Another turning of the wheel and now it is Fall once again. There is a difference in the air, it seems softer though here in the high desert the days are still hot. Nights are starting to get cooler. Here and there on the valley floor trees have patches of leaves starting to turn and the sunflowers are dying down. Rabbit bush is brilliant gold and the aspens are starting to change up in the higher altitudes. It is one of my most favorite times of the year.
For me Fall is a defining time, a harvest time yes but also a time of planning for the future. It is a cleaning and clearing out time...the garage has been sorted and reorganized, a yard sale held and what ever did not sell was donated. Closets are systematically gone through and things that need fixing are fixed. Simply put it is a time of getting things put in order. On all levels this seems to be happening in many areas of my life at this time. Change is good!
Of course a large part of Fall is about harvesting. It is time for apples, pumpkins, squash of all kinds (Yeah, my favorites are acorn and butternut!), and time to can and freeze as much as possible. It has been an odd summer though and the tomatillos and tomatoes just seem to be taking their sweet time. We had an early batch and then nothing for a long time. All of a sudden in the past couple of weeks fruit has started in earnest again. I just hope they ripen before the first frost. There is an organic farm south of town where we can pick apples and we plan to make a batch of apple butter and sauce.
Everyone is wooding now too. Everyday I see trucks heavily laden down with wood going down the grade. We have a cord and a half stacked already. When you live in a harsh climate you learn to prepare early.
I love to go in search of interesting seed pods, grasses, leaves, cones and flowers now. I keep a basket in the car in case I spot interesting "roadsideia floribunda" as we used to call it in the floral industry. I collect fall leaves and press them in books and then I use them around the house or I cut a few branches and put them in vases around the house. I start collecting pine cones now, if they are dropping, so as to get them ready for the holidays. I bake them on foil lined cookie sheets at 200 degrees for about 10-15 minutes or until the sap melts and creates a lovely sheen. Let them cool and you won't have sticky sap all over your hands when you work with them.
We took a drive up to South Lake, about 9,800', this past Sunday and it was already spectacular.
The aspens were gold and orange and vibrant. The road follows alongside Bishop creek which flows all the way down to Bishop from the mountains. I stopped and walked out on a foot bridge. Aspens were on both sides of the creek and overhead and they created a colorful frame of the creek and the mountains in the background and a line of color that ran all the way back from where we had started.
Autumn is also about being thankful and grateful and I am everyday. I truly believe that we harvest exactly what we sow so be mindful of the seeds you cast today. Blessings!
For me Fall is a defining time, a harvest time yes but also a time of planning for the future. It is a cleaning and clearing out time...the garage has been sorted and reorganized, a yard sale held and what ever did not sell was donated. Closets are systematically gone through and things that need fixing are fixed. Simply put it is a time of getting things put in order. On all levels this seems to be happening in many areas of my life at this time. Change is good!
Of course a large part of Fall is about harvesting. It is time for apples, pumpkins, squash of all kinds (Yeah, my favorites are acorn and butternut!), and time to can and freeze as much as possible. It has been an odd summer though and the tomatillos and tomatoes just seem to be taking their sweet time. We had an early batch and then nothing for a long time. All of a sudden in the past couple of weeks fruit has started in earnest again. I just hope they ripen before the first frost. There is an organic farm south of town where we can pick apples and we plan to make a batch of apple butter and sauce.
Everyone is wooding now too. Everyday I see trucks heavily laden down with wood going down the grade. We have a cord and a half stacked already. When you live in a harsh climate you learn to prepare early.
I love to go in search of interesting seed pods, grasses, leaves, cones and flowers now. I keep a basket in the car in case I spot interesting "roadsideia floribunda" as we used to call it in the floral industry. I collect fall leaves and press them in books and then I use them around the house or I cut a few branches and put them in vases around the house. I start collecting pine cones now, if they are dropping, so as to get them ready for the holidays. I bake them on foil lined cookie sheets at 200 degrees for about 10-15 minutes or until the sap melts and creates a lovely sheen. Let them cool and you won't have sticky sap all over your hands when you work with them.
We took a drive up to South Lake, about 9,800', this past Sunday and it was already spectacular.
The aspens were gold and orange and vibrant. The road follows alongside Bishop creek which flows all the way down to Bishop from the mountains. I stopped and walked out on a foot bridge. Aspens were on both sides of the creek and overhead and they created a colorful frame of the creek and the mountains in the background and a line of color that ran all the way back from where we had started.
Autumn is also about being thankful and grateful and I am everyday. I truly believe that we harvest exactly what we sow so be mindful of the seeds you cast today. Blessings!
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