October

OCTOBER:

October Flower of the Month: The Calendula & Cosmos.

Zodiac Signs: Libra / The Scales, Sept. 23 - Oct. 23.

Scorpio / The Scorpion, Oct. 24 - Nov. 21.
The Name for the Moon: for October is Hunter's Moon

The Full Moon is: October 4, 2009/ 06:11 / Sunday

October Birthstone: Opal, Tourmaline, Pink Sapphire

Meaning: Hope

About the month of October

October is the tenth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with a length of 31 days. The eighth month in the old Roman calendar, October retained its name (from the Latin "octo" meaning "eight") when January and February were added. October's birthstone is the opal or tourmaline, and its birth flower is the calendula (pot marigold) or Camellia.

October is commonly associated with the season of autumn in the Northern hemisphere and spring in the Southern hemisphere, where it is the seasonal equivalent to April in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa. October starts on the same day of the week as January in common years.

Have a great, spooky month!
Ruth Ann
http://www.r2swanger.etsy.com
http://www.beadkits.etsy.com
http://www.raggbaggs.blogspot.com

Signs of Autumn Are In the Air

I'm quite ready for the autumnal season,
but the weather isn't prepared to cooperate just yet.

Morning temperatures have been in the mid 40s,
but it's 79 degrees right now.

A few leaves have turned because of the dry weather,
but there has been no visit from Jack Frost.

Indian corn has been sighted at the farmers' market
and a few ears followed me home.
I learned my lesson the hard way about decorating inside the house
with these sumptuously colored ears.
Mice come scampering from the fields as the hay is cut
and corn encourages them to linger in the house.
So all corn will stay outside this year.

We plan to go pumpkining this weekend!

Fall Recipe from Susan Branch

I thought maybe you would like the recipe for this, so here goes: While sweet potatoes are cooking (see further along in recipe) cut off the tops of the pumpkins, hollow out cleanly and smear insides with a little softened butter. Put them on a cookie sheet. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. With an electric mixer (not a food processor) you whip together 4 c. cooked (boil them) and mashed sweet potatoes, 8 oz softened cream cheese, 1/2 c. softened butter, 2 beaten eggs, 1/4 c. packed brown sugar, 2 1/2 Tbsp. dry sherry, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Whip until light. Stir in 3/4 c. chopped walnuts. Fill the pumpkins, sprinkle each with nutmeg, put on the tops, and bake 40 min. until pumpkins feel tender when lightly squeezed.