Finding Ways To Enjoy October

“October, baptize me with leaves! Swaddle me in corduroy and nurse me with split pea soup. October, tuck tiny candy bars in my pockets and carve my smile into a thousand pumpkins. O autumn! O teakettle! O grace!”
― Rainbow Rowell , Attachments

October can be such a beautiful month.  It is beholden for me to find things I enjoy about October because, truly, I do not enjoy it;   my body, mind, heart and soul feel angst as Fall gives way to winter.  

Yes, I love that pumpkin pie and gingerbread and apple pies and pumpkin spice teas and almonds, those peanut butter kisses that you can hardly ever find any more, shows up this season.  I love memories of being a child and the funny things that happened when we were out Halloweening.  And, yes, of course, the first wet snowfall, muddy boots that weighed a ton by the end of night, and hot chocolate made with real milk some people served as a Halloween treat.  Yes, there were things I loved.

I do so love the dancing leaves and the stunning colors.  It appeases me some.  And I would not mind 'a little' cooler, but am sadly put upon when it is downright, turn on the fireplace, cold.  I am wont to buy a jersey-flannel long cuddly nightgown, which is not bad at all because it is soft and warm and warm and soft.  It is, of course, easier to get warm rather than get cool. 

I never let my little kids go Halloweening because I, so, did not believe in it and, because, in part, sugar made a couple of my kids seriously wild.  Instead, we spent the day making treats for elders, for shut-ins, and for those we knew who were lonely and not have friends or family nearby.  My little kids thought Halloween was a day of service instead of a day of gimmee.  

I do not like nor am even tempted, to watch horror shows.  Life has had its horrible way with me for real, why would I invite i?  I do not need to be traumatized.  It is even difficult to miss out on scary things because the internet, Netflix, TV, etal. has plenty to try to seduce you into liking it.  And, as far as costumes, I was a pumpkin at school, once, as a teacher, because we HAD to, and the green paint on my face, (and I was skinny) and I stuffed a school huge garbage bag full of newspapers and looked like a huge pumpkin and I fooled everyone.  And, I FELT like a fool. 
  
When I was a child, there were not so many easily offended people and so we were not sensitive to cultural costumes.  Yes, once I went dressed as a Hutterite.  And, ran wild as any other youth seemed to think was/is okay.  I am sure any of us dressed up then, in insensitive ways.  But, I never saw a sexy, or sexual imagery or acting, person ever until I was an adult.  And, I never ever did that.  

And, as for running wild, well, I grew up in a small LDS town so wild was nothing more than TPing or , rarely, egging people, places...oh, and we moved outside toilets a few feet back... too gross now to think of it, but we did. 

I never even remember carving a pumpkin or seeing one in our town.  I am not sure when it came to be a Halloween activity, but that was not something we did.  Later, with my own kids, I did buy a pumpkin or two and carved them myself because it was too dangerous for kids to carve off their fingers or each other.  Then, putting it outside, it withered, rotted and stunk, so it was not a Halloween tradition with me.  

But, I do love the warmer winter-type nights when the stars are their brightest and the flatter flags of leaves dancing to their doom.  

Challenge: Halloween Color Scheme: Create a page using Fall symbols.

©Carol Desjarlais 10.1.19