Seasons

Yesterday I was watering the small pot of strawberries in the backyard when I noticed that the rose bush was putting on buds! Since it is almost the end of November I thought that the summer plants were quite finished and ready for their winter rest. Wrong! Our apple tree is still heavy with fruit, the grass is still growing, and the nectarine tree still houses a flock of tiny birds in it's leafy branches.

When I first lived here I was caught by surprise by the passage of time. I grew up in Alberta where the seasons had unmistakable markers. Spring was heralded by the purple crocuses pushing their heads above the snow. Summer was, mostly, no snow and hot. Fall came all too early with colorful displays of red and yellow leaves and winter was foreshadowed by the snow that almost always arrived on Halloween.

Now I'm more accustomed to a quieter change of seasons. Of course in winter we sometimes host a Santa Ana wind that brings temps into the 90s just when we have packed all our hot weather clothes away. Summers we enjoy those low clouds that shield the sun and keep the temperatures in the 60s. Spring and fall have nights cool enough for a good night's sleep and the sun warms us during the day. The very best times of the year.