Finally, Rain

It rained all day yesterday!  Real rain, the kind I could see and hear, not just mist gathering on trees and dripping off.  I had the first real wood fire of the season; I'd been afraid to burn real wood because of the forest fire danger.  It snowed, just a couple of inches, during the night but melted when the sun touched it.  I'm too superstitious to say definitely that the fire season is over for this year, but I'm hoping it's over, done, gone.

Wednesday's Winding Road

 

 

Taken on one of the hundreds of little winding back roads in the San Bernardino mountains. 

A Quotation for Tuesday

"No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face."  John Donne

Sunday Sunset - Last Gleam

Faeries Friday: In the Faery Forest

I misted the fallen leaves with water and took the photo above.  I thought the leaves with the water drops were beautiful, but apparently the faeries who live in this forest thought they could be improved!

I heard a noise behind me as I turned to go and saw that some of the water drops had been colored! 

Faery jewels...

Now if only the faeries would make it rain...

Wednesday's Winding Road

Taken out on Highway 18 through the car window.  Not good quality, but I thought the colors and the sky were pretty...my favorite kind of autumn day.

October

"O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrow's wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call
Tomorrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow.
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know.
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away"

Robert Frost ~ "October"

This and That

I had to go to Lake Arrowhead Village today because I couldn't put off the grocery shopping any longer.  Oh, how I wish I would have remembered they're celebrating Oktoberfest!  What a madhouse.  But, a cool thing about the village is that every October they put a jack-o-lantern on one side of the village clock tower and a witch on the other side - 

 I love it! 

I took these photos in October of 2011.  I didn't stop to take photos today, it was just too crazy, especially since Gwen Stefani and her family were there.  Crazy paparazzi everywhere, trying to shove cameras in her face and the faces of her children.  I think when celebrities are with their children they should be left alone, especially the children.

 

Now I'm sitting by the fire, drinking tea and watching Sofia Maria make faces at me.  She's so cute; she actually makes a sound with her little tongue that sounds sort of like "pfffffffffffffffft."  She does this almost every time when I sit down with a book...I think she wants me to pay attention to her instead of my book.  And, of course, I almost always put the book down and pet her.

Faeries Friday - Astre

Astre is another one of my faery pins that I bought from Kirk's Folly.  She is one of the faeries that puts the stars up in the night sky.  If you're interested, you can read a faery tale about them here .

Rain and Snow

It rained all day yesterday, lightly, then, as dusk was settling in, the rain turned to snow!  It snowed for several hours, a heavy, wet snow that caused a few power outages.  But, it's good that it was that kind of snow because it has much more water in it that the dry powder we usually get.  It was mostly all melted by this morning, but since we got about 5 inches I'm calling it the first snow storm of the season.  This is one of the earliest snow storms we've had up here, and I'm really hoping more are on the way!  I don't know if this storm put an end to fire season, but I'm hoping it did.  It was wonderful watching and listening to the rain, then the snow.  Such blessings.... 

(I apologize for the crummy quality of the photo.  I had just gone out the door to the back porch when I saw all the lights go out and had to go deal with that.  By the time I got done with that, I was too exhausted to do anything but plop down in front of the fire!)

Wednesday's Winding Road

"There is something in October sets the Gypsy blood astir; we must rise and follow her, when from every hill of flame she calls, and calls each vagabond by name."  William Bliss Carman

(Photo taken in November of 2010; autumn was rather late that year!)

Sunday Sunsets and Sisters

I took this on November 4, 2009, out on the rim (Highway 18) at about the 3,000 foot level looking southeast towards Redlands.  It's hard to believe that under that orange haze there are millions of people living ... and breathing in that smoggy crud, my sister among them.  I used to bring her up here a lot, but I can't do that anymore because of a small stroke she had several years ago.  Her doctor said she can't have any signifigant changes in altitude.  Other than that though, it hasn't slowed her down much.  I'd drive down and visit her tonight, but she's out on a date.  Oh, did I mention she's in her 80's?  And, she needs a hearing aid but refuses to wear one because she says, "Who can look sexy wearing a hearing aid?" 

I hope I'm just like her if I'm lucky enough to live to her age!

Red Flags

We're under a Red Flag Warning here in these mountains, which means the fire danger is exceptionally high.  This is in effect because we're getting those dreaded Santa Ana winds.  Thankfully, the warning is supposed to end tomorrow at 6 p.m., but the red 'flags' on the dogwood tree will still be here, as long as the winds don't tear them off and whirl them away. 

My allergies are in full swing because of the winds and really low humidity.  BUT...the weather people are predicting rain this coming Wednesday!!  Not much, but some is better than none.  We might even get a dusting of snow at this elevation and above.  I'm crossing my fingers!

Wednesday's Winding Road

Miss this turn and you'll have over 1,200 feet for your life to flash before your eyes until you hit the ground.  I almost did that one winter day when the road was covered in thick ice.  I felt the back end of my Blazer start to slide so I kept turning in the direction the front end was going.  Happily it worked!  The car made a complete 360 degree circle and then we (the car and I) continued on safely.  During the time we were making a circle this is what went through my mind: "OMG, I'm going over the side, they won't find my body or the car until the spring thaw, oh my poor hus...oh good.  I wonder what should I make for dinner tonight?"

Happy October!

Miss Witchy Kitty says, "Happy October, everyone!  May lots of good magic come your way this month." (This is not my photo, I found it on Pinterest.  I can only dream of getting one of my cats to pose wearing a hat and a cape.)

I think Mr. Wolfe summed up October quite well, don't you?  October is my favorite month for so many reasons; the colors, the cool temperatures, the rain (I hope), and it is the month I was born.

A Quotation for Monday

                                     

Wordless Wednesday - Shapes

A Quotation for Monday

"Why not go out on a limb?  That's where the fruit is."  Mark Twain

It's Officially Autumn!

Autumn officially arrived at 1:44 p.m. PDT here in these mountains.  The equinoxes are the two days of the year (the other one is in the spring) when the hours of the day and night all over the world are equal, or very near to equal.  While it's the first day of Fall in the Northern Hemisphere, it's the first day of Spring in the Southern Hemisphere.  I love the thought that for two days a year something in this off-kilter world that we live in is in balance.  So, to quote my mother, who was from Georgia, "Happy Fall, y'all!"

And, if you're in the Southern Hemisphere, Happy Spring!

Bliss

The chrysanthemums are doing great and the bees are loving it.  Mums are one of my favorite flowers because they're so easy to grow and they don't need a lot of water.

The sky today was that beautiful deep blue that I only see up here in autumn.  The summer sky is almost as blue at this altitude, but not quite.  The leaves on the Box Elder tree aren't as pretty as they usually are this time of year.  Usually they're all a brilliant yellow, but this autumn only a few are turning while the others are mostly just drying up and dropping off.  I'm hoping the dogwoods, maples and oaks put on a better show.

 

I just got such a fright!  I looked up and saw what I thought was smoke drifting by the window.  I rushed outside and found it was a heavy, wet fog.  The Ponderosa pines are collecting it on their needles, where it drips off and provides 'tree rain' to their shallow roots.  Not real rain, but better than nothing.  That is one of my pathway lamps above.  I was trying to think how to take a picture of fog at night and this is the best I could come up with.  It's really dark except for where the lights are.

 
It was chilly today (yay!) and it actually felt cold when I was outside, so I came back in and made a fire for the kitties.  I'm going to have to clear everything off of the hearth except for cat blankets because Merlin takes up just about all the space by himself!  Our low for tonight is supposed to be 33, just one degree above freezing.  Bliss!

Harvest Moon of 2013

The Harvest Moon of 2013 over the path leading into a little meadow.  It's been lovely and cool here the past few days; I think (hope) autumn is finally here.  No rain, but the cool air and gentle autumn breezes that make the air feel even cooler are most welcome!

A Quotation for Monday

"Youth is like spring, an over praised season more remarkable for biting winds than genial breezes.  Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits."  Samuel Butler

Sunday Sunsets

Taken May 30, 2009, in the San Bernardino mountains.