October's Party
By: George Cooper
October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came—
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.
The Chestnuts came in yellow,
The Oaks in crimson dressed;
The lovely Misses Maple
In scarlet looked their best;
All balanced to their partners,
And gaily fluttered by;
The sight was like a rainbow
New fallen from the sky.
Then, in the rustic hollow,
At hide-and-seek they played,
The party closed at sundown,
And everybody stayed.
Professor Wind played louder;
They flew along the ground;
And then the party ended
In jolly hands around.
Halloween At The White House
( October 30th 2023 )
It's the last day of October, which is, of course all Hallows Eve, but it is also the mid-point of autumn, and simply the last day of the longest month of this year.At least it was the longest month of the year to me anyway. It's been just a sad month, with the war in the middle east, the mass shooting in Maine, and the death of Matthew Perry. Connected to the war, is the rise of antisemitism on collage campuses, and other places throughout the country. Do I blame October? No. not really, it's just that I think I put too much faith that one month out of the year to lift my spirits high enough to pull me from all the sadness and frustration that has built up throughout the rest of the year.
Will November be better? That remains to be seen. But I am looking forward to the clock changing, and bringing with it, shorter days. It's better for viewing sunsets and Sandhill crane. I love the dark rainy days. I love the yummy recipes I am always inspired to try. I love other fall things, such as football, the holidays, and the leaf peeping. I have a great place to begin November with, you see, we are planning to visit Mount Diablo in search of the California Condors, and a trip to Placerville and Auburn are also on the agenda for this week. There is a lot that can lift the stress off of me, and I am going to welcome all of it, so we will see.
But for now, l am going to enjoy the Hell out of Halloween. Alan and I are going out to lunch later today, something we haven't done in years. The Arroyo Cafe, here in Stockton. I already know I will be order the cheese enchiladas. They are delicious. A lunch out at Don Jose's Mexican restaurant, in Castro Village, was one of our most loved traditions in the Bay Area, but then we moved out here, and we let go of the tradition like so many other little events we would do in our former life. But it's all just a matter of searching for what we loved, and revisiting what made us, well, us. This will be an excellent start. We are getting older now, life is absolutely changing, but that doesn't mean everything has to.
So, on to the business of living in the moment. It's Halloween, and we have a ton of movies all lined up. I will tell you more about it all tomorrow, and show off our awesome Jack-o-lantern. He's a pretty little thing. And hey, if nothing else, the baby Trump's will be in New York, testifying in the civil fraud suit. The one involving the business of all things Trump, like his exaggeration of the value of his various properties and personal wealth. It should be interesting, if for no other reason, then to see if Donald Trump can keep his big mouth shut in front of the judge!
Stay tuned!
By the way, I spotted these on X and thought they were funny.
I hope you do too, dear reader, and if you don't... shrug.
I made this one...
