I have to admit, we had a pretty good October. Halloween came in with a bit of drizzle, wind and 18 degrees Celsius - at night...can't really complain. Then a week passed.
We woke up to snow, just starting to accumulate. It snowed all day. We kept the drapes closed and hunkered down, after our workout in the morning. By the end of the day, we had a good five centimetres of the white stuff. The next day the sun came out and we sat on the sun porch, enjoying a bevvie and +20 degrees. (That's the beauty of the sun porch...basically a green house.)
Then the snow melted, more or less, but the temperatures remained stubbornly low. We've now been flirting, on and off, with flurries and carpets of white and the blissful moments of sunshine. I have to say, that -3 and sunny (no wind) is way better than +3 and rainy.
November seems to be stacking up as a kind month. Have we had snow? Yes, as mentioned. Have we had lots of snow? No...thank heavens! We've spent a few more afternoons on the sun porch and enjoyed some long strolls along the river and through new neighbourhoods. We've spent time with neighbours, enjoying good company and food. We've had highs and lows. There are challenges to every relocation, even when you come "home". We're past the six month mark, which is always a good milestone. (Kilometrestone sounds ridiculous...right?)
We've now put up the Christmas lights (as you can see) and are waiting for a "quintessential" evening snow photo. We're prepared to wait for another month (more, even, why rush?), if we must. Hope your holiday season is shaping up, that you're spending time with those you love, feeding your soul and opening hearts with joy.
It's kind of hard not to marvel at autumn, especially on the east coast. This is the time that people rhapsodize about the "change of seasons" or fully enjoying the "four seasons". It really has its perks.
Having lived in perennial spring for a while, we understand the time shifting ability of no seasons. When the days stay the same length and there is always something in bloom, time ceases to exist. Is is April? Is it November? We honestly couldn't tell you without keeping a sharp eye on the calendar. So, fall is a pretty impressive change. The colours are amazing, especially on days with deep blue skies and ample sunshine. The trees remind us that it's a good thing to go out looking fabulous.
The majesty of the season ALMOST makes you forget what's coming after. The key phrase being almost. We've weather stripped and insulated, sealed and layered all in an attempt to winterize this old house. We aren't ready, we know that, but we've done what we can. In the meantime, we'll enjoy the blazing colours of a year that is trying to grow old gracefully, with a bit of class and elan. We also know that it will likely end up giving up the ghost in a petulant tantrum of ice and snow, but that's what we signed up for, at least this year.
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| First snow of the season |
Hope you enjoy the colours as much as we do. If you're in that springtime place we once inhabited, enjoy the magic timelessness of it and our autumn, from afar. If closer to home, perhaps a little winter prep might be in order, if you've been putting it off. For those on the very we(s)t coast, crack out the galoshes and lights that mimic daylight. We'll all make it through.
We were trying to figure out when the last time we were truly required to prepare for Halloween because of trick or treators. It seems the last time we could expect kids at the door was October of 2002. Yup...17 years ago. So weird, right? That's the joy of condo living!
I confess to liking Halloween; the chance to dress up (be something I'm not! So awesome), the spine tingles of scary stories, the eternal promise of free candy (at least when I was a kid). I even loved the other side of it. Seeing the kids in costumes, handing out candy, quite smugly closing the door on freezing/drenched parents and returning to the comfort of my heated house, as they escorted their kids from door to door, once I'd given out the treats.
So here we are again. Back on Treat Street. We've bought and carved the pumpkins, applied liberal amounts of spider webs to the front porch, bought enough candy for over 50 kids. (I'm hoping there will be some left over, to be sure.)
So here's to Halloween, the ghosts and ghouls, princesses and knights. Hope your night was SPOOK-tacular.
