Fall Fun

Awhile back I did a blog about our pets and mentioned our demented dog's propensity for playing with rocks. Diego can entertain himself forever with a large stone. Perhaps he was dropped on his head as a puppy, I don't know. Anyway, here is video of Diego a week ago having fun with a rock. The boys you'll glimpse are Dylan and his friend Eric.

During Fall Break (a 4-day weekend) Jacob, Dylan, and a friend, Bryce, spent most of one day raking pine needles. Diego tried to help fill garbage bags--at least, he thought he was helping!

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They had piles and piles of needles all over the yard and filled dozens of bags, still waiting to be hauled away. The sad news for my boys is that the deciduous trees' leaves (we have several large oaks on our property) are turning color and will soon fall, meaning another full day of raking!

The weather that weekend was "brisk." When I realized it was 58 degrees in the house I finally had to turn the heater on for the first time (but only up to 64 degrees). It has warmed up again for the past week, but there's definitely an autumn chill in the air.

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I love the crisp air of fall. After 10 years in Mesa (Phoenix area, 1980 to 1990) where the 2 seasons are "freakin' hot" and "volcanic," I really enjoy chilly mornings and cool evenings. It's lovely to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate or hot cider with cinnamon sticks, and then snuggle down under the comforter in a warm bed this time of year. The smell of woodsmoke lingers in the air as our neighbors stoke up wood stoves and fireplaces to heat their homes.

Here you see the piles of pine needle-filled bags stacked in front of our fence. And that's only half of them! You can also see the trees towering over our house. It's what I love most about our property.

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When I was a kid growing up in California, we went camping a lot: Yosemite, Shasta Lake, Bass Lake, Camp Chiwanakee where Uncle Ernie (my dad's older brother) served as Scoutmaster of Fresno County. I loved the mountains, the pines, and the clean air. I always had a secret wish to someday live in a mountain home surrounded by tall pines and blue lakes.

I figured I'd always be a city girl, so I never really expected that dream to come true. I'm still amazed to find myself really living here. My morning drive to work is surrounded by green mountain vistas, and a short walk from our house brings us to a pond filled with bluegills, crawdads, mallards, and geese. With all the bounty of nature, I don't even miss the sidewalks, street lamps, malls, or multiplex theaters!