Apples, pumpkins, and gingerbread are the foods that remind me of October. Smells from the first fire of the season and hot cider on the stove are perfect on any chosen day. Cinnamon toast is a favorite for breakfast, and hot chocolate is for Sunday nights.
There are some childhood memories that I hoard. Kicking leaves up in the air used to be fun. I smile remembering those huge leaf piles that my brother and I raked and then jumped into until they had to be raked again. Football, whether watching or playing, was entertainment in October. Fun was always at the fair, carnivals at school, and trick-or-treating.
Elizabeth George Spear wrote, “In October any wonderful unexpected thing might be possible.”
Boredom is not to be found during this month; unexpected happenings and parties were and are always around the corner.
October’s 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.
The Chestnuts came in yellow,
The Oaks in crimson dressed;
The lovely Misses Maple
In scarlet looked their best;
All balanced to their partners,
And gaily fluttered by;
The sight was like a rainbow
New fallen from the sky.
Then, in the rustic hollow,
At hide-and-seek they played,
The party closed at sundown,
And everybody stayed.
Professor Wind played louder;
They flew along the ground;
And then the party ended
In jolly “hands around.”
― George Cooper
My grandmother Lulu always added cooked spaghetti noodles to her chili. My mother continued this addition, and so do I. The rest of the recipe is the mundane beef, onions, tomatoes, and red kidney beans; the spaghetti is added toward the end.
I don’t know anyone else that cooks chili this way, but we enjoy it. One day, I asked Daddy why Lulu added the spaghetti. With a smile, he informed me that it was an easy way to stretch the recipe and fill up her family and the workers on Mirror Lake Farm.
Well, I don’t have that many to feed, but every time I make chili, I remember Lulu and add the spaghetti. This simple act transports me back to the past and the wonderful vacations we spent on her Kentucky farm. My mind goes from one picture to another, as it wanders; the collection is endless and precious.
Louis L’Amour said, “No memory is ever alone; it’s at the end of a trail of memories, a dozen trails that each has its own associations.”
As we continue to clean up after Hurricane Helene, yesterdays memories can become today’s fun. We bought our first gallon of apple cider and enjoyed its scent and flavor yesterday. There will be a pot of chili simmering on the stove today. It’s time to buy pansies to brighten up the porch and welcome us and friends.
Enjoy these days in October.
Edward Crisp, “A Compleat Description of the Province of Carolina in 3 parts.” 1711.
Sheila Ingle 