And I’m not talking about the fall colors and all that… though they are quite lovely, as usual. My pawpaw patch is a brilliant yellow—no fruit though. The maples are a pretty red (syrup isn’t all they’re good for). It’s autumn in Ohio for sure, but this is just the preface for all that’s coming down the pike, so to speak.
We’ve got the tail end of the football season coming right up. Heaven only knows how far that’s going to go, judging from the season so far. Great game the other night when the Rebels fell to a girl—our P.A.T. kicker made the difference in the final score, 23-22. Cool game. Quiz Bowl season is sort of stuttering along, still seeking team members (Would that we could suit up some alumni players; we’d be hot stuff. We’re kinda lukewarm right now, unfortunately).
Then there’s Halloween right on the heels of all that—Trick-or-Treat night on October 26. The candy has been out since shortly after the Fourth of July… if there’s any left from snacking during all this time. The day following the actual “All Hallows’ E’en” is celebrated in more Hispanic locales as “the Day of the Dead,” in some churches as All Saints’ Day, and everywhere with Chocolate Overload. The Lord only knows we’re going to need all saints to get out and vote on November 5, with all the lies and divisiveness being bandied about. Elections are supposed to settle things, not be the subject of whining and excuses forever after. Get a grip, I say.
Then we have the Christmas Walk, sponsored by the James A. Garfield Historical Society, opening four local homes to visitors—rubber-neckers all—to “see how the other half lives” (and how they decorate) for two weekends in November, followed by the Garrettsville-Hiram Rotary Reverse Raffle out at Sugarbush, scene of considerable merriment and community participation. Both of these activities require tickets—get ‘em while they’re hot… or cold, as the case may be; you never can tell about fall/winter in Ohio. Christmas programs of every sort, at every level, parties, and presentations come after that.
And for some reason, all this activity causes me to suddenly decide that I need to clean. I need to clean all the time, of course, but it never gets done. Not only that, but cooking/baking seems to be a good idea, which makes quite a mess (those mini breads for the GUMC sale at the Christmas Walk, for instance, meant a whole bunch of little bread pans to wash. Whose idea was this anyway?). I do not need any excuse to make a mess; it comes to me naturally. What can I say? It’s a talent. Nobody gives Oscars for it, unfortunately. Otherwise, I’d have a corner on the market… and my footprints, or handprints or whatever, on the Garrettsville Walk of Fame. They’d probably be full of street sweepings—Randy and the village maintenance sweeper really do their job.
See you all through the holidays!
