California Autumn

The calendar says it is autumn
There is a hint of it these mornings...
but in the afternoons, it is pure summer.
It is a season of contradictions.

The leaves on the maples are either turning yellow...
or turning crisp and dry.

The water in all the lakes and reservoirs is very low.
Firefighters have their hands full.

Many creeks have gone completely dry although the one opposite us still has a little water in it....
the roaring, coffee colored torrent of January a distant memory.

Yet in Boulder, Colorado, fifteen inches of rain in two days have made torrents and floods a reality.
Our neighbors' daughter is a freshman at the University of Colorado there.
Classes canceled, buildings flooded, roads washed out.

OilMan is building more veggie boxes...
but tomato and sunflower season is finished.

The insects are all preparing for winter...
feasting on the brussels sprouts and kale...which will grow in any season.

The olives are ripening on the olive trees.
Can we possibly figure out how to cure them...
or make olive oil?

School has started for the boys...
baseball has given way to soccer.
Chemistry, math, English, history, take precedence.

School has started for the girls.
Swimming has given way to volleyball, dance classes and piano lessons.
Math, Algebra, new school for Claire, old hat for Julia.

The lazy days of summer, trips and camp are over.
The days are getting shorter.
The sunny afternoons are borrowed...
from Autumn.