a Dr. Pepper.

Last night I had another first - an interest in watching the baseball game, and no family sports fan with me to explain what was happening. I only saw the last 3 innings, but that was evidently the best part. I got so excited when Eckstein hit his double that I actually cheered aloud. (Is it considered a hit when it was the result of an error?) Will the Cards go all the way? It could happen. I was disappointed to see Pujols walked. He's one of Ricky's favorites and I was hoping to see him in action. (Photo by Charles Krupa/AP)

George asked for Halloween stories on his website, and I was reminded of all the fun Daddy used to have scaring the trick-or-treaters who came to his door. He dressed up in his old army jacket with a cushion underneath on his back. He stooped over and drug one leg behind him, and with an old hat pulled down low and a stocking over his face, he did look pretty gruesome. He would wait for the kids to get their candy, then step out of the darkness as they were going back to their mother's car. With a macabre laugh that sounded like The Shadow and in his deepest, most devilish-sounding voice he said:
Fee, fee, fi, fi, fo, fo, fum
I smell the blood of little children
Be they live or be they dead
I'll grind their bones and make my bread.

The screams and squeals as children took off running never failed to delight him. Every once in a while we would hear a mother's shaky voice call out, "Brother Johnson, is that you?" (Feel free to use this if you want to, George.)

Why Halloween fell out of favor among the fundamentalists was never quite clear to me. My children enjoyed it immensely and I don't think it had any detrimental effect beyond the sugar high they always got. I don't remember trick or treating as a child, but I do remember Halloween Carnivals being held at Plantersville School - cake walks, fishing pond, raffles, etc. Did we dress in costumes? I don't think so, but I could be wrong. I had several costumes as a child, but seems most of them were for plays I was in. Daddy didn't like the raffles, said it was gambling and didn't let us sell tickets, but seems his attitude on that softened with the years, as long as it was for a good cause.