At the Town Center, there was a vampire collecting shopping carts. Restocking napkins at a fast-food joint was Jack Sparrow, the pirate of the Caribbean. A zombie retail manager helped me find a mop and assorted cleaning supplies.

As I backed out of my parking spot, Barack Obama was waiting to pull into the front row place. As I waited at the stop sign, a little Honda passed with the grim reaper at the wheel, in full mask and cape. He gave me a long look, and I double checked my seat belt and all the gauges.

Having lunch with the family at the local Mexican food joint, Pocohontas sat us and a sultry butterfly waited on us. Frankenstein was cleaning up the tables.

Perhaps the strangest sight was the car full of young ghouls and zombies having car trouble on the U.S. 75 service road. Maybe their battery was "dead."

And Halloween can make one humble as well, as evidenced by my oldest boy. He was experimenting with an assortment of costumes, trying to figure out exactly what he wanted to be. He came out of his room and asked what I thought of one of his get-ups. I told him, "hey, you look like a smaller version of me. Are you going as me for Halloween?" Probably a bit egotistical, I'll admit. He responded, "No, Dad, I'm going as a nerd."

Good thing he scratched that costume from the list. I was sweating it.

Now, the outfits have been put away for another year and it's the cooler weather and gathering of families that will bring us to our next holiday, Thanksgiving. Here's to autumn!

Happy birthday Monday to Tony Swindell of Howe; Dr. Jimmy Harrell, Charlie Skupin, Ja'Quillin Seales, Carol Ransom Cooper, Autry Stockbridge, Kaelyn Olson, Aantonia Ross and Frances McKee and her daughter, Nasha McKee, all of Sherman; Gail Douglas, Dollie McDonald, Walter Jones, Tommy Miller and Regina Chumley, all of Denison; Stacie Roberts of Gober, Raymon Siebert of Edmond, Okla.; Paula Walthall of Bells; Carter Hudson of Lewisville; Ethan Powell of Whitewright; Mary Hefley Walker of Atoka, Okla.; James Rodgers of Whitesboro; Jerry Sewell of Denison and his daughter, Kristin Washington of Sherman; Nelda Jo Allison of Howe; Shane Chancellor of Whitesboro.

Happy anniversary Monday to Maxey and Peggy Sue McKenzie of Whitesboro, 53 years; Bill and Lois Company of Sherman, 19 years.