It looks like the Halloween season is starting early this year

[Murfreesboro]

I went to Hobby Lobby yesterday and got some discounted 4th of July stuff. Lo and behold, they had shelf after shelf already stocked for autumn! On June 23rd! They must have started putting it out the day after the summer solstice.

IDK, I love autumn, but even I don't start thinking about it in June. I wondered if business has been slow. If fall is their best selling season, perhaps they are over-eager to get there.

[Andybev01]

The year is already half finished so it's no stretch to think about autumn.

[Murfreesboro]

Well, maybe. I'm not ready to turn my thoughts that way until after the 4th, at earliest. Most years I haven't vacationed until late July/early August. This year was an exception because of an early June family reunion. I don't like to think about fall before I've had a getaway.

Of course, in the South, summer is usually so brutal that we're gasping for fall weeks before it actually arrives.

[Andybev01]

I'll be driving over the mountains to the coast this weekend, to get away from the heat wave that's starting to build.

Have a good 4th!!

[Murfreesboro]

You, too, Andy! The coast sounds like a great place to spend the 4th (even though your ocean up there in Oregon is mighty cold!).

[Andybev01]

It was 46° when I woke up today.

I turned on the furnace.

[Murfreesboro]

Oh my word! I cannot imagine temps like that this time of year. Our car thermostat said it was 100 degrees outside yesterday (not officially, but it is in the 90s, and humid, too).

Have a great Fourth!

[Andybev01]

60 miles east. over the coast mountains in the great Willamette Valley it's supposed to reach 100° today.

I'm staying put.

[Murfreesboro]

Ah, so you're still oceanside! Good for you!

[Murfreesboro]

I saw my first autumn-themed candy at Kroger yesterday.

When I was a kid, we got June, July, and August off. Of course, we didn't get many breaks during the school year like they do now. But I've noticed that in recent years, the kids just get two months off for summer. In the Northeast, I think they get July and August. But in the South, it's June and July. Kids around here will start school next week (first week of August). So the merchants start thinking about fall by the end of July.

[TheHeadlessHorseman]

Man, that is just pure evil to send kids back to school in Aug. When I was a kid we got out of school in early Jun. around the 5th, and we didn't have to go back until the first week of Sept. Then after 4th grade it changed and we got out of school in the last week of Jun. and we went back to school in Sept. and it's been that way ever since, even with my kids now.

Also, just like last year, my local Michaels already has their Halloween decorations out, and I saw online that Disney already has their Halloween products for sale in the parks, and that's the earliest they have done that.

[witchy]

At Home has some really cool Halloween stuff out. I just picked up a coffin welcome sign, small projector with pumpkins.I also got a yard sign, saying welcome to our haunt!

[Murfreesboro]

I tried to post here this morning and for some reason it wouldn't take. I was just explaining how the kids here in TN get fall and spring breaks and more days off at Thanksgiving than I used to. They probably have the same no of days in school as we did, but distributed differently. I can never get used to seeing back-to-school sales in July, though.

I saw an autumnal magazine at Kroger tonight. That made me happy.

[Andybev01]

The big boxes of assorted Halloween packaged candy have been out in our local Bi-mart stores for a few weeks now.

[Murfreesboro]

Same here at Kroger. I guess a person could buy early and freeze it.

I believe many Spirit Halloween stores opened on Saturday, though our local one won't open until September.