WONDEROUS CALIFORNIA AUTUMN

I’d forgotten about Halloween until I saw the date on my computer. On our rural road, a trick-or-treater is a rarity. In 33 years, I’ve had six kids, three one year, and three another year, begging for treats. School parties are popular and safer anyway. But, those people living in a house-to-house neighborhood enjoy the fun. This weight guessing contest was set up at our local grocery store. I noticed yesterday it had been moved. I’ll have to go into town and see if I won the guess.

Happy Halloween to you and yours.  In its celebrated form in the USA, it has transformed to a  purely North American fun night without it’s original pagan dark side. My youngest daughter was an exchange student to France during her high school years and enjoyed teaching her French family how to carve a  jack-o-lantern.  With youngsters still at home, the carving, decorating, costuming and begging treats has become, for all of my grandkids, their second favorite holiday.

Yesterday, I spent time in the yard, enjoying the soon to be gone sunny days.

This fuji was past prime  by the time I got off the road. Some cling, looking soft and rotten.

This heritage  Northern Spy, is crisp and good. Keeping in tune with the autumn days, sunny and warm with cold nights.

Foraging in my neighbors garden, some fresh basil, tomatoes, one zucchini, and an eggplant. Enjoying what we can as long as it lasts.

I harvested my walnuts for the first time in seven years. A balance of nature took all the squirrels away. I expect red tail hawks got everyone. In the past, a woman asked me what was growing on my trees. She had never seen walnuts grow. They have a husk, which dries out and the nuts free fall to the ground.

Some primal feeling of comfort envelopes me when I harvest these portions of my own food.

CONSIGNMENT

Whoever thought up the consignment store, was a genius. Bringing your still worthy clothing to a consignment store makes it easier to part with favored pieces  rarely worn. My off the road tasks get easier and easier as I part with accumulated “stuff”.

I can only wear one jacket at a time. So, how many do I need?

I have stacks of clothing all over the house. I can’t  remember the last time I wore some of these clothes.

A dress was hard to part with, but a more casual lifestyle  doesn’t include dressy clothing. It boggles my brain that some people do this regularly and it doesn’t bother them at all. Now that I’m digging, I’m going to add to the pile today. And, the pile going to the thrift store is growing as well.

I also managed to get 48 cups of pie apples into the freezer. Two trees are still heavy with fruit.  The weatherman claims we have at least  three  sunny days ahead.  I expect to get them  picked. Normally, the squirrels eat my walnuts.  The red tail hawks have eliminated every squirrel in my yard which gives me  a crop of  walnuts for the first time in seven years. Nature asserts itself. Autumn in Murphys gave us more sunny days then two summer months in Washington. I’m enjoying the tasks of home. It’s a good balance for me to have home time and road time.