What we did, read, watched and thought about this month.

Todd R.: The Golden Age of Television continues, with Billions, Succession and Yellowstone all re-starting this fall. We’re unhappy that we must wait for Peaky Blinders, so we’ve gone “retro” and added Designated Survivor to our list. Steve Van Zandt’s Unrequited Infatuations was a solid and quick read, as was John Grisham’s The Judge’s List. The Whistler, the first in this series, is helpful to read before the latest one. And the Wild are off to a winning start, so all is right in the world.

Alyssa: I love a good rock and roll story, so I was eagerly awaiting Dave Grohl’s new book, which I pre-ordered months ago. Although it was interesting, it was a disappointingly tame story compared to others in my rock library. I also watched some Squid Game and Dave Chappelle’s The Closer.

Rich: October was highlighted by Moderna booster shots for Kari and me, and a trip to Washington, D.C. Our wedding anniversary happened in October, and we decided to go to Washington to visit friends who attended Georgetown with me, and be tourists. We had a wonderful dinner party with about twentyfriends and toured memorials and museums. The highlight was the African American Museum - definitely a ”bucket list” must-see. 

In addition to the Booster shot, I have been getting prepared for knee replacement surgery on Nov. 10. The first 10-14 days of recovery are difficult, but it is definitely time to get this done.

Finally, I continue to be involved in the election in Minneapolis. Nov. 2 is the day. I am hoping for a good result and the beginning of the rebuilding of our city. Be sure to vote!

Todd S.: October is all about Halloween for the Stone family. It’s a month-long event for us — from picking our own pumpkins to decorating the house with the same intensity as Christmas Vacation. Oh yeah, I saw Dune, and was quite underwhelmed. (Shhhh! Don’t tell Sarah. She thought it was good.)

Sarah: We adopted a cavapoo puppy – Millie – early in the month and I’ve been busy training, spoiling and giving her all the pets. The kitties are getting used to her mostly out of necessity, ha. She has snoozed through my binge of the entire 17th season of Grey’s Anatomy and the final episodes of Only Murders in the Building. Besides obsessing over the pup, I also managed to win my Bach Bracket league back-to-back weeks while cheering on Minnesota native Michelle Young on the Bachelorette.

October in Southern Minnesota has been gorgeous. On the garden front I harvested the last of my produce – eight pounds of tomatillos, dozens of acorn squash and brussels. I put garlic in the ground and transplanted far too many plants from my childhood home – including literal heirloom peonies from my great grandparents – as my parents prepare to sell. Being in the garden in the evenings has been calming and I’ve continued to witness spectacular sunsets. Planning has already begun for next year!

Field meals have become a habit and combine rides an evening ritual. I hope I don’t jinx anything… but harvest is almost over! I’m now accepting restaurant suggestions for our end-of-harvest celebratory meal.

Anna: This month Isaac and I took advantage of the still-warm weather to travel, including trips to Panama City Beach, Florida and Providence Canyon, Georgia (also known as the “Little Grand Canyon”). In Georgia, we enjoyed camping near Lake Eufaula. Highlights were stargazing, playing cribbage and cooking over the campfire – lowlights were finding a black widow, stepping on fire ants and sharing a twin air mattress. I’ve also been enriched by several Bible studies with friends in the books of James and Revelation. I succeeded in making wild rice soup (a fall classic) in the Instant Pot after we finally located an overpriced package of wild rice here in rural Alabama.

Cullen: This month I experienced my first Badger football game at Camp Randall, where the tailgate alone made up for the loss to Michigan. A week later, I swung through homecoming at Saint John’s, where the tailgate was nearly as good, and the game’s outcome much better (56-0 W). While there for the weekend, I also managed to hit the lakes and locate some bass and pike before cold weather sets in, as well as compete as an alumnus in the annual Sagatagan Sprints Regatta with the current CSB/SJU crew team and several other alumni.

Of course, no October in Minnesota would be complete without a visit to an apple orchard. Lauren and I chose Pine Tree Apple Orchard to get our fix of cider and apple donuts – highly recommended.

Jessica: Hard to believe spooky season is at an end and Thanksgiving is slowly creeping upon us. I started off the month with a weekend fishing trip to Superior, Wisconsin with some of my college friends. Unfortunately, we didn’t catch anything, but we did get breathtaking views of the fall foliage. I also attended my very first concert at First Avenue! 100 gecs put on a great show, and First Avenue is now at the top of my list as my favorite music venue.

Halloween was another highlight of my month. My friends and I decided on a Charlie’s Angels group costume and we knocked it out of the park (though I may be a bit biased). We celebrated at a Halloween Hocus Pocus Drag Brunch at Crave, which was absolutely outstanding.

In my free time, I’ve been reading Writers and Lovers by Lily King and have been thoroughly enjoying Ted Lasso (definitely lives up to all of the hype).

Jayme: This month involved many spoOOooky fall festivities. From apple picking and watching classic Halloween movies, to visiting the Minnesota Zoo Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular (a must-see!) and hiking the shores of Northern Minnesota, October was jam-packed. I had my first Blue Door Pub experience this month and got to enjoy the notorious Jucy Lucy...needless to say, I will be returning for more good eats.

As always, I read many books this month and completed my goal of reading 75 books this year (now attempting 100 before the end of the year)! Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling, and A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders were my favorites out of the bunch. My husband, Cory, our sweet pup Ruby, and I spent a weekend in the Duluth area as well, hiking Gooseberry Falls State Park, Split Rock State Park, Jay Cooke State Park and making a stop at Black Sands Beach in Lake County, MN – all of which were beautiful! We also made a pit stop at Zenith Bookstore in Duluth, a quaint little book haven that I’d highly recommend. All in all, a quality month!