October

October is the time of autumn, of harvests and iridescent leaves.  When I was growing up in New Brunswick it was the time of Indian summer after the early frosts. (I rather like the morning haze of Indian summer, but it's harder to notice in the big city.) It ends with Halloween, which I lost interest in when I was just twelve!

For me today, October is the start of Tuesday night rehearsals for the Toronto City Opera, whose chorus I sing in.  I live within walking distance of the Bickford Centre, and in October the weather is sometimes good enough  for me to walk there!  I always enjoy the first months when we're just concentrating on learning the music. (In the new year we're learning our movements onstage, which isn't quite as fun:  I start worrying about all the mistakes you can make!)

October was also the time of the October Crisis in 1970. (I remember a kid in school telling the joke: "When did the alphabet have only 23 letters?  When they couldn't find the FLQ!") And it's the time of the October War in the Middle East in 1973, which led to the OPEC boycott and the Energy Crisis, which I wrote about last week.  And it's the time of Oktoberfest, but I don't drink beer.