A graveyard, in the pre-dawn dark of a foggy morning. Eerie tombstones loom among fallen autumn leaves. The hands – and heads! – of monsters rise up from the cold, hard earth. Skeletons swing in the gentle breeze, suspended from the lifeless branches of a tree. Past the cemetery, steps lead up to the haunted door.
Over on the stairs… oh, those stairs! Rats, snakes, and spiders run amok – swarming over each step. Ready to pounce on any child who has made it past the graves, who dares to face The Guardian. Ghouls perch on the stair rails, awaiting their turn.
The creepy clown lays dying where it fell, its body draped across the steps. A bloody machete remains gripped in its hand. At the top of the stairs, beyond the creepy clown, a masked beast awaits. Standing on all four legs, it fiercely guards the right side of the haunted door.
To the left, bats fly from the mailbox. Below them lurks The Guardian. Black feathers barely visible, The Guardian overlooks its domain. Red eyes and hooked beak catch the light as it swivels its head, searching for prey. As a child nears, The Guardian’s raven cry echoes off the old brick walls…
©Sandra Woods 
©Sandra Woods
It’s almost Halloween, so I thought it would be fun to start off with some spooky atmosphere. Did you enjoy it? That little horror story also serves as a description of how I’ve transformed our front yard for this special occasion. Our home rises slightly from the street, providing a fantastic backdrop for Halloween decorations.
My monster cemetery begins at the street, and stretches up to the base of the stairs which lead to the front door. The scary scene on the steps can also be seen from the road; some of the neighbourhood kids have already commented on the creepy clown tableau ‘-)
As you may have guessed, I adore Halloween! You can read more about the history of Halloween, and its origins as the Celtic celebration of Samhain, in my post from 2017. Over the years my husband has come to love it as well, even wearing costumes to work. But the haunted yard, that’s all mine. He’ll happily help me, if I ask him… but I don’t want to.
Since being diagnosed with CRPS in my right hand and arm, I’ve had to ask for his help with so very much. Things that I used to be able to do for myself, without even thinking about it. Even little things, like chopping vegetables, doing up a necklace, tying a bow onto a gift. Halloween, though, I want to keep for myself ‘-)
CRPS – Complex Regional Pain Syndrome – is a rare disease which causes a host of symptoms. The most common of these is constant and severe neuropathic pain. That means nerve pain, and that’s just one of the many distinct types of chronic pain from CRPS.
Almost a year ago, I began experiencing mild cognitive issues (MCI) due to CRPS and had to give up my dream job. Since then, I’ve had to rely more than ever on my best friend; my husband. Things might slip my mind these days, so he slips subtle reminders into his lunchtime text messages:
“Did you call …?”
“Have fun when go to … today!”
“What time are you leaving for …?”
“When did you say you’re supposed to meet …?”
Each year I change up our Halloween decorations, so it doesn’t matter if something goes in a different place this year. I don’t have to wonder about the MCI, about whether I’ll put something in the wrong spot – or omit something altogether. As long as we’re handing out treats and have some spooky stuff out there, the kids who come to our door are going to be happy. That’s what I do all this for, at Halloween, after all!
Which of the creepy decorations get set up, and where, simply doesn’t matter. And that, oddly enough, feels therapeutic to me.
It takes me sooooo much longer now to create my little monster cemetery, haunted steps – and all the rest of my little Halloween scenes – because of the limits imposed on my right hand and arm by CPRS. It’s often frustrating, when it takes me a while to do things that I used to be able to do so quickly. But this time around, I enjoyed stringing out the Halloween transformation.
An hour here, an hour there. It has taken me a week to get it done, but I’m very happy with the result. The final few items will go out the day of Halloween, those requiring batteries for movement. Creatures like The Guardian, the giant raven who’ll be guarding our door ‘-)
As always, thanks so much for reading. I wish you nothing but treats, for Halloween this year!
©Sandra Woods 
©Sandra Woods