In November

I love Cynthia Rylant's book In November.  I love it because it is well written and November happens to be one of my favorite months of the year. It reminds me of why I love November  Every year, especially in July-September, I yearn for November. I adore November.

Finally this weekend felt like November and Autumn.  After months and months of horrible, suffocating humidity, I awoke to sweater and turtle neck weather and yearned for cups of warm tea and coffee.  I drank in the cool, crisp weather. The morning took me by the hand and invited me to slow down and savor  life. The cool sunny mornings are the best. The best.

November. It is my "just right" month.  The weather changes and leaves descend to the cold unforgiving ground. Trees brace for the blusterous winter weather, feeling rather naked and exposed. In November,  the temperatures are nice and cozy.  The mornings are quite chilly and the afternoons require a light sweater or long sleeved shirts. The evenings are enveloped by darkness and the air temperature decreases by the hour.  Hot tea, coffee and hot chocolate are my preferred drinks. Soup is perfect in November. Chicken soup. Tomato soup. Potato soup. Vegetable beef soup. Any soup will do.

November is the perfect weather for taking long walks. I love to walk near my house and breathe in November. In the Summer months, you won't catch me outside. The heat gets to me and my poor, poor lungs. November's weather, however,  is great for my asthma and getting in some more steps. It is not too cold or too hot, but rather perfect.

November is the month of great football. Every year, I love to watch my beloved Ohio State Buckeyes play football.  The football season heats up in November. I lounge on my couch, flip the channel to see my Buckeyes play against that team from up North.  I am forbidden to write their name, but to help those of you who may be oblivious to this rivalry, I will mention their name this one time. The greatest rivalry in all of college football (sorry UT and  Texas A&M) is between Ohio State and Michigan (that team from up North). This game always takes place the latter part of November. I remember waiting the whole year to watch the game as a youngster. My family and I marked the date on the calendar and settled in for a real barn burner. We lived and died by the results. It is serious stuff, as bragging rights are on the line for one whole year. When I think of November, I think of The Ohio State Buckeyes and the rivalry game. Go Bucks!

I can't have November without Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving means family. Thanksgiving means lots of comfort foods and pumpkin pie. It is really the only day that I will get up super early to prepare a feast that will occur around 2 pm. I love to get up and get the bird in the oven, make real lumpy mash potatoes and use my mom's coveted recipes for stuffing, cranberry salad, and brocolli casserole. I enjoy making all of these delicacies for my family. It brings back so many great memories of Thanksgivings past spent with my family in Ohio. My mom would always have me help her grind out the cranberries and oranges with the peel in her iron hand grinder. I loved helping her prep the night before Thanksgiving. I still have memories of seeing the humongous turkey being placed in water in the kitchen sink. My brother Tim would take the decapitated and somewhat frozen bird out of the stink and chase me around the house with it. It was quite funny!

Ahh...November. There's really no other month that I love more. The weather, drinks, food, family traditions, along with football make it very special for me. I wish it could be extended to sixty days!