I'll take things a step further: I dislike the month of October altogether.

Starting at the first, you see the orange lights go up. Now, I don't know about anyone else, but I don't really have a favorite color. All I know is that of all the colors, orange is at best unappealing. October is nothing but orange. Not to mention the witch dolls that "crash" into trees, doors, roofs, bushes, and what have you. Not very amusing in the first place, and especially not after you've already seen four in the past block.

Then comes the cold weather. After a month of it, I'm used to it -- but as for October.. egh. It's that time when I need a jacket in the morning, but then I have to lug it around all afternoon after it warms up. It's when I'm not quite used to the cold weather, so it's a tad shocking. There isn't a drop of rain or a patch of fog, both which I love, and both which make the cooler weather more bearable. Nope, only sunny skies and chilly ground weather.

With the cold weather come the first signs of decay. I don't mean the trees, either -- our trees don't start turning those beautiful warm shades 'til after the harvest holiday has passed. The only decay that shows is that which is displayed by overenthusiastic lovers of Halloween. Jack-o-lanterns, fake cobwebs, fake tombstones, dying grass, growing dirt...

Especially bad is that around a week and a half before the holiday (and a few days afterward), I have to keep all my cats inside. Every one of them, whether or not they have a speck of black on them. Otherwise, pranksters, thinking for some moronic reason that they're being funny, will throw paint on my cats, step on them, *try* to run them over... it's horrible.

About the only good thing about October is the corn maze.

Once I'm out of that death-celebrating month, though, I find the winter times very enjoyable. November and December bring about a lot of happiness for me, with the overcast weather and the at least more cheery decorations (though they're still overdone). Somehow it's just more enjoyable.

Ri "it's the most wonderful time of the year... in a couple months" a