It has been a while since I posted anything in this series, which isn’t surprising, everything considered. But since I believe it is helpful for one’s well-being to concentrate on positive aspects of the present, I decided to resurrect the topic.
So, here are random nice things that brightened my life in October.
It was a Hunter’s Moon, and my friend whose birthday we celebrated that day took an impressive picture of it.
* * *
This Fall, we see more than usual birds around where we live, and it introduces highly appreciated variety into our evening walks.
* * *
Squirrels and birds compete for the crop of wild berries on the bush in our backyard, and it is highly entertaining for the whole family to watch them.
* * *
Speaking of the family, Rusty shares our appreciation of Boo Chips. We used to buy a similar product, Ghosts & Bats Crispy Potato Snacks, but this year Trader Joe’s didn’t produce them for Halloween. He was so interested in the plate’s content that he didn’t even notice that I put a headband with horns from my Halloween costume on him.
* * *
Speaking of Halloween, I slightly decorated our house to signal to neighborhood kids that we were “open for business,” but to my MIL’s disappointment, not a single child rang our bell that evening. I’m not sure who to blame – the holiday falling on Monday, our community that didn’t have enough decorated houses to attract anyone to our kind of remote location or our city’s decision to have an organized Halloween parade. Or maybe the rumor that we torture kids with mostly dark chocolates has finally spread widely. On the positive side, as a result, we have probably a 6-months supply of Ghirardelli and Lindt dark chocolates.
November has also started promising: we had a nice rain on November 1st!
Do you have anything positive to report for October?
Images: all but the one of the Hunter’s Moon – my own
Undina's Looking Glass 
I had a girls soccer playoff game on Halloween, so we donated the candy I bought to a neighbor to hand out. It has been quite warm here – my son’s football game on Saturday is forecast to be 75 degrees. I’m a little over sitting in the sun at those temps by now, but I’m glad it’s not cold and rainy. My fall sports are wrapping up soon, lots of computer work in the offing (making photo books for players which is less appealing than being outside at games. Looking forward to a houseful at thanksgiving after being empty nesters since August!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! That’s crazy that it’s so warm still in Pennsylvania. When we lived much farther north it was usually quite chilly by November.
LikeLike
The Spring season will be here in no time! :)
LikeLike
Rusty is such a handsome devil! 😉 We didn’t do much for Halloween but we brought out the paper masks that my other half made a few years ago (a fox head and a wolf head) and put a light inside them jack-o’-lantern style. Glad you are enjoying some animal visitors in your back yard!
LikeLiked by 2 people
He is! It’s free therapy for the whole family.
I like your creativity! Did you publish a picture somewhere already?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! Free therapy for us readers as well. :) I posted some pictures just now. Curious whether Rusty has preferences about perfume!
LikeLike
He used to when he was younger (I wrote about it here https://undina.com/2011/03/13/perfume-purrfect/), but lately he doesn’t mind me wearing perfumes but stays away when I test them on my wrists.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m a fan of looking for the good things, too. In Oct we had a hurricane and it was bad-but not as bad as it could have been. I have a family member who is very ill but he’s taking all his treatments and so I am most thankful for that. I broke a filling last Fri night, and that threw me for a loop, because I try to take good care of my choppers. But I didn’t break the whole filling, so it wasn’t painful, and my dentist can see me first things tomorrow. Halloween was so nice here-first time in a couple of years the kids came out, and they were so cute! I got a hug from a little three year old dressed as an e wok, from star wars. He gave me a hug! And his little 18 month old sister was out, too-I gave her some candy and she was thrilled. I’m so sorry there were no children for your mother in law to see. It was so nice to have that bit of normalcy back.
Please always keep the Rusty pictures coming-he’s another person that makes me day when I see that pretty and furry face.
Very best regards,
Carole
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m sorry for all the unpleasant stuff that happened to you recently (I especially sympathize with dental issues). And I’m glad that you find positive things in life.
LikeLike
It shouldn’t be so difficult to think of positive things. :D
Had several really nice get togethers, bought a cool pair of boots, enjoyed really warm autumn, started Christmas preparations. :D
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve also started Christmas preparations! But I’m missing out on meeting friends. I need to fix that!
LikeLike
I loved this post so much, thank you. It is the small things you notice daily that make the difference. Such gorgeous photos too.
I hope your MIL is doing well.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m so happy to see you here, Tara!
We’re all doing fine. It’s a change, we all are going through some adjustments. But it beats the (im)possible alternatives.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, that makes sense.
I hope you all settle into this new situation before too long and are able to look forward to the holidays.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reasons to be grateful:-
My brother has stepped up to the mark & has taken over caring for mum
Mum finally agreed to have at home carers & a stairlift because my brother is now her main cater
DH came home quite well after the neutropenic sepsis post chemo
Mr Jarvis Cockapoo is now insisting on wearing his jumpers & pyjamas & looks beyond cute
LikeLiked by 2 people
I”m so glad to hear your husband is doing better. That is excellent news. And it’s great news that your brother is helping out with your mum. The home carers will be a huge help.
LikeLike
All positive developments! Hurray!
LikeLike
Good news all around!
I hope your husband feels better. And I wish you a lot of strength and patience in dealing with your brother and helping your mother.
Any chance you’ll post any of the Jarvis pictures on your IG?
LikeLike
Mr Jarvis Cockapoo has his own IG account @cockajarvis
He hasn’t been posting much recently but I’ll have a chat with him about doing a photo dump
LikeLiked by 1 person
There is plenty to be grateful for in my world, beautiful little birds and squirrels frolicking in the back yard. We and all our neighbors take good care of our wonderful trees so there are many owls hooting and cooing in the evenings. I love to listen to their owl conversations.
We are deep cleaning our house and overhauling the spare bedroom for the grandchildren. We’ve been childproofing everything. They are 14 months now and very mobile! They are small and fast, like cats and dogs. They greatly enjoyed their first dress-up Halloween.
I’ve also been reading some wonderful books. I definitely recommend “Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead” by Olga Tokarczuk, Polish Nobel prize winner for literature. As animal lovers, I think you will all enjoy it.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I agree — trees, owls, and small critters can bring much joy! Even in our small lot, we have ancient evergreen magnolias and behind us are several huge old white oaks. We have a large barred owl in the neighborhood, who sometimes comes to sit in a magnolia right by a window; it gives us such a start when s/he moves and is suddenly seen.
How exciting to be getting ready for a grandchildren visit!
LikeLike
Small pleasures in my life: my winter veg garden is flourishing, with lots of colorful leaves and stalks; rainbow Swiss chard is such a great garden plant, whether one eats it or not. (I do eat Swiss chard, it’s a great, mild, leafy green). I have a small deck rail planter outside the kitchen door where I’m growing herbs and pansies. Our weather has been gorgeous recently, the kind of warm, sunny weather I usually associate with October more than November.
I recently finished a terrific book called “The Pages”, by Hugo Hamilton. It is narrated by a book!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Having my sense of smell and taste back after Covid! The November skies here in the Lowlands. The Ukrainian couple that’s staying with my father gave birth to a baby yesterday! Mother and daughter are doing well.
Planting many bulbs for Spring. We painted one part of our room a beautiful ochre yellow. The whole room has changed for the better. Harvesting kale out of our garden. My dog being happy every day to see us.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like your news! And please say “Thank you” to your father.
LikeLike
I can’t believe you’re giving away such high-quality dark chocolates to neighborhood kids! You’re spoiling them. Rusty looks so very precious in that headband.
LikeLike
Well, someone has to show them that there’s life beyond Twix ;)
LikeLike