She said, at the top of her little squeaky bark.

"What is it girl?" I asked. "Is it a burglar?" "Is it another dog?"

I had to follow her to investigate.

"Grrrrr …" She said, as she held the intruder at bay.

I couldn’t help laughing when I approached the problem.

It was only my neighbor’s Halloween "Scarecrow" causing the ruckus.

Suddenly a broader view came into focus. The trees were starting to look bare and their colorful leaves seemed to be swing-dancing down from the sky. I got a chill as I thought to myself … (Snow’s not far away.)

Cookie was now making friends by sniffing at the stuffed clothing.

Well, I guess that time of year has come.

The Druids observed October 31^st celebrating the Celtic God of the Dead. The Christians had All Hallow’s Eve, the festival of All Saints. The Romans held the festival of Pomona, the Goddess of fruits and gardens.

We, here in Lynn, will be celebrating Halloween, and will be yelling

In a few days we’ll be seeing scores of Teletubbies and Rugrats, along with a variety of traditional monsters and cartoon characters walking with bags in hand, stopping door to door.

I particularly enjoy examining the decorations at many Lynn homes that are prepared to greet the kids. Take a look around your neighborhood and you may find displays like the "Dancing Ghosts" in front of 356 Lynnfield Street. Maybe you’ll see a "Mr. Pumpkinhead" sitting on the front lawn like the one at 49 Western Avenue. Perhaps you would find a "The Graveyard" display with moving coffin lids like the one on Walnut Street. Or you can enjoy a stroll down Richardson Road with many of the front porches, cob-webbed with pumpkins, ghosts and goblins.

Oh … There’ll be few pranksters throwing eggs or spraying shaving cream, but this night is a special one for the younger kids.

Be careful and have a safe Halloween.