7 Days Until Halloween

[eldritchhobbit]

Virginia is a Jack-O'-Lantern!

Every year, my parents send their granddog, the fabulous Virginia, a Halloween costume for her to wear (as well as treats to bribe her to model for pictures). The latest arrived last week. As you can see, this year she's transformed from a Boston Terrier into a Jack-O'-Lantern.


















As always, you can see more pictures of Virginia here.

Text of the Day: In honor of the start of Harry Potter Fest 2010 tomorrow, here's a poem originally written for but later edited out of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. This is "The Ballad of Nearly Headless Nick" by J.K. Rowling (1965-present).

It was a mistake any wizard could make
Who was tired and caught on the hop
One piffling error, and then, to my terror,
I found myself facing the chop.

Alas for the eve when I met Lady Grieve
A-strolling the park in the dusk!
She was of the belief I could straighten her teeth
Next moment she'd sprouted a tusk.

I cried through the night that I'd soon put her right
But the process of justice was lax;
They'd brought out the block, though they'd mislaid the rock
Where they usually sharpened the axe.

Read the rest of the poem here.

Comments

[beledibabe.livejournal.com]

As always, she's adorable!!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Aw, thank you!

lovely

[(Anonymous)]

glad to see my parents aren't the only ones spoiling their granddog!

Re: lovely

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Ha! It seems all the cool grandparents are doing it! :)

And thanks for the kind word.

[nakeisha.livejournal.com]

Aww, bless her.

I've been looking forward to this post and wondering what her costume was going to be this year.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Aw, thank you so much! Virginia sends wet kisses.

[lbilover.livejournal.com]

Oh gosh, she is the cutest jack-o-lantern ever! :D What a sweet thing for your parents to do!!!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Aw, thank you! It is incredibly sweet of them.

[lizziebelle.livejournal.com]

I love the bee costume! She looks so dignified, even all dressed up. :D

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Yes, she puts up with the craziness of her humans with good humor, but she's really quite the lady.

[estellye.livejournal.com]

Awww, I think she likes that one! She looks so adorable. *g*

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Aw, thank you so much. *g* This one was especially soft and cuddly, so she didn't mind it at all.

[st-crispins.livejournal.com]

Virginia doesn't look quite as happy in the tight pumpkin outfit as she did in her other costumes from years past. :)

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

LOL! Actually, she quite liked the costume, because it's very soft and fleecy, like her sweatshirts. (I had to cinch it tighter for the pictures so the "face" would hold still.) What really disgusted her, though, was that I kept trying to take pictures of her back, when she kept trying to face me. She looked at me like, "What are you doing? Don't you know the cuteness is over here on the front side?" So funny! :) So I bet some of that came through in the pictures.

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

Virginia is the cutest Jack-O'-Lantern in the patch. My 20-month-old granddaugher approves (I showed her the pictures and now she keeps saying "Gin-na!")

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Aw, that makes my day! Thanks to you and your granddaughter. (If she were here, Virginia would lick her nose. That's her favorite thing to do with our nephew. She sits still, and then very deliberately leans forward and "kisses" his nose, and then looks very satisfied with herself as he collapses in giggles.)

[janissa11.livejournal.com]

One of the best parts of Halloween every year is seeing Virginia's costume. She is DARLING! Sending her love and scritches.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Aw, thank you! She has been loved and scritched on your behalf, and she sends her thanks.

[cookiefleck.livejournal.com]

Adorable! And there is something about that pilgrim hat and her expression that just cracks me up. My dog always chafed at Halloween costumes (the only one I can remember now is Superman) so after a few years of trying we just threw in the towel!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Yes, she took that hat very, very seriously. She's usually very good natured about it (knowing, as she does, that treats are forthcoming), but this year's in particular she liked quite a bit. It's very soft and fleecy, and she was perfectly happy to run around in it after the "photo shoot." I had to cinch in the waist for the pictures, though, so the jack-o-lantern's "face" would hold still when she moved! Ha.

[tiny-antares.livejournal.com]

OH MY GOD. i think i am dead from the cute. how so pretty, ginny? she knows it, too, clearly.

okay, wait. do your parents actually know her size? like... does your mom have to call up and ask for measurements and then scold you for spoiling her with too many treats if she turns out to have swelled an inch since last year? because that's just too hilarious to fathom.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

LOL! Thank you. Sometimes I have a hard time getting a shot, because I'm laughing so hard. She was a bit disgusted with me for a while, because I kept moving behind her to get her back in the picture, and she kept turning around to face me, posing. She couldn't imagine why I'd want to see her back, when her cute little face was in front!

Ha! Indeed yes, my parents do know her size. And they have asked for her measurements more than once. (Mother actually sewed one of the costumes herself, in fact - the last one pictured above.) They're also very savvy about getting adjustable costumes. For example, this one could be tightened or loosened around the "waist." I had to cinch it in for the pictures, to keep the jack-o'-lantern "face" on her back from moving. But then I let out the velcro a bit, and she quite happily wore the costume around the house. (It's very soft and fleecy.)

We walk every day, but we usually lengthen our walks in the fall and winter, when it's coolest. Sometimes we go for an hour a morning. My joke is that Virginia needs to get svelte in time for her annual costume's arrival. ;)

Thanks for letting me share these with you!

[magicwondershow.livejournal.com]

virginia costumes and harry potter! a perfect pair for today!!!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Yay! :) Thanks.

[agameofthree.livejournal.com]

She's adorable, as always. :)

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Aw, thank you so much!

[llembas.livejournal.com]

She's so cute!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

The harvest mice at Slimbridge today had a miniature jack-o-lantern to run about in and eat :-)

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

LOL! That sounds adorable.

[agentxpndble.livejournal.com]

I always cringe... But I'm not going to lie to you - the bee was DAMN CUTE.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

LOL! It was a good one, wasn't it? I think Virginia liked this one better, though. She was quite happy to keep wearing it after the "photo shoot." It's soft and fleecy, like her sweatshirts.

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

Yay! This year's costume! I've been ever so patiently waiting [g]

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

*grin* Virginia thanks you for your interest. :)

[greenhoodloxley.livejournal.com]

Aww, I love Jack-O-Lantern Virginia! She's adorable!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! :) She really had a strut going, which made the "face" wiggle.

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

Aww, she's adorable. And such a good dog, allowing you to dress her up. I think my two would try to eat the costume.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you! She's very patient with her silly humans - of course, she's also well bribed, too. ;) When she knows there's treats coming, she's very cooperative! LOL.

[vivien]

I love the bee outfit the very best of all. Hee!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Ha! It worked very well with her black-and-white coloring, I think. ;)

[jadepilot.livejournal.com]

I'm amazed you can get her to wear those! She's a cutie.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Aw, thanks! :) She's incredibly cooperative. Usually it's just because she knows treats will follow if she puts up with her silly humans. Ha! But this particular costume was soft and fleecy and snuggly, and it was clear she didn't mind it in the least. She was happy to run around in it - I had to track her down to take it off!

(She's also a bit of a ham, truth be told. If she sees I have a camera in hand, she runs over and sits down directly in front of me and starts posing. It's a hoot.)

She and I both appreciate your kind words. :)

[randomalia.livejournal.com]

She's just gorgeous!

And thank you for the link to the poem, I hadn't seen it before!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Aw, thank you! :) She's the best friend anyone ever had, seriously. And so patient with her silly humans!

I'm so glad you enjoyed the poem. I thought it was great fun.

[ashesngolddust.livejournal.com]

These pictures are absolutely precious!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :)

[abbie (from livejournal.com)]

Bahaha! The little stem on the hood really gets me. I want to hug that dog!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

LOL! I know, the stem cracks me up, too.

She loves hugs. :)

[gods-lil-rocker.livejournal.com]

I'm quite excited for Harry Potter Fest Week! Unfortunately, I'm only going to get to go to the John Granger lecture on Thursday, but I'm thrilled to even get to do that! Will I see you there, Amy?

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you can come! I'll definitely be there. I don't know, I may even do a bit of book signing; there are two books out now to which John and I both contributed, and I think they'll be available. At any rate, I look forward to seeing you! *hugs*