Yowza

 I think I know where they came up with the idea for the scary Halloween characters we see in movies, in costumes and in our nightmares.

At first I thought that was her hair, but on a closer look, it is a hat/scarf or head covering of sorts and she had white/gray or blond hair.

I kind of like the head covering. I wonder if it was significant to a religion or her nationality. It reminds me of the scarves I would wear when all my hair fell out. I never did order a wig. I hate wigs. I can't even wear one on Halloween without sweating so much my hair is soaked. But the scarves and I got along just fine. Even if one made me look like a gypsy. Maybe I'll get brave enough and post a picture of me with no hair. Some people look good bald. I don't happen to be one of them.

Oh, and I think she is an ancestor of mine. A first cousin passed away and my brother ended up being the executor of his estate. He had been an only child and had his mother's huge chest of photographs and memorabilia. The above image is from this collection.  My brother painstakingly scanned all of the images (there were hundreds) and shared them with our other cousins. 

This guy had no will. No siblings. Parents long gone. Between both sides of his parents family he had eighty-some cousins. My brother got the job of tracking them all down and notifying them to see where they wanted their check sent, etc...  You read about this happening in books or in movies and you think "How does somebody not have a will?"  But it happens. 

Divvied up between eighty-some cousins it was nothing to crow about - but it would buy somebody a nice TV or new furniture set or even a laptop or computer.  The guy was a hermit. Through the years, my brother and sister (the older ones that played with him when they were small) tried reaching out to him several times as he lived only an hour away from where they live. He never answered the door, the phone or any letters.

Like I said, you hear about these people. I just never thought I would actually know one.