October is, hands down, my favorite month. My birthday is in October– an obvious bonus– but it’s so much more than that. While September is the gateway to autumn, it’s October that really finds the season in it’s most glorious. Yesterday morning, I stepped outside with my coffee to let the dog have his run in the dawning light, and I could feel it. Something had given way. It was October at last.
I’ve been baking quite a bit this week, which is bittersweet. There’s been a very appreciative audience for my husband’s favorite chocolate chip cookies and the fudgey brownies I threw together one evening on a whim. However, gestational diabetes means I am foregoing the treats myself. Still, the act of baking has been comforting, so I have given in to my cozy, homemaking side.. Next week I’m planning on setting aside an afternoon to bake an Earl Grey cake with Birdie. While her Daddy is not especially fond of cake, he is a fan of both his women and tea, so I’m predicting it will get rave reviews.
We had hoped to go apple picking, but the shortage of canning lids has made bulk sauce making impractical. I usually put up a large supply to get us through a portion of the winter (it’s never enough), as well as canning some apple pie filling for emergency desserts when short-notice guests pop by. I’m still hoping to bumble my way into a stash of lids. Should that happen, I’ll likely just find a few bushels of apples locally to can. Not as many sweet memories made, but plenty of fun in terms of my young peeling and prepping helpers. I figure if the Lord wants me to do it, He will drop the necessary items in my lap.
Speaking of blessings, a dear local friend passed on one of those big saucer tree swings recently. I had looked into buying one a while back, but couldn’t justify the cost despite knowing that Phin, in particular, would basically live in it if given the chance. I love it when others are generous, answering one of those small desires of your heart that had only been revealed to the Holy Spirit. Such a blessing!
I must highlight another blessing of this of this week! Jude graduated from speech therapy! It’s been an 18 month journey for him, and such hard work, but he rounded the corner on his pesky “r” sounds during online sessions in the spring, and cemented his progress once things returned to that strange place that has replaced normal for now. He’s still in Occupational Therapy (he was diagnosed with sensory processing sensitivity), but winnowing down our therapy appointments feels like a huge victory!
And finally, I shared somewhere else that one of my reasons for loving October so is that it’s a month where the richness of poets’ descriptions actually match the beauty we see outside. Copywork in October is a reading list of loveliness. Whether you need a starter pack for your own students’ writing this month, or just want to be inspired, I offer these favorite selections:
- An October Garden, by Christina Rosetti
- October, Paul Laurence Dunbar
- October, by Robert Frost
- The Shepherd’s Calendar- October, by John Clare
- Poem in October, by Dylan Thomas