Reveling in September

“Listen to September’s sweet song and revel in all life’s possibilities.”
Victoria Magazine
September, 1993

I think that September is one of the loveliest months of the year. We are usually over the hottest months of the year. The cool weather gives me energy to tackle housework that has fallen by the wayside in the heat.
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Last week, Hubby and I took off one day and went on our favorite autumn trip, to Mount Saint  Mary’s Cistercian (Trappist) Abbey in the Sheldonville section of Wrentham. We have been going there since our kids were little. Each year, we would seat the three kids at the statue of Our Lady in front of the abbey. If I could find all the packs of photos of the kids through the years, we’d be able to watch them grow as we look at the pictures. For a while, the statue was partially covered by bushes but now the bushes are quite low so that the Blessed Mother can be seen in all her glory. Hubby took my photo as I sat in front of the statue, and I took his.
We then went down to the Big Apple Barn. There is a huge tree in front of the barn so we took each other’s photos there also. There were very few people there on this Tuesday morning. For many years, we ended up going to the Big Apple on Sundays, when Hubby and the kids were off from school. It is a hubbub of activity on a fall Sunday. We went straight the back of the barn and found quite a few bags of McIntosh apples. If I remember correctly, last year the Big Apple didn’t have any Macs picked the day we went. This year, there was a barrel with apple discards, which were free for the taking. The ones offered were Macs and they were delicious. After we picked up our bag, we looked around the barn and saw other fruits and veggies. The tomatoes were beautiful but we already had tomatoes at home. We almost bought some gorgeous peaches but we already had the apples, some clementines, and bananas at home. I hadn’t seen the pie table before, but I dared not go near it. I would be tempted to buy one.
As we left the Big Apple, we could almost hear the Cracker Barrel restaurant at the Wrentham Outlets calling our names. It was early, about 11:30 a.m. We found a parking spot almost in front of the door. We spotted the array of rocking chairs outside the restaurant. We must remember to take our photos sitting in a rocking chair now that we are both 80. Both Hubby and I headed for the magnificent gift shop. Oh, if I only had a million dollars! There were Halloween items that were hilarious. They already had out items for Thanksgiving and even some for Christmas. They had Willow Tree figurines. We know where the marked-down clothing racks are placed so I headed for them. The store had lots of tiny clothing on the racks but nothing for me. As I went to find the Willow Tree items, I saw the most beautiful red top hanging nearby. How pretty that would be at Christmas time. I decided, however, not to buy it. I would only wear it to Cousins Margie and Janet’s Christmas Open House and then I would carefully have to wash it and put it away till next Christmas.
Then our name was called to be seated in the restaurant. Having eaten breakfast about 5 a.m., we lost no time in taking our seats. I know that meat loaf is the special on Tuesdays so I barely looked at the menu. Hubby chose pot roast. The restaurant also offers (diet) root beer in an icy mug, which is so elegant. Because it was chilly, Hubby had hot decaf coffee. With our meals, we received two corn muffins and two (maybe baking-powder) biscuits. I ate one biscuit and saved the corn muffin for breakfast. I didn’t dare go back to the gift shop after we finished lunch or the red top would be in a bag under my arm. We decided that we would go back home without stopping at the Christmas Tree Shop. We made it home before the school parents flooded our streets with cars.
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On Thursday, we picked up our pal Eileen Burke and took a lovely drive to the Irish Cultural Centre in Canton. It was a little bit cool and the sun was shining brightly. We were quite early because the traffic was light. We were horrified at the traffic still going into Boston on the other side of the Expressway that morning. We discovered that the pathway into the Centre had been paved, making the ride in much smoother. Hubby was delighted that the parking area has been lined for parking cars. The area is much more orderly. Our friend Eileen Collins had come in just before us with pals Carol, Evie, and Phyllis. We found our usual table. There were quite a few Irish newspapers to read. We saw that Mossie Coughlan was getting his music set up for the afternoon. Soon the tables began to fill in. Our Canton pal Kathleen, whom we haven’t seen for quite a few months, came over to greet us. She explained that she was afraid that she would be in an accident so she gave up her driver’s license, at age 90. We had seen Kathleen in Market Basket a few months ago. Her town takes seniors to shop so she took advantage of the van provided. Tom and Barbara Cheney came in and since a couple of our regular tablemates were absent, they were able to sit with us. Our usual pal Ronnie brought Mary Carr with her this month. Our friend Rita came in and sat at an adjacent table. Then a woman whom we did not know sat in our vacant chair. Thanks to our friend Tess, who writes the name tags, we learned that her name was Sister Kathy. I had a Dorchester Reporter with me so I gave it to her to read since she didn’t know any of us.
Then Father John McCarthy, our Irish chaplain, began Mass. He told us that the world is a lonely place for some. He also told us that at the next Irish luncheon on Oct. 16, there would be an Anointing Mass. Father John also announced that he had heard that that day was my 80th birthday. Then he announced that a woman named Joan in the audience was 94 that day. Of course, we all sang “Happy Birthday” to her. Father also announced that Audrey was filling in as Senior Coordinator for the Irish Pastoral Centre until that position is filled.
Then it was time to get in line for the food. We watched as the ones who already had their food walked by us. Their plates looked great: pot roast, with mushroom gravy, roasted potatoes, corn and carrots mixed, a salad, and a roll. While we were waiting to get our food, Sr. Kathy Green (“just like the color”) and I began chatting. She knew Fr. George, our pastor, very well. She knew his brother, Fr. Bill. She knew Sr. Elizabeth, Louise Tardif, and Dorothy Harris. She was thrilled that Hubby and I were Fr. George’s parishioners. She said that she would be on the parish-fundraising cruise in October. Mary Shea, Peg Canty, and Carol Murphy wished Hubby and me a “Happy Birthday” while we were standing in the food line. So did all our pals from Keystone.
As soon as we finished our food, Kevin brought around a plate of small sweet treats for each table. Ronnie went up and brought back a carafe of coffee for us. That was the last we saw of Tom and Barbara. Barbara had said to me, when she joined us, that she and Tom were hoping to dance, and dance they did. I think they danced all the dances except the “Gay Gordon,” which was a little too strenuous for them. All of us agreed they looked terrific dancing. We also agreed that our pals Tess and Jim Collins looked equally as good out on the dance floor. Traffic home was pretty light so we made good time. We all said that we would be at the Oct. 16 luncheon because it would be the Healing Mass.
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This past Saturday, I found a group of our friends at the back of the church as Hubby and I entered. Our pal Joan was there with a gift bag. She passed the bag to me and wished me a “Happy Birthday.” Inside the bag was the prettiest yellow begonia. I don’t think I have ever seen a yellow begonia. What a beautiful yellow (creamy)! I thank her for the plant and for Hubby’s astronomy book.
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The following is attributed to Oprah Winfrey: “Every single one of us has the power for greatness because greatness is determined by service – to yourself and others.”


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