When Benjamin Bunny sneaks into Mr. McGregor’s garden at the first of October, he’s sure to find Marigold and Cosmos flowers planted abundantly. These fall colors set the scene for the changing season, even if our Arkansas temperatures still feel like summer time. We’ve been averaging about 11 degrees F above our normal high. At least the marigolds, symbols of creativity, passion, and optimism, are reminding this sweaty bunny cooler days are not far off. The cosmos, a symbol of peace, tranquility, and harmony, will be lovely in a bouquet when I have my first sweater day.
Week 1 of October is Get Organized Week. If this rabbit ever gets organized, it’ll be the end of the world as we know it. Week 2 is Fire Prevention and Pet Peeve Week. As the sun sets earlier, some folks begin to burn candles. Let’s keep them away from flammable materials and don’t go to sleep and leave them burning. I’ve been on some spiritual retreats in which late into the night, the candles caught the stage on fire, not to mention one lingering post Thanksgiving coffee and pie session when the centerpiece burst into flames! Watch those rabbits leap into action! As I approach the “age of forgetting things,” I’m using battery candles, so I have one less thing to concern my rabbit mind.
My Pet Peeve is Candy Corn. It ranks about even with Circus Peanuts. I know rabbits who dearly love these two sugar bombs, but give me dark chocolate any day. At least it has flavonoids and some passing acquaintance with “health.” These other two candies are straight sugar without even a vitamin added! Candy Corn was invented in the 1880’s, at a time when American sugar confectioners were molding liquid sugars into different agricultural shapes. At the time, our nation was distinctly rural, with half of workers employed on farms. The candy was first marketed as “Chicken Feed,” because corn wasn’t really a food most Americans considered fit for human consumption.
When World War I caused wheat shortages, Americans turned to corn flour, corn meal, and cornbread, foods which once were considered “poor folks’ food.” War became a great equalizer, in life as well as in death. Even after World War I, candy corn maintained its association with chickens. Packages of candy corn from the Goelitz Candy Company in the 1920’s displayed a rooster and the motto, “King of the Candy Corn Fields.” After the turn of the century, bunny children bought this candy in bulk for a penny and kept many a dentist in business. In the 1950’s candy corn became a Halloween staple, so much so nearly 35 million pounds are sold every year.
Circus Peanuts are 2023’s #1 Most Hated Halloween Candy, followed by Candy Corn at #2. Please don’t buy these for the darling bunnies who dressed up to beg at your door for a treat or a trick. Or you could keep a stash for teenagers who’re too old to be out and about, but then the upcoming “Do Something Nice Day” might be difficult for us. Remember, we rabbits form our habits from an early age, so limiting added sugar to occasional treats and giving little bunnies natural sugar is a better choice for a healthy life. My trainer used to remind me I could never out exercise a bad diet, so most of my benefits were gained in the kitchen.
International Coffee Day is October 1. As far as this bunny is concerned, every day is Coffee Day, but I do like my coffee. I take mine black at home, and barely treated up in the coffee shop. National Frappe Day is October 7. Don’t confuse the Greek Frappe with the Starbucks Frappuchino: the former is shaken and the latter is blended. Of course, we rabbits don’t need an official day to celebrate with our brew of choice. Every day is coffee day.
The first two weeks of October wrap up National Hispanic Heritage Month plus National Taco Day is October 4. The origin of the word taco comes from the Nahuatl’s “tlahco,” translating to “half, or in the middle” in English. This describes the way we fold this tasty flatbread before eating it. Tacos are made from the crop we know as corn, which was domesticated from wild teosinte grass as far back as 8,000 years ago in Mesoamerica. The maize grown in the Americas (Zea mays) wasn’t eaten fresh like sweet corn, but was allowed to dry on the stalk and then ground into flour for tortillas, corn breads and corn mush. From its origins in central Mexico, knowledge of maize production spread to all corners of North and South America. The first European settlers learned to grow maize from the Indigenous peoples already present in the New World.
Do Something Nice Day is October 5. Of course we bunnies shouldn’t wait until an official day to do something nice for someone, as 1 Thessalonians 5:15 reminds us:
“See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all.”
If we bunnies keep acting like this, we’ll make World Smile Day, October 6, into a daily occurrence. What a concept, we bunnies acting for the common good, rather than what’s merely in our special interest. If we find life too hard to smile, remember National Depression Screening Day is October 8.
Mad Hatter Day is October 6 because the Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland wears a hat with a 10/6 tag. Hatters were known to be a tad loopy because they used mercury in the felting process to make the top hats in fashion during the 19th century. France banned the use of this toxic substance in 1898, but until WWII took priority, mercury was used in American felt hats. Now hydrogen peroxide is used instead. As we consider workplace safety and health, don’t forget World Mental Health Day is October 10. For those bunnies who work from home, paid or unpaid, your mental health is also important. Reach out for help—don’t suffer alone—others have been where you are now. It’s never the end of your journey as long as we keep walking together.
Also happening near mid month is Earth Sciences Week from the 8th to the 14th. This is a week dedicated helping the community understand the earth sciences and to encourage all us rabbits to practice Earth stewardship. Science helps understand the interconnection of species and habitats, while faith helps us understand our place in the great scheme of all things. As Psalms 24:1 reminds us:
“The earth is the LORD’s and all that is in it,
the world, and those who live in it;”
World Egg Day is October 13. This is a day to enjoy your eggs sunny side up, scrambled, as an omelette, a quiche, or French toast. Eggs have gotten a bad rap over the years, falling out of favor because of their cholesterol levels. Of course, we also tend to eat our eggs with fried bacon, sausage, and heavily buttered toast or biscuits. Maybe we impugn the egg, when it’s their fellow travelers that bring along the excess fat and cholesterol baggage instead. Anyway, as the ancient Greeks were fond of saying, “Moderation in all things,” and “Nothing to excess.”
Global Handwashing Day and National Mushroom Day are both celebrated on October 15. As a reminder, mushrooms from the grocery store need to be washed before you put them in a salad or cut them up to cook, just as your bunny paws should be washed before you begin to handle food in the kitchen. As we approach cooler weather, we’ll all be inside with our families and friends, as well as with our colleagues at work and our social gatherings. These aren’t well ventilated places, so we’ll need to use good handwashing techniques when we return home, so we won’t bring germs and viruses inside with us.
I know I sound like a bunny germ cop, but of the 40% of Americans who’ve had COVID, 1 in 5 of those are still experiencing long COVID symptoms. That’s nearly 9 million adults who’re still affected by long COVID symptoms, as well as over 380,000 children. The pandemic may be officially over, but COVID still stalks us like an ex that won’t let go. This bunny is about tired of all this, but we’ll all get through this hard time together. Sometimes we think our actions only affect us, but when we jump into the great pond of life, our splashes get not only those near to us wet, but the ripples from our entry travel far out to the distant shore.
We may not see how our actions or inactions affect others, but rest assured they do. We do well to remember The Golden Rule as Jesus taught it in Matthew 7:12–
“In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.”
Unfortunately, too many little rabbits today live in fear, so they never risk doing good in case they get harmed in return. Better to do nothing, never stick your neck out or get trapped, by entering into the world. In the Golden Rule principle, if you do nothing for no one, no one will do anything for you. Our lives are communal: we live in families, neighborhoods, towns, and cities. We also have counties and countries of which we’re a part, not to mention athletic teams we cheer for and hobbies we practice with other interested folks. As the Buddhist principle of karma understands it, “What goes around, comes back around.” In other words, we get out of life what we put into it. If we want a richer, deeper, more meaningful life, we practice the activities of the heart, mind, compassion, and community to bring us into a more meaningful life. If we want a small life, we shrink within our shell.
World Food Day is October 16. It celebrates the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) aim to help the lives of people in third-world countries and rural populations, to aid countries in famine, and to contribute to their economic growth. They do this by highlighting the importance of agricultural productivity, helping countries to change their agricultural policies and implement new technology, and providing a safe and neutral space for politicians to discuss agricultural issues. The theme this year is “Water is life, water is food. Leave no one behind.”
World hunger is still a problem. An estimated 829 million people still go hungry every day, approximately 11% of the global population. There was a large increase in the number of people without food between 2019 and 2022 due to war, COVID-19, and related issues such as homelessness and poverty. The continued Russian aggression against Ukraine has diminished their once dominant sunflower oil industry and decreased their wheat production and exports. Although the USA doesn’t purchase these agricultural commodities, the nations in Africa do. With the price increases, the economic instability in multiple countries has led to multiple military coups. Because the African continent has a growing population and is expected to surpass even the Chinese population by 2100, economic and political stability in this part of the world is important to the rest of us around the world.
Week 3 is Pastoral Care Week. Remember, your pastor takes care of the body of Christ, both within and without the church walls, all year long. On the 3rd week of October, I hope the body of Christ takes care of the pastor.
Most of October in my rabbit hollow will be taken up with decorating for Halloween or All Hallow’s Eve as it’s known in the church. Already the front porches and bushes near my own cozy den are overwhelmed with pumpkins, straw bales, cobwebs, scarecrows, witches, ghostly sheets, and other ghoulish creatures. Some of these items will be stashed away come November and the remainder will be Thanksgiving motifs. These will soon be whisked away or trashed if they’ve been too long in the elements (this is an earth science project for you—start a compost pile with your outdoor decorations rather than put them in the trash. Your garden will thank you.)
The change of seasons always puts me in a Robert Frost mood. Some can’t resist barn attire, boots, and corduroy jeans, but I’m still wearing sandals and shorts. Still, an October Poem from 1915 by Robert Frost seems appropriate:
O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
To-morrow’s wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
To-morrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow,
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know;
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away;
Retard the sun with gentle mist;
Enchant the land with amethyst.
Slow, slow!
For the grapes’ sake, if they were all,
Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,
Whose clustered fruit must else be lost—
For the grapes’ sake along the wall.
The harvest season is upon us. May yours be bountiful and the days be sunny.
Joy and Peace,
Cornie
7 Foods Developed by Native Americans | HISTORY
https://www.history.com/news/native-american-foods-crops
What is a Frappe (vs Frappuccino)? They’re NOT The Same!
https://www.homegrounds.co/what-is-a-frappe/
7 Little Known Facts About the Mad Hatter – Goodreads News & Interviews
https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/563-7-little-known-facts-about-the-mad-hatter
Are they good or bad for my cholesterol? – Mayo Clinic
Long Covid Is Real. Now the Evidence Is Piling Up.
Countering Coups: How to Reverse Military Rule Across the Sahel | United States Institute of Peace
https://www.usip.org/publications/2023/08/countering-coups-how-reverse-military-rule-across-sahel
How Africa will become the center of the world’s urban future – Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2021/africa-cities/
Who Invented Candy Corn? | HISTORY
https://www.history.com/news/candy-corn-invented
The WORST Halloween Candy & the Best | CandyStore.com
https://www.candystore.com/blogs/holidays/definitive-ranking-best-worst-halloween-candies
John Oliver: Share Your Peanuts (How Much Sugar Do You Eat Daily?)
From 2015–his humor may not be suitable for all audiences
Cornie's Kitchen 