October Ready
Throughout the country we are starting to see a change. A change in the air temperature, a change in the length of the day, and a change in the foods we see and eat. As the season changes so do our activities. The public pools are long deserted, stores are advertising Halloween candy, and grocery stores are changing displays to sell the current seasonal fruit. If look hard enough you can even see the first signs of Christmas and the holiday season too. Now that we realize the world around us is changing we must alter our daily routines and prepare. Additionally we must enjoy the recreational activities that the month of October offers us.
Halloween
As stated above, you cannot go to a store without seeing some sign of Halloween. Some stores sell costumes while others try to ensure that we buy our trick or treat candy from them. Decorations start appearing on yards and advertisements for haunted houses start showing up on TV. The Halloween season is a short one and we must enjoy all of its activities before they are gone for the year. To that end, we must do some research. We must spend time to find out what venues have the best haunted house attractions and what farms have the best pumpkin prices. Furthermore, we must know when trick or treat times are. Most cities have dedicated trick or treat hours and post neighborhoods who are participating. It does not matter if you are taking a kid house to house or are simply handing out candy at home, it is important to know the rules and times. This usually does not take much time, a simple call to city hall or a visit to your cities website can usually yield all the information we need to be prepared to celebrate this spooky holiday.
Local Farms
Fall is the best time of year to visit local farms. Many farms offer seasonal packages and activities that can leave lasting memories for most children. The most common activity is apple picking. It is great fun to take a child out to an apple orchard and let them see and enjoy the trees. They can pick their own food and can learn a great deal about farming by going. Many of these farms have a large selection of pumpkins to choose from and even offer hay rides and other activities to entertain young children. Additionally, these places have a list of programs and activities to choose from and finally some even have shops. The whole process of going out to the country creates a feel of adventure. As a family, we can take a day long adventure, have fun together, and leave with some memories and lots of fresh food. So search the internet and find a farm near you. Going will create lasting memories.
Composting
With the new season come some new responsibilities as well. Leaves begin to fall on our yards, our roofs, and just about everywhere and we must clean them up properly. Racking and bagging leaves in trash bags seems like the simple solution but doing so can actually have negative effects on our environment. Large amount of leaves get buried in landfills and methane gas is made by their decomposition. Additionally, removing all the leaves from our land can be harmful to our plants and lawns. Decomposing leaves leave nutrients that help feed other plants. So what is the middle ground solution? We do not want our yards looking messy and full of leaves. One simple answer is starting a compost pile. Composting is a great way to contribute to making our world a better place and is a great way to save money on the following years gardening budget. A properly done compost pile yields high fertilizer that can be used almost anywhere. The cheap and easy way to compost is to set up an area in the yard but you can go the next level and buy composting bins at your local garden center of hardware store. One important thing is to do your research. Spend a bit of time on the internet learning proper techniques are always advisable. Finally, if children are around it makes a great educational science experiment.
Maintenance
The more unpleasant part of October is the need to prepare our homes for winter. Now is the best time to get the best deals on HVAC maintenance and other seasonal needs. It is the time to check our gutters and to purge our sprinkler systems. All these tasks seem like unnecessary costs but by delaying we only cause ourselves headache and inconvenience. If we just assume our furnace will work and it doesn’t when we need it the most we are in trouble. Not only will our homes be cold but we will likely have to wait some time to get it repaired or replaced properly. The first time it gets cold is when most people realize they have a problem which results in wait times as technicians are typically busy. Additionally, preventative maintenance can save a lot of money. Water build up in a clogged gutter can freeze and expand causing a variety of secondary problems. So taking the time or spending the money to clean them prior to winter is often a solid plan. These are just a few examples of all the things we should do before it is too late. Each home is unique and has its own issues. So spend some time accessing your home and property and make a list of things to look at. It might be a lot of work but can often save you money in the future.
Every month offers its unique challenges and unique opportunities for fun and memories. Above is a simple example of just a few. Just remember October only comes around once a year. Don’t let it pass too quickly.