Alan Greenspan might blanch to hear it, but Terry Morgan of Rapid City thinks inflation is a good thing.

Especially at Halloween, but also at Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter.

Morgan collects "blow-ups" - bigger-than-life inflatable yard decorations, which this month all but obscure his modest house in the 200 block of St. Patrick Street.

No need for the exact address. You can't miss the giant Halloween pumpkins, the "triple ghosts" and the assorted spiders, ghouls and monsters that lurk in the yard, crouch on the roof and cling to the walls.

Blow-ups typically cost $25 to $200. Kris Kobza, a Menard's manager in Rapid City, said the store usually sells out its stock of two or three dozen Halloween blow-ups - partly because of Terry Morgan. He's been collecting blow-up decorations for eight or nine years,

"I do it just to watch the kids go by," Morgan said.

Many of those kids are related to him. Morgan and his wife, Debbie, have four grown daughters and 11 grandchildren, all of whom have encouraged Terry Morgan's passion for blow-ups. They give him blow-ups as Christmas and birthday presents, and Terry scouts his own, too.

"He starts looking in July," Debbie Morgan said.

The collecting began after the Morgans removed a couple of big trees from their front yard, leaving it bare. Terry Morgan saw a blow-up Santa Claus, and a light bulb went off.

That Christmas, the yard also was decorated with a blow-up Burl Ives snowman.

"He cratered last year," Debbie Morgan reported.

The Christmas blow-ups were soon followed by the "triple ghosts" of Halloween, then by Thanksgiving and Easter blow-ups. Then by more Halloween blow-ups. And more Christmas blow-ups.

"We get people stopping in the street to take pictures," Terry Morgan said.

The Morgan yard also features coffins and a grim reaper carriage with a soundtrack. (The fog machine was too scary for the smaller kids, so it was sidelined.)

The Morgans have lived in their house for 17 years. (Terry owns Morgan Drain and Sewer.) Next year they'll celebrate their 30th anniversary, but they're still a couple of kids themselves when it comes to holiday decorations.

"It's fun!" Terry Morgan explained.

Halloween is impressive at the Morgan house, but they promise there will be no space left in the yard during this year's Christmas "inflation," which will include a new blow-up Santa driving a custom lowrider Chevy Impala.

Contact Bill Harlan at 394-8424 or at bill.harlan@rapidcityjournal.com