Glorious October
In October, the world is awash in colors that are an artist’s palate of orange, plum, aubergine, gold, red, rust, and brown. The greens of summer are replaced by fall colors and cooler temperatures that add a bracing crispness to the early morning and evening air. Daylight hours grow ever shorter, and sky gazers delighted in the arrival October 9th of a brilliant full Hunter’s moon. On the deck of our home in the Sierra Foothills, an array of plaid wool lap blankets are fixtures on the backs of Adirondack chairs and benches. Like passengers on a ship crossing time zones and changing seasons, we are ready for cozy morning coffee time and spontaneous gatherings of friends.
Of all the colors expressed in October, orange is my favorite. Born a Libra, how could it be otherwise. And when the first three letters of your name spell CAT, it only follows that Halloween is my favorite holiday, expressed by piles of colorful pumpkins and decorations with retro images of black cats once again available at local Halloween stores.
My sister Kim and I share October birthdays, Kim arriving in 1949 four years after mine in 1945. This month, she flew out for a visit just in time for a neighborhood revel we’d planned with our wonderful neighbors Anita and Dolores who also have October birthdays. One birthday would be an occasion for a card perhaps, but four became a cause for a gathering of 18 on our deck. Neighbors arrived with French wines, assorted hors d’oeuvres, gifts, flowers, cards and well wishes.
Kit took the lead in toasting the birthday celebrants and asked each of us to recall memorable moments from the year past and anticipations of the year ahead. Fun was had by all in this tradition that will continue in November when our daughter Heidi and neighbor Carol celebrate their birthdays. New friendships were forged that glorious October night, and of course, there was cake. Two in fact.
Kim and I made a bodacious carrot cake from a recipe Kim penned on a large index card in the 1970s. Because it had faded with use and had become barely legible, I asked her to freshen her script so it will be fresh and legible for the next forty years. Anita and Dolores brought a super chocolatey cake with dark chocolate frosting topped with tiny chocolate chips. Everyone had a slice of both while Tim popped the cork on a bottle of champagne and Terri did the honors filling crystal flutes she brought over for the occasion. As our neighbors left, they pocketed Meyer lemons from Heidi and Sugie’s garden along with miniature Snickers and Mars bars that I put out in anticipation of Halloween.
Our son Hayden’s birthday is the day after mine. For the occasion he flew to England and spent a splendiferous October day with his youngest daughter Catalina who has just begun her studies at Cambridge University. Theirs was a day strolling the magnificent grounds of the campus as boaters punt on the River Cam next to structures steeped in centuries of history take your breath away.
Here in Nevada County, Kim and I spent a day exploring the grounds of the Empire Mine State Historic Park where gold was mined from 1850 until 1956. The Bourn family that owned and operated the mine built an English style cottage from stone extracted from the mine that is now the centerpiece of the historic park. The grounds are gorgeous, landscaped with Italian Cypresses and circular ponds where water shoots like liquid diamonds high into the air. Every tree is marked by a number matching its botanical name and description in a guide brochure provided by the State Park service that maintains the grounds. Oregon White and Eastern Black Oak, American Elm, American Chestnut, Purple Beech, Ponderosa Pine, Norwegian Spruce, Japanese Maple, Italian Cypress to name but a few. All so tall you need to lie on the manicured lawns to see their crowns.
Lunch was at Panoy, the first Laotian restaurant in Grass Valley followed by a short drive back to Nevada City where we stopped at Three Forks Bakery for an amaretti delicacy and café latte to dunk it in. A block away, we popped into J. J. Jackson’s gift shop on Commerce St. before perusing the shops along historic Broad Street. Saturday evening, Kit surprised Kim and me with dinner reservations at Lola in the historic National Exchange Hotel where every dish on their menu is worthy of celebration.
Halloween and October’s final hurrah is fast approaching. Local children stop by to collect goodies for their Trick or Treat bags at a table we set up at the bottom of our driveway. Across the street our neighbor Jim reattaches an enormous pair of gray elephant ears a pachyderm his wife Carol crafted when their kids were small, and I’ll wear an Italian Cat mask from Carnival in Venice. Apple cider with a dollop of brandy will keep the four of us warm after the sun goes down and the Trick or Treaters head home. By morning, glorious October will once again be but a memory.