October is my favorite month and it’s not just because my birthday is on the 13th.
Some of my best memories are wrapped up in October. Riding horses into the timber near the river with my dad and sister as well as hiking along the river and sometimes wading in because the river is very shallow in October. Hunting for hickory nuts on a windy day. The crunch of fallen leaves as I purposely step on each and every one as I walk down the sidewalk. Watching the starlings wheeling in the sky like a school of sardines. Clapping my hands like a gunshot to make the starlings dive away. Chomping into a ripe pear fresh off the tree on an Indian summer day. Magic seems to meet me in October.
I open the windows and let the cool breeze in. Such a welcome relief after the hot days of summer. I spend more time outdoors doing chores. Getting everything just-so in the house because there will be days ahead when we don’t feel like going out. Thinking about my reading list. Putting up canned tomatoes for the chili I will make.
October means making way for seasonal shifts inside our home, planning time together, and, of course, a first taste of fall cooking in the kitchen. Pots of beans, cinnamon sticky buns, homemade bread.
What’s your favorite month?
R L Benoit - Writer/Artist 
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