Making some noise

The adage about March coming in like a lion certainly didn’t take Octobers like this one into account. It’s a very rare that I get woken up by nature, and when it does happen it’s usually something peaceful like a low roll of thunder somewhere miles away or raindrops hitting the roof. Not some kind of eerie howling wind that’s got me running around the house making sure the doors and windows are closed and wondering where I could go that has a storm cellar.

But that howling seems fairly appropriate for October. Thanks to Halloween being just a few weeks away, as well as the majority of the leaves falling off to reveal gray skeletons of the trees, the month already has some dark undertones to it. But there’s also the lighter side of the colorful and creative costumes — not to mention candy — that comes with Halloween, and those leaves make a wonderful crunching sound when walking down the street and are great for jumping into.

Though things tend to get a little spooky later in the month, I see early October as a chance to catch those last bits of the summer — even though fall officially started a couple weeks back — and take advantage of those last bits of warmth and longer days before the snow starts to fall and the temperatures dip below the 30-degree mark.

Of course, the lower temperatures bring their own advantages as well. It makes ideal weather for sipping hot cider or coffee, cuddling under a blanket and enjoying a breath of crisp, cold night air. And don’t forget, it’s the last we’ll see of those pesky bugs for a few months.

Colder temperatures also mean it’s easier to fire up those ovens — added warmth! — and bake some something tasty. I like to think of fall as “pie season” and I can’t wait to sink my teeth into some apple, pumpkin, blueberry, pecan, the list goes on.

So while the snow and the cold is always inevitable, take advantage of the days leading up to it. There’s always an event happening on the weekends here to celebrate, and our fall sports are still going strong and you can still get out and cheer on our Bobcats.

Squeeze what you can out of these last warm days of the year.