The manticore or mantikhoras according to the Persians of ancient times roams the jungles of India and has a taste for humans. Voraciously hungry it can eat three or more people at a sitting. It has the body of a lion, a tail like a scorpion and the face of a human with blue eyes and three rows of teeth. It’s voice reportedly sounds like a mixture of pipes and a trumpet. The only way to escape the wrath of a manticore is to correctly answer its riddle.

Practice riddle: You have been given a stick that is 30 inches long. Make the stick shorter without touching it. How will you do this?

If you see a spider on Halloween a dead loved one is watching over you.

The next Halloween full moon will be on October 31, 2020.

Ancient Celts wore masks to fool spirits into thinking they weren’t human.

Harry Houdini died on Halloween, 1926 in Detroit, MI.

The current world record for giant pumpkins is 1446 pounds

‘Samhain’ the Celtic holiday from which Halloween is descended is pronounced ‘sow-an’

Bobbing for apples originated with a roman harvest festival that honors Pomona, the goddess of fruit trees

Sprinkling salt and oatmeal on a child’s head keeps him from being possessed by demons. (Trick-or-Treat safety tip)

Gazing into the flame of a candle on Halloween night will allow you to see into the future.

If a bat flies around a house three times, death is close by.

If you hear footsteps behind you on Halloween night the devil is close behind you. Don’t turn around or he’ll take you.

1. Eat, drink and be scary.   ~Author Unknown

2. Shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen, Voices whisper in the trees, Tonight is Halloween!” ~Dexter Kozen

3. May Jack-o-lanterns burning bright Of soft and golden hue, Pierce through the future’s veil and show, What fate now holds for you. ~Author Unknown

4. Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble.   ~Shakespeare “Macbeth”

5. Hark! Hark to the wind! ‘Tis the night, they say, When all souls come back from the far away- The dead, forgotten this many a day! ~Virna Sheard

6. From ghoulish and ghosties and long leggety beasties and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us! ~Scottish saying

The month with my favorite holidays.

Leif Erickson Day – October 9 is not associated with any particular event in Leif Erikson’s life. The date was chosen because the ship Restauration coming from Stavanger, Norway, arrived in New York Harbor on October 9, 1825, at the start of the first organized immigration from Norway to the United States. (Arrrg I missed it)

Boss’s Day – Oct. 16th  is a day to give cards and gifts to your boss. This should build good will between employer and employee and generate good feelings that last all year long. Choose that card carefully!

Apple day -  is an annual celebration of apples and orchards held on October 21. Cromford, near Matlock, Derbyshire will be hosting its 17th. annual Apple Day on Saturday October 20th., on Scarthin Promenade, from 1 until 5 p.m.. As always, the central activity will be pressing apples to juice (bring your own, plus plastic bottles, a chopping board and knives)

Halloween – You guessed it, this is my favorite.  For one night of the year everyone agrees the world is as scary as it should be.

Two of my favorite things are Halloween and Fortune Telling. Lucky for me they go great together.

Happy Halloween.