Even though we have had a record year for moisture and have been very fortunate with fire so far, it is evident that the past couple of weeks of hot weather has dried things out quite a bit. The green year means that fuel loads are high. As the grass turns, the danger of wildfire rises. Fire warnings are beginning to go out and there have been a few small fires around the hills. Meanwhile, many of our firefighters are tired after spending time on the fire lines in Washington and Idaho. One member of our congregation arrived home yesterday after weeks fighting fires. Then, on his way home, his truck broke down, so he flew home yesterday knowing that he has to go back on Friday to pick up the truck. It is the way with fire fighters. Their equipment is large and complex and a holiday weekend isn’t the best time to experience a break down. Hopefully he’ll be able to get some rest and his truck won’t be needed until both he and the truck are safely home next weekend.

The seasons are changing. Although the temperatures have been summer-like, Labor Day weekend signals that fall is on its way. I remember being a school kid and dreading the return of fall, but that sensation was a brief period of my life and for most of my living I have anticipated fall with joy.

I’m not very good at handling the heat of summer. I prefer to head for the high country where the nights are cool when things warm up. I’m relieved to be back to cool nights and the comforts of sleeping with the windows open and the breeze rustling the curtains. I can tell that the days are getting shorter. It was dark when I slid my little boat onto the lake yesterday morning and dark when I slipped into bed in the evening. The shorter and cooler days bring a lot of wonders and I find myself looking forward to autumn with great anticipation.

It’s still too early for most of the real signs of fall, but I’ll be looking and ready when they start to occur.

The turkeys are already showing off their chicks, which don’t look like chicks any more. We’re seeing large groups of turkeys roaming the neighborhood. I know that some neighbors consider the somewhat messy birds to be a nuisance, but I rather enjoy looking at them outside of my window. During the warmest days of summer they seem to hide in the hills, but they make at least two trips through my lawn each day this time of the year, pausing to harvest a few of the insects that live in the grass. I’m never quite sure what they are eating, but they seem to find enough to keep them around and get them to return over and over again.

The birds haven’t begun to gather into flocks for the migration yet, but whenever I hear a few geese squawking as they fly over, I look up and begin to count. When there are too many to count, I’ll know that fall has truly arrived. It isn’t just the geese. I love it when the pinion jays all descend in a group and the yard is filled with the smoky blue birds until the seeds have been harvested from all of the sunflowers in the garden. They’ll have to wait, as the seeds aren’t quite ripe, but soon things will be ready.

Speaking of ready seeds, autumn is the time of harvest bounty. We have fresh crop apples and a few peaches left from our trip to Washington. The gardens are producing tomatoes and peppers and zucchini in abundance. There is fresh sweet corn at the farmer’s market and we’ve got fresh beets, carrots, onions and other root crops ready for the eating. The crabapples in the church yard are beginning to attract the squirrels and turkeys and other critters that love the fall for its easy eating.

The fall rut hasn’t begun, but the deer are just beginning to act a bit strange. We’re seeing the bucks from time to time, strutting through the neighborhood, as if to say that their time is coming. The does will rise up and paw at each other over some unseen conflict and the yearlings are starting to get antsy. We’re seeing the does and fawns in slightly larger groups and a trip to the lake in the morning needs to be accompanied by slower speed and increased awareness of the deer on the road. I like watching the deer once the rut gets going fully. There’s plenty of competition and occasionally we’ll hear the clash of antlers. Mostly we just see a lot of running around and animals that seem to be less aware of humans and our observations than they are during the rest of the year.

Autumn brings plenty of yellow to the hills. When the birch begin to change color, we know it is time for a drive up to the canyon where the oaks grow and the vibrant colors come out for a glorious fall display. That’s probably more than a month away now, but memories of other years combined with an occasional bush that is starting to show a bit of change reminds me of the glory of the season.

Lots of plants put on fall displays as the animals are working hard to put on as much fat as possible in anticipation of winter hibernations and, for those who don’t hibernate, the scramble for survival that is part of the harsh weather.

We are so fortunate to be surrounded by beauty in every season of the year. A bit of dew on a spiderweb, the glory of low sun angles on the water, the increased activity of birds and animals - all of these natural wonders remind me not only of the great beauty of this place, but make me anticipate even more beauty that is on its way.

Fall, glorious fall!

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