Happy Halloween!

‘Tis the season that brings broom-riding dogs, cauldron-stirring cats, chilling bedtime stories, ghostly figures, and full moons, and bats, and Corgis in graveyards, and, and . . . .

Wait. What you say? Dogs and cats don’t do those sorts of things? Then perhaps you have never seen the enchanting artworks of my friend Susan Alison!

So then — let’s not a moment waste to assuage your curiosity!

A few weeks ago, I met Artist and Author Susan Alison on Facebook. Perusing Susan’s page, her brilliant artistry and images immediately took me. One conversation led to another, and long story short, in the spirit of Halloween fun, Susan graciously agreed to allow me to share some of her Halloween-themed creations with you here on my pages.

Susan Alison lives in the U.K., painting pictures and writing stories for a living. She describes her cafetières, or French press coffee pots, as “always hot.”

Dogs enter frequently into both Susan’s pictures and her prose. Quite a lot, actually, with Susan living under the paw, as she admits.

Especially her furry rescue dog-sidekick, PupperJack, who is always on paw to keep Susan’s nose to the grindstone, earning kibble. As anyone who loves dogs is aware, dogs have a tendency and inherent ability to do just that. There absolutely must be kibble in cupboard.

What follows are some of Susan Alison’s captivating Halloween artworks, with some introductory commentaries for each . . . .

“Last year’s outfit is a little tight, Mum,” he grumbled as he struggled to connect the velcro straps.

Naturally, he reasoned, it was because his human had washed and dried it on a cycle that was too hot. Shrinking it beyond comfort and measure. There was no connection whatsoever to another year of indulging in treats and lounging on the couch all day. Of course not.

“Don’t let me catch you reading ‘NOT Bedtime Tales’ tonight,” she cautioned.

Despite his mother’s warning, he simply couldn’t resist reading the book just before Halloween, and ended up scaring himself senseless, jumping at every little noise in the dark.

Feeling that preparatory test flights with new brooms would fully prepare them for Halloween’s upcoming big event, off they went across the night sky, first one and then another. And then a couple littler ones too, racing to catch up to the leaders, but on a safer, more level flight path best suited to beginners!

“Is there anyone there?” he asked politely. He was fairly certain his old pal had returned to visit once again. And it must be said, he felt quite happy about that.

“Don’t make me guard the graveyard,” I beseeched and pled.

“Simply proceed in a relaxed and confident manner,” she said.

Bats and shadows filling me with dread, while shivering past grave stones, guarding the dead. And now a Halloween blue moon has appeared overhead. Oh, I wish I could whistle or be asleep in my bed. But, instead I’m out here, alone with flying bats and the dead.

Personally, Madge thought it needed a little more salt. Though she would never say so, being the youngest of the Cat Coven, you see.

“Come on, Bill. He’s giving away bacon treats. Think about it, Bill — Bacon!”

“But we’ve already been by there three times tonight, Fred.”

“Trust me, Bill. Mr. Jacobs next door won’t recognize us this time,  dressed as Batdog and Bobbin!”

“Trick-or-Treat! Smell my feet. Gimme a bag of Milk-Bones to eat!”

“Look deep into my eyes. You will give me treats now. Because I am cute. And very fluffy!”

A big heartfelt “Thank You!” to our guest artist Susan Alison for allowing me to share some of her magical works with you! With the holiday season fast approaching, you may view and find all of Susan’s beautiful creations for sale in Susan’s Etsy Shoppe at — Susan Alison Art.

Discover more about Susan, her books, and writing work on her website – Susan Alison — Artist & Writer.

And if you are interested in learning how to create Susun’s Halloween characters yourself, watch her step-by-step tutorial on YouTube titled “How to Draw and Paint a Spooky October Picture” and more!

If you wish to share a note of thanks or other thoughts with Susan, please add them in the Comments!

“Thank You!” for visiting with us today, and for taking a few moments of your day to share with us here.

If new to the site, I encourage you to register today to be notified of every new post and feature from now on.

And please join us again next Monday, when we continue our series about living a life of gratitude leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday.

Best Wishes for a fun, safe, and not-too-scary Halloween this year! — Jim (and Red!) 🤠 🐻 🍂 🍁 🍂 🧡

(Banner Image artwork by Susan Alison)

In case you missed it, I invite you to catch up on our weekly Monday Morning series — Living A Life of Gratitude, Mental Health Benefits, Physical Health Benefits, and It’s A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood, leading up to the Thanksgiving Holiday.

You may also enjoy — “Happy October! Welcome Glorious Autumn!”, “Take A Walk To A Park for Healthy Exercise & Fun!”, and “Sharing An Autumn Delight — Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts”

If you enjoyed this piece, you may also like — “Mitakuye Oyasin — We Are All Related,” and “Walking A Mile In Another’s Moccasins; What Tracks Will We Leave Behind?”

We welcome recent visitors! Please check out “Welcome To My Writing Pages!” and “About the Blog, Jim, & Little Red Bear” to find out what we are all about. Sign up today to follow and receive notifications for every new post and feature!

In a world where we can be anything, please choose to be Kind!

When not out fishing or gathering honey, Little Red Bear and Cinnamon Charlie love to color in their spare time!

If you have little ones around or simply enjoy coloring yourself for relaxation and fun, be sure to check out “Little Red Bear’s “Happy Autumn Season!” Coloring Pages.”

Download and color as many as you like, free of charge, because that’s just how we roll here!

Happy Coloring!

 “During the day, I don’t believe in ghosts. At night, I’m a little more open-minded.” — Unknown

“Sticky fingers, tired feet; one last house, trick or treat!” — Rusty Fischer, American Author

Meet Little Red Bear & His Friends — “Once Upon A Time In A Very Special Woods”

“The Adventures of Little Red Bear” Short Stories on Amazon.

“Halloween shadows played upon the walls of the houses. In the sky the Halloween moon raced in and out of the clouds. The Halloween wind was blowing, not a blasting of wind but a right-sized swelling, falling, and gushing of wind. It was a lovely and exciting night, exactly the kind of night Halloween should be.” — Eleanor Estes, (“The Witch Family”)

Please share this post with family and friends!

Your Likes, Shares, and Comments greatly expand our reach and encourage new visitors to our pages.

Because together, we can do so much! 

Thank You for visiting! Best Wishes and God Bless! — Jim (and Red!)