Ah,
October! The month that truly
signifies the fall season. I remember as a child the beautiful array of October fall colors that the trees
displayed; like a richly colored quilt made of every color hue imaginable from
an artist’s palette. I always seemed to want to pick the reddest leaves off the
maple trees for my elementary school projects. And the mornings walking to
school and seeing that the October frost
fairies had touched every blade of grass with dew drop magic frost patterns. A
fair warning that cold weather was soon to follow having our parents bringing
out sweaters and coats, thicker blankets, and having the furnace checked out
because soon there would be heating bills to pay.
I
wasn’t worried about heating bills as a child; I was more worried about making
my Halloween costume and trying to figure out where I could go this year to
score the most candy from Trick-or-Treating! I also loved to make huge leaf
piles (much to the chagrin of my parents, who just insisted on getting the
leaves raked up off the yard and into the gutter), and I so enjoyed jumping in
the huge piles all afternoon and re-scattering the leaves, as I threw them high
up into the sky. Grandpa would supervise the burning of the massive leaf piles
and the rich, musky aroma of the burning leaves would send tendrils of lazy
smoke wafting into the October air. And
I remember giant flocks of geese heading south for warmer nesting grounds and
climates. I remember looking out into the famer’s fields and seeing that all of
the crops had been harvested and the only things left standing were the corn
shock sentinels, yellowed white and golden orange, and the small chickadees
flying in and out to retrieve kernels of the rare corn cob left behind. To this
day, if I smell burning leaves I am immediately transported back to October in Wisconsin and I can smell
the smoldering burning leaf piles, the cool, crisp air changing from summer to
fall, and my Grandmother’s bottomless pot of endless soups and stews, chock-full
of our garden’s vegetables and the recently butchered chicken, cow, or pig.
Grandma always said her soups and stews could ward off any cold or flu - and
they were always yummy. I can still see her setting out several apple pies,
fresh from the oven, onto the window sill to cool down before supper. There is
nothing better than the aroma of freshly made apple pie on a cold October day - except having a huge
slice of that pie with a dollop of vanilla ice cream melting down over it as
you dig your fork into it and watch it magically disappear!
Speaking
of which, we would like to invite you into Merrill Gardens at First Hill during
October to sample our Chef Thomas’
incredible homemade soups and other delectable treats, and to also have a piece
of his tasty apple pie, complete with that dollop of vanilla ice cream to boot!
Then
take part in one of our many fun-filled October
activities for the day with our talented activity directors, Patrick and
Charlie, who are guaranteed to leave you laughing. Try out Wii bowling, bingo, swimming,
playing cards, Chair Zumba, yoga exercise, or simply going along on one of
our scenic drives.
Please look over our October Calendar of Events and see if there is something there that tickles your
fancy, and grab a friend and come to Merrill Gardens at First Hill and be our
guests for a nice hot October lunch
and some festive times.
Sincerely,
Craig and
the entire staff at Merrill Gardens at First Hill
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