Winter, Canning, Ghosts!!

I can handle ghosts, goblins and ghouls...but cold winter weather scares me! It's snowing this weekend, which is very pretty but as I say every year...TOO EARLY.

Alex and I try to go for walks every night. Last night was fun walking in the snow for the first time this year. I like the silhouette of our hats. :)

Canning season is officially over! I used the last of my Mason jars to preserve 20 pints of apple sauce today. The 50 pound box of apples cost $20, so each pint was $1. It pays to can! :)

Halloween is almost here!! :) I have my menu planned, decorations ready, pumpkin carving tools handy and paper machier pumpkins in the works!! Now I just hope the snow melts!

Here are my latest "Ghostober" pieces I've been posting on Instagram. I have three more days of spooky art for this challenge! One will be based on a local Montreal haunting....buah ha ha ha ha!!! Stay tuned for my Halloween post! :) So much fun! 👻👻👻

"Dullahan" (acrylic):  The Dullahan is a Celtic solider of Irish mythology whose head was chopped off and taken from him in battle. He roams the land on horseback, searching for his lost head. If you look at him, you will immediately be blinded. Some stories state that his bitterness causes him to kill innocent people to join him in the afterlife. If he speaks your name, it is your life he wishes to take.

"White Lady" (acrylic):  A White Lady is a tortured ghost who died watching her loved one die before her in a horrific way. She is typically a woman mourning the loss of a lover or a child. She appears in the area of the tragedy and haunts it restlessly for eternity.

"The Ghost of Hamlet's Father" (watercolour):  In Shakespeare's "Hamlet", the dead king appears to his son Hamlet. The ghost reveals that he was murdered in his sleep, by his own brother - Hamlet's uncle who became King and married Hamlet's mother. The tortured ghost asks Hamlet to avenge his murder by killing his uncle.

"Hellhound" (acrylic):  A Hellhound is a demon black dog sent to brutally kill condemned souls and drag them to hell. If you lead a sinful life; and were visited by a Grim, or heard a Banshee's cry, or heard the voice of a Headless Horseman whisper your name...you may suddenly hear dogs barking fiercely in the distance. As the growls and barks grow closer and closer, your first instinct is to run...but there is nowhere to hide from the Hellhounds.

"Will-o'-wisp" (watercolour):  A Will-o'-wisp is a ghost light seen by travelers at night, especially over bogs, swamps or marshes.  It resembles a flickering lamp and is said to recede if approached, drawing travelers from their safe paths.

Psychopomp (acrylic):  A Psychopomp is a spirit who escorts newly deceased souls to the afterlife.

"Poltergeist" (watercolour):  A Poltergeist is a noisy spirit who frightens homeowners by knocking on walls, throwing objects, moving furniture, and other similar deeds. They are said to be the restless spirits of dead adolescents who are only interested in playing nasty pranks. They can be relentless to the point where most people opt to leave their homes. Poltergeists have been known to harm humans if they're pranks don't result in the homeowners leaving their homes.

"Herne The Hunter" (acrylic):  Herne, a skilled huntsman, was fatally wounded while saving King Richard from a charging stag. He was cured by a stranger, who tied the antlers of a dead stag to the dying man's brow. For healing him, the stranger took all of Herne's hunting skills. With no skills left to hunt, Herne went mad, and fled the forest where he hung himself from an oak tree. His spirit was tortured; every night he rides, leading a ghostly hunt, chasing the wildlife of Windsor Forest.