October...

I realize that it's been a long darn time since I've posted here...I hope to change that long writing drought.

It's October, which has long been one of my favorite months, probably my favorite.

There are several reasons for this. First off, my birthday falls in October. It's already passed (Happy Birthday to me!), and that's fine. Another year older...

Then, there's Halloween at the end of the month. When I was a kid, getting dressed up for Trick-or-Treating was a big deal, especially in the neighborhoods I lived in. There were always tons of kids going out, and every house seemed to have better and better treats. We got to stay out after dark, got plenty of candy, saw most of our friends...all with our parents' blessing. What's not to love?

There was also the fact that the school year was still new enough that I hadn't grown bored with it, but far enough along to already be in the grove of it. The air was crisp (at least in New York state and Connecticut, where I grew up), the leaves were changing colors, we got to eat stuff I loved - stews, meatloaf, and other stuff deemed too hot to cook over the summer - and the days were growing shorter. (Why I considered that a plus as a kid, I'm not sure. Maybe it was the memory of going to bed when it was still light out when I was younger...)

And finally, there were the holidays following Halloween to look forward to, holidays when grandparents, aunts and uncles, various cousins, and anyone else in the family would show up.

Years later, when I'd grown up, here in Florida, there were other things to love about October. Sure, there was still my birthday (some things don't change), Halloween (my kids started trick-or-treating, then outgrew it), during which time I'd pass out tons of candy, and while the weather doesn't get as cold here in Florida, it does start cooling off enough to make it bearable outside. The shortening days, while not as short as up north, are still something I enjoy.

Years ago, I started driving cab in September. By October, I was getting the hang of it, the snowbirds were coming back to Florida, and life was good. I met my second husband while driving cab (he was another driver; by the time he retired, he'd been driving cab for "only" 37 years) and we planned to get married in October. That got pushed back to November, but that was okay.



It was while we were together that the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure held its first St. Petersburg race. That first race, held in April, 1999, was my first 5K. The following year, the race shifted to downtown St. Pete and was held the first Saturday in October. I made to almost every race, with the exception of 2012 and then the last two races. I considered it a happy October event, something to look forward to.

Another October event that I looked forward to was the St. Pete chapter of the Clothesline Project. (Click here for a brief history of the project.)

Clothesline Project, St. Petersburg, early 2000s







Clothesline Project at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, circa 2009 - 2010.





Group at USFSP who worked on the Clothesline Project at USFSP



However, all good things come to an end. The St. Pete Komen Race changed to a night event in 2015. Then, in 2017, it was changed at the last minute from October to February 2018, due to Hurricane Irma; this turned out to be the last Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in St. Petersburg. (If anyone from the organizing group is listening, if the race is changed back to mornings in October, rather than night, that could help with the numbers running the race. Just a thought...)

The Clothesline Project also ended in St. Pete, for the most part (except for an occasional showing at USFSP).

And October now also holds the anniversary of my better half's death, followed in another blog. (And no, don't ask for the link to it. But if you just happen to stumble across it...cool. Legalities, and all.)

So, while I still love October, the disappearance of important stuff makes the month a little bittersweet.

October Can Be a Little Tricky...

October has been a little rough the past few years.

Mind you, it hasn't been that way. But if you've read most of the posts in this blog, one from exactly three years ago (October 24, 2012; "Octobers Haven't Always Been Rough..."), you might remember that Octobers have been a little dicey over the past few years.

I still like October, for the most part: My birthday falls in October, as does Halloween; the weather starts to cool off a little (even in Florida - or maybe it just feels that way, since the heavy humidity of summer is gone); the holidays are right around the corner. Also, the local Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure happens at the beginning of the month, which is almost always a positive event, held with a party-ish flair. Good stuff.

But then there's the flip side: Nine years ago today, my late husband died. He's thought he'd never marry again after losing his previous wife to breast cancer. (This partly figures into why I started walking/running the first year the Tampa Bay Race for the Cure was held; that year, it was in April, with the subsequent races being held in October. Also, my dad - yes, my dad - was a breast cancer survivor, later losing his life to prostate cancer.) I had also sworn that I'd never get married. As I used to tell Kevin the cabbie, "If Mr. Right ever shows up, he'll have a heck of a time getting my attention!"

But when I first met Paul, I had a strange feeling we'd be seeing a lot more of each other. We married a little more than two years later. And then he died. We'd been married 3 weeks shy of our ninth anniversary. October 3 of this year, I'd officially been widowed exactly as long as we'd been married. That kind-of does a slight number on one's equilibrium.

Paul at Sawgrass Lake Park



So I took this month one day at a time. It was still a bit of a roller coaster month. On the third, my daughter, M.H., drove me to do the Race for the Cure. This year, it was held at night - not the best time of day for me (my night vision isn't the best). It was the first race since having a fairly major medical issue this past spring. On the way there, M.H. stated that she'd wait for me. Then, seeing the festivities, she decided to participate; I think she enjoyed it as much as I did, even if I did run out of steam before we crossed the finish line.

The next day, we went to Pinot's Palette in St. Petersburg (Fla). That day's class was a bit Van Gogh, with the Tardis from Dr. Who. Several hours later, we left with our paintings. Did we have a good time? Ooooh, yeah. Very relaxing, a lot of fun, and something to add a little color to our walls.

Today, we went drove to the University of South Florida St. Pete (USFSP), where the Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading was being held. Only stayed for a little while, took some photos (which will be posted later), then came home. It was a much needed break and diversion.

One more week until October is over - along with passing out candy on Halloween. It may be do-able.