November's Bad Rap

Poor November....that lonely month, or so it seems, akin to maybe only February in the words of poets.  Witness Thomas Hood, from "No!":

"No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member -
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds -
November!"

Or Sir Walter Scott's quip:


"November's sky is chill and drear,
November's leaf is red and sear."

But I tend to lean toward Edgar A. Guest's view of the month:

"Give me the end of the year an' its fun
When most of the plannin' an' toilin' is done;
Bring all the wanderers home to the nest,
Let me sit down with the ones I love best,
Hear the old voices still ringin' with song,
See the old faces unblemished by wrong,
See the old table with all of its chairs
An' I'll put soul in my Thanksgivin' prayers." 

In my experience, November has always been a month of action.  First of all, we've got the changing foliage around us, daylight savings ends and there's Thanksgiving towards the end of it.  This year we've got a lot more going on.  This Saturday, November 19th, it's the Elves Fair at Waldorf School, The Market At St. Elizabeth Of Hungary Church, and Webster's Community Pharmacy's Holiday Open House.  It's also our monthly Wine Pairing event and this month's starring vintage is the new Beaujolais Nouveau release!  Anne Bannon of OddBallGrape.com will entertain us with the history and pageant of this particular wine, which is mandated by the government of France to be released on a yearly basis on the 3rd Thursday in the month of....you guessed it....November!  Singled out as one of the very few red wines that are best served chilled, it's also a natural as a companion to a Thanksgiving table.  That means we'll be tasting the new Beaujolais release against tasty favorites like turkey and stuffing, sweet potatoes and of course, pie.  The fun starts at 4:00 p.m., but that's not all - our good friend Marcia Copess of  Home Body Botanicals  will be in store to answer questions about her completely natural, locally-made, homeopathic skin, body and home care line now available at WFS.  We're excited to have her and her good-for-you products in store, and we know you'll want to know all about them!  We hope you'll find time in your day to drop by - we'll be waiting for you.

All in all, November has turned out to be not as dreary as lore would have it.  We've signed on several more local artists including two natural soap makers and one who makes the most darling fascinators - those British-inspired head fashions that have taken the U.S. by storm - you'll just have to come in and see these quirky beauties, and take a whiff of the new soap products, as well. We have three local artists' work hung on our walls - Patrick Gothard, Aldonia Bailey and Rose Sinatra.  Most of all, though, we're enthused and honored to be part of a market test for new product made by our friend Ellen Zimmerman called Jewish Holidays In A Box.  Geared toward busy or mixed-faith families, this is a one-stop shop for celebrating holidays, including Hanukkah - it has everything you need, such as a CD that goes through the different rituals, prayers and pronunciation.  We thought it was such a great idea that Ellen is letting us test out some of the Hanukkah kits - look for them on our shelves soon! 

Gotta run now, dinner's almost done.  Have a wonderful week ahead, friends, and remember: "Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn." -  Elizabeth Lawrence

Lori and Scott