Fall isn’t much of a season in the Bay Area. Indian Summer takes up most of September and October. That leaves November before the winter rainy season kicks in. That leaves November.
It’s been cold and crisp these last few days, with the scent of smoke from fireplaces filling the air in the evenings. Autumn was always one of my favorite times back home in New York, and these kinds of days remind me strongly of home. Now that I work in Santa Rosa, I get to see more greenery as I drive to and fro. The trees here don’t change colors as dramatically as they do in New York and Connecticut – most of the trees are just yellowish brown – but a few patches of bright red can be found. A field of grapevines near Petaluma has turned bright yellow. I’ve dug out my wool sweaters and a scarf, although the gloves and down jacket aren’t likely to be needed.
The gas fireplace in our last apartment wasn’t quite as good as the real thing, but it would be nice to curl up near any kind of fireplace on days like these. Instead, I make do with one of the cats. Tina and Tommy compete for lap space on cold days. They like the warmth too.
It would be nice if I could look forward to some snowy days to come, but I’ll have to drive to Tahoe for that sort of thing. Instead, we get the incongruous sight of palm trees with holiday lights on them. There aren’t a lot of palm trees this far north, but there are a few, and it always throws me off a bit to see them.
“Black Friday” is fast approaching, and with it, the twin horrors of extended holiday hours and holiday music. I don’t really mind the odd work hours, especially since I get to set the schedules now, but I utterly loathe the overproduced pabulum that passes for holiday music which the home office decrees we should play in the store. Christmas isn’t my holiday, but I wouldn’t be too upset if I had to listen to some good classical arrangements of carols, or classics like ‘The Nutcracker Suite’.
Ah well. I just keep reminding myself, it’s only for a couple of weeks, and then I can burn the damn CDs. Until next year.