When it's October | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: Please join me in welcoming Author Michele Rhem, who presents us with her poignant mémoires of the Rabbit Patch, where her diaries weave tales of a simpler, expressive life lost to many, but gathered together in her most familiar environs - the Rabbit Patch.

    I am quite sure that all the world sings in October. I saw the sun rise this morning on my drive to work-and this day was born in a beautiful manner, I can assure you-and worthy of a song. It started off with the fog that has become very familiar. The sunlight was muted and it turned the gray fog a lovely shade of pink. Nature is full of surprises and one never has "seen it all" as we think, I realized. As the sun reached the tree tops, it crowned them in gold. The trees whether stately or not appeared to shine themselves. This morning, would be a hard act to follow.

    October is full of wonderful and beautiful-in many forms. The climate is particularly pleasant with its' bright days and cool nights. I find it difficult to be inside when I am convinced that every day is the grandest that has ever been. Today, I spent my break outside. It was for just a few minutes, but long enough for me to disturb a covey of small birds under the persimmon tree. The fruit is far from ripe, so I did not feel so bad about it. Just past the persimmon tree, a bluebird was foraging in a carpet of bright yellow leaves. This is why I love October, I thought.

    Leaves tumbled across the road, on my drive home. The wind today was friendly and without malice, as it had been just a week ago. I pulled in to the rabbit patch and drove by the pumpkins and the yellow chrysanthemums on the porch-and I thought, this is why I love October, too.

    All of the days' inspiration showed up on the kitchen table. It just seemed like the day warranted a celebration of some sort and so we had a "Sunday dinner" on a Tuesday night. I made extra gravy for Cash, Christopher Robin and Christopher Robins' little friend. I have been trying to "tame" the small kitten anyway, and thought surely gravy would help-and it did. I carry a little dish out each night with some sort of temptation in it. He eats greedily and allows me to sit near enough to rub him. This night was no different.

    He and I sat together, though there was a good foot between us. The moon rose up and cast its' shine like it has a million times before, but that fact did not diminish the effect it had on the rabbit patch... and I thought, this is why I love October.