Savoring November

 

I do not get to every item on my lists for each of these months, but it does make me think about what I might do to increase my enjoyment of the month.  So, I thought I'd do this for November because I feel like I'm going to really need it, with all that we've got going on in our lives just now.

1. Buy apples.  I have asked John to take me to get apples in North Georgia this month.  I had it on my list last month but October sort of took on a life of it's own.  We've got one weekend here in November when this might work for us so I've got my fingers crossed and we'll see.  

If I can't do this I won't be upset.  I'll just take myself off to the groceries and find myself some apples and buy a few there.  There's a store within 30 minutes of home, in an area we don't typically travel that often has Georgia apples and there's a large farmer's market in another town.  Surely, we can manage one of those if we can't go further afield.

2.  Keep fresh autumn bouquets in the house.  I know that some of what we'll be dealing with this month will be unpleasant (construction mess) and getting to the pretty parts of these renovations will take time.  Fresh flowers are a small expense and a touch of beauty that I think I can't afford to pass up.

3.  Order seeds.  I know that come January, I can plant a few crops all over again.  Spinach, beets, Snow peas, English Peas (as we call them), Carrots, radishes.  I haven't got seeds to plan, so if I can't garden, I'll buy seeds and dream of gardening.

4.  Watch "Sweet November".  Not exactly a happy film but it fits in with my theme of movies that are named for a month, lol.

5.  Buy a turkey.  Just because I might not be able to cook one doesn't mean I can't get one or two to stash in the freezer.  And in my opinion, turkey and November just go together, like pumpkins and October.

6.  Buy nuts.  Every year about this time, I buy a bag of mixed nuts in the shell and put them in a big bowl on the counter with the nutcrackers.  My family can't walk by that bowl without stopping to crack and eat a few nuts.  I'll just set the bowl on the dining room table this year.

7.  Stock up on the seasonal stuff.   This probably sounds more like a grocery or economical goal, but it does give me a bit of seasonal glee to purchase baking items, cranberry sauce, stuffing mixes, and such seasonal food items.  I look forward to this every year.  Why not make it part of my November ritual?

8.  Take an autumn leaf drive.  We don't typically have a big show of color in our area but now and then we come across an area of hardwoods that stun us.  November is the only month we're likely to see real autumn color here in our area of Georgia.  

9.  Gather some November themed music and books to enjoy all month long.  After I'd asked Patty Bender about Loring novels that took place in October, she posted a decently large list of books by season/month on her own blog.  That inspired me to try to find start earmarking passages in my books as I read them to let me know if they are seasonally inspired.  I have a world of sticky notes and sticky tabs I can use.  I can see the bookshelves now aflutter with flagged pages...

10.  Foods to enjoy this month:  Baked Apples.  As I'm typing this, John has just asked if I thought a prune stuffed apple would be good.  Immediately a picture in my favorite cookbook of a Baked Apple stuffed with prunes popped to mind and I told him, "Yes, I think it would be good."

Thanksgiving dinner, even if we don't eat it on Thanksgiving.

Goulash.  Hungarian or American.  Yes, they are totally different critters but oh so good when the weather is nippy.

Make a Williamsburg Orange Cake.  And Pecan Pie.  Provided the kitchen is up and running by the end of the month.

How are you planning to enjoy the month ahead?

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