October must be here. The children's slick black shorts and t-shirts are being exchanged for denim jeans.
October must be here. The smell in the air reflects that of damp leaves, morning dew, brush being burned.
October must be here. I have a strong urge to plan a group trip to a local pumpkin patch for an afternoon of fellowship and fun.
October must be here. My lesson plans begin to reflect the appreciation of the beauty of the earth God paints for us with the various colors of the falling leaves.
October must be here. I'm exchanging many of my read-aloud picks and special bookshelf books in my classroom to reflect that of the season of apples and leaves and pumpkins:
October must be here. I have added "candy corn" to my shopping list. I can't wait to be chomping down on those sugary little seasonal shapes.
October must be here. On my drive to school, as I drive through the neighborhood, I'm greeted by ghosts hanging from trees, whipping in the wind, big orange leaf-filled garbage bags with a jack-o-lantern face sketched upon them, and scarecrow and goblin hangings from the porch sides.
October must be here. When I get home for the day, usually about 7-8:00, I immediately strip down from my teacher clothes to my hoodie or jacket and some shorts, with a warm blanket covering my legs.
October must be here. My students excitedly share the important news of which costumes their parents have already purchased for the annual trick-or-treating events in the neighborhood.
October must be here. As I walk along the grass and sidewalks, a faint crunch-crunch-crunch tickles my ears, indicating the leaves are falling and are being smashed beneath my feet.
October must be here. Plans for fall break are being arranged and mom tells me via phone call about pulling out the "Fall" decoration box, scattering ornate pumpkins and scarecrows throughout the house.
October must be here. I see advertisements from congregations in my hometown area advertising for their annual fall and harvest dinners. I really miss the Sunday evening ventures to tiny churches tucked away in the countryside, which serve a mean bowl of chili soup, followed by their original "cherry soup" for dessert.
October must be here. I watched a squirrel gathering acorn nuts in a nearby yard while on recess duty the other day. Even the animals know what lies ahead.
October must be here. The skies are getting darker and darker upon my departure for school in the wee hours of the morning, and the sun creeps out to make a beautiful scenic drive on my way every morning.
October must be here. The cafeteria began putting out platters of pumpkin bread and pumpkin muffins in the morning.
October must be here. Aside from Christmas, undoubtedly one of my favorite times of year. God doesn't have to give us all of the beautiful colors or other sensory treats, but He does. It's a gift.
October must be here. And I'm blessed beyond belief.
You are a great writer Dylan, do you teach @ a Christian school by the way?
ReplyDeleteThank you! Yes, I do, at a Lutheran school. Which is why we are not reading Halloween books, but rather, autumn books.
ReplyDeleteThis is nice, this has made me feel so calm, which is really what I needed right now. Thanks :)
ReplyDeleteCouple of questions though -
You (as a whole) are decorating for Halloween now???
What is candy corn?
Oh yes....well, not me- I only usually put up a tree, etc. for Christmas. But everyone else has put up their Halloween decorations, or are starting to, it seems. It is October. When do you usually start?
ReplyDeleteCandy corn? Let me tell you, it's pretty great stuff... This is what it looks like: http://images.google.com/search?tbm=isch&hl=en&source=hp&biw=1138&bih=586&q=candy+corn&gbv=2&oq=candy+corn&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=1297l3743l0l3945l16l13l3l0l0l0l225l1359l2.7.1l10l0
But there's really nothing comparable to describe its flavor- it's like a sugary-caramely treat... Mmm... I have plans this afternoon to go get some. :)
First off, ew, that looks kind of gross :P
ReplyDeleteAnd on the other question - Halloween decoration isn't really a thing here. I guess a lot of houses do the odd bit like put out some pumpkins or something, but that will only ever be a couple of days before the night itself. It would be so bizarre to see any at the moment!
I love Fall weather.
ReplyDeleteCandy corn is SO GOOD! Unless you eat too much of it. Then it starts becoming gross.