Today is a beautiful day…..of course, in my mind, all are. I am a lucky girl.

Fall in California has to be searched for in the south…..it is not bright with reds and golds as in the midwest.  It is subtle, kind of like a treasure hunt.  There are sycamores and elders and maples who like to show themselves as much as possible in this warm and dry climate. They try very hard and I promise I will go out and compliment them tomorrow.

The Santa Ana winds tend to blow in the spring and fall and this week is bringing us a very light Santa Ana.  The hot winds from the desert blow thru the passes and down to the sea where it is usually very chilly (in my opinion). Actually, the temps are very wonderful, especially for plants.  They love the cool mornings and the sea mist that sometimes hangs around til 3 in the afternoon.  The further one goes inland, the warmer and clear it gets.  The ocean is wonderful, but chilly, hence the fog  that comes in the evening and quietly retreats off the coast til the warmth of the desert retreats too.

So  Fall…..in California, time to clean up and clean out.  Brush the yard with the rake to keep the grass tidy, clip the plants with long leaves so they will look neat for winter, and pull out the dead leaves from the season before.

Then  there are those plants who have chosen to live on top of each other. Their seeds flutter to the warm ground and their bulbs and roots reach out over one another to touch the food of the earth. Because bulbs are not ment to live 5 deep, it is up to their caretakers (me) to break them up and apart and find new homes for them in the yard which is all they ever know, unless I give them to a friend to grow up in  their yard/home.

Today it was yard cleaning, pulling here, snipping there, and all the time enjoying the wonderful weather called Fall in California.  Tomorrow the yard work won’t look so daunting, so I might just sit out there with my trees, my plants, and domain and soak up another beautiful day in my life.  I am a lucky girl..and I know it!!    later