I’d sum up October as more outdoor adventures plus visiting with relatives, while also dealing with cold symptoms. Here’s what we got up to.

Read

I listened to Ivanhoe for my book club (and also for school — Year 7) but ended up sick so I missed the meeting. I’m glad I finally read some Scott… apparently Charlotte Mason read him every day!

I highly recommend the interactive board book Tickle My Ears; it’s perfect for two-year-olds. I also loved Everyday Bean and ordered more books by Stephanie Graegin from the library.

Do

After climbing Cascade Mountain was easier than I expected, Giant Mountain was a real challenge! I was so proud that Malcolm made it all the way up without being carried. There were spectacular views on the way up and at the summit. The entire hike took a good 7.5 hours and we treated ourselves to the Asian Buffet in Saranac Lake afterwards.

I thought we were done in with hiking for the year, but we decided to climb a small mountain the following Saturday. We did Coney Mountain last fall also; it’s a good one for kids.

We had a bonfire with some friends from church (after missing the church bonfire in the spring). It waas complete with hamburgers, hotdogs, really good German potato salad, smores, and even guitar music and funny stories.

Not long before Canadian Thanksgiving Andrew found a pheasant that had been hit by a car. Long story short I plucked and gutted it (one person fainted in the process, but it wasn’t me) and then roasted it up a few days later. We took it as a small contribution to Thanksgiving dinner with Andrew’s cousins. There was a remarkable amount of food there and we brought home leftovers for days. It was a really lovely visit including a long walk through crispy leaves in the woods. It’s good to be able to cross the border!

The kids had their first piano recital. They protested less than I expected and it was a good experience for them. It was less than half an hour, which was nice for the audience!

My parents came up for a visit and we had a great time walking by the river (we seized our chance before it rained for two days), playing all sorts of games, learning embroidery stitches, and visiting the North Country Children’s Museum, which has a new addition with climbing structure (taller than I expected), Amish house, and opera house, weather exhibit, and baby/toddler room. We look forward to them visiting again!

Eat

A few online recipes that I recommend are chicken cordon bleu (even though it’s “easy,” it’s time consuming, but it was a big hit with my kids), bacon-wrapped chicken (much faster to make), chicken tikka masala (I wish I’d learned this curry paste hack ages ago), good morning sunshine muffins (not gummy, so I’m printing this recipe out), and hot fudge pudding cake (just like one of my favourite childhood desserts from a United Church cookbook).

I also recently tried Smitten Kitchen’s pork agrodolce (the sweet and sour sauce is made with red onions and red wine vinegar — leftovers made a great condiment).

Finally, we stocked up on fresh raw honey from the Laing Family Farm. Yum.

Watch

We watched a couple episodes of Beyond Paradise; it is cheesy but hits the spot sometimes.

Listen

We learned a funny Yorkshire fol song called “On Ilkley Moor Baht ‘at.”

Grow

We harvested beets, carrots, kale, spinach, and peppers in October. The jalapeno count was 135 (only two plants!) plus I moved one plant inside and it still has about ten peppers on it. We also moved some basil, parsley, and rosemary inside so we’ll see how they survive. The kids helped me empty all our containers and stack them up in the basement for next year. Near the end of the month we planted two little rows of garlic.

Meditate

“So Jesus again said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.'” – John 10:7-15

What are your October favourites?