October gave a Party....

"October gave a party; The leaves by hundreds came - The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples, And leaves of every name. The Sunshine spread a carpet, And everything was grand, Miss Weather led the dancing, Professor Wind the band. "
George Cooper

I am so glad that September is almost over. Don't get me wrong. I like September. I like the cool mornings and warm sunny afternoons, the sounds of kids going off to school, being able to sleep at night, and the way the light changes. Fall is a sort of cool, distant light .. different from the warm intense light of summer.

But September is a rough month. It is a month of new schedules and homework and juggling school and chores and errands along with soccer, Brownies, drumming and a million and a half other things that would cause the saints to drink.
But by the end of September, things have calmed down. Even though I keep the same sleep/wake schedule all summer, September finds me tired. The first month back to school is a big adjustment and it takes a while to get into the swing. The kids have gotten into a routine after school and I don't feel as guilty for sending them on their way for half an hour by themselves. They rose to the challenge and I couldn't be prouder of them.

So here we are, looking ahead to October. So what if it's going to be a warm start to the month. A dry October 80 is better than a humid July 80 any day. Besides, with the cost of oil this winter I'd rather have the warmth stick around a little longer. It will make for a good soccer day on Saturday, and a lovely day for apple picking on Sunday. We were going to go last weekend but the weather didn't cooperate. It's one of my favorite fall days and I can't wait.

The Orchard that we go to has wagon rides out to the apples. And then when we are all done, we get fresh apple cider and homemade donuts. You can actually watch them make the donuts and it is so cool. This will be our 3rd year going and it's becoming a lovely tradition. We pick a lot of apples. We always get Cortland's and Granny Smith's. Last year we tried some Ginger Gold's too, and while they were good, they didn't hold up quite as nice as the other's. I definatly wouldn't use them in my canned apple pie filling, as they are too soft. I'm not sure what varitety we'll try out this year as our "guinea pig apple" but it will bet a great time nonetheless.