Autumn has arrived in So.CA

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Journal entry: November 18, 2001

It is finally autumn in Southern California. I wait patiently all year for this, my favorite season, to arrive. As I arose this morning at 6AM to get in my run before the world awoke, I paused outside the front door while putting on my running shoes to glance at the thermometer. The 3 pumpkins I carried up from the garden and placed near the front door at Halloween were not sporting coats of frost, but it felt cold outside.

Even though the sun had begun its ascent into to the foggy sky, the temperature was still only 42º. I love this cool, crisp weather. After the long, scorched Summer, this is a delight to the senses. I turned back, headed inside to grab a pair of cotton gardening gloves to wear on my run.

I could smell the scent of smoke from a wood fire wafting in the air. I know its coming from Bob and Rosemary’s chimney. Bob loves to get up early this time of year just to build morning fires. Soon, they’ll be burning all day long.

The scenery along my 5-mile route changes daily this time of year. The landscape does not disrobe as it would in the colder climates of the Midwest and East. But we do have some species of hardwood that transform the skyline with spectacular colors of Fall.

The Sycamore leaves look like brown, crumpled paper. The Chinese Elm and Poplar are the color of saffron. But the most striking are the Sweet Gum trees. The Sweet Gum next to the chicken coop is in full riot, dropping bushels of gold and red leaves each week.

Avocados are considered evergreens. They do drop their leaves each year, though only after a fresh coat of new leaves unfurl, waxy green with coppery-bronze edges, gleaming like newly minted pennies.

Returning home, I noticed the Maple Leafed Ivy along Bear Valley is shining in the morning sunshine: deep magenta and 5 shades of orange. Then I cut over to Citrus and ran along the Thielan’s pasture to see the baby buffalo. He was born this past July. I call him Flagg. I’m not sure what they named him. The Thielan’s run the local feed store.

As I headed up the lane to the house, I stopped to pick a few Valencias. This time of year they are the sweetest. We have 5 orange trees along this lane and never seem to know what to do with all the fruit. We usually donate it to the Senior Gleaners, reserving a single tree for our own use.

While catching my breath, I decided to survey the garden. Grabbing a bucket along the way,I was sure that something needed to be picked. This season of bounty and harvest make all those trips with the wheelbarrow full of compost worth the effort.

My haul today includes about 3 dozen of the reddest chilies I’ve had the pleasure of growing. These are Anaheims. I have developed a fondness for these beauties in chili rellenos. The town we live near is heavily infused with the Mexican flavor of the locals. The food has made me an addict. I plan to roast the peppers on the BBQ and toss them into the freeze, a trick I picked up here on the forum. Although, I never seem to find the skins ready to fall off without a struggle. That’s why instead of chili rellenos, I wind up with a chili relleno casserole; the peppers are fairly thrashed by the time I finish. But it tastes just as wonderful, smothered in salsa.

In addition to the peppers, I saw 12 sweet bell peppers, still green. They will have time to turn crimson before any killing frost arrives. That is still nearly 6 weeks away. But there were 2 beautiful red tomatoes that made a great lunch, sliced and stacked between the halves of a warm onion roll. Nothing compares to the pride one feels for the first tomato of the season, but nothing else gives such satisfaction as the last perfect globes harvested during the holidays. I almost want to hang them from the Christmas tree some years. But they never make it past lunch in most cases.

The parsley is growing strong and the reason I grow it is clinging tightly to several braches:those striking caterpillars of green with black and orange banding. They are enough reason for anyone to grow this plant. One was crawling off past the strawberries probably to find a nice warm place to spin a cocoon and wait for life to begin anew.

That is the theme in a garden; life evolves through the seasons, each bringing a series of wonderful changes that I eagerly await. I have the good fortune to continue growing all Winter. The broccoli and cauliflower plants are head and shoulders with the cabbage. I will start another flat of seeds this week and plant them in the raised beds about New Years.

Sundays are simply heaven. Autumn is less demanding of my time. With enough buckets I finish my gathering on the weekends and have time to devote to preparing for the up-coming holidays. After feeding the chickens I headed inside to a hot cup of coffee and to read the paper. I even had time to take the mountain bike out for a ride afterwards.

When I returned from my ride, my partner had surprised me by stringing the Christmas lights along the eave of the roof. We usually do it on Thanksgiving Day, but rain is predicted for the end of the week. The lights are turned on each year on Thanksgiving Day, after dinner, with everyone gathered in the front yard to witness the spectacle. It begins the Christmas Season. This is our tradition. We are grateful for our good fortune here on Rancho Summit. May you enjoy love and friendship during this season of bounty and carry on traditions of your own. Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

-- Dwight (summit1762@aol.com), November 19, 2001

Answers

Dwight, This sure brought about memories! I am from SoCA and have experienced everything you describe. Even down to the avacado trees! I am currently in Colorado and do miss CA, even with all the smog, congestion, etc. There is something magical about living in the "perfect" weather of SoCA where darn near anything will grow all year round. My favorite thing was going for a quite horseback ride those misty mornings in early spring, when you can ride to the top of some rolling hills and watch the fog evaporate and reveal the town below! I miss it terribly and hope to come back some day.

-- ellie (eagle-quest@juno.com), November 19, 2001.

You said it, Dwight. I'm in Temecula, and the smell of the Eucalyptuses (excuse me... Eucalypts) and of the fallen Sycamore leaves combined with the crisp nights and anticipation of the rainy season is one of my favorite times of the year. Thanks for posting this -I hardly ever read anything about SoCal here!

-- Leslie A. (lesliea@mm2k.com), November 19, 2001.

Dwight, thanks for posting. After all the bickering on this forum over trolls and fake threads it's wonderful to be reminded of what's really important in life and what we should focus on.

-- Katherine in KY (KyKatherine@Yahoo.com), November 20, 2001.

Dwight, thanks for sharing. I really like your decriptions :-)

-- george (bngcrview@aol.com), November 20, 2001.

yup, waiting for the rains. Only had one since early June. It's quite unique here to see nearby mountains covered in snow yet have green grass and blooming flowers all winter long.

-- Dave (something@somewhere.com), November 20, 2001.


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