I'd like to point out that at least Cincinnati has Graeter's which, at this time of year, regardless of whether the Great Pumpkin arrives, the Graeter's Pumpkin WILL.

Mmmm...pumpkin ice cream.

I was born a cranky old fuddy-duddy. I have a headache right now that makes me want to shut off all the lights and eat the candy myself rather than answering the door.

and the problem with that is?

Yeah, last year some kids showed up at 5:30 and POUNDED on the door. Trick-or-treat starts at 6:00. I wanted to open the door and yell at them, but instead I ran for the pantry and grabbed the candy. Because it was Halloween, damn it.

Man, I just looked outside, and it is NEVER going to stop raining. This is nuts.

and the problem with that is?

Because there are too many windows in my house, so they'll know I'm home, and I'll feel guilty.

I've gotten into nail art and, as a result, I wander about the internets looking for ideas. For Halloween, I ran across this (not my nails, just something I admire).

Because there are too many windows in my house, so they'll know I'm home, and I'll feel guilty.

We just turned off the porch lights most years. I've never been trick or treated when we weren't signalling candy inside.

When I was a kid (back in the good old days when every kid in the neighborhood and a good distance around hit every house they could) when we got tired or ran out of candy, we'd turn off the porch light, close the curtains, and turn off the lights at the front of the house and no one bothered us. There was even a family down the street that refused to have anything to do with the whole thing, so they'd turn off their porch light but leave big bushel baskets of apples and pears out; kids would grab one (or two or three, but with other people offering CANDY, not more) and leave them alone.

The whole idea of trick-or-treating being moved seems bizarre to me.

Yeah, me too, I hate it. But in SF it's always on Oct. 31.