On All Hallow's Eve, Q chose to sacrifice another round of trick-or-treating in order to give out candy from our house. This is one of the multitude of things that I love about her. The many levels of social interaction are of utmost importance to her, and she is determined to experience, practice, and excel at each and every one.
She woke early from her afternoon nap - because this was just as exciting as Christmas morning for her - and by 4:30 she was dressed in the mummy costume she had chosen as her third halloween get-up. I had torn up a sheet into strips and tried to wrap it over her white shirt and leggings, but she's so whippet-lean that even a cotton sheet was far too bulky. So we found a single roll of sticky bandage, which she insisted on wrapping by herself. Hence the scanty nod to mummy wrappings that you see here.
By five, she had added a witch's broom (from her first costume) and a paper crown (left over from her birthday).
By 5:30 she was getting a little frantic, running from one room of the house to the next in order to peer out every window in search of the first sign of trick-or-treaters.
By 6:00, she was opening the front door about every five minutes, in spite of the outdoor chill, just to check.
Ordinarily, our trick-or-treaters start a bit earlier, but this year was an odd year, and as sunset began to color the horizon, there was still no sign of children trolling the street.
I couldn't help but feel bad for her. When we heard the first voices echoing down the sidewalk, she actually rushed out with her bowl of candy (and her cat), but it turned out to be only an older couple walking their dog after work. The expectant look on her face in this shot just kills me!
Eventually, tiring, she just lay down on the throw-rug next to the front door and settled in to wait...
...and wait...and wait.
Eventually, the first trick-or-treaters did arrive (greatly to my relief), and even though they weren't exactly children, Q was ready with her bowl of treats and a friendly word. She only flinched slightly when the more frightening costumes showed up on her stoop.
Eventually, the night did liven up, and Q was the consummate Halloween hostess, asking about people's costumes, handing out a kind word to the youngest children, and bidding everyone farewell with a friendly wave and a hearty send-off.
Can you just see the pride on her face here?
When it comes to social occasions, she is really in her element.
She also loves her costumes, and continued to embellish hers throughout the course of the evening - adding pink sticker to her cheeks (I'm thinking she was emulating her beloved Kerroppi).
Happy girl.
Halloween is certainly her holiday. And I love how she makes the most of it in her own, unique way!
