I’ve written in the past about the transitions that we parents go through as our children grow and leave the nest. Sometimes these experiences are expected: being done with diapers and bottles, sending our children off to school, changing the household routine as our kids get jobs or their driver’s license and are rarely home anymore. Steve and I have raised or are in the process of raising four boys. One is married and living in Tustin, one left for college in September and two are still living at home.

I’ve lamented in the past about fondly remembering cooking for six, then five, now four and how many times I’ve cooked for no one because everyone seemed to be off somewhere. Since starting the paper, however, it seems that I hardly cook for anyone anymore because I’m the one who is usually at my desk until the late hours. It’s another shift in the way our household runs and we’re still getting used to it.

An example of change that sort of snuck up on me is Halloween. Since I was a kid, Halloween was the holiday. I remember living at home as a youngster decorating the house with carved pumpkins, spider webs and fog. Back then, the spider webs were made of torn cheesecloth and the fog was courtesy of several pounds of dry ice that I’d buy at Conwin Carbonic in Glendale.

After getting married and moving to La Crescenta, we decorated the house more elaborately. Much to my delight, our eldest son adored Halloween too, and we would pour over catalogs of decorations, budgeting what we could add to our collection that year.

As son number one grew up and got a job, I was worried that my Halloween helper would be leaving me. Thankfully, our third son was also in the ghost and goblin spirit and eagerly undertook the chore of readying the house for trick-ortreaters.

But now number three is off to college and neither sons two or four are

very interested nor do they have time to decorate the house between jobs and school.

I feel a definite sense of loss that for the first year our house will be just an ol’ plain regular house. No machine belching out fog, no gravestones on the front lawn, no faux auto accident with skeletons in the driveway. Just a carved pumpkin sitting alone on the porch.

Sort of sad.

And we’ve also been invited to a Halloween party which is cool. But I don’t know if anyone will be at our house to hand out candy.

That would be a first.

For those who are less melancholy than I, there’s plenty to do in the foothills this Halloween weekend. The Montrose Shopping Park Association is hosting its annual Spooktacular event along Honolulu Avenue. Kids are invited to come down in costume for an old fashioned trick or treat evening. It begins at 5 p.m. and goes “until the candy runs out.”

The 2200, 2300 and 2400 blocks of Honolulu are participating and the 2200 block of Honolulu will be closed to auto traffic. Spooktacular is open for the whole family.

First Baptist Church of La Crescenta and Christ Armenian Church are holding a fun event on Saturday as well. It’s their Fall Festival, an alternative to traditional Halloween activities. It will include game booths, a cake walk, food, candy, live music, a chili cook off and a magician. Free dinner is offered for all fire fighters, law enforcement officials and their families. There’s no charge to attend. It goes from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at 4441 La Crescenta Ave.

However you choose to spend Halloween, have fun and be careful of the little ones running around.