It’s hard for me to express just how much I love fall in the Northwest. But let me try. The weather, the flora, the fauna, the food, the colors, the smells — a little piece of heaven right here on Earth. If I could extend the month of October, say, another thirty days — making sure that the fall colors remained vibrant the entire sixty-one days — I’d gladly skip January or February. Except then I wouldn’t have a birthday — but having a longer October would be enough of a gift that I’d be more than willing to sacrifice my wintertime b-day celebration. Bring it on, autumn, bring it on.
Now that you understand my complete and utter attachment to autumn, most specifically the month of October, I have decided to devote several columns to all things fall-related. Today I’m focusing on costumes, jack-o’-lanterns and crafts because, hello, the first day of October is tomorrow and that means there are only thirty-one days until Halloween. Next week, I’ll highlight the animals of autumn which means, you guessed it, an overload of cuteness. After that the center of attention will be on otherworldly beings who are known for shape-shifting, biting and generally scaring the bejeebers out of mere mortals like you and me. Finally, a tribute to ghosts and specters — stories, hauntings, and spine-tingling fun.
“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns” — George Eliot
• “Decorating Pumpkins & Gourds: 20 Fun & Stylish Projects for Decorating Pumpkins, Gourds, and Squashes” by Deborah Schneebeli-Morrell. Did you know that members of the Cucurbitaceae Family appreciate style? (That’s a little taxonomy-speak for all the scientific classification fans out there). Don’t get me wrong. Pumpkins, gourds and squashes have no problem with hanging out au naturel, but a little careful carving and a splash of fairy lights go a long way in helping a vegetable feel tr?s chic. Check out this book and turn a jack-o’-lantern into a jack-o’-*WOW*-lantern.
