It was like autumn, looking at her. It was like driving up north to see the colors.
— Jeffrey Eugenides, Middlesex
Oh how I loved Anne of Green Gables when I was a little girl. I love October because it’s my son’s birth month. I suppose that means I should also love February, because that’s my birthday month. By the time February rolls around, I’m desperate for spring. I always wanted my birthday to be in May or June, when it’s warm and lovely. But as it is with many things in life, I had no say in the matter.
While I’m never happy to see summer go, there are a few things I do like about autumn:
- tall leather boots
- homemade apple crisp
- cups of tea
- cashmere turtleneck sweaters
- feather beds and down comforters
- Scotch
Yesterday was the first “boot day” of the season. My black riding boots are old and perfectly broken in, the leather supple and buttery soft. I made sure to polish them first. Polishing your shoes seems like a lost art. Personally, I love it; the smell of the shoe polish, the brushes, the polishing cloth. It’s a soothing ritual. I can do a mean spit shine too. The secret is softening the polish up a bit with a flame first, and sprinkling with water (not spit) after the second coat of polish. I learned these tricks from the Marine Corps, so you know they’re good. 😉
Yes, I have my shoes on in the house, and worse yet, my feet up on the furniture. My son is an adult now, but he still never wears shoes in the house. Anyone’s house. The moment he walks in, they’re off his feet. What can I say, I raised him well.
Tomorrow I’m taking a planned “mental health” day off work. I am going to sleep in a bit, make myself a big breakfast, and then walk to the market to buy apples to make apple crisp. Photos and recipe to follow.
O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrow’s wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
— Robert Frost, “October”
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