(altered Absolution by Sylvia Ji)
Thirteen Reasons I Adore October
1. October Baseball. Despite the fact that I will miss House terribly over the next month, its hiatus because of baseball playoffs is at worst, bitter-sweet. If you’ve ever watched a baseball game on television and then watched the playoffs and the World Series then you know what I am talking about…the difference in the atmosphere is palpable. The stadiums just rock and you can feel the energy even as you sit at home and watch. Love it.
2. Long Sleeved Shirts. I enjoy that time of year when I can start pulling out the long sleeved shirts, even if it is only in the evenings. I am one of those people who likes their sleeves just a bit long so they cover part of my hands. I don’t know entirely what that is about although I recognize that it is a comfort thing.
3. Decorating for Halloween. I have a couple of boxes of holiday related items that I like to pull out this time of year to set the Halloween mood. I also bought some outside lights last year so that I could begin my quest for a Griswald style Halloween the way I do with Christmas. It was a modest beginning but a beginning just the same.
4. Edgar Allan Poe. October 7th is the anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe’s death. I love to read Poe throughout the autumn months, especially in honor of him on that day. I have a number of Poe related items that find their way into the decor in October.
5. My Mother’s Birthday. October 7th is also my mother’s birthday. This year we are going back to Nebraska that weekend to celebrate. I cannot remember the last time I was home in October. I am really looking forward to the visit.
6. R.I.P. reading. One of the main reasons for starting the R.I.P. Challenge in September was to extend my joy at reading gothic tales outside of the month of October as it seems so natural to do that this time of year. Those books tend to creep off the shelves and gather in locations throughout the living room as part of the Halloween decor.
7. Scary movies. There are a number of movies that just have to be watched this time of year. I have a significant collection of Vincent Price treasures thanks to the MGM Midnite Movies DVD’s. In addition I like to watch the Ingrid Pitt classic,Vampire Lovers, The Others, and the Tim Burton triumvirate: Sleepy Hollow, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and The Corpse Bride. Anything even slightly creepy seems to take on a deeper level of fright during the month of October.
8. The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D. I have posted about this before so I’ll just remind you that October 20th sees the return of this delightfully dark film to the big screen…in 3D no less. See the trailer here.
9. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. I grew up with it and love it. Enough said.
10. The annual Hayride. Jules started a tradition a few years ago…or at least invited us to be a part of a long standing tradition of her family…the hayride. Her step dad hooks up the old tractor and treats us all to a wonderful afternoon. Last year was unfortunately rained out so I am very much looking forward to this year. And am praying for dry weather!
11. Target. Target has some of the best Halloween decorations and I have already been once to pick up goodies for the treat bags. Their $1 section has some really fun stuff. I also like to visit the Spirit Halloween stores that open up this time of year. They are fun and creepy at the same time.
12. Carving Pumpkins. Each year this gets more and more enjoyable. Last year I added squash to the mix with some fun results. I like to get the patterns and try to do something elaborate with at least one pumpkin. I love the tradition of putting the candles in them on Halloween night and watching their eerie glow outside. Waves upon waves of nostalgia are released with this simple act. And Mary roasts the pumpkin seeds for an extra special treat! Yummy!
13. The Annual Tarts Halloween Party. I was lucky enough, thanks to my wife’s great planning, to be able to host the Tart’s party in October last year. It was great fun and I have since adopted this as my holiday. Hopefully they will continue to want to participate. I got the idea for the invitations back in August! I really enjoyed myself last year and look forward to this year’s celebration.
_________________________
On a related note (13), I came across this article yesterday and found it fascinating. Bloggers, you do make a difference. I am so excited to have been just a small part of making this occur. Read it and be proud.
Update: Thankfully in my blog reading I discovered whose site I had found this link on. It was brought to my attention by Book Glutton. Thank you!
Have a thrilling Thursday everyone!
October is my very favorite month of the year. James and I made a great decision to marry in the middle of October! Our last 15 anniversaries have had absolutely perfect weather. The leaves start turning as if to honor our special day.
The hayride began when Jessica was a little baby. Mom and Larry used to live in town and every Halloween we’d hook up the wagon and ride all over town all evening. We threw candy to all the kids. James would by a ton of lightsticks to throw to all the little kids. It was fun. We really the country hayrides too. It’s a yearly hightlight for us as well! I think this year will be the best yet. Lord give us a beautiful day! Good food, too. Mom is thinking about pitching horseshoes, etc.
I need to start decorating for fall. I used to buy straw and pumpkins and mums and make displays in the front of our home. There are so many things I got to busy for that I need to try to start doing again. Baby steps.
Our wedding anniversary is Oct. 29; wanted it on Halloween because I thought it appropriate, but needed a Friday because we only had a weekend for the honeymoon! Watched a Hammer film at a drive in on Sat. night…
Love your list. Have you considered the sudden run at Amazon on Wilkie Collins, Le Fanue, Radcliffe, Stoker, etc. A direct result of R.I.P. !
No JenClair but I think we should all take credit for it!!!
Which Hammer film did you watch?
I am really, really looking forward to the hayride Julie. I’m excited that you guys get to have your anniversary trip as well.
Hey Carl,
Ingrid Pitt was interviewed last Saturday on Jonathan Ross’ BBC 2 radio show. His show is cached on the BBC Radio 2 website until Saturday so you can give it a listen if you like…I thought it was a bit sad. Don’t know how old Ms. Pitt is, but she came across as a bit fragile and, well, slightly addled. But that voice, dahling, that delicious vampiric voice…!
I love Vincent Price. 🙂 I fully intend to sit down and have a Price – a – thon sometime this month.
Actually I thoroughly agree with just about all of your reasons for loving October. There’s such a pleasant sense of anticipation when the weather starts to turn and the long dark months full of holidays and mystery are ahead.
I have yet to see the Nightmare Before Christmas, and it’s been YEARS since I have seen a V.Price flick.. Hmmm I see a cool October day at the Shoemaker’s with a bon fire outside with smores and a little Tim Burton after dark.
Sounds good Tom!
I think Fall of the House of Usher is my favorite Vincent Price film but there are so many great ones out there.
Thanks for the info on Ingrid Pitt, Wendi. She’ll be 69 this year and I’m not sure if she’s had health issues over the years but I think I remember reading about some in the past.
Wow…did I read correctly that The Thirteenth Tale has only sold 600 copies in the UK? And, if 70,000 copies of the book have sold in the US, how many of us here bought the book? (I did, and I told my mother she needed a copy too. She’s almost finished with it and loves it.)
Oooh, it’s going to be made into a movie, how great!
I loved the imagery in #6 🙂
My boyfriend from high school called this past Saturday (we’ve stayed in touch all these years). He said fall is the only time he wishes he still lived in MA (he lives in the FL Keys) and that he was looking forward to watching It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, that it always reminds him of me 🙂
Great list, Carl! I’m with you on #1 (and that’s why God gave us Netflix – House marathons next spring!). Nebraska in October is my favorite time of year. I spent 20 years in San Diego and didn’t really experience autumn until we moved to Lincoln. Have a good visit home, wherever that might be.
Its Norfolk, Les. And I’m sure we will. I can’t wait.
That’s very sweet of him, Janet. And thanks. You’ll have to school me on how to get the code for TT to work, I tried it this morning and it wasn’t right.
Suzanne, there is a follow up piece that tarnishes the situation a bit in that some of the “major book blogs” were allegedly offered entry in a contest with financial reward for blogging about the book. I contend, however, that the many, many blogs I saw Thirteenth Tale on were average joe (and I mean that as a compliment) book lovers like me who had heard about it and mentioned that it looked interesting. I just love the fact that so many of us bought and read this book right away and we are part of that great U.S. surge.
I don’t begrudge publishers from wanting to spend money to hype their books. Yes I wish that every great children’s book got the same marketing machine that Harry Potter did but that isn’t the nature of business. For every Thirteenth Tale that may get good marketing there are other equally wonderful books that don’t. That’s why we, as bloggers, have a voice…at least with each other. It is akin to passing a book around among friends as we share our treasures found as well as those that didn’t meet our expectations.
You do realize it’s not actually October yet? But I like it too. It’s such great reading weather.
I had two Halloween candles that I got out each year and burned while I watched horror movies in the dark. (If you have cable, don’t forget TCM’s October horror line-up!)…unfortunately, some loser (not me) broke one of the candles! My favorite one too. It had a ghost etched in gray class and when you burned the votive in it, the ghost flickered. The other one is a jack-o-lantern. Cool, but not as cool as the ghost. Apparently, there’s a version of a witch flying on a broomstick, but I don’t have that one.
Carl, I think I’ve already sufficiently groveled before you about your genius RIP idea.
I am another October lover! My birthday (and my brother’s) is on the first and kicks off the month. Fall is my favorite season and though often our fall doesn’t start until November in Northern California, sometimes we get lucky in October which, for me, is truly the start of fall. I love to watch the leaves change and when I lived in Oregon could really enjoy my favorite season.
We have a wonderful pumpkin patch near me that I enjoy going to every year. They are still a working farm and offer pumpkins in October and Christmas trees in December. Going there takes me back to simpler times.
And thanks for the link to the article on The Thirteenth Tale. I think it’s great the book is getting such a good reception here in the U.S.! I haven’t devoured a book that fast in a long time.
October is a state of mind Isabella…it started for me the first day the temps dropped in Sept. And of course being only 3 days away it was the perfect T13 thing to post about today.
Thanks for sharing LK and Jennyellen. Great thoughts on a wonderful time of year.
October scares me. We have one birthday right after the other, at least one of them always coincides with Thanksgiving (on the 9th this year), and forget about Halloween.
I am sitting here with the windows open; it feels so nice and chilly!! Makes me want to go to a high school football game or a bonfire at Tom’s.
Carl has such great ideas for parties; I can’t wait until the Tarts party.
You won’t feel cool this weekend! Typical of spoiling the fall fun it is supposed to be close to 90 both Saturday and Sunday…and maybe even into the week. What a way to welcome October.
Carl, I LOVED your Halloween Party for the Tarts last year! So much fun. And a couple of links for your enjoyment: http://scs.student.virginia.edu/~ravens/poe-rm.php and http://scs.student.virginia.edu/~ravens/poe.php
I walked by his room many, many times during my time as a grad student and employee at UVa.
Happy Birthday to your mother, and I love anything with Charlie Brown in it. Peanuts was a staple of my childhood too.
Thanks Laura, those are great!
The Thirteenth Tale’s success is remniscent of Harry Potter’s success in a way; due to word of mouth first, advertising second.
I’m with you on October. It is always wonderful to shed the sweat of August and September, and get into a mystical mood.
I haven’t contributed to the “Thirteenth Tale”‘s success (yet anyway), but I’m proud of you too. 😉
Is it just me, or has Larry King had like 5 heart attacks and 5 divorces. I guess that’d be a broken heart for each.
Updating bookmarks.. things look different than I remember. I have so many to go through. And now I have some more ideas for my site too. I’m keeping this bookmark.
Paul