Once again my computer decided to go ahead and publish whether I was ready or not. Anyway, back in the day, my sister-in-law gave me a favorite formal coat that she did not intend to use anymore. It was beautiful. It was a long black velvet hooded coat that was trimmed in white ermine fur. Gorgeous. I could never have afforded such a regal garment. Doc and I did attend many dances so I could get more use from it than she could. It was probably purchased in about 19 40 or so. Of course, after we married and had children we did not go out as often as we once did and it was only used at New Years. I adored that garment and kept it hanging in my closet just in case we were invited to a formal affair! Not likely but ...
Fashions changed and coats of that type were not used as much or at all in the 1960's and 70's It was way too formal for the Hippie era and the Grunge era and the more casual living style of the 70's and 80's. So my beautiful coat just hung out in my closet. I would get it out now and then just to see if I could still fit into it. It was form fitting and I made an effort to keep my "form".
Believe it or not, drunk driving did not get as much attention in those days.When the stats started piling up about the big problems that alcohol and driving were causing there were many awareness programs launched to emphasise the problem and call attention to it. Also, about that time I realized that all six of my children were grown up and I had no one to help plan a costume for, for Trick or Treat night. I decided I would dress myself up and go Trick or Treating here in my own neighbor hood.
I had an old skeleton mask left over from my past days with my own kids so I utilized that and made a costume of my own. I put on the loved velvet coat and pulled the hood up all the way to cover all but my skeleton face mask. I put on my white cotton gloves, which we all wore in those days,and donned black sox and shoes and looked through my cupboards to find a stemmed cocktail glass, one that might have held a martini at one time or another.I had the PERFECT outfit and one that made a statement that I wished to promote. Voila!
I went to my neighbors' doors and stood silently with the cocktail glass extended to get my message across. It was so much fun and took many of them a few minutes to figure just who was crazy enough to come trick or treating in that 'get up'. I looked very much like "death".
I did this for a year or so and finally one year Karen asked me to come out to her house and go to her next door neighbor's house. I did and Toots seemed to enjoy it a lot and after we visited for awhile, she suggested I go across the street to another neighbor's where a party was in full swing. The neighbor just happened to be the Jefferson County Coroner.
Karen and I went over and she went to the right of his front doorstep into the bushes and hid so that he could not see her. I rang the door bell and he answered the door. I held my cocktail glass out to him and just stood there mute as he kept laughing and saying ,"Who are you?" He finally yelled to his party friends and said, "You've got to see this! Come in here." They gathered around and laughed and starting guessing my identity. He went into the kitchen and brought in a bottle of "Wild Turkey" and poured some into my glass and said ,"Now, you have to let us see who you are." Lots of laughter going on.
Just as I started to remove my mask, Karen came out of the bushes and said, "Lloyd, I want you to meet my mother.!" He had never laid eyes on me before nor had I ever seen him. He was so shocked and so were his friends, none of whom I had met either. He couldn't believe he had given a shot of Wild Turkey to a total stranger dressed up as death. It was so much fun! I still remember the look on his face when I took that mask off. Fun, fun, fun.
I used the costume a few years after that one, for Halloween, but never again did it have the shock value that it did that year. The lovely coat deteriorated more and more each year until it became so fragile it could not be worn again. Some of my friends and family members still remember the fun I had with that costume. Happy Halloween. Ciao
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