Welcome, back Substack friends, to my favorite time of year, especially when the trees are finally changing colors, like this majestic tree:
This coming Thursday is Halloween, and that means the spooky season will be over. Over at Axios, they have America’s Halloween Trick-or-Treat Hotspots and some interesting facts, such as:
“Five-to-14-year-olds — prime trick-or-treating age — make up about 12.5% of the U.S. population. Kids 5-14 make up the greatest shares of the state population in Utah (16.2%), Texas (14.4%) and Georgia (13.3%).”
Check out this map to see where trick-or-treating is the most popular. West Coast and Mid-Country seems to be the hot spots, but for some reason the East Coast isn’t.
Uber cuteness for a good cause alert- The Guiness World Records reports that “Dog lover Mitchell Rudy (Canada) took a 38-strong pack of pooches for walkies to break the record for most dogs walked simultaneously by an individual.”
His efforts, alongside Canadian charitable initiative BONK and Korean K9 Rescue (KK9R) (South Korea) broke the previous record of 36 with the mega outing in Goesan, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea, on 5 September.”
More lovely dog news from the BBC: “Scottish terrier playing an organ and a cocker spaniel using a kneeler are among 12 dogs featured in a cathedral's calendar.
St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, came up with the concept to show how warmly it welcomes our furry friends.
Marketing manager Catherine Rayson said: "We've always been dog-friendly but perhaps haven't pushed it as much, so this year it was very much an excuse to promote that fact."
The 2025 calendar has been released a few weeks before Bury St Edmunds competes to be crowned England's most dog-friendly town once more in the National Dog Friendly Awards.
In honor of Halloween why not try this Mummy Hot Dog recipe from Skinny Taste?
Ingredients:
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, whole wheat or gluten-free mix, plus more for dusting (5 ounces)
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt.
1 egg white, beaten (whole egg works fine too)
8 turkey hot dogs, halved crosswise
1 package candy eyes
mustard or ketchup, optional for serving
I’ve been on the Freida Mc Fadden book glom recently. Freida sure does know how to write a twisted story that will leave you speechless because you may think you know who and why but she always adds and extra shock at the end of every novel. I’m currently reading her latest- The Boyfriend, and it looks to be another winner from her.
Have you read Freida, and if so which one of her books do you recommend?
She's looking for the perfect man. He's looking for the perfect victim.
Sydney Shaw, like every single woman in New York, has terrible luck with dating. She’s seen it men who lie in their dating profile, men who stick her with the dinner bill, and worst of all, men who can't shut up about their mothers. But finally, she hits the jackpot.
Her new boyfriend is utterly perfect. He's charming, handsome, and works as a doctor at a local hospital. Sydney is swept off her feet.
Then the brutal murder of a young woman―the latest in a string of deaths across the coast―confounds police. The primary suspect? A mystery man who dates his victims before he kills them.
Sydney should feel safe. After all, she is dating the guy of her dreams. But she can’t shake her own suspicions that the perfect man may not be as perfect as he seems. Because someone is watching her every move, and if she doesn’t get to the truth, she’ll be the killer’s next victim...
Tim Curry is everything Halloween, especially from one of my all time favorite 80’s movies- 1986’s classic, The Worst Witch.
Howl away…
"There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls." –George Carlin