Tag Archives: fall

November Day

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I slept long this morning, but the sun awoke me blinking through the window shades with persistence from the east. It’s funny: When I yawn and stretch, my cat Calvin does exactly the same. Not that I make it a requirement for him to do so — he must assume that we should arise at the same time. Either that or he knows that feeding time is not too far off now. He did miss this little “stereo” routine once, but that was when he was hiding from the “blue monster” (the garbage truck). Who can blame him?

In just a matter of two weeks and with the cold nights that now about, the leaves of the two maples sitting in their pots on the stairway have turned from green to golden-yellow and carmine just like that. They have decided that it is indeed fall, a concept that many California trees fail to grasp.

A two-for-one coupon encourages me to make a trip to Jamba Juice. And no: my cat does not drink Jamba Juice. As I enter the store, I see Christmas decorations. Sigh — tis the season of merchandising again. As I point this out to the manager, he shrugs his shoulders: “corporate”, “but I wont’ put on the Christmas music until after Thanksgiving”, he adds. I give him a high-five as I leave with my juice.

On my computer calendar I notice that it is only 10 days until the 1. Advent. The year seems to have gone by fast, at least part of it for me. I almost miss the beautiful sunset as I’m typing, as God tells me to pay attention and I look toward the west out of my office window to catch the last dance of color in the sky. 

First Day of Fall

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AvocadoAlthough the wind did its share today in rustling and whipping through the leaves in the trees, it accomplished little to nudge them into a descent. Perhaps it had more success in other parts of the Country. Blue skies and sun pervaded at least the East Bay today. Our leaves turn color late — a lazy bunch here.

A bit tired and lethargic today, I nonetheless baked some banana bread this afternoon, and was rewarded with the sweet aroma of it drifting from the oven, when I opened the door a couple of times, to check its progress. Leftover food cleanup today, I also made an avocado sardine sandwich — which was a first for me, and it’s not bad at all, if I may say so. My cat Calvin also had his first sardine of his feline life, just devouring it, without lifting his head even once. I have never seen him eat like that. So — brain food for the both of us — we both hope with positive results.

May the Lord bless you with his peace on this quiet Sunday evening, and for the coming week.

Sunday observations

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GingkoI set my alarm an hour too early by mistake today for getting to Service, but that made for a stop at the bakery beforehand, to buy some heavenly smelling French bread. The sky was hazy on the drive to Church, but occasional patches of fall color in golden ginkgo yellow and bright blood-orange red could be seen in the valley adjacent to the gray, dry, barren California hills. One of my brothers who lives in Marburg, Germany told me about walking his dog in the pouring rain a few days ago. The leaves are all gone there already in that lovely small University town, and November is a tough month to get through until the lights of the Christmas season appear.

After picking up some pistachios at the Farmer’s market (I like to eat them, my cat Calvin is adept at catching them in the air with his paws and then playing with them), I went into the donut store, where a girl — her hair tied with a pretty ribbon in a ponytail — was able on her third attempt to grab the donut I had selected with her tongs, spilling a bit of powder sugar on herself. The height difference and the counter in between accounted for this amusing delay. The donut was to be my companion for a pumpkin-spice latte.

As I sat on the bench outside the coffee store, my donut was immediately sniffed out by a dog of rather low stature, who gently took two small morsels after I got the OK from the owner. A dog three times it’s size but also still a puppy then came by to play. It had on a uniform that read: “Please ask to pet me, I’m friendly and a service dog”, so I obliged. After my petting duty was done, the two dogs played, then settled down under the bench below their owners to enjoy the early afternoon sun.

Have a blessed week

Fall musings

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Autumn LeavesAt the risk of boring the reader with more ramblings about my cat, I nonetheless need to refer to him this week. I had some business on Thursday, and had to leave the apartment in the morning. Calvin, having spent the last week mostly inside the house, appeared a bit too well nourished — to put it politely, so I grabbed him, locked the door, and put him down telling him to “go play outside”. The expression on his face was indescribable — you had to see it — from surprise, to if looks could kill — but I figured it’s good for his health.

Yesterday, after having my car checked out by my mechanic, I went for some lunch and encountered two small dogs (although that classification might be stretching things), being walked by two women in tandem. One was dressed in a pumpkin sweater, the other in a giraffe coat (the mutts that is). I venture to guess, could my cat communicate with me, he would have a few choice words to say in regards to this matter.

The sun peaked out briefly this morning, but it was a 20 degree drop in temperature from yesterday (I tend to exaggerate a bit now and then). At least it felt like it. The weather icons on my computer weather page indicated swirling leaves. This was indeed confirmed, when I took a walk this afternoon. Piles of colored leaves had collected close to the sidewalks, or were tumbling carefree across the street, enjoying their momentary flight. A few pepper trees (one of my favorite trees) further down the street were struck by a gust of wind, which sent their light airy leaves dancing, grounded by their sturdy trunks. Later on, I just had to pick up a few of the leaves that you see in the photo above, their glowing colors beckoning, as one picks up sea shells at the beach.

Erntedanktag

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PearToday is Erntedanktag, the German Church celebration of giving thanks to God for the harvest, and for our food. In Germany at this time of year, the sights and sounds of fall are in the air, the leaves preparing themselves to drop from the trees to rustle at little feet shuffling through them, crisp air foretelling the end of summer and celebrating autumn, perhaps a fireplace wafting the smell of wood, pears and apples, waiting to be gathered to become apple cider or a yummy desert. A time to reflect, and to be grateful.

Have a blessed week