The Salad Days

By Reilly Finnegan

There’s just about a week left in my twentieth North Carolina October and I’m just now realizing that there might not be a better place-month.  North Carolina October is it.  Loosely organized reasons in some particular order:

1. The “normal” high for the month of October is 70, and the low is 48, which, if I may be so bold, is perfection.  Shade’s not a necessity anymore but it still means something.  The same goes for a nice fire. This is porch weather and porch weather is the best.
2. With such pristine weather, everyone is afforded the choice, the luxury, of wearing whatever clothes they look and feel best in.  Jeans or shorts.  Socks or no socks. If you’ve got the muscles for it and/or the swagger you can keep at your Augustware most days.  Let some skin show.  After all, it won’t snow.  For the rest of us, time to break out the cardigans.  It’s a fact that it is much easier to be stylish when cardigans, sweaters, and light jackets are back in the rotation.  Lumps are hidden, sweat is a nonissue, and you look so damn collegiate. Plus, you don’t need more than two pieces of fly outerwear because it’s outerwear and you can wear it back to back and so on.  Also, scarves anyone?
3. I’m pretty okay with girls wearing tights as pants and if dudes were so inclined I’d be okay with that too.
4. The aforementioned freedom to look and feel your best makes everyone happy and nice.
5. The adjective autumnal abounds.
6. The above reasons all result in everybody being at their most attractive at the same time as everyone else which means everybody is happily trying to get into everyone else’s good looking pants, tights, shorts, etc.  There’s something really nice about that and it makes everyone happier and nicer still.
7. The impending winter and the fleeting perfection is an underlying impetus for seizing the sunshine and rolling around in the grass and picnicking that always makes October hum.
8. The above reasons are results of Mother Nature taking a welcome break from her whole drama queen routine.  For North Carolina October she’s more like a cool Uncle Nature who’s down with being your wingman.  Or like your Friend’s Mother Nature.
9. Babies start wearing puffy jackets.
10. Babies start wearing their relatively enormous boots.
11. In October everything starts tasting like pumpkins and I’m more than just okay with it.  Pumpkin bread.  Also, iced coffee and/or hot coffee.  Or frozen for God’s sake.  That’s right, given the weather, it’s also the month of drink-your-pick-me-ups-at-whatever-the-fuck-temperature-you-see-fit and no, that’s more than just a minor perk because yes, your any-temperature-pick-me-ups can and should taste like pumpkin too.
12. I’d say ol’ Nature is looking her best in North Carolina October as well.  Leaves are only just starting to change.  There are some dashes of yellows and oranges in the still full NC canopy but they remain compliments, highlights in the lush, full-range of greens.  Contrast is high. You get a more interesting spectrum, a dazzling palette and still nothing’s dead yet.  Leaves aren’t yet covering the sidewalks or lawns so the grass is still visible, green, and inviting.  After a short rain, nature still glows with that springtime, almost post-coital sort of smile on its face, with a satisfied exhale that says something like, “Can’t argue with that.”  Just like when you say “Ahh” after a hot (or cold) sip of pumpkin-spiced something.
13. Appalachia in early fall.