“GIVE ME JUICY AUTUMNAL FRUIT, RIPE AND RED FROM THE ORCHARD.”
~WALT WHITMAN

MONTHLY SIGNS & SYMBOLS

FULL MOON:

“HUNTER’S MOON”

FLOWER:

CALENDULA

TREE:

MAPLE, WALNUT & ROWAN

COLOR:

BLACK, ORANGE

BIRTHSTONE:

PINK TOURMALINE & OPAL

ANIMAL TOTEMS:

RAVEN, SNAKE & BUTTERFLY, WOLF

ASTROLOGICAL ZODIAC SIGNS:

LIBRA: (SEPTEMBER 23 – OCTOBER 22)
SCORPIO: (OCTOBER 23 – NOVEMBER 21)

PLANETS:

Venus (Libra)
Mars (Scorpio)

NATURE HOLIDAYS & OBSERVANCES

OCTOBER: National Farm to School Month
OCTOBER (1st Wednesday): National Kale Day
OCTOBER 1: Raccoon Appreciation Day
OCTOBER 4: Feast of St Francis of Assisi
OCTOBER 4: World Habitat Day
OCTOBER 12: Old Farmers Day
OCTOBER 13: World Day for Natural Disaster Reduction
OCTOBER 16: World Food Day
OCTOBER 31: Halloween

THIS DAY in HISTORY

OCTOBER 2, 1933: THE ”FIVE DAY WORK WEEK” IS OFFICIALLY SANCTIONED BY THE “A.F.L.”
OCTOBER 2, 1950: CHARLES SCHULZ’S “PEANUTS“ COMIC STRIP MAKES IT’S DEBUT.
OCTOBER 2, 1959: ROD SERLING’S “THE TWILIGHT ZONE” MAKES TV DEBUT.
OCTOBER 5, 1970: THE ”PUBLIC BROADCASTING SERVICE” IS FOUNDED ON THIS DAY.
OCTOBER 5, 1921: THE 1ST RADIO BROADCAST OF THE “WORLD SERIES” AIRS.
OCTOBER 7, 2001: U.S. INVASION SIGNALS START OF “WAR IN AFGHANISTAN”.
OCTOBER 9, 1997: DARIO FO IS AWARDED THE “NOBEL PRIZE FOR LITERATURE”.
OCTOBER 10, 1973: VICE PRESIDENT SPIRO AGNEW RESIGNS.
OCTOBER 16, 1995: 1,700,000 PARTICIPANTS JOIN THE “MILLION MAN MARCH” RALLY.
OCTOBER 17, 1978: PRES. JIMMY CARTER SIGNS “THE DEPT. OF EDUCATION” BILL INTO LAW.
OCTOBER 17, 1888: THOMAS EDISON FILES A PATENT FOR THE 1ST “OPTICAL PHONOGRAPH” (MOVIE).
OCTOBER 17, 1939: “MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON” MAKES IT’S FILM DEBUT.
OCTOBER 19, 1959: “THE MIRACLE WORKER” BY WILLIAM GIBSON, OPENS IN N.Y.C.
OCTOBER 21, 1915: THE 1st TRANSATLANTIC RADIO TELEPHONE WAS INVENTED.
OCTOBER 21, 1925: THE “PHOTO-ELECTRIC SOLAR CELL” IS 1ST DEMONSTRATED AT AN INDUSTRY CONVENTION IN NYC.
OCTOBER 22, 1879: THOMAS EDISON INVENTS THE ELECTRIC LIGHTBULB.
OCTOBER 24, 1940: THE “FORTY HOUR WORK WEEK” GOES INTO EFFECT UNDER THE “FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT OF 1938”
OCTOBER 25, 1983: THE UNITED STATES INVADE GRENADA.
OCTOBER 25, 1962: JOHN STEINBECK IS AWARDED “THE NOBEL PRIZE FOR LITERATURE”.
OCTOBER 25, 1971: “THE ELECTRIC COMPANY” AIRS ON “P.B.S.”
OCTOBER 27, 1787: “THE FEDERALIST PAPERS” FIRST APPEAR IN N.Y. NEWSPAPERS.
OCTOBER 27, 1972: “THE CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY ACT” IS SIGNED INTO LAW.
OCTOBER 29, 1929: “BLACK TUESDAY” STOCK MARKET CRASH SIGNALS THE START OF A 10YR. “GREAT DEPRESSION”.
OCTOBER 30, 1938: ORSON WELLES PERFORMS “WAR OF THE WORLDS” RADIO BROADCAST. WIDESPREAD LISTENER PANIC OVER “MARTIAN INVASION” ENSUES.

FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS

*GROUCHO MARX (OCTOBER 2, 1890– AUGUST 19, 1977)
—-VAUDEVILLE / FILM / TV COMEDIAN (”THE MARX BROTHERS”)
*MOHANDAS K. GANDHI (OCTOBER 2, 1869 – JANUARY 30, 1948)
—-INDIAN INDEPENDENCE / NON-VIOLENT RESISTANCE LEADER
*GORE VIDAL (OCTOBER 3, 1925 – JULY 31, 2012)
—-WRITER, JOURNALIST, ACTIVIST
*ST. FRANCIS of ASSISI (OCTOBER 4, 1181/82 – OCTOBER 3, 1226)
—-PATRON SAINT OF ANIMALS , ENVIRONMENT
*BERNICE JOHNSON REAGON (born OCTOBER 4, 1942)
—-SINGER / SONGWRITER / ACTIVIST / SCHOLAR ( “SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK”)
*BUSTER KEATON (OCTOBER 4, 1895 – FEBRUARY 1, 1966)
—-VAUDEVILLE / FILM ACTOR, PRODUCER
*PHILIP BERRIGAN (OCTOBER 5, 1923 – DECEMBER 6, 2002)
—-CATHOLIC PRIEST, ANTI-WAR ACTIVIST
*DESMOND TUTU (born OCTOBER 7, 1931)
—-ARCHBISHOP, “NOBEL PEACE PRIZE” RECIPIENT
*YO-YO MA (BORN OCTOBER 7, 1955)
—-CLASSICAL CELLIST, HUMANITARIAN
*HENRY A. WALLACE (OCTOBER 7, 1888 – NOVEMBER 18, 1965)
—-33rd VICE PRES. of U.S. / SEC. of AGRICULTURE / SEC. of COMMERCE
*JESSE JACKSON (born OCTOBER 8, 1941)
—-CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST, REVEREND, U.S. POLITICIAN
*TANYA TUCKER (born OCTOBER 10, 1958)
—-COUNTRY SINGER / SONGWRITER
*ELEANOR ROOSEVELT (OCTOBER 11, 1884 – NOVEMBER 7, 1962)
—-1st LADY, “NEW DEAL COALITION” ACTIVIST
*DICK GREGORY (OCTOBER 12, 1932 – AUGUST 19, 2017)
—-COMEDIAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST
*MARION JONES (born OCTOBER 12, 1975)
—-U.S. OLYMPIC TRACK & FIELD WINNER, “WNBA” BASKETBALL PLAYER
*LENNY BRUCE (OCTOBER 13, 1925 – AUGUST 3, 1966)
—-STAND-UP COMIC, SOCIAL COMMENTATOR
*OSCAR WILDE (OCTOBER 16, 1854 – NOVEMBER 30, 1900)
—-AUTHOR, POET, PLAYWRIGHT
*NOAH WEBSTER (OCTOBER 16, 1758 – MAY 28, 1843)
—-LEXICOGRAPHER, WRITER (”WEBSTER’S DICTIONARY”)
*RITA HAYWORTH (OCTOBER 17, 1918 – MAY 14, 1987)
—-FILM ACTRESS, DANCER (”GILDA”, “THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI”)
*EVEL KNIEVEL (OCTOBER 17, 1938 – NOVEMBER 30, 2007)
—-DAREDEVIL / ENTERTAINER
*BELA LUGOSI (OCTOBER 20, 1882 – AUGUST 16, 1956)
—-STAGE & FILM ACTOR (“DRACULA”)
*JACK ANDERSON (OCTOBER 19, 1922 – DECEMBER 17, 2005)
—-INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST, COLUMNIST, “PULITZER PRIZE” WINNER
*MICKEY MANTLE (OCTOBER 20, 1931 – AUGUST 13, 1995)
—-MLB “BASEBALL HALL OF FAMER”, (NY YANKEES)
*ALFRED NOBEL (OCTOBER 21, 1833 – DECEMBER 10, 1896)
—-CHEMIST, ENGINEER, INVENTOR (”NOBEL PRIZE”)
*DIZZY GILLESPIE (OCTOBER 21, 1917 – JANUARY 6, 1993)
—-JAZZ TRUMPETER, COMPOSER, BANDLEADER
*CURLY HOWARD (OCTOBER 22, 1903 – JANUARY 18, 1952)
—-VAUDEVILLE / TV COMEDIAN (“THE THREE STOOGES”)
*GERTRUDE EDERLE (OCTOBER 23, 1906 – NOVEMBER 30, 2003)
—-U.S. OLYMPIC WINNING SWIMMER, 1st WOMAN TO SWIM ENGLISH CHANNEL
*JOHNNY CARSON (OCTOBER 23, 1925 – JANUARY 23, 2005)
—-COMEDIAN, WRITER, PRODUCER (HOST OF “THE TONIGHT SHOW”)
*“WEIRD AL” YANKOVIC (BORN OCTOBER 23, 1959)
—-MUSICAL PARODY COMEDIAN, PRODUCER, ACTOR
*MINNIE PEARL (OCTOBER 25, 1912 – MARCH 4, 1996)
—- “GRAND OLE OPRY” & TV’S “HEE HAW” PERFORMER / COMEDIAN
*PABLO PICASSO (OCTOBER 25, 1881 – APRIL 8, 1973)
—-SPANISH ARTIST, PAINTER, SCULPTOR (PIONEER OF “CUBIST MOVEMENT”)
*DYLAN THOMAS (OCTOBER 27, 1914 – NOVEMBER 9, 1953)
—-WELSH POET, WRITER
*BOB ROSS (OCTOBER 29, 1942 – JULY 4, 1995)
—-TV ART INSTRUCTOR
*HENRY WINKLER (born OCTOBER 30, 1945)
—-TV / FILM ACTOR, DIRECTOR PRODUCER (”FONZIE” from “HAPPY DAYS”)

FACTS & TRIVIA for OCTOBER

IT’S “NATIONAL ARTS & HUMANITIES MONTH” (US)
OCTOBER IS NATIONAL HISPANIC, ITALIAN, GERMAN, and POLISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH.

HOME & GARDEN

Cut back Summer blooming perennials.
Separate and transplant (or give away) excess overgrown perennials.
Keep on top of Fall debris clean-up.
Fill and stir compost bins.
Plant trees and shrubs in time for Winter.
Plant winter annuals such as pansies, snap dragons, mums, violas, ornamental kale, etc.
Harvest time for pumpkins, winter squash, potato, root crops, etc.
Garlic, chives, onions, winter greens can be sown.
Sow cover crops in vegetable beds to be tilled in for extra nitrogen and other essential nutrients, in the Spring.
Broadcast wildflower seeds for spring bloom or fallow fields/meadows.
Wrap up outdoor painting projects.
As outdoor light diminishes, take down screens and wash Summer dust off windows.
Inspect and winterize your home. Seal up any potential entrances that rodents, etc. might get in.