October

"Summer good-bye

Summer good-bye

You may no longer stay

Autumn is on her way -

Summer good-bye

Summer good-bye."

Nostalgia hits with autumn. Memories tumble in ... that golden harvest moon - the largest full moon of the year which rises closest to the autumnal equinox - and the ditty we sang in our youth..."I see the moon, the moon sees me, down through the leaves of the old oak tree...", delightful bonfires in crisp, chilly prairie air along with charred hotdogs and marshmallows roasted on the best stick we could find in the surroundings.

Kicking up leaves, another delightful autumn pleasure..."but isn't it lovely, kicking up leaves." When our first grandson was about a year and a half I would take him for a walk in the stroller. He loved the sound of the leaves crunching under the wheels of the stroller and laughed with glee as the light breeze swirled leaves over the sidewalk scratching a tune as they danced ahead of us.

Autumn has always been a favourite season. In earlier years it heralded the beginning of a new school year, a new box of crayola crayons - only eight beautiful, deliciously waxy-scented crayons, but what a treasure. Oh yes, I did long for that extravagantly large collection of crayola crayons which one of my friends had, containing every hue and colour imaginable.

"Summer Good-Bye", the opening poem today, is the first song I recall learning in school - Grade 1. It has a rather mournful tune and I sang it with much fervor as a kid and have taught it to my students in later years. I loved to sing and over the years, as a classroom teacher, I've used singing to pull the class together over and over again in a wonderful way. Singing is a great tonic and a healer...an exquisite communicator of feelings, thoughts and dreams.

Another rather doleful song of my first Grade has to do with pumpkins. My Dad reminded me in later years how I would reverently sing this song over and over again:

"Jack-o-lantern, jack-o-lantern,

You are such a funny sight

As you sit there in the window

Looking out at the night.

You were once a yellow pumpkin

Growing on a sturdy vine.

Now you are a jack-o-lantern

See the candlelight shine!"

I didn't grow pumpkins this year and so will go and get one, today I think. So no photo today but watch...I've got a good idea...but that will come later. Or "Later, Mater"...as my grandson likes to say.