10-31-2025 Another October to Enjoy

early October, and the lower yard is already turning green again

When October arrives after our long, hot summers here in Southern Oregon, it comes slowly. Often the days continue that hot, dry pattern we’re used to, but this year we had a bit of a reprieve. The rains came early, wetting the ground enough that our dry lower pasture began turning green again by the first week.

We started the month with a swirl of to-do lists, and yet the shorter days and cooler nights were so welcome. The smell of rain drifting through open windows, and the very first yellow leaf on the oak outside our living room window, felt like a tiny promise of what was to come.

The roses love the cooler weather of October

As part of settling into fall, we made appointments for the usual maintenance items, carpets cleaned, windows washed, the MoHo scheduled for service. Mo changed the furnace filters and replaced the small stock tank beneath the water wheel with a larger one to avoid the overspray that wasted water. The saga with the Tractor Supply store in town was not fun, and we ended up driving north to Myrtle Creek to pick up the new tank.

For me, the first of October is when I allow myself to pull down the orange bins from the upstairs storage area in the RV shed and unpack all the little goodies that mark the shift from summer to fall. I love decorating for Halloween, and it doesn’t matter one whit whether anyone visits,  I’d still do it just for us.

Yes, I was there too

Early in the month, when the weather was close to perfect, one of the young women in my book group got married. It was such a delight to be invited to Robyn and Kenny’s wedding at her mother’s beautiful property on the rural edge of Grants Pass. 

The handfasting ceremony and vows were genuinely moving, and the décor was gorgeous. I sat at a table with ten of Robyn’s friends from her belly-dancing and pole-dancing classes. Fascinating conversations, to say the least.

On October 10, Mo and I turned on the gas fireplace in the living room for the first time this season. The central heating works just fine, but there is nothing quite like a live flame to warm up a gray day.

It is nice when the evenings cool down enough in the fall for supper on the deck

Somewhere in the middle of it all came the “where-does-the-time-go” experiment. I couldn’t figure out why my days felt so full, so I kept a day-long chronicle in my calendar, writing down everything, raking, shopping, coffee, puzzles, hot tub, dinner prep. I realized my time wasn’t wasted at all; it was simply life in its ordinary rhythm: errands, meals, rest, and the quiet company of home.

Later in the month, a visit with my doctor (whom I adore) brought some much-needed relief from lingering pain after my August fall while clipping roses. Dr. Ian is a master with a needle, and a cortisone shot to the hip eventually did the trick. I’m able to walk much better now.

Most of you already know I have IBM, Inclusion Body Myositis. It’s a bit like living with a body that keeps changing the rules. Walking has become a small adventure sport; every trip to the kitchen carries a hint of suspense. My muscles are never predictable, and some days are better than others, especially earlier in the day. Dr. Ian was concerned enough to order X-rays. The results were reassuring, if boring: mild to moderate arthritis in the lower spine, nothing dangerous, nothing requiring surgery. Yay, me. IBM makes for weak muscles, but aside from that, I just have the typical mileage that almost everyone collects over time. I’ve developed a new appreciation for our hot tub and my nighttime heating pad for making life much more comfortable.

On October 18, Grants Pass had quite a turnout for the “No Kings Day Rally.” I participated, walker and all, and even ran into a few neighbors. Word was that more than 2,000 people showed up, an impressive gathering for our smallish community.

Red Lily Vineyards on a fall afternoon is truly gorgeous

That afternoon, Mo, my daughter Deborah, and I traveled south along the Applegate River to one of our favorite wineries. We had a wine order to pick up, which is always a good excuse for a visit. Deb and I both love their carrot-ginger soup, and the sandwiches are reliably delicious. The place was busy, full of people enjoying the sunshine. 

Daughter Deb enjoying the animated decor at the Red Lily Tasting Room

Chris and Rachel like Red Lily as much as we do

Watching people entering, I noticed a man’s T-shirt that said “Oregon Society of Soil Scientists” and thought, Huh. I wonder who’s wearing that? When I looked up from the logo, I got quite a surprise; it was my dear friend Chris, MLRA leader from Klamath Falls. We have a long history together, and it was delightful to see him and his sweet wife, Rachel, here on our home turf.

As the month progressed, the fall colors in Grants Pass exploded. By late October, the domesticated sweet gums planted all over town stole the show, even brighter than the maples. 

Toward the end of the month, the yard began filling with leaves faster than we could pretend to manage, and it felt like we were spending half our lives trying to keep ahead of the mess.

Then came the gut punch: after 35 years of homeowners' insurance with not a single claim, Farmers dropped us like a hot potato for the crime of living in Southern Oregon. After some hand-wringing and many phone calls, we found a broker with a carrier willing to insure us, with caveats. 

google image sent to us by the insurer with trees that needed to be cut back

Our ancient Douglas-fir before we completed the required trim

That included removing any branch from any tree overhanging any roof. Our tree guy came out again to trim the 200-year-old Douglas-fir and the 170-year-old black oaks behind Mo’s workshop as high as he safely could. That job wasn't finished until early November.  I'll update you on the outcome in the blog post for November. We’re still waiting on final approval from the inspector, but the agent has been encouraging. As you can imagine, the stress level has been significant.

In between yard days and insurance days and leaf days, I retreated into the kitchen. I decided to make ice cream in the pretty Cuisinart ice cream maker I received for my birthday. The first batch was an uncooked chocolate, and I didn’t realize the recipe was too big for the machine. It expanded and overflowed, leaving sloppy chocolate ice cream all over the counter and into the sink.

oops

Batch two was supposed to be easier: a simple vanilla custard. I consider myself an adequate cook, but apparently, I did not have the slightest clue how to cook custard properly. It foamed, curdled, and misbehaved in every possible way. With help from my ChatGPT buddy, I rescued it by blending it in small batches, and once that was done, the coffee-butter-almond-fudge-ribbon result was fantastic.

There were bright spots, too. I had a lovely lunch with Kristin at The Twisted Cork with great food and a couple of hours of conversation and easy laughter.

My youngest daughter saw the only photo I remembered to take of our gathering.  She said, "Someday archaeologists will learn how incredibly important table settings were in our era."

The pumpkin cheesecake truffles were a bit less perfect

Then it was the end of the month and time for our book club meeting here at Sunset House. I made several dishes, including appetizers and the Red Lily carrot-ginger soup I found a recipe for. I also tested a recipe promising “elegant Halloween truffles.” Well. The recipe promised elegant orange-striped truffles. What I produced looked like someone dropped a dozen googly-eyed baby pumpkins on the counter and left them to fend for themselves. The white-chocolate coating seized, a term I learned the hard way, and the orange drizzle blobbed into little pupils on the white eyeballs. The women in my book group insisted they looked more like “boobies.”

By the time October faded, the lawns were fed, the MoHo was prepped for winter, the trees were trimmed, and the world felt a bit more settled. It wasn’t a dazzling month, except for the fall colors, and we decided to cancel our planned camping trip due to the heavy rains predicted for the coast.

Johnny's burial tree, showing the best color yet

This year, my son’s tree, planted with his ashes, decided to show its full color as well. I made sure it had plenty of water this year and was rewarded with that beautiful rainbow of color that helped us to choose it five years ago.

Still amazes me what can bloom in the late fall

The month held more of a quiet glow, foggy mornings, rain here and there, flashes of gorgeous afternoon sun, and a warm, cozy house. The leaves are still falling, and as I write this in mid-November, it’s dark outside and Mo is still out there raking. The raking will continue into December this year, and we still haven’t had a single frost. It’s the time of year that reminds you that quiet days, warm light, and small victories are what hold everything together when the world outside turns gray.

The catalpa tree glows best on early fall mornings

We closed out October with that familiar feeling: tired, a little creaky, but grateful. Grateful for home, for Mo, for Mattie’s morning races down the hall, for ice-cream victories, and even for the chaos of falling leaves reminding us that the seasons keep turning, whether we’re ready or not.

Indoors by the fire on a chilly morning is a great place to be

Mattie's second favorite place to be.  First favorite is in a lap