October’s Bright Blue Weather

You October people chose a wonderful month to be born. It’s a golden month, with the fragrance of apples and chrysanthemums, the time of harvest and tucking in of plants and ladybugs and spiders creeping under sheltering logs, readying for a winter’s sleep. The ladybug is a wonderful little insect with many old sayings or fables attached to its name: each spot on its back represents a month or a year of good luck, it is said to carry away bad luck. Fun thoughts. From Kim Wright of Old Farmer’s Almanac, If leaves wither and hang on the bough, expect a frosty winter and much snow.

Your birthstone is the fabled opal with a fascinating history. And, of course, your flower is marigold. Marigold is one of my favorite flowers. I like its fragrance; a lot of people don’t, but I do. It smells like green, growing things, like the earth and sun and sky. And, as a bonus, it repels pesky bugs.

Special days abound in October. One of the most interesting days is St. Luke’s Little Summer, occurring on October 18, when, traditionally, there’s a period of calm, dry weather (The Old Farmer’s Almanac).

October is a springboard for many poems and stories. One of my favorites is October’s Bright Blue Weather by Helen Hunt Jackson:

O suns and skies and flowers of June,
Count all your boasts together,
Love loveth best of all the year
October’s bright blue weather.

So, welcome, glad October. Darcy, Flora, and Ned are eager to go into this month with you. They give October a mysterious flare and an interesting punch of adventure.