Before I begin my post about “dem bones” for Halloween 2025, I have a personal message for a very special little princess:

DEM BONES ARE EVERYWHERE

Each year, I am amazed at how Halloween continues to grow as a marketed holiday. Have you noticed how the size of the Halloween section at Walmart now rivals the size of the Christmas section? I think there are just as many decorations for each holiday. The displays in local businesses and in front of people’s homes are getting more ornate, too.

Here in my hometown of Gallatin, Tennessee, the downtown square gets invaded by skeletons every October. Skeletons are lounging on benches, hanging out of windows, climbing up walls, advertising for shops, and doing all sorts of crazy things.

I fit right in because I am a long-time fan of skeletons. Since I was a child, I have always been fascinated with the human musculoskeletal system. It even led to me becoming a licensed massage therapist for a few years in my ever-evolving career.

This may have all started when I saw the famous skeleton scene in the 1963 film Jason and the Argonauts on Saturday afternoon TV. Ray Harryhausen’s animation in that film is considered by many to be his masterpiece, and the fight between the Argonauts and the skeletons still stands out as one of the best and most realistic uses of stop-motion animation in movie history.

If you have never seen it, or if it has been a long time since you did, make it a point to check out this adventurous movie during your Halloween celebration.

I think using skeletons as Halloween décor is a good alternative to the horror and gore that also accompany the holiday. Skeletons can be scary, but they can also be funny. For me, the life-sized posable ones are like giant action figures. As the pictures below will show, I, too, am known for posing my plastic pals in all sorts of funny scenes.

Since I am referencing “dem bones” so much in this post, follow this link for some fun trivia, and find out what that old song is all about.

DEM BONES ARE JUST PLAIN COOL

In Florida, where I attended massage school and became a licensed therapist, the field of bodywork is regulated by the Florida Department of Health. Because of that, schools teaching bodywork are very serious about training therapists who treat massage therapy as a medical modality.

I learned about the human body from the same textbooks that LPNs use. We wore scrubs to class and were taught by professionals in the fields of muscle and soft tissue manipulation, chiropractic treatment, physical therapy, and even nursing.

For an anatomy nerd like me, memorizing all the bones and muscles was exciting. I remember pouring over diagrams and being in awe of how God designed our wonderful bodies. One part that especially stood out to me was a little one that is mostly ignored but extremely important. It exists in the foot and the wrist and is called the extensor reticulum. In the photo here, it is labeled “Ligaments” and looks like a white strap that wraps around the ankle and the very top of the foot. The extensor reticulum is fibrous connective tissue that keeps the tendons in place. Think of it like a rubber band that holds all those little tendons down. Without it, the tendons could not function properly to move your foot, toes, hand, and fingers.

To me, these simple little “straps” represent a logical design. Believing such details in our bodies could arise by chance is silly. Studying the body with an open mind will show you that there is a Designer behind the design. Such things exist all throughout nature, pointing to an awesome Artist who was creative, purposeful, and even playful in His designing. Can you see it? I hope so, because He put that creativity and awesomeness in each one of us, too. That is how we can imagine, dream, plan, design, build, and create such wonderful things. Just think what we could do if we put that ingrained creativity to work for good. You have it within you, my friend. Get dem bones connected to the Designer so you can share your own awesomeness with the world!

PROJECT EDEN UPDATE: LOCAL BOOK SELLER SUCCESS!

PLANET OF EDEN has been having some great success at local book sellers! Special thanks go to all these fine stores for agreeing to carry my novel on their shelves:

I visited these stores in person to introduce them to PLANET OF EDEN. Through IngramSpark, however, I have global distribution to over 45,000 independent bookstores, online stores, chain stores, eBook retailers, libraries, and universities. I tested that and found my book available through book sellers from North America to Europe to New Zealand! Working with Amazon also gives PLANET OF EDEN availability through that gigantic retailer.

So, EDEN is easily available. My challenge is exposure. It is my hope that once readers discover and experience PLANET OF EDEN, they will spread the word. After over 30 years in the field of marketing, I find that word of mouth is still the best form of advertisement. You can help me with that, fellow Edenite, by mentioning the book in your own networks of friends and family. Thank you for continuing with me on this journey.

Keep life in dem bones, friends. Be AWESOME!