SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- The latest pre-Halloween displays -- houses and yards dressed to the hilt -- inspire me.

I am immersed in the lovely shades of orange, with splashes of black and white and characters known and unknown.

Inexplicably, I crave cider and donuts, even if I add seltzer to cut the sugar a bit and limit myself to half a donut at a time (if I successfully resist).

I learned that trick about a delightful treat from a former coworker.

The aromas in our local businesses are a delight if you want to engage in “donut therapy.”

And the neighborhood decorators have shown me it is possible for a pumpkin, a skeleton and a ghost to happily coexist.

Some homeowners are going for the scary, but not without whimsy. Others assemble a parade of tiny glowing lanterns, competing with the

See Full Page