My daughter's phone did a good job conveying the triumph of Mabel (as knight) and her dear friend (as princess) when they conquered the pyramid of straw bales at the rural pumpkin patch during their mid-October trip to choose this year's pumpkins. .
Established custom allows one costume for the traditional trip out into the country to the pumpkin patch, and then a quite different costume for Halloween.
Back at home, Mabel herself for the first time drew the pumpkin face, while still allowing parents to be the knife-wielders. "What a spectacular pumpkin face," I said to Mabel when I saw it.
Mabel-the-Knight-of-the-Straw-Bales became Mabel-the-Panda on the holiday itself. Mamma appeared all in green, the stick of bamboo that every panda loves.
Every year all her life Mabel has trick-or-treated with the same special friends.
Last year on trick-or-treat day Mabel had a long white beard. She was a wizard. With a wand.
