October, Already!

October: The 10th month of the Gregorian calendar. Its name is derived from octo, Latin for “eight,” an indication of its position in the early Roman calendar.

In Memphis, October is when the weather finally, FINALLY, begins to sloooooOOOooooly cool off (we are still in the low 80’s here in Memphis, though, so it’s not QUITE cool yet), tailgate parties are in full bloom, pumpkin spice EVERYTHING is EVERYWHERE, and Halloween decorations are popping up left and right, making it hard to determine if that’s my freaky neighbor down the street, or just a scary clown in their yard. It’s awesome. Spirit Halloween stores pop up for the month, and disappear back into the shadows from whence they came as soon as the 31st is done. Where do they come from, where do they go, nobody knows. (Maybe they should be called Cotton-Eyed Joe….I’ll give y’all a minute to fester with that). Yep, October is the month that, for me personally, the holidays officially kick off. (Side note, it’s also booby cancer awareness month, so get those boobies squished and checked for cancer, y’all!)

I recently discovered an orchard that is about 20 minutes from where I live. Jones Orchard. Y’all. HOW HAVE I LIVED IN MEMPHIS ALL THESE YEARS AND NEVER KNOWN WE HAVE ORCHARDS AROUND US TO GO VISIT? Anyways, Jones Orchard has a haunted corn maze that Aunt Connie absolutely flat refuses to go through with me (I mean, c’mon!!!), the apple orchard is now open, as well as pumpkin pickin. If pickin your own pumpkin right off of Mother Earth ain’t your thang, you can walk amongst aisles of pumpkins they’ve already picked for you to peruse. I’m personally aiming for picking my own for the first time ever. Stay tuned, I’ll share details, I’m sure.

September was a blur, and not as much fun for me personally as I would like to experience. Well, not entirely true, I got to go on my first vacation in years. I spent a few days with my best friend of over 20 years on a river in the middle of nowhere with just me, her and my dog. It was glorious and we laughed and talked and ate and sat our butts in the river on chairs and just enjoyed being out in the middle of nature. The rest of September found me with a pulled calf muscle that popped out TWICE, and an ongoing stomach issue that came and went. Once that was gone, I got food poisoning from a bad salad. Y’all. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. OH, did I mention I got popped by an angry red wasp on my inner thigh just cause? Welp, I did. So, I’m glad September is over. lol

Back to October, now that I’m back in the land of the living, I’m back online. I have hardly posted on social media for a bit. To be honest, I’ve enjoyed being off. Taking a social media break is sooo important for our mental health, y’all. Do it. Don’t talk about it. Just, do it. Take a week or two off. If anything urgent arises, you’ll know about it, trust me. Didn’t know I was gonna turn this post into talking about mental health, but I’m glad it went that direction. Right now, I think we are ALL in need of some extra help in that area. So, go fishin, go on a road trip, read a book, sleep in, pet that dawg! Just, get out and be in your comfort zone for a bit to refresh and recharge. Hey, if you need professional help, get it. There’s no shame in that game, either. Yours truly STILL gets professional counseling, so, there ya go!

So, October. I’m going to put up orange and purple lights, pumpkins, and start making my home smell like cinnamon and spice. Yep, watch me. I may even put up some fun outdoor decorations. TBD. 🙂

While I’m “Octoberfying” my house and getting MY boobies squished, go find and enjoy the featured artist of the month, Slim & The Gems, on the Welcome Page, click on the new Spotify 60s playlist, and hopefully enjoy this blog. Y’all go find a “smell good” that reminds you of the fall time, put on some groovy music, and I’ll be back soon with more, much more.

Happy OCTOBER!!!!

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800-273-8255

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And, if no one has told you lately, you are loved, you are amazing, and you still have a purpose on this earth. I LOVE YOU!