October is...

My best loved 31 days of the year...the liminal, soultender space between often harsh seasons...transitory...a denouement...the beginning of the end...the fourth quarter...my muse, my moon, my model...everything hygge and homey...one pot meals and all day football watching...soups, stews and stoups that take care of the forgotten dregs in the crisper and warm us to the core...the roll-out of new shows and scary movies that I love to watch with Lils, the other horror lover in the house...time to notice things like showy trees and luminescent skies and squirrels squirreling away for what is to come...mantras like be.here.now and later after my nap or hike or cup of coffee...cozy afghans on every couch and chair...flannel pjs, sheets and shackets...preppy loafers and wool clogs, but Birks and flip flops too...it's moody music, broody mornings, cocktails by candlelight, dinner in the dark...it's pumpkins on the porch and pumpkin seeds roasting away in the oven...apples plucked fresh from the trees and squash so new it will last until spring...it's my mom's pumpkin bread and her pumpkin bars because food is love and food is memories and I love remembering her...it's my annual reading of Piggie Pie a favorite from when they were young and visiting the photo archives for the years of costumes...it's a month of no major holidays or birthdays to distract or steal the show...it's 29 years with the love of my life in this life that I so love.