Not so fall

Ah, fall. Sigh. That beautiful time of the year when the leaves turn colors, flocks of geese fill the air and the sun sets a little earlier each day. Oh joy.

Such a lovely season...that lasts for 3 days. No, seriously, fall comes and goes around here like the World Series hopes of my beloved Seattle Mariners; which means, they're fleeting.

The leaves on the two trees in my front yard changed color one day and then two days later the wind had ripped every leaf off. The next day it was 34 degrees and snow was imminent for that night. Now would be a good place to mention that three days before the leaves had turned, it had been 74 and sunny. Welcome to fall in Central Oregon, glad you like it. Now, welcome to winter. Suck it up until May, maybe June.

I have spent enough time out here in the High Desert to know that spring and fall are only seasons in name and they mean nothing on a calendar. In other parts of the world, fall represents a period of at least a couple of months where the temperatures drop from summer time highs, ushering in the coldness of winter. Truly that sounds so delightful but the reality of this region is that the season of fall lasts for exactly one week every year. During that week you are well advised to prepare your home, your car and your wardrobe for the immediate change that is coming. And by change I mean 50 to 60 degree shifts in temperature and the threat of snow.

So while you put away your shorts and flip flops and pull out your thermal underwear and snow boots, all before Halloween, remember that it could be worse; it could be raining every day. Seriously though, aren’t you glad for the way it rains around here? I do appreciate how the rain seems more like intermittent spit as opposed to a constant deluge. It is simply one more reason to be thankful for this place. Still, the lack of rain fall does not leave me accepting the fall and spring seasons. I long for a summer that stretches until the middle of October and a spring that starts in March, instead of June 10^th. I know; picky, picky.