Shadows Outside Your Window, Sort of Halloween

    It is a little under two weeks until Halloween, and I just don't feel or see it. Oh, sure, I see the decorations and candy everywhere, but there is not that much out there that is making me feel special about it.  So many homes and public displays are just using almost the exact same thing as they have done. I mean, when you see one house with a miniature inflatable Chucky, you see two more houses next door with the exact same thing.  I drive by the three neighbors every day.  It gets so predictable that it is no longer enjoyable.  There are a few other Chucky inflatables out there, but these three just irk me the most.  Other homes are going a little understated than their past attempts.  A house that had a full-sized skeleton climbing a pole, chasing a smaller skeleton and a dog skeleton on the top, now just has the bones sitting on the fence, with the largest one holding a black flower in its teeth.  Their crazed clowns are sitting along the fence as well, instead of randomly popping up around the yard.  The look is capped off with a pair of inflatable candy corns. Some homes still haven't decorated, after years of having great displays.  However, there are still a few new pieces that are grabbing my attention.  One home has a giant, inflatable killer clown, waving a giant hammer.  Another has a happy witch riding a crescent moon.  That one is rarely inflated.  The biggest display is still the same one as last year.  The place has a bunch of mannequins in costumes all over the yard, in multiple tableaux.  There are more crazy clowns, a trio of witches, a few blood-drenched nuns, a masked killer, and even a Harley Quinn, although that one seems to be currently missing.  There is still time for the stragglers to decorate, but I don't expect anything to elaborate from them in so little time.  My own decorating seems lackluster as well.  I don't feel comfortable leaving any decorations out at my place, so I decorate my store instead.  It is pretty much the same as last year's design.  Maybe a few things are in different places.  The main new item are two more small plastic 'stress-ball' brains that were in goodie bags in the past year, for a nice creepy three-part display.  I almost forgot to put out a small black cat head, but I remembered it from a dream. That actually happens to me quite a bit.  Another disappointment for this Halloween are the new treats.  That aren't that many.  Sure, there are a few new 'mystery' flavors of sodas, but I don't drink those brands, so that is a no-go for me.  Not really any new candies that I can find.  They might be out there, but they are either in brands/flavors I would never try or just not really out around here.  There is one new thing that came out recently that I would love to try, but they aren't Halloween-related.  It's Hostess's new 'Chocolate-Lover's Twinkies.'  They are chocolate Twinkies, but with a chocolate-creme filling instead of the regular one.  Now, there have been chocolate cake versions with the normal filling around for a few years now.  They used to come in two-packs, but you really only see them in boxes now, and not on a regular basis.  I did see them in a Halloween-theme box lately, though. I saw the new ones a few weeks ago, but I didn't buy them when I had the chance  They have been sold-out ever since.  I will get a box of them the next time I see them.  I don't know if I will like them, but they look very interesting.