October - the birthday month

October - the month of my birthday as well as many of my friends and family. Mine is the 8th, Lou's is the 9th, Michael's the 19th, cousin Don the 21st, my Dad's the 23rd, the twins the 26th. These are only a few of the October birthday's.

This year we celebrated my birthday for a whole week - as it should be - haha! We started the weekend before my birthday and continued on thru the week. My actual birthday we went to Acadia for cajun food. Lou and I celebrated together - her birthday is the day after mine - though she is YOUNGER than I am! We had a wonderful dinner. Appetizers, entree, dessert, and wine. All absoultely delicious. Sean was a little upset that we didn't take him - he was the one that turned us on to this restaurant. I promised that we would go again - soon - and take him with us.

Today is one of those days I live for. A beautiful Indian Summer day. It was actually colder in our house this morning when we got up, than it was outside. The sky was the color blue that you can only see in autumn - light in color, but deep in intensity. I'm sure that makes no sense, but that's all I could come up with. The wind was blowing so strong - sometimes it sounded like a freight train coming thru - but it was warm. We couldn't begin to keep up with the leaves falling off the trees - though we tried for a while. We filled bag after bag with crisp, dry, golden colored leaves. It was a pleasure to rake them up, and fill the bags as full as we could. We worked outside all day. We pulled all of the spent summer plants from their pots, and refilled the pots with tulip bulbs. Something to look forward to in early spring - bright, beautiful tulips!

It's nearly 6:00pm now - and still warm and beautiful outside. We are drinking champagne and eating appetizers outside on the deck - smoked salmon and crackers with melted cheese - our last hurrah to summer. These are the summer flavors I long for in the cold, dark days of winter. I wish I could bottle these colors and feelings. Something to uncork in the dead of winter when life is dull and flat. When it seems like winter never ends, and spring will never arrive.

This summer has been good. We had wonderful times with our children, spent two weeks in Paris and Prague with good friends, and in between - enjoyed the best summer had to offer us. What more could I ask for? I am blessed, and I appreciate every single second of the life I am living.