After having a year with basically no winter to speak of, Mother Nature has decided that it is well beyond time for those in my part of the world to “chill out”, as it were, and conveniently dropped the temperatures a good 40 degrees F from where we were just last week.

Mind you, I rather fancy the cooler weather, and since it’s almost November, it’s only right that the skies turn grey, that the flurries start to fly, and the frost comes on the pumpkin.

Speaking of pumpkin, however, brings back to mind those absolutely horrid supermarket pies that are overspiced, over cooked, and feel like you have a mouth of mush if you were so inclined to eat them. Myself? I’d rather take my chances and make a pumpkin ravioli. Or a soup. Something where the vegetable (fruit? Yes, a pumpkin is actually a fruit!) shines and not the spice cabinet. Think of it much like squash or sweet potatoes (which, also, common to popular misconceptions, are NOT “yams”. A yam is a different vegetable all together).

To-may-to, to-mah-to. The improtant thing to remember is to put some colour in your diet, and to eat what you like. Take it easy on the fats, and get your veggies in. (Say what you will, but there’s some correlation — I’ve been losing weight, and increasing my intake of veggies, and my eyes have IMPROVED as I have gotten older. Granted, I’m still nearsighted, but it’s not anywhere near as bad as it once was (in fact, it is over a full point improvement in each eye).

Also… take time each day, even if only 30 seconds, to close your eyes and focus on something that brings you a great deal of joy. There’s really no better medicine for the spirit.