Autumn Perspective

     Today is the autumn equinox. This was one of the sadder days for me when I lived in Sweden because it signaled that the time of year when there would be more darkness than light was beginning. Don’t get me wrong. I love autumn. I love the sports of autumn, especially American football, baseball playoffs, the Ryder Cup and when I was playing, volleyball. And the dazzling display of changing color that the trees brought to us in Sweden always delighted the senses. Our last few boat rides in Stockholm were often chilly but gorgeous as we watched the foliage transform along the Djurgården canal and throughout the archipelago. And after a hot summer, (which was rare and awesome in Sweden), the chilling air was refreshing and it was fun to think about putting on a sweatshirt. But that waning daylight was always a tough pill to swallow.

     Now I am living in a California desert and have to laugh at today’s temperatures. (C left, F right)  On the news they’ve been showing the forecast with a little note stating autumn underneath the 105F! It’s just so different and so funny. Since I grew up in CA, it’s not that unusual to have a warm September and I do remember as a kid watching the trees try their level best to change color, going from green to green yellow! When I moved to Chicago for college I got my first taste of trees that really changed color and have since experienced some even more dramatic autumn action around the world. On my Bucket List is to get out east one October to experience the awesome New England autumn that is legendary. But here in the desert, autumn is really only a calendar thing. We have color going on in our garden, but it’s not autumnal color. Lovely lantana

Purple sage

Yellow Tecoma 

I love the riot of color that the desert foliage brings our way. It’s just so very different than reds and oranges that come with cold weather places. In addition to the blooms around our garden, our citrus trees are busy ripening the fruit for the winter harvest. Our key lime tree is already dropping tons of fruit! 

The lemon tree is full of fruit! I have succeeded in my goal of never buying citrus as the techniques I used to freeze lemons and lemon juice have worked out well!

Grapefruit gold getting ready for good eating and juicing!

So on this autumn equinox, with temperatures still hitting triple digits, it’s hardly sweater weather! I find myself longing for summer to be over, a feeling that I never had for the 16 summers we spent in Sweden! But like in life, there is a season for everything and for this particular season in the desert, I remain grateful for the warmth of the sun, hot as it may, the blue skies that dot our landscape most every day, the beauty of the desert landscape with its pinks and purples instead of reds and oranges, and the changing seasons, however slight that change may seem! And while we’ll have shorter days during the “winter” here, it far surpasses the 6-7 hours that we got in Stockholm. So here’s to 9-10 hours of daylight and temperatures below 100F and the opportunity to put on a long sleeved shirt! No matter where in the world you are experiencing autumn, or down under, the change to spring, may you enjoy whatever bounty abounds around you. And if you live in the Nordic north, get those candles ready for the cozy winter!