I didn’t quite reach my goal of posting twice a month last month, but I hope to make up for it in October. It’s my favorite month of the year: so beautifully golden and crisp, full of soup and bread and fall vegetables, and the best weather for going on walks or sitting and reading a good book. Now we keep the windows open all day, letting the breeze waft through the house and bless each room with the smell of drying leaves and petrichor.

I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. — Anne Shirley

It’s been quite busy over here (but then again, when isn’t it?). Jacob started his job on the 22nd, and he’s very excited to be working at EverBlue. The kids and I have been readjusting to having him away all day. They miss him, but doing crafts, cooking, and homeschooling (and a more-than-healthy dose of screen time) has been making the transition easier for all of us. Thankfully he hasn’t had to travel quite yet — that will begin in late October — but hopefully the routines we’re building now will make his travel a little easier for us.

My parents left on their long-awaited trip to Scotland, and they’re having the time of their life. We’re maintaining the homestead as they’re away, taking care of the animals and gardens. We love receiving random pictures at odd times of beautiful ruins, rolling hills, and highland cows. We send back pictures of the grandkids in return.

I’m continuing to write for local magazines and my own projects, but both have slowed down given our routine shift. I’m trying to figure out how to write more at the end of the day when the kids are asleep, but the mental fatigue has been getting the better of me. I’m also fighting a slight cold and working to meet an impending deadline, so maybe I need to be easier on myself — but I still hope to find a good and steady writing schedule I can sustain.

September 29th was Michaelmas on the Western Calendar, a day steeped in beautiful traditions. We always celebrate our Michael on Michaelmas, as well as on the Eastern calendar’s feast of the Archangels. That’s one of the beautiful things about being both Western and Eastern Orthodox — Michael gets two name days!

We made a blackberry galette with lemon mascarpone — it was quite a hit. Folklore says that when St Michael threw the devil out of heaven the devil fell into a blackberry bush, which is why we eat blackberries on Michaelmas.

However, the real showstopper was the dragon bread. We had a blast mixing it and shaping it — though the final product left much to be desired. It definitely made us laugh, and it was very tasty.

Michael got the dragon’s head (with chocolate chip eyes!) and we sang many years to him. He was very excited, and very happy. We love our sweet boy.

We’ve had some funny quotes, too:

Jake: Beatrice…

Bea: *angry screeching*

Jake: Beatrice, I cannot put four shoes on your feet….

Bea: *more angry screeching*

Michael: I have ten brothers. They live in Hawaii. Or Scotland.

Michael: When the dinosaurs get back from heaven, they will be afraid of us. Even Bea!

(Don’t ask…we have no idea)

We’ve been doing other baking too, now that it isn’t miserable to have the oven on. September 22nd was “Hobbit Day”, otherwise known as Bilbo and Frodo Baggins birthday. Michael asked if we could make donuts to celebrate, so I broke out my donut pan and we baked pumpkin donuts with a brown sugar glaze. They were delicious and didn’t last more than 24 hours because everyone wanted seconds and thirds.

We recently obtained a record player, and my grandparents gave us a bunch of old vinyls they had. It’s been our new favorite ritual to put on a record after dinner and bath time and dance in our pjs to the Beatles or Fleetwood Mac or any number of classical composers like Beethoven and Bach. In the morning during breakfast, we’ve been switching between two favorites: an amazing recording of Peter and the Wolf narrated by David Bowie, and Peter Rabbit narrated by Meryl Streep. Jake and I have also been listening to vinyls while I write in the evenings, curled up in my chair typing while he reads.

I caught up on my Goodreads challenge of reading 55 books this year, and promptly fell behind again. I read Hemlock and Silver by T Kingfisher, Starling House by Alix Harrow, and Grave Flowers by Autumn Krause (all of which were quite excellent). I’m currently reading a phenomenal book called Against the Machine, by Paul Kingsnorth. It’s an excellent critique of and response to modernity.

I’ve been in a knitting slump too, but managed to pick back up a languishing sweater WIP and also cast on a shawl with some handspun gifted to me by a dear friend. As I told Jake, I need a Time Machine so I can keep up with all the crafts and reading and writing I want to do!

So that’s what’s been going on in our little corner of the world. It’s wild and wonderful. We have our share of meltdowns and tears, bad parenting decisions and sibling fights. But even in the patches of overwhelm and fatigue, there’s joy. So much joy.

Happy October. May joy find you, too, in this beautiful season.