from Tracey G.
October is my absolute favorite month, hands down. Usually here in Northern Michigan we get a few more warm days, and the trees are all dressed up in their festive & brightly colored leaves. The light in October is also my favorite, it’s warm and lovely, and makes the brightly colored leaves look even more spectacular. It honestly just flat-out makes me happy!
I’ve always loved October, ever since I can remember having a favorite, October was it. Of course it has Halloween, my favorite holiday, so I’m sure that plays a big role in my loving the month! I never got to do it, but I remember my girlhood wedding dreams for an October wedding involved a huge costume party – of course I’d be dressed as a bride, lol, but the guests would have to come in costume!
Fall is my favorite season, and it’s likely because it has the prettiest month in it – October! Apples and pumpkins are everywhere – and it’s in this month I start to collect pie pumpkins to roast, purée and freeze for pies or whatever I fancy, through the coming months.
It’s also usually during October that there’s a weekend where our many lighthouses are open to tour. Up and down the Lake Huron coast, quite a few open up and it’s a fun way to spend the weekend traveling back into the maritime past on the Great Lakes. And it’s always fun to go to a local apple orchard for some cider and doughnuts too!!
Although, this year it seems to be rainier and colder than years past, it’s still my favorite month here in Michigan, I’m always sad to see it coming to an end – I have to wait another year for it!
from Kris B.
October is definitely a transition month here in Dallas. As I have walked around campus during October I’ve seen students in flip-flops and shorts and others in jackets and boots – all on the same day! Part of that has to do with our fluctuation of temperatures throughout the day. Part of it has to do with the calendar telling us that it is fall and it should be colder. And, part of it has to do with the fact that our campus community is made up of people from all over the world and the concept of hot and cold is relative. For some, 60 degrees is cold and for others it’s like summer!
Our average daily temperatures have dropped significantly and daylight hours are shortening. The trees still have green leaves and the annual color in my flower beds is still hanging on. The squirrels, however, know that fall is in full swing and winter will be here before we know it. They are busily collecting acorns from the oak trees in our yard and making their nests (from the polyfil from one of our backyard cushions). Procrastination seems not to be part of squirrel vocabulary!
Speaking of my backyard…I think the thing that I most like about October in Texas is that it is the best outdoor weather – not too hot, not too cold. We can have our morning coffee on the back patio. A sweatshirt may be needed. Or, maybe not. The afternoon temperatures are just right for taking a book outside and enjoying the sunshine and cooler breezes. And, the nights are just cool enough that a fire in the fire pit feels good, not like you are in the lower pits of hell. I guess that what I am saying is, although we have had quite a bit of rain this October, October in Texas is absolutely perfect! That said, we have actually seen snow in October! There is no chance of that this year, however. 🙂
One of my favorite October “traditions” is to visit the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. We have a season pass and although we don’t go as often as I’d like we do always make/take the time for a day-long visit in the fall. I absolutely love all of the pumpkins, gourds and fall color. Fortunately, the fall display lasts through mid-November because we have not been yet this year due to me traveling. Our annual visit is on the calendar for next Friday! Definitely something to which I am looking forward!
Though Halloween is not a big deal in our house these days since I have no little people around, I do look forward to passing out candy to our neighborhood trick-or-treaters. As far as holidays go, though, I am now beginning to think about Thanksgiving and Christmas. The “Who wants to host Thanksgiving?” message was just posted to our ongoing family text. We do Christmas at our house, so it won’t be me. Yay! And it’s in October that I tell myself that I am going to start thinking about Christmas preparation and gifts so that I’m not scrambling in December. I’ll let you know how that works out!
October is definitely one of my favorite times of year. I think it has more to do with the “feelings” this time of year than the physical changes around me. Whatever it is, I am enjoying October to its fullest!
Happy fall, everyone!
I’m sure I have a ton of great Halloween memories (from childhood right on through adulthood!), but the ones that really stick out are the not-so-fun ones!
There is no one living in today’s world that can argue the fact that ideas about what is important in life, both personally and globally, are a bit skewed. When we step back and look at “the big picture,” we often realize that what we thought were the “big things” are actually relatively inconsequential, and what we thought were unimportant things become the most meaningful.