October Gifts

October is here! I love every season, but I think October is my favorite month–for a variety of reasons.

I love the ambiance of October’s autumn. I love the cooler temperatures. Even when the temperature reaches into the 70s or 80s, it still feels less hot than the same temperatures in the summer. I love the trees dressing themselves in festive colors–vibrant reds, oranges, yellows, purples. I love the deep blue of an autumn sky on a sunny day and the way the sun makes the colors even more vivid. I also love the drama of dark storm clouds which highlights the autumn colors in a different way. I love the other colors of autumn as well: ripening grains, pumpkins, and the colorful rain of falling leaves. I love the tastes of autumn: apples, cider, donuts, and pumpkin spice. I love the smells of autumn, which is too difficult to describe. I love the clothes of autumn: jeans, sweatshirts, jackets. I love the urgency of autumn as birds loudly gather for their migrations south.

I also enjoy October because it is the month of my birthday. By “month of my birthday,” I mean we celebrate my birthday all month long. It didn’t start out that way. I used to have a one-day birthday like everyone else. But through much of our married life, EJ worked at companies in which there was a lot of mandatory overtime, which means we usually couldn’t celebrate my birthday on the actual date. Instead, we would fit it in when we could, celebrating it on the closest day that he had off. And then it kind of streeeetched into more days. Eventually, we called everything fun we did during October my birthday gift no matter what it was. It doesn’t matter if we stop at the thrift store every few weeks all year long. In October, it’s our birthday gift. Drive to the farm store to buy chicken feed? It’s our birthday gift. Everything in October is a gift.

My favorite birthday gift has always been to go on a long drive through the countryside, enjoying the beautiful autumn colors. Often we’ve stopped at cider mills for cider and donuts but we also stop at other places, some planned and some spontaneous. One year as we drove along, we saw a sign from a local ski resort offering free chair lift rides to enjoy autumn colors from up above so we spontaneously turned in to enjoy an awesome view. Another year we drove through Pigeon River Country State Forest, an area known for wild elk. We never saw elk, but the drive through the forest was awesome. Another year we drove up through the “Tunnel of Trees,” which is a scenic stretch of M-119 winding along the Lake Michigan shoreline, known for its canopy of arching trees and natural beauty. It is particularly popular in mid-October when fall foliage peaks. We’ve also driven on M-22, another beautiful road. One year we explored the beautiful Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes along Lake Michigan. Over the years, we’ve had a lot of experiences and made a lot of memories during my birthday month.

The great thing about celebrating my birthday the way that we do is that it’s not just a gift for me. I get to share it with EJ. We’ve tried to celebrate EJ’s birthday for a month, but his birthday is in early spring when it’s cold and snowy so it’s not quite the same. A lot of places are closed for the winter and we don’t want to get stuck taking a road less traveled. Instead, I share my birthday with him. October is “our birthday,” not just mine.

Last Tuesday, EJ and I harvested the apples from our trees. Our Gala and Empire apples were both ripe. We decided to try our hand at making our own apple cider for the very first time. It was surprisingly easy: quarter the apples, add water, sweetner (we used brown sugar), cinnamon sticks, and spices in a slow cooker for four hours. Then get the juice from the apples. We made one batch on each of EJ’s three days off (Tuesday through Thursday) for a total of about three gallons. With each batch, we experimented with different combinations and amounts of ingredients. We taste tested the different batches–all are yummy–but I will write down the ingredients/amounts of our favorite. I love apple cider. Drinking it–and now making it–is one of my birthday gifts.