Keep this in mind this Halloween..

MACBETH ~ Act IV, Scene I

This is one of my favorites….

https://youtu.be/VY0Hyza6C-U

MACBETH ~ Act IV, Scene I

First Witch

Round about the cauldron go;
In the poison’d entrails throw.
Toad, that under cold stone
Days and nights has thirty-one
Swelter’d venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i’ the charmed pot.

ALL

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

Second Witch

Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting,
Lizard’s leg and owlet’s wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

ALL

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Third Witch

Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf,
Witches’ mummy, maw and gulf
Of the ravin’d salt-sea shark,
Root of hemlock digg’d i’ the dark,
Finger of birth-strangled babe
Ditch-deliver’d by a drab,
Make the gruel thick and slab:
Add thereto a tiger’s chaudron,
For the ingredients of our cauldron.

ALL

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble. 

Second Witch

Cool it with a baboon’s blood,
Then the charm is firm and good.

By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes.

It’s that time of the year.

Happy Halloween Boooooo

One quarter of all the candy sold annually in the U.S. is purchased for Halloween.

Straddling the line between fall and winter, plenty and paucity, life and death, Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition. It is thought to have originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints and martyrs; the holiday, All Saints’ Day, incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows’ Eve and later Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved into a secular, community-based event characterized by child-friendly activities such as trick-or-treating. In a number of countries around the world, as the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, people continue to usher in the winter season with gatherings, costumes and sweet treats.

How to save money on Halloween.

I found this great article about Halloween and saving money!

POSTED BY: KATE HORRELL SEPTEMBER 17, 2017

I know it is only mid-September, but Halloween will be here before you know it.

Depending on your family situation, how you feel about the holiday, and where you live, Halloween can be awfully expensive.  I’m not a big fan of Halloween, but I do have four kids, and we live in a kid-filled neighborhood.  I’ve got to plan ahead if I’m not going to drop $50 on candy on the 30th of October.

Costumes

Costumes for Halloween can run the gamut from an old sheet with eyes cut out, to elaborate outfits with specialty items from head to toe.  Planning ahead is key to spending less.  First, make everyone, kids and grown-ups, decide on their costume early.  In my house, we have a rule:  if you want parental assistance with your costume, you must submit your needs by 1 October.  This gives you time to implement the three best ways to save:  borrow, thrift, and DIY.

First, ask around to see if friends have the costume item you need.   Put out a Facebook request or activate your phone tree.  Free is awesome, and people are typically thrilled to have their things put to good use.

Second, check with thrift stores and consignment shops.  Shop early – all the best stuff will fly out of the stores.  You can find everything from entire costumes to bits and pieces to give your costume that extra bit of goodness.  Think outside of the box about how you can repurpose items to fit your plan.

Lastly, see what you can make yourself.  Pinterest is a great place to find directions and ideas.  I’ve made a ton of my kids costumes – everything from a flower to Hermione Granger to medieval princesses – but I’m a pretty proficient seamstress.  But you don’t need to sew to put together a great costume.  Many ideas require no more than a hot glue gun or a bunch of safety pins.

Decorations

I’m a Halloween Scrooge, but I understand that some folks enjoy decorating for Halloween.  (Is that an understatement?)

Once again, the thrift store and DIY are your friend.  If you have children, enlist them to decorate pumpkins cut out of construction paper; anything made by your babies is automatically better than anything from the store.  Spray paint can turn even dollar store items into swanky decor.

Candy

Your strategy for saving money on candy is going to depend on a few things about you.  If you, or someone in your house, as a sweet tooth, then you probably don’t want to buy ahead.  Buying twice does not save money!

Check your newspapers for coupons, then keep an eye on sales.  In my experience, the commissary has the lowest prices consistently, but you can find deals if you match a sale with a coupon at places like Walgreens or Target.

Another idea is to give out non-food treats.  A bunch of bouncy balls, temporary tattoos or mini-bubbles can be cheap if you plan online and order ahead.

Whether you’re all into Halloween, or just don’t want to be labelled the neighborhood witch, there are ways to decrease your expenses on Halloween without turning off the lights and hiding in your house.  Starting early is the best way to keep those costs down, so start thinking about your Halloween strategy now.

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Halloween History

Straddling the line between fall and winter, plenty and paucity, life and death, Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition. It is thought to have originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints and martyrs; the holiday, All Saints’ Day, incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows’ Eve and later Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved into a secular, community-based event characterized by child-friendly activities such as trick-or-treating. In a number of countries around the world, as the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, people continue to usher in the winter season with gatherings, costumes and sweet treats.

Boooooo to You!

Shakespeare’s Macbeth-Enter the Witches one of my favorites.

    William Shakespeare (1564-1616)                      from Macbeth
A dark Cave. In the middle, a Caldron boiling. Thunder.
                Enter the three Witches.
       1 WITCH. Thrice the brinded cat hath mew’d. 

       2 WITCH. Thrice and once, the hedge-pig whin’d. 

       3 WITCH. Harpier cries:—’tis time! ’tis time! 

       1 WITCH. Round about the caldron go; 

    In the poison’d entrails throw.— 

    Toad, that under cold stone, 

    Days and nights has thirty-one; 

    Swelter’d venom sleeping got, 

    Boil thou first i’ the charmed pot! 

       ALL. Double, double toil and trouble; 

    Fire burn, and caldron bubble. 

       2 WITCH. Fillet of a fenny snake, 

    In the caldron boil and bake; 

    Eye of newt, and toe of frog, 

    Wool of bat, and tongue of dog, 

    Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting, 

    Lizard’s leg, and owlet’s wing,— 

    For a charm of powerful trouble, 

    Like a hell-broth boil and bubble. 

       ALL. Double, double toil and trouble; 

    Fire burn, and caldron bubble. 

       3 WITCH. Scale of dragon; tooth of wolf; 

    Witches’ mummy; maw and gulf 

    Of the ravin’d salt-sea shark; 

    Root of hemlock digg’d i the dark; 

    Liver of blaspheming Jew; 

    Gall of goat, and slips of yew 

    Sliver’d in the moon’s eclipse; 

    Nose of Turk, and Tartar’s lips; 

    Finger of birth-strangled babe 

    Ditch-deliver’d by a drab,— 

    Make the gruel thick and slab: 

    Add thereto a tiger’s chaudron, 

    For the ingrediants of our caldron. 

       ALL. Double, double toil and trouble; 

    Fire burn, and caldron bubble. 

       2 WITCH. Cool it with a baboon’s blood, 

    Then the charm is firm and good.
 
brinded – having obscure dark streaks or flecks on gray 

gulf – the throat 

drab – prostitute 

chaudron – entrails

The above appears at the beginning of Act IV, Scene 1 as found in:

Shakespeare, William. The Globe Illustrated Shakespeare: The Complete Works Annotated. Howard Staunton ed. New York: Gramercy Books, 1993.

Halloween Safety a MUST!