Halloween

Do you remember Halloween costumes when you were young? I remember I never had a store-bought costume; they were always homemade. One that was popular in my family because it required really very little work was a Hobo. . . have you ever gone as a Hobo? We would don old torn dirty clothing, with maybe a few patches. Then we would take some ash or charcoal from the wood-burning stove and dirty ourselves up a bit. The last step involved putting all of one's worldly possessions in a handkerchief, tying it around a stick and slinging it over one's back.

I was thinking about Hobo's the other day, since Halloween is right around the corner... I have no idea the exact time-frame, but weren't they the vagabonds during the Great Depression, roaming around the country, jumping on and off trains?

Can you imagine going as a modern-day Hobo. . . which is essentially a homeless person and calling it that?

A: What are you dressing up as for Halloween?

B: A homeless person. . . isn't that clever?

Somehow I don't think the reception would be the same...