By Louie Ferrera

It’s all about the light. Honey golden and lemon yellow, soft and dreamy it cuts through the reds, yellows and oranges of the autumn leaves, illuminating them like electricity.  When the sun is out on a fall day such as this, the foliage glows as if lit from within. Recent rains have washed everything clean. The air is so clear it practically sparkles. Each breath I take is an invigorating tonic. The mornings are cold, my exhalations ephemeral clouds that are gone in the blink of an eye. The rain and cool weather also means the end of fire season. What a relief to be out from under that cloud. There’s mud in my backyard again!

There seems to be no end to the Instagram perfect apples that have ripened on our tree. Pale green with perfect brush strokes of red, the Pink Lady is a picturesque variety perfectly suited for pies, drying, juice or just plain eating. To crunch into one of these beauties is to taste autumn in all its glory. Last winter’s heavy rains have caused all of our trees to literally burst with fruit. We’ll be picking apples on Christmas Day. The citrus has slowly begun its transformation from green to orange and yellow. Our lemon, orange, tangerine and grapefruit trees are so laden with fruit that I spent an hour the other day fashioning poles out of scrap wood in order to prop up their sagging branches. Each day the citrus takes on a little more color. Good things are always worth waiting for.

The birds are changing shifts. There go the orioles and tanagers. Here come the hermit thrush and white crowned sparrows. My bird guide says that the northern flicker is a year round resident but I disagree. I only hear this bird’s distinctive, high pitched whistle in fall and winter. Once the trees in our yard drop their leaves, some of the more secretive birds will have no place to hide. Perhaps the ruby crowned kinglet will flash its corona at me. The yellow rumped and Townsend’s warblers may pause long enough for me to say, “Welcome back.” Our resident hummingbirds should stick around, as long as we keep their feeders filled.

Fall colors are everywhere. We don’t have nearly the abundance of deciduous trees as they do back east but we do have the vineyards. I live in Sonoma County, CA (also known as “Wine Country”). Right now the dazzling display of colors that the grapevines are putting on would rival any New England hardwood forest.

Everything seems to be quieting down, the Earth and its creatures taking a pause. The days are getting shorter, temperatures cooler, and rain, sweet rain bathes us in its life giving waters. I’m also taking the time to slow down and acknowledge the deep gratitude that I have for the abundance that surrounds us all.