Autumn Abundance

My apple trees have been generous to me this year and I will have plenty to give to family and friends, and more than enough to make many jars of apple butter and bottles of apple cider.

The air has been full of bright yellow leaves from the Ash Leaf Maples or, as they're also known, Box Elder trees, sometimes drifting sedately like golden snowflakes past my windows, other times whirling and twirling madly through the air when the wind gusts especially strong. It's such a beautiful sight to see the bright gold leaves against the deep blue of a California mountain sky.

The pines have been dropping lots of cones filled with seeds and the oaks are covering the ground beneath them with acorns, so the squirrels and birds should have plenty to put by for the winter. One has to be careful of the falling pine cones though; I nearly got hit by one when I was out walking earlier. Sometimes, it seems as though the pines are actually hurling them, instead of just letting them drop. I speak from experience when I say that getting hit by one of those can really hurt. I often wonder how the birds, squirrels and other animals that live in this forest avoid getting hit by them. Maybe the pine trees like the animals better than humans. Makes sense to me...