There's lots to do in October

Editor's note: This column was first published on Oct. 10, 1999.

Many years ago I purchased a set of the World Books. Along with it came a gift book titled, "Through the Year with the World Book." It listed things to do each month as if one size fit all. I did most of the things except some like "Make a sail for your boat," and "Make a telescope." The exercises were good for they caused me to make my own list of things to do each month.

Topping my list of "Things to do in October" is gather a little basket full of persimmons. I had meant to do this right after the fair, but all my "Things to do in September" were slow to fulfill and lapped over. One was to hang the many pretty quilts Mama and I made on the clothesline for a sunshiny airing. This is done with much care and attention. I put the newer ones where, should any wind come up, they can take the whipping and flapping around in their stride. So the Log Cabin, the Carpenter's Wheel, the Irish Chain and Tulip Basket hang on the open-to-the-elements portion of the line. The old Star of Texas and Signet Ring are in the protected area.

I like to hang the quilts, folded crosswise, so as to watch the passers-by slow down to have a better look. I imagine their first thoughts are that a yard sale is going on and they'd sure like to have one of those quilts. But, seeing no crowd and no signs, they move on slowly.

Then there are the wren houses to clean out and put away, if structurally, they are assessed to have another year's service in them. Wren houses wear out quickly unless they are ceramic or made of other durable material. Authentic wren houses have a sliding floor which makes them easy to clean, but for some reason the sliding doors and the thin wooden roof and sides wear out quickly. They have to hang out in the wind and weather and unless home-made, the wood used for them is fragile. There are sturdier ones with little round doorways with no way to clean them out except for some pinch-nosed pliers which is a slow process.

I won't gather any more persimmons than it takes to make a very small pudding. But even a small pudding takes a lot by the time you get enough persimmons through the sieve to make a cup of pulp. There are more seeds and skin than pulp to a persimmon. Even when I get a cupful of pulp I load the pudding up with brown sugar, spices and nuts to, of all things, diminish the persimmon taste. It's just a ritual thing.

After that will come a day to wash the persimmon seeds, and the seeds from the paw paws Mary gave me. These are lovely, shiny, brown things. A tiny basket of them placed on the "show-off" table is something different, a reminder to me of the old promise of there always being "seeds within itself." If the contents of the little basket look too skimpy, I'll buy a package of castor bean seeds. They are big and plump. A few butterbeans might do too, some little black-eyed peas and a little pin oak acorns.

On a blue-sky October day, I'll rake a little of the flower border mulch away, scatter some yellow daisy and blue cornflower seed and hope for the best.

Farther down the list is Relocate the Peonies Day. I'll have to have help here so the day will be movable according to the time of my helper. Peonies don't like to be moved and they will pout for a couple of years before blooming again.

Then there is Flu Shot Day.

Washing Sweat Suits Day.

Furnace Inspection Day. More help here. But first the Persimmon Gathering Day. Where is that little basket? I had it just last October.

REJOICE!

Jean Bell Mosley is an author and longtime resident of Cape Girardeau.