October

October is one of my favorite months because it is so beautiful. The blue skies are a perfect backdrop for the multi-colored leaves. Sometimes I wonder if the real reason the leaves turn red is because the trees are either embarrassed or terrified to see their leaves go and know they will have to stand naked in the snow all winter long.

After the heat of the summer, the cooler October air is invigorating. This year we were able to postpone the beginning of heating season until yesterday. We don't need much heat yet but the furnace ran a few times to take the chill out of the house. The oil tank was just filled and the price was a little "ouch!" but I will not complain. So many people in this world do not have the money or fuel to heat their homes. We have both and are blessed indeed.

Apples are in season in October and we eat lots of them. I have to be careful not to overload Leroy's lunch with apples. I've been guilty of giving him a raw apple, slice of apple pie, dish of applesauce, and bottle of cider---all in the same lunch. When that happens he says he has apple everything, even apple apples.

This week I've been working on giving the basement its annual housecleaning. The bugs and spiders that made themselves at home have all been evicted and it looks much better. I always think of that job as the first step in getting ready for Christmas. It's going to be here before we know what happened.