Ah, October. Thirty-one glorious days that pass too fast.
…a blur of last-chance outdoor projects and garden rearranging
- A new fence section to stain and the gate still to install
An exhausting move of two giant "dwarf" weigela who outgrew their old home and will now anchor a new bed-to-be in the front yard (assuming they live, which Mike will kill me if they don't)
- The endless fire pit rebuild, with the newly moved and now spindly Mighty Big Pink hibiscus in the background
…long walks taking in the leaves and sky, the mums and pumpkins, a monkey ball or two
…a Saturday day trip (instead of working)
OK, so it wasn't the Macy's parade, but the 50th annual Ft. Ligonier Days parade was 2 hours of pure Americana -- and packed
…8 birthdays of friends and family (plus my own), and our wedding anniversary
…rediscovering the harvest and Halloween decorations tucked away since last year
…gifts from generous neighbors to see to
A lot going on, and all of it good. The annual deep breath before the holidays (Christmas again? already?), and the glowing finale before weather worries, bleakness, and hibernation set in.
Ah, October.
Even the azalea is cheering it on this year.
Bittersweet October.
The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause
between the opposing miseries of summer and winter.
~ Carol Bishop Hipps
Writing by Ear 
chappy said,
Thursday, October 15, 2009 at 11:25 am
The autumn’s wind on suthering wings
Plays round the oak-tree strong
And through the hawthorn hedges sings
The year’s departing song.
There’s every leaf upon the whirl
Ten thousand times an hour,
The grassy meadows crisp and curl
With here and there a flower.
There’s nothing in this world I find
But wakens to the autumn wind.
JOHN CLARE