Lessons learned from Halloween, singing, making ice cream and avoiding roller skates

It was already dark when I made my way home from the Halloween party at Grace Baptist Church in Spokane.

As I crossed the Safeway parking lot, a figure in Native American garb with long braids streaked past me — on roller skates. The apparition didn’t speak but made guttural noises.

It was terrifying. It was my Mother. I wasn’t surprised.

My Mother took Halloween very seriously and ensured I’d dread that holiday all my life. She was one of a rambunctious family of eight children. Her siblings included professional wrestlers, carnival barkers, radio cowboy band singers, lumberjacks, and a cloistered Catholic nun. (I met Sister Thomasina only once. She was accompanied by a vicious parrot who said surprising things for a resident of a convent.)

My mom was the only member of the family to marry for life and love. She lived a conventional life, and I think she always wondered where she went wrong. She looked forward to Halloween, roller skates, and terrifying little children.

In those days, at the end of World War II, sugar rationing was still in place. There wasn’t any Halloween candy, and the church Halloween games were Musical Chairs, bobbing for apples, and for the teenagers, suspending an apple from the ceiling by a string between a boy and girl who tried to eat their way through, with the hope of stealing a kiss without dropping the apple on the floor.

I was overjoyed as the years passed and Halloween became more kid friendly.

One year my older daughter created a beautiful elaborate horse costume and persuaded her younger brother to join in her effort by taking the part of the rear end of the horse. This is something he’d advise against. Not only does the rear end have to walk around bent over, but he found that people only give treats to the front end of the horse. The front-end actor must be willing to share her treats. She wasn’t.

You can imagine then, as we swing into the darker, calmer days of October, I can’t help breathing a sigh of relief. October is a great time to try something new.

Some people think that once you reach a certain age, you’re too old to learn many things. But new research is showing that’s not the case. In fact, older brains may be better at meeting some challenges than younger ones.

According to WebMD, the more you learn, the better your brain is able to learn. A study looked at adults ages 58 to 86 who took three to five new classes for three months. They increased their mental abilities to the level of people 30 years younger after just a month and a half.

So to take advantage of the extra time, I have begun studying singing. I am sincerely terrible but I’m going on the theory that singing is often helpful to people with Parkinson’s disease. So I take lessons online once a week from Sara E., who implores me to sing with nice, juicy lips. I have no idea what that means and I’m pretty sure I don’t want to know.

Emboldened by what could easily be called my success, I’ve also enrolled in our local chorus. Our director starts by kicking off his sandals and, standing barefoot, radiates joy as he inspires us to sing. I don’t know if he can tell I can’t read music. He implores us to look up and smile at the end of each phrase. I can do that. I’m going on the theory that it’s OK to do part of it, if you can’t do it all.

October is the month full of surprising holidays, Like National Hug a Sheep Day on Oct. 26. October is also the month when the U.S. Naval Academy opened its doors in Annapolis, Maryland on Oct. 10, 1845. (And Navy Day is the holiday that celebrates it — Oct. 27.)

Fall is a good time to be born if you want to live a long life. More centenarians are born in the fall months.

So here’s a challenge. Try something you’re pretty sure you won’t be good at. Like making ice cream in a plastic bag.

I just found an article in Delish.com that tells how to make ice cream without any special gadget or crazy ingredients. All you need is a plastic baggie and 15 minutes. (No, seriously, that’s it!) Just using two plastic bags and tossing it back and forth for 15 minutes. At least it won’t explode. Probably. Here, catch! Let me know how it turns out.

We don’t have to wait for Halloween. Learn something new. Look up and smile at the end of every phrase.

And keep off the roller skates

Where to find Dorothy in October

Dorothy Wilhelm is 90 years old and the longest continuously on-air and in-print female broadcaster/writer in the Northwest. Contact her at Dorothy@itsnevertoolate.com/ Find her syndicated podcast, Swimming Upstream Radio Show, at itsnevertoolate.com, with a new show every Monday.

This story was originally published October 12, 2024 at 5:00 AM.