These days, white silken ghosts hang from the hooks on my front porch that only recently held my purple flowering hanging baskets.

Halloween is quickly approaching, and just like that, the Nov. 3 election will be here, and then Thanksgiving.

(I already know what I’ll be thankful for this year — for this election to be over.)

Seriously, this November, like the rest of 2020, will be unorthodox and, in many ways, even disheartening.

As of this writing, it appears there won’t be an annual Trumbull County Veterans Day parade on Nov. 11. Sadly, it’s been canceled due to fears of spreading COVID-19. The Tribune Chronicle has sponsored the parade in downtown Warren for the past 17 years, honoring local veterans about whom we’ve been writing stories this year. We took over production of the parade in 2003 in appreciation and admiration for the men and women who have served our country. It had appeared, at that time, the parade was going to be called off because no one was stepping up to organize it that year.

Certainly, this year’s cancellation does not signify that our appreciation has wavered. To showcase our veterans, we will publish a commemorative Veterans Day special section resharing many stories of local veterans that we have been telling weekly since Memorial Day.

The election, of course, is already underway via early voting, and more than 35 percent of registered voters in both Mahoning and Trumbull counties have either walked in and voted early, or have requested ballots to vote in absentia. Early voting is not unusual, but the volume is. At this pace, it will be interesting to see how many engaged local voters are left to wait in line come Nov. 3.

Like so many of you, I also have already cast my ballot. But I admit that I have a bit of an advantage when making my selections because, as a member of this newspaper’s editorial board, I’ve been participating in a very long series of interviews with many, many local candidates in both Trumbull and Mahoning counties, getting to meet and quiz them first-hand about their stance on issues and our Valley. While it makes for a very, very long six weeks, it does give me personal insight into what drives the local candidates, which ones, in my opinion, have great knowledge and understanding of the issues, and which ones just don’t.

We share that information with you, of course, via our election stories and candidate political endorsements, and as always, I hope you find this information helpful. We will be wrapping up those stories in the next couple of days.

And then comes Thanksgiving.

This year, many of us will stay home and avoid large gatherings or even holiday shopping, but one thing won’t change.

We are again inviting readers, elementary classrooms, nursing homes and anyone else to put together their thankful thoughts. This newspaper provides a platform for expressing gratitude by accepting and publishing “Giving Thanks” submissions Thanksgiving weekend, all free of charge.

We try to publish them all, so we ask that they be brief — no more than 25 words each.

Forms for writing thanks will be published from time to time in our newspaper in coming weeks. Fill out the coupon and tell us what you’re thankful for. Mail it to the newspaper, Attn: Giving Thanks, 240 Franklin St. SE, Warren OH 44483.

Or if you’d prefer, email to givingthanks@tribtoday.com.

Submissions should include a person’s complete name, a phone number (not for publication) and community where you reside.

Local schools, organizations, nursing homes, etc., that wish to participate this year are encouraged to send submissions electronically. You can submit up to 25 words per person. After each submission, please list the person’s name. If it is a class project, please instead include the student’s name and grade. Also include the name of the school and community. Include the entire group or classroom into one email.

Deadline for submission is 5 p.m. Nov. 13.

blinert@tribtoday.com