blue collar neighborhood in St. Paul, MN. We handed out full-sized candy bars, and we know how many we had. All of the trick-or-treating happened between 6 and 8 P.M., like it usually does. No early birds and nobody after 8 P.M.

Our 5-year-old beagle-basset mix had his first Halloween with us. I had him on leash, and he got to go to the door to visit all of our costumed guests. Dude, the dog, loves children, and stood there patiently in the open door for each group of kids, letting them pet him and feel his long droopy ears. He was beside himself with joy, his tail spinning around like a helicopter rotor.

Many of the local kids already know Dude, and greeted him by name at the door.

Our busiest Halloween since we move in in 2004.