November seems like the month of NO. No snow. No leaves. No sun. No fun. November.

But, let’s face it. We’re not completely at the mercy of the elements. We can still find ways to enjoy ourselves.

Sooooo, what CAN we do? Hmm.

Our museums have inside activities. Rockwell Museum and Arnot Art Museum are each hosting a portion of a show that explores Crafting Identity. We saw the foreign works at Arnot, and found them thought-provoking. We also enjoyed again seeing the permanent collection, heavy with 19th-century representational works, but we like to expand our horizons. We’ll soon be catching the domestic pieces at Rockwell, too.

Glenn Curtiss Museum is having a “First Across” centennial exhibit on the US Navy’s 1919 expedition that made the first transatlantic flight, in a Curtiss seaplane. (Eat your heart out, Charles A. Lindbergh.) National Soaring Museum opens its dollhouse and miniatures show on November 16… always worth a drive up the hill. And Corning Museum of Glass has a special exhibit on the role of glass in our first moon landing, fifty years ago. Yates County History Center in Penn Yan has a special exhibit on Groffdale Mennonites… their faith, their customs, and their lives among us.

Off-Monroe Players in Rochester does a free Gilbert and Sullivan production every November… this year it’s Ruddigore, with six performances between the 15th and the 24th. OMP performances are always a load of fun.

Clemens Center in Elmira is presenting productions that range from Disney Holiday Party on Tour to The Diary of Anne Frank.

Our region has deer, bear, and bobcat hunting seasons on some dates in November, along with squirrel, pheasant, ruffed grouse, and various small predators.

On the other hand, that can put a crimp into your hiking. But minimally you can still walk, and let’s face it – even though it’s snowing as I write this, that doesn’t have to keep us immured inside, and on top of that there will be PLENTY of nice days this month (along with some bad ones). Take a walk down the Main Street in Naples or Canandaigua… follow the audio tour of Bath… hike the rail trail through Elmira, which has just installed new mileposts.

When you get a half-way decent day, visit the marinas or waterfronts at Penn Yan, Geneva, Hammondsport, Canandaigua, Watkins Glen. They’re a very different world, and a much quieter world.

Go, not necessarily to the mall, but just to your local supermarket. Stroll through, taking the time to EXPERIENCE your visit. Take in all the Thanksgiving decorations, and get yourself into the season a little bit.

If you’re out on a walk or a drive, especially with kids, see how many decorative turkeys you can spot along the way. If each of you takes one side of the street, you can make a little contest of it.

Make sure you get your Scouting for Food bag out. And/or make a gift to the Food Bank, or to your church’s food pantry, to help those who are hungry as the year gets cold.

Put your bird feeders back out! Thanksgiving to Easter is a good rule of thumb here in bear country. Our juncos are back, here in Bath, though in reality they only go up to Mossy Bank Park – they’re pretty much altitude migrators, rather than latitude migrators. Birds in your yard are a promise of spring!