Spectacular fall colours abound, but they wont’ be around for long.
Audio: Listen to Roger Currie’s commentary on October
October may just be my favourite month of the year. My darling daughter and the world’s greatest grandson were both born in October.
At least half the time, the weather is still sufficiently nice for doing without socks and topcoats, and that might not happen again until next April.
In the natural world, October features a few things can only be called a wonderment. Up in the sky, squadrons of Canada geese are getting their flapping orders for the trip south .. audio .. I swear they must have squadron leaders, or at least flight lieutenants. I mean how else can they possibly know where they’re going, and how to get back here in the spring?
Then there are the leaves. If you’re thinking of heading out for that country drive to catch those fall colours, in the Red River Valley in Manitoba, or the beautiful Qu’Appelle Valley in Saskatchewan, don’t wait too long. It’s a magical moment that is over all too soon.
I live in an apartment, so I don’t have to rake them up, but I still love to walk through the leaves and feel the crunch under my feet. How I wish we could still burn piles of them in the city, but I won’t go there.
Before you know it, it’s Halloween, maybe with snow, and maybe not. Then comes that stretch of four or five months when socks and topcoats are essential, along with scarves and mitts. You don’t dare dress like a teenager on the Canadian prairies, even if you are one.
Enjoy October, because it’s almost half done. A spectacular harvest is wrapping up in the fields, and the Living Skies are absolutely amazing.
Much as we might dream about life on a tropical island paradise, there’s a lot to be said for the Four Seasons on the prairies.
I’m Roger Currie
Early Autumn, by Qian Xuan.
