October has become my favorite month since moving to Oregon.  In San Diego, October was sort of a wash.  It just sort of slipped by unnoticed.  Palm trees do not turn colors in the fall and rain does not fall from the sky.  October was unmemorable.  But here, in Oregon, October is one hot mamma.  Every sense is caressed.  Your skin feels the nip in the air, your ears hear the cries of migrating geese, your eyes are blinded by the color of the leaves against a cool blue sky and the food!  Time for fresh hot bread, thick dense soups, casseroles and decadent desserts.  The much maligned rainy season of Portland doesn’t kick in until November so I love running outside every chance I get bundled up in wool coats, mittens and scarves.   Crisp, fresh, beautiful.  And, of course, October ends in a bang with Halloween which is one night where everyone gets to be a kid.

To welcome October properly, I took the girls on a hunt to find their Halloween costumes.   Gone are the days of Disney princesses and fairy wings.   Leina wanted a real Halloween costume this year.  She wanted to be a girl vampire with a long purple dress, black cape, sharp teeth and blood dripping from her mouth.  She made a list, in true Leina fashion, of each item and even colored a picture for those of us who can’t read yet.  (I hope she didn’t mean me!)

Kulia?  She wanted to be a fairy but Leina soon talked her out of that costume.  Leina insisted that a girl vampire had to have a black cat.  Ergo, Kulia would be a black cat.  After a few tears and earnest negotiations, Kulia was talked around to Leina’s scheme and soon embraced her role as vampire kitty.  Satisfactory costumes were found and worn all day long.  So as I puttered around the house, I was followed by a very bloody vampire girl and hissingly cute black cat.   I’m thinking even after Halloween, these costumes will be favorites in our dress up box.  They would not submit to a photo but I have 31 days to wear them down.  I’m pretty confident I will capture them on film eventually.

So I’d like to give a big warm Hello! to October.  So glad you are finally here.  Now, I’m off to don a nice warm coat and enjoy!