Day 2: Goth Disney Princess

I just got an email from one of my favorite October stores, the banner at the bottom of the page read “30 days till Halloween” and I straight up panicked. Then I remembered that, duh, yesterday was the first, so of course there are only 30 days left. (Still kinda panicking though). I don’t feel ready at all. I got my decorations out yesterday and I was a bit confused. Instead of the myriad boxes that I know I have, I only found 6. And then I remembered, they are all still in storage. That put a bit of a damper on my day. I miss my things. I was putting them all in their places in my head and now….. I spent a good half hour trying to figure out how to get them out by myself. Man I wish I had minions, or clones, or more time, or clones of minions and more time. 

But enough melancholy.

Yesterday was AWESOME!!!! I woke up with a song on my lips and joy bubbling out of my pores. My coworkers commented on my unusually sunny mood. I informed them, IT’S THE FIRST DAY OF OCTOBER!!! and they just shook their heads. One came back a bit later and asked what was so great about the first day of October. So I told her. Her eyes glazed over a bit and then she left, but boy did I feel good. I felt a bit like some sort of goth Disney princess. I flitted from one task to the next humming. I had a great big smile. I scrunched up my nose all cute like and winked and may have even booped a few people on the nose, and made the boop sound when I did it. I almost burst out into a musical montage while busing tables. It was ridiculous and wonderful and totally October’s fault.

I had pumpkin coffee to start my day and monster cereal to balance my breakfast. I had pumpkin lotion on my hands and my sparkly October shirt to give the day some extra pizzazz. I started my first scary book of the month (and am LOVING IT) and right now I am burning a pumpkin caramel latte candle to set the mood.

October always brings me surprises and yesterday was no exception. I got a gift card for more pumpkin coffee in my email because someone wanted to sweeten my day. I finally opened an October package that I had been saving and got the most perfectly orange pumpkin spice mug, which I am right this minute drinking pumpkin tea out of. The weather was perfect, the day was easy like Sunday morning, and I found an October puzzle for my residents and a bit of October bling for me.

For the first day of October, this one was pretty good. But that wasn’t the best part. The very best part came when I went grocery shopping after work (where oddly enough, I didn’t buy anything pumpkin flavored). I got into the checkout line and when it was my turn the checker said, “Happy first day of October.” To which I replied, I know, isn’t it AWESOME. She stopped and looked at me, then asked, “Do you like October?” Um YEAH! I said. Then she proceeded to

tell me about how no one understands her love for October and how wonderful it is. She even showed me her mismatched October socks because she was so excited to wear them both that she couldn’t pick one, so she wore one of each. (I think she is my new best friend) I told her that I totally understood and then we shared stories and giggled. I didn’t even care that there were 4 people in line behind me; I had found another kindred spirit. We finally realized we were being rude and got on with our transaction, and when I finished she said, “HAPPY OCTOBER!!!!!” to which I replied “HAPPY OCTOBER TO YOU TOO!!!!!!!!”

Man October is great. I can’t wait to see what happens tomorrow.

October Thought Day 26: The Place to Be

Back home there was a quaint little coffee shop on the corner called “The Place to Be.” I thought the name was kinda clever as it was advertising in and of itself. After all, it simply was the place to be. It was cozy, the servers were friendly, the couches were deep and soft and the coffee was good. In short it was the perfect coffee shop. Alas, not all good things can last and now it is a very uninspiring furniture store. But what’s my point?

There are lots of places to be around this time of year. Many people travel to New England to watch the leaves change in a glorious riot of color. More than a few head to Keene, New Hampshire for the massive pumpkin festival that has set world records in pumpkin carving. Some intrepid souls hitch their wagon and set out for Salem, Massachusetts for the historical reenactments. Salem is a town that has taken its fifteen minutes of fame and turned it into a lifestyle, which is also what St. Helen’s Oregon has done. The movie Halloweentown was filmed there and every October the town recreates the set for the thousands of visitors who flock in. And speaking of towns that capitalize on entertainment, one can also go to Sleepy Hollow, New York to experience the legend of Sleepy Hollow firsthand. The town keeps the story alive all year round, but do a little something extra come October.

Halloween is a growing holiday and it seems like more and more places want to put their individual stamp on it. There are coffin races in Manitou Springs, Colorado and the World’s Largest Halloween party is held in Louisville, Kentucky. The Halloween capital of the world is in Anoka Minnesota where the first Halloween celebration in the country was said to occur. But the Halloween fun isn’t limited to the states, Airbnb is offering a night in Dracula’s Transylvanian castle this Halloween.

There are ghost towns a plenty all over the country and the seven scariest ghost towns in America (according to the internet) are Dudley Town in Cornwall, Connecticut, Bodie in California, Animas Forks in Colorado, Centralia in Pennsylvania, North Brother Island in New York, Thurmond in West Virginia and the Seattle Underground in Washington. Truth be told, there are “haunted” locations to visit in each one off the fifty states if you know where to look.

But ghost towns aren’t the only spooky locals; there are also towns with odd spots in them like the Oregon Vortex in Oregon or the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California. Then there are the towns you simply want to visit because they sound Halloweeny like Candy Town, Ohio, Cape Fear, North Carolina, Frankenstein, Missouri, Pumpkin Bend, Arkansas, Pumpkin Hollow, New York, Scary, West Virginia, Spook City, Colorado, Tombstone, Arizona and Witch Hazel, Oregon.

No matter where you go there is something fun to see, do or experience in the fall. Your challenge today is to get online or go to your local chamber of commerce and see what interesting attractions you can find locally then go visit them, share with me or if you can’t travel, make your own home the place to be.

October Thoughts Day 14: Why October is Wonderful

Yesterday was an October day for the books. It had just about every one of my favorite October things rolled into one nearly perfect day. I say nearly perfect because 1 the air was smoked filled from a local fire and I have been coughing like I'm trying to wear my lungs on the outside, and 2 I like to leave the door open for an even more wonderful October day to sneak in. They are tricksy and like to do that ya know.

But what made this day in particular so great? It involved adventure, wonder, beautiful scenery, good company, pumpkins, books, more pumpkins, new friendships and so much October goodness that as I write my heart is still full to bursting with joy.

The day started out with pumpkin cake deliveries. A special few had the benefit of trying out the fruits of my new pumpkin recipe labors, and if I do say so myself the results were rather tasty. From there I ventured into the wilds of the big bad city to meet a friend whom I had previously only known through the miracle of the internet. See how October brings people together! In order to meet said friend I had to take some roads that I had never gone on before and it was so much fun. I found a couple thousand more Starbucks, saw some truly awesome street names, heard almost all my favorite songs on the radio and I found a diner that had a Viking theme. You had better believe I will be going back!

I safely made it to my friends house no thanks to MapQuest who insisted that I would know the street I was looking for because there would be an Asian restaurant on the corner. Unless the restaurant had a cloaking device it wasn't there. My friends house was something straight out of a fairytale. It was on a tree lined street and she had the best October décor in her front yard. The inside had all sorts of treasures to behold and a handsome doggie greeted me at the door. He looked a little like the beast from Beauty and the Beast and I got a few kisses, so my fairy tale was complete.

The first stop on our adventure was a diner that just happened to be serving pumpkin pancakes. Well of course I had to order one. According to the menu I could have ordered them in a stack and added chocolate chips, but I opted for plain pumpkin and only one cake. It was as big as the plate though, so don't feel too bad for me. It smelled wonderful but only mildly tasted like pumpkin if you thought about it real hard. But it was still worth the trip.

From there we ventured all around the city. My wonderful chauffer took me down beautiful side streets where I saw amazing architecture and some Halloween décor that I was truly jealous of. We stopped in a used bookstore and I had to promise my first born in order to walk out the doors with my haul. I think they must have been alerted to my arrival beforehand because they had a Halloween section right as I came in the door. I say had because I bought a large chunk of it. I actually left with a box of books. The proprietor had to go out to her car to get it. Ahhh books....and Halloween books at that. Did you know that there is such a thing as a book of Halloween poems? Now you do and I promise to share some with you  as this most glorious month nears its end.

Since I was mostly broke by this point, we took a refreshing walk down by the water and I behaved myself and only dipped a toe or two into its freezing depths. It sure felt good though. We found a perfect reading tree and a few secluded shady spots that one could pull a small boat into and while the hours away reading or napping.

Then I got to have my first Trader Joe's experience. People, did you know that they have pumpkin EVERYTHING?! Well they did, I bought most of it. However, I did exercise just a soupcon of restraint. Ok, I spent too much at the bookstore and couldn't buy it all, but I did leave some things there. I only bought one actual pumpkin and the rest of the goodies I fully intend to share. I was really excited to see a cereal called Pumpkin O's but when I read the back label most of the ingredients were sugar and if I wanted that much I would just drink some pumpkin flavored syrup and call it good. So, the Pumpkin O's stayed on the shelf, but not before I took a picture of them much to the delight of the stock boy who was shelving near us. Yeah, yeah, I'm a total pumpkin tourist, get over it. I may or may not have done my weird little happy shuffle dance when I came across new pumpkiny things. I also may or may not have squealed at some of them. Sadly, my quest for soy pumpkin nog continues. It is my holy grail. Grocers in general carried it for two years just to get me hooked and now they have cruelly taken it from me. I can't even find it on Amazon. Did I just imagine that such a wondrous beverage existed? Cuz I think if anyone was going to hallucinate pumpkin flavored stuff it would be me.

So after I looted Trader Joe's we finished our outing with a stop at Jamba Juice where I gleefully ordered a pumpkin smash. It was SO good. Liquid pumpkin goodness just danced its way down my throat. I want another one post haste. Like now. Do drones take Jamba Juice orders? We visited one more bookstore and I found the cutest zombie book and card. When my funds magically replenish themselves I will be going back to liberate them and make them a part of my October collection.
I got stuck in a traffic jam on the way home, but since I had pumpkin everything in my vehicle I wasn't too worried. I sang pumpkin songs and Thriller came on the radio and I serenaded those closest to me in the traffic snarl. I don't think they were as appreciative as they could have been, but I honestly don't care.

Now I am home sipping pumpkin tea and surveying all my Octoberiffic loot. I managed to procure far less pumpkin stuff than anticipated. I even passed a farm stand full of pumpkins without stopping...several times. Ok, some of those several times I wasn't the driver and I had my anti pumpkin sponsor coaching me, but I passed it once all on my own and that has to count for something.

All in all, it was a truly marvelous day. It wasn't about the buying of stuff. It was about the company, the creativity, the silliness and the October of it all. Days like this, when you can just be and enjoy and discover new things, are what make life special. I wish you all an October day like mine.

October Thought Day 10: A Bit Out of Control.....and I Like It, Like It, Yes I Do

There is a meme going around about white girls and pumpkin spice everything, and the sad thing is, I sorta....ok really, relate to it. It isn't so much that I love pumpkin spice as it is the fact that I pretty much love anything pumpkin. I have a real problem when it comes to pumpkin.....everything. If there is a picture of a pumpkin on it, I buy it. If there is wording that has pumpkin in it, I buy it. I really have no control over the matter. I have tried to abstain from pumpkin buying and what do I do instead, buy more pumpkiny stuff. Is there a Pumpkin Buyers Anonymous group that I could join? Cuz it has the word pumpkin in it and I would totally go. See, what I mean.

This mania extends to other facets of October as well. Holiday magazines. For the other eleven months of the year I might buy a magazine here and there but come fall, I'm a goner. This year I have amassed 15 different holiday magazines. Periodicals that I don't even give a second glance to at any other time. But they had fall things on the front so I was greatly compelled to purchase them. It got so bad this year that I bought two of them twice because I thought that I didn't already have them.

I have bought two more pumpkin cookbooks that I really didn't need and a sweatshirt that communicates my love of pumpkin spice. I have made a batch of pumpkin spice cupcakes and am planning on having a pumpkin everything day with a friend later in the month. My mania seems to be reaching abnormal and worrying proportions.
\
But the kicker was today. I went to my second corn maze and this one had a pumpkin patch. I had my two trusty pumpkin sherpas with me and they did an amazing job of finding exactly the pumpkins that I liked. They did too good a job in fact. I came home with 13 pumpkins. It was almost twelve, but then as the hay wagon was leaving the patch I spied one more perfect pumpkin. I actually yelled for the driver to stop (I had to yell, the tractor was loud and I didn't think he would hear me). I jumped off the back, scooted down the row, grabbed my pumpkin and was back on board in a flash. My two sherpas were just shaking their heads at me. As I sat surveying my pumpkiny loot, one of the sherpas said "you have a problem." And when I cast longing looks at the passing patch and turned to tell them I wanted just one more, they both said "NO, you don't need any more." To which I replied, of course I don't need them, I want them. I may have looked a little like Gollum when I said it and called the orange orbs my precious as I sat in the middle of them and tried to hug them all.
Last year I think I had twenty some pumpkins. I am mulling over the idea of getting 31 this year and carving numbers into each of them. I don't know, that may be taking things a bit far, but then when it comes to October, moderation doesn't seem to be my strong suit.