OCTOBER 2021

Remember playing in the leaves when you were a child? I do. We would rake the fallen leaves into a pile and then run and jump into them laughing all the while. Well, you may be like me and cannot run and jump into the leaves any longer, because we might break something; however, we can rake them up for our children or grandchildren to run and jump into. We can still have the fun of laughter with the younger ones doing the jumping and falling.  October is a fabulous month - so let's make a point of enjoying it! The temperatures are wonderful, with cool mornings and evenings but warm days to relish.  Start planning fun things to do. Have a bonfire and roast wieners and marshmallows. Go on an old-fashioned hayride (there are farms around which offer these in the autumn usually.) Go on a nature walk and collect beautiful fallen leaves to bring home. Leaves and branches make lovely arrangements throughout the house. One of my favorite things to do this month is to go to a pumpkin patch and select glorious pumpkins and gourds to bring home to put on my front porch and inside my house. 

We need to think like a child ever-once-in-a-while, especially during the month of October. Smile, laugh, and enjoy! And oh, don't forget to look at the moon. The full moon will be on Wednesday October 20th and is known as the Hunter's Moon.

"The wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves. We have had our summer evenings; now for October eves!"

-Humbert Wolfe

"Spring is beautiful, and summer is perfect for vacations, but autumn brings a longing to get away from the unreal things of life, out into the forest at night with a campfire and the rusting leaves."

-Margaret Elizabeth Sangster

"Autumn leaves shower like gold, like rainbows, as the winds of change begin to blow."

-Dan Millman

Decorating for autumn is such fun for me. I love the colors of fall: orange, yellow, green, brown, cream, gold, rust, wine, purple. My little cottage looks its very best decorated for autumn I think. The above picture is an easy to do decoration for your front walk, patio, or porch. Just take a large terracotta pot and place a mum in the middle and surround with small pumpkins. Easy-does-it and yet it looks inviting and happy. One of the things I love to do (picture later on in this blog) is to fill my birdbath with small pumpkins. This makes a pretty and different look to the back yard. 

"I can smell autumn dancing in the breeze. The sweet chill of pumpkin, and crisp sunburnt leaves."

-Ann Drake

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."

-L. M. Montgomery

(Anne of Green Gables)

In the autumn I start thinking "soup" so  I will share with you one of my favorite and very easy soup recipes:

Simple Taco Soup

(makes about 2 quarts or 8 servings)

2 lbs ground beef

1 1/2 cup water

1 envelope taco seasoning

1 can (16 oz) mild chili beans (undrained)

1 can (15 1/4 oz)whole kernel corn (drained)

1 can (15 oz) pinto beans (rinsed & drained)

1 can (14 1/2 oz) stewed tomatoes

1 can (10 oz) diced tomato with green chiles

1 envelop ranch dressing mix

Brown beef and drain off fat. 

Add taco seasoning and mix well. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 15 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Our attitude, our gratitude, will make the biggest difference in our lives. How we look at every little thing matters. Do we gravitate towards joy or sadness? Do we see things in a positive light or immediately go to the negative side? We need to ask ourselves these questions and really take a good, hard look at our attitude. In the past year, nearly two years now, the world around us has been crazy in many ways. Things we have never before  faced  have taken their toll on us. Many have either been ill themselves or had loved ones hit by health issues. The world around us has changed in many ways - some changes we may like and some we may not.  

"The greatest discovery of any generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitude."

-William James

We do not have to live in a state of denial of negative situations around us, but we do need to make the choice to be grateful and look at things with a positive outlook in order to be happy and in better health. Out attitude does impact our health.  What we think matters! 

"Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."

Philippians 4:8 (NLT)

"Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you."

Ephesians 4: 31-32 (NLT)

BE THANKFUL. THINK UP. THINK JOY.

You may e-mail me at sandykwright@yahoo.com