Boo! BOO! BOO!  BOO! 

Did we scare you??

There! How'd you like that?
Are you Scared NOW?

NO !!! ?
Well, just keep watching
'cause something will
make your hair stand on end
before we're done... I betcha.

   October is coming! See the oak leaves swirling down the lane and gathering in the fence rows? This morning a few gold finches put in an appearance at the fountain for drinks and a bath. Their arrival is a trifle early this season, but they are always a welcome and wondrous addition to October's bright blue days. I suspect other feathered autumn travelers won't be far behind. Usually crowned sparrows arrive in the garden within a week of the first finches. How delightful!

    In my mind October officially heralds the start of The Holidays. I frequently find visions of sugarplums dancing through my head in quite moments. A stroll along the creek bank presents me with a dozen ideas for dried arrangements, wreaths or potpourri, and I return home carrying brightly colored leaves and intricate seed pods. Usually, by the end of September, I've already completed a mental inventory of decorations to be brought from storage and refreshed with the treasures I've found.

     I long ago stopped buying decorations for October, November and December. Instead I take enormous pleasure in carefully unpacking my old, well loved, things and setting them out for another season. This tendency to cling to the old and reject the shiny - plastic - new; tells me in no uncertain terms I now qualify as an old fogey. But you know... it's interesting how many of my guests express the same sentiments. Young or old, we seem to agree - there's real beauty and quality in the traditional.

    This Holiday season I invite you to contemplate the beauty and quality in your family traditions. And should you be one of the unfortunate millions who have no family, much less family traditions, I invite you to join us here at Nana Ellen's for ideas on building a set of traditions that will be all your very own. A beautiful and peaceful life is always a matter of personal choice anyway!

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