October is here, and I’m feeling it now. Last night it froze hard, and tonight it’s doing the same. Virtually all of the trees have shed their leaves overnight, and the ground is littered with yellow and orange and scraps of russet. Autumn in Montana is so very strange - virtually overnight, it goes from thunderstorms to hard frosts, and next week, it’s entirely possible we’ll be back up to 56 degree nights and 75 degree days again… or perhaps it’ll be windy and gusty and colder in the daytime than it is right now at night.

Despite the wild, finicky weather, autumn is my favorite time of the year. It’s pumpkins and colors, hot tea and spiced cider, cozy sweaters and fluffy socks, scarves and crisp air, spices and baking. From here out, it’s a roll of holidays I love, from the spooky Halloween to big turkey dinners to Christmas and then the tide of the new year. I simply LOVE this time of year.

So I’m planning. As usual, August and September seemed too early, and I was quite, quite busy throughout, and then poof - October was here, and now it’s already the 9th and I scarcely have decorated for Halloween. Martha Stewart I am not. However, tomorrow night is my last night of work for the week, and then I’ll have three days off to drag out my decor and string up fun for the rest of the month.

I’ve been plotting both Yule and Samhain for the last couple nights - Yule gifts, and debating on the need for additional decor (truly, who can resist more Yuletide decor?!) and Samhain activities, for I want this year to be special. I’d love to set up an altar for my ancestors, and what better time of year to do it than now? Typically, however, I plot and plan and ooh and ahh at ideas, and then drag my feet until I go “Ack! It’s much too late.” I’m honestly trying to be different this year, but we’ll see how it goes.

I have set up my home altar, decorated in an autumny theme, but I may redo with spookies, and then set up the harvesty stuff again after Samhain until Thanksgiving. And then, by gods, I’m going to have my Christmas/Yule stuff up ASAP! I swear!

I debated on giving Samhain presents to friends, and even family (though for them, I would call them Halloween gifts), but I’m not sure it’ll happen. I should send something to R, since she’s pagan as well, but heck… that involves having enough money to mail it out. *lol* Shame on me, huh? Perhaps I’ll give everyone around here an apple, maybe a mini loaf of pumpkin bread. That’s doable, especially since I have days off before Halloween.

As for my Samhain ritual… perhaps I’ll do that on November 7th, as it’s a day off for me (October 31st isn’t), and more, it’s the actual cross quarter date. Though to me, it just doesn’t seem to have the same feeling… So I don’t know. Maybe I’ll take the 31st off (I /will/ if A makes me work for her on the 28th…) and just do it normally, eh? :)

Enough rambling. I’m out.

No Comments »

No comments yet.

Leave a comment