I’m enjoying living in the country near a small city (Owen Sound has a population of about 21,000), but there are a few chain stores which I like to visit periodically that it doesn’t have. So when we traveled to Ottawa for Thanksgiving I made sure to stop at DavidsTea and Bath and Body Works. Now I’m all stocked up with tea and bubble bath for the winter. (Marble Slab, I guess I have to say goodbye to our tradition of BOGO ice cream cones on birthdays.)

As for other recent favourites, if you need suggestions of things to read, eat, play, watch, listen to, or meditate on, here are the things I especially enjoyed in October.

Read

I read two Anne Tyler novels this month, her latest (Clock Dance) and an earlier one (Saint Maybe). I enjoyed both but neither became my favourite Tyler novel. (Not sure which is my favourite… perhaps Digging to America. I’ve read 8 out of 22, so lots of reading pleasure still awaits me.)

Sometimes I want to read something light and cheerful, but I have a hard time finding a “fluffy” novel that doesn’t drive me crazy. Well, this month I read the first Mitford book and it fit the bill.

I also read Thimble Summer aloud to my kids. Gone Away Lake is one of my favourite kid books, so I’m not sure why I never looked up others by Elizabeth Enright. Thimble Summer was a fun, old-fashioned story, low on suspense but high on interesting happenings in the life of a Wisconsin farm girl.

Eat

Like every October, Thanksgiving food was a highlight this month. This year we made it to Ottawa to celebrate with Andrew’s family, so the food was especially delicious.

From Ottawa we headed to Philadelphia to visit more relatives. There we enjoyed a caramel tart from The Ultimate Bake Shoppe of Ardmore and fresh doughnuts from Linvilla Orchards (bonus: the wooden play equipment and petting zoo). Then in Petersburg, Virginia we tasted doughnuts from Buttermilk Bake Shop, along with delicious tacos, soup, pumpkin oatmeal, and more made by my sister, who lives with her family in Hopewell.

On Saturday we made apple cider (from the trees just outside the house) and caramel corn. A good way to soak up the season.

Play

While visiting family in Philly and Virginia we were introduced to two games. Chronology has a simple concept: you arrange cards with historical events described on them into a timeline. Civitas is a fast-paced card game featuring different forms of government — surprisingly fun.

We continue to borrow games from our local library; this month these included Sequence Letters and Brain Builders, both fun ways to get kids thinking in different ways.

Watch

This month I thought I would include two YouTube series that I’ve enjoyed but never bothered to mention before.

Worth It is a BuzzFeed series where the hosts taste three similar foods at “drastically different price points” and decide “which is the most worth it at its price.” For example, they recently compared a $6 sandwich vs. $180 sandwich. Season five just wrapped up so there’s lots to watch if you’re interested.

Another food related series I’ve enjoyed is an Epicurious series where an expert in a specific food (such as spices or hot sauce or cheese or ice cream) guesses cheap vs. expensive versions.

Listen

This episode from the Journeywomen podcast discusses smartphone use. The way I use technology is something I need to keep thinking about and I thought this interview made some good points.

Meditate

O Lord, you are my God;
    I will exalt you; I will praise your name,
for you have done wonderful things,
    plans formed of old, faithful and sure. – Isaiah 25:1

What are some things that made you happy in October?