Welcome to October! This month always amazes me that as the earth dies back in flowers—the foliage seems to come to life with beauty and color.
There are first frosts and landscape changes that sort of represent this season, don’t they? It’s that beginning of dormancy that sneaks in because of the gorgeous fall foliage and cooler temperatures that camouflage the changes about to occur.
The transition between the heat of summer and the starkness of winter somehow gives us the wonder that is October.
There is a stillness that settles even among the leaves that crunch under our feet.
The smells of firepits and burning leaves are like no other time of the year.
Even the sunsets are magical, aren’t they? The colors and hues that radiate in the middle of the horizon cause us at times to just be still and watch—at least, that’s the way fall sunsets affect me.
The views of the landscapes are certainly “frame-worthy.”
Do you need a bucket list for October to cram in great activities to do before the chill of November begins? If so, I got you!
- Visit a pumpkin patch and gather varieties to decorate and include in recipes.
- Apple pickings continue to happen in October. Take advantage of an outdoor activity that inspires so many great recipes and wonderful memories.
- Plan a fall picnic. Cozy blankets, a thermos filled with warm cider or hot chocolate, and s’more ingredients are the perfect additions for that picnic.
- Make something memorable with fall harvest ingredients from the farmers’ market. Whether it’s roasting pumpkin seeds, making butternut squash soup, or pumpkin bread – let cooking fill your home with fall goodness and smells.
- Go leaf-peeping! Don’t let fall mornings or afternoons pass you by for “fall leaf” or “fall sunset” views.
- Bonfires and fire pits are always welcome. Outdoor porches and lawns can also be a great gathering spot. This past season of the pandemic has created a longing and a need for all of us to be together. To have feet together under a table for conversation, sharing life, laughter, and a great meal. If that needs to be in outdoor venues for now…then I will celebrate it with joy!
- If you are fortunate to have a fall “break” or vacation, take time to enjoy all October has to offer.
- Give your home a “fall makeover.” Take the opportunity for the season change to switch out things in your home that give more comfort, warmth, and fall welcome. Blanket overlays, change of candles, and even flannel bedding can make the atmosphere of your home more welcoming and inviting. Don’t forget the front porch with new fall flowers, a fall wreath, or a new doormat.
May you find ways to embrace this “in-between” transition time.
I’m listening to cues from the October landscape. I’ll look for joy, serenity, calm, and rest among the season change.
I’ll be switching out the wardrobe in my closet and the menus that I prepare for things that bring me comfort and joy. That herald in that last hoorah of beauty before the starkness of November chill arrives.
Enjoy the change in the warmth, friends. Breathe it all in. Because when you blink… and November arrives… you’ll want those sweet memories to linger.
