Happy October

October is my favorite month. Has been since childhood.

I love the crispness of the air -- not cold, just cool. I love the fragrance of autumn leaves. And the colors... I live in the mountains, and while all seasons have their beauty, fall far surpasses them all.

When I was in the eighth grade, we read The Vagabond's Song, by Bliss Carman. It resonated deeply with me, and I memorized it at once, and said it often as I enjoyed the wonders of nature that autumn brings.

There is something in the autumn that is native to my blood—
Touch of manner, hint of mood;
And my heart is like a rhyme,
With the yellow and the purple and the crimson keeping time.
The scarlet of the maples can shake me like a cry
Of bugles going by.
And my lonely spirit thrills
To see the frosty asters like a smoke upon the hills.
There is something in October sets the gypsy blood astir;
We must rise and follow her,
When from every hill of flame
She calls and calls each vagabond by name.

So I'm glad it's October. The weather apparently noticed the calendar change. My heater fired up for the first time this season overnight, and today I've exchanged my short sleeves for fleece.

Happy Fall, Y'all!