My age might suggest that I am done with Halloween. Our youngest girls are just shy of twenty one, besides being on another continent. Benjamin is almost six feet tall and shaves. Those are not often associated with knocking on the neighbor's door for candy. 

 

But Ben works on a different timeline, and showed no slack of interest as the month of October came winding down. The only uncertainty was whether he would be Woody or Indiana Jones. He outgrew the cow vest with a pull string on the back several years back, so the archeologist persona won. 

 

After his shower, thinking on his bed which is across the hall from mine he mused. 

 

"Linus is silly. There is no Great Pumpkin. He went looking for it but it never came! Lucy told him there was but there wasn't." Ben is always reassured to have the facts straight. 

 

I vacillate between letting him walk alone, and going with him. He is of course capable of navigating our road, but some neighbors might furrow their brows. 

 

"Haven't you pushed the limits of overage trick or treating?"

 

Then there is the fun of taking him to homes where he recognizes people, like the ones he had a football watching party with last weekend. So we hopped in the car. Ben is a rule follower, and buckled in between houses which seemed unnecessary. The speed I usually move is moderate, but with the darkness, the rain, and the children walking the car was not much faster than a brisk walk. 

 

The clusters of children were colorful and furry. I could not always pinpoint what they were but it was still a parade. Then I saw three boxes walk by. I had to roll down my window and ask. 

 

"Excuse me, but are you appliances?"

 

"Yes! See the dishwasher opens, (demo followed) as does the oven and fridge." True to their word there were baked items, vegetables and clean bowls. I was delighted. 

 

When Ben agreed that his cache was complete, we headed home. He enjoyed arranging them, without the trading that happened when there were five kids under twelve. John and I went across the road to an actual social event. We oldsters chatted in neighborly fashion and I still got home by eight o'clock. 

 

Just for fun I looked up what an archaeologist really is. I laughed to learn that the first human discovered was named Lucy. Plus she was kinda old too.