Here's to Birthdays and October!

I turned a year older on Friday. 26 seems so much older than 25. But I think if one must turn 26, it is best to be done in October. I've long believed October to be one of the best, if not the best month of the year (and honestly, this has nothing to do with my birthday being in said month). I love the cool evenings following warmish days, the crunch of drying leaves on the pavement, the colors of trees turning, the canopy of stars illuminated in the night sky. October is autumn.

My birthday includes the additional celebration of my little sister's birthday as well. She appeared in the world on my 7th birthday and for 19 years we've been sharing our day. As we've grown, Margaret and I have tried to come to mutual agreement on our birthday meal instead of asking Mom to prepare two meals. Today Mom outdid herself in preparing the birthday meal for 16--Italian salad, Italian herb bread, stuffed shells, Parmesan chicken strips, sauteed vegetables, followed by carrot cake and angel food cake with lemon sauce.

I felt ambivalent about celebrating this year, but my family gave me the give me a break look and then showered me with gifts and birthday wishes and I have to admit that I rather enjoyed it.

Now, I can sit back and enjoy the rest of October and autumn and not think about turning 27 for several more months.

I am not a particularly learned poetess, but I do enjoy poetry and Emily Dickinson wrote a beautiful poem about autumn. It makes me want to raise a glass to the subtle, gorgeous transformation of nature.

XXVIII
The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry's cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town.

The maple wears a gayer scarf,
The fields a scarlet gown.
Lest I should be old-fashioned,
I'll put a trinket on.