These cool mornings and evenings remind us that October is finally here.   Its name comes from the Latin word, eight, the eighth month in the Roman calendar.   The first frost usually appears in October, especially on the Cumberland Plateau.  Leaves change their color.
Many people flock to Gatlinburg and the Smokies to witness the beautiful fall leaves.  I prefer to just stay around here and see God's handiwork in our area.
Both the cosmos and the calendula are named the October flowers. The gem for the month is the opal or tourmaline.
On Oct. 12,  many schools and organizations celebrate Columbus Day, the anniversary that marksb the day Christopher Columbus discovered America. Then, on Oct. 31, Halloween is celebrated.
One of our businessmen in town, Jamie Waggoner, along with some others, has been to Mexico to lend engineer support for a new product launched there at a plant.  He is Product and Process Engineer at Federal Mogul. He said that he loved the food there, not too spicy hot. One of his best experiences was a visit to the Pyramids.  He climbed to the top of the Pryamid of the Sun.  He added that the houses are stacked on top of each other due to the heavy population there.  The plant was in Tepozotlan, Mexico.  He also witnessed children begging on the streets and people sleeping near the roads.  The weather was perfect, he added.
I know Miranda and their  children are glad he's back home.
A friend sent me some info on margarine vs. butter.  The article said that margarine was originally used to fatten turkeys. (Are we turkeys?)
They added yellow food coloring for food appeal. I remember the little yellow blob in a package of white margarine. many years ago.  Do you?  Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women. (Why just women? That's not fair)
Meanwhile, on the butter side, it is slightly higher in saturated fats vs. five grams in margarine.  But butter has many nutritional benefits  where margarine is high in trans fatty acids. Also, get this. Margarine is only one molecule away from being plastic. Ugh!  I've decided to not use either one, just go bland on my bread.
Speaking of all this, don't forget the Preventive Health Screenings on stroke detection on Oct. 6, from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at the First Baptist Church.
Also Health Spring is hosting a Medicare Health Fair at the Family Medical Center Parking Lot also on Thursday, Oct. 6, 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. There will be entertainment, flu shots, snacks, bingo and lots of medical information.  Sounds good!
Get well wishes and prayers for:  Jeff Baker (son of Rev. Vincent Baker), Fay James, Phyllis Bennett (at home now), Sarah Brown, Jeanette France, Pat Paris and Randy Paris, (an accident).
Coming up is the fall break vacation for DeKalb students from Oct. 10-21.  Whoopee!  No school for two weeks.!!!
School Humor: Little Johnny wasn't getting good marks in school.
One day, he tapped his teacher  on the shoulder and said, " I don't want to scare you, but my daddy said if I don't start getting better grades, somebody is going to get a spanking."
Keep a smile on your face and laugh often.  Amen.