The month of October started out with a welcomed cool “spell” and fall decorations springing up everywhere. One morning fall colors were noticed in the silk fichus trees about the facility. The leaves were soon followed by pumpkins, scarecrows, glittery spider webs, and other signs of Halloween days ahead. Doors and windows were decorated and folks are in a festive and fun mood. The colors of fall are refreshing and comforting.

There were some good socials this month, too. We began with our traditional birthday party for everyone born in the month of October. We enjoyed a great ice cream cake and punch. Yum!

A “wine and cheese” party was close behind. Everyone enjoys good cheese, crackers, a pickle or two and a glass of cold white grape juice. It’s a nice treat for the middle of the afternoon.

Later in the month, we all brought a favorite Teddy Bear to a Teddy Bear Social. Some were big, some were small, some wore clothes, and some even sported a bow tie. Some Teddy Bears weren’t even bears at all but were a dog, a cat, or even a green and white 4-H cow! We talked about the history of the Teddy Bear, it’s Mississippi relationship and how comforting a Teddy Bear is. After sharing interesting stories about our Teddy Bear friends, we enjoyed eating teddy graham crackers.

Of course, our volunteers bring cheer to our days and in October we welcomed Tracy Gibbs, the Rev. Edward and Elaine Griffin, and the Rev. Samuel Thompson to our volunteer family. They join the Bailey Ladies, the Revs. David Nelson, James Kimbrough, Karen Speak, and Jackie Dean, Northside Church of Christ, Revival Tabernacle, the Rev. Max Burris, Sister Clark, and the ladies of Trinity Presbyterian, The Joyful Jug Band, Bernard Shaw, Trevaline Morgan, Marie Hutcheson, Melanie Luke, singers from First Assembly, Mt. Zion, Missionary Baptist Church, Fitkins Memorial Church of the Nazarene, Hebron Baptist Church and Mt. Zion Church of Cuba, Ala., Linda Lovette and others who faithfully enrich our lives.

The ladies from the Meridian Council of Garden Clubs presented a program on Autumn leaves and other foliage from the forest. They told of collecting leaves, berries and other greenery from the woods and demonstrated their findings by making a beautiful arrangement for the facility. They also led the group in making decorative “stained glass” panels using some of the yellow, gold, red and green leaves they had gathered. The panels are beautiful hanging on the walls and windows. They show that the colors of the season are just ahead.

Bingo afternoons are fun afternoons too. This month the ladies from Trinity Presbyterian came and we had several great games with good Halloween refreshments. We really love Bingo and played Casino Bingo and Scary Bingo too. The Casino Bingo is self-explanatory. The Scary Bingo was a pre-Halloween treat with prizes pertaining to Halloween. Of course, every Bingo game ends with refreshment treats!

One evening the ladies from Dot Barber’s Sunday School class came and “brought” a Halloween party. They led the group in decorating cookies which were later delicious refreshments with hot spiced tea. A pumpkin was carved into a jack-o-lantern. Some residents had never seen that done and for others, it had been years. There was also a rousing reading of the book “The Old Woman Who Was Afraid of Nothing.” Believe it or not, reading that book was good exercise. The party was great to get everyone in the mood for Trick-or-Treats. Thank you, ladies, for a fun night’s entertainment.

Halloween week was full of fun and left everyone tired but filled with happy memories. The facility was decorated in everything from beautiful fall leaves to witches and bats. it was fun just walking down the halls. First, we watched “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and remembered the antics of Ichabod Crane as we bagged candy for the annual trick-or-treat night. Another day, we enjoyed Halloween trivia and bagged candy. Later, we had a grand Halloween party with corn dogs, chips, dip, punch and cup cakes. Finally, we enjoyed the time of trick-or-treat! Giving bags of candy to the children was great fun and we enjoyed so much the volunteer services of the Meridian Community College nursing classes, Meridian High School student volunteers and HOSA volunteers from West Lauderdale. Some of them came in costume and it was so much fun seeing the little ones surprised by “big” people in costume, too. What a great way to end a very active month! Now it’s time to get ready for Thanksgiving!