By Louie Ferrera

I love autumn. The cool, clear nights, the cold, foggy mornings, the cloudless blue skies and Goldilocks temperatures during the day, the sunsets with those endless gradations of blue followed by a final blaze of orange-to-pink-to red. The low angle of the sun at this time of year creates a soft and magical quality of light, especially at sunset, when the trees light up in alpenglow worthy of the granite walls of Yosemite. 

I love when I hear for the first time the call of a Northern Flicker. This strikingly beautiful bird of the woodpecker family is a harbinger of autumn when it appears in our area around mid-September.

I love seeing the leaves change color. We don’t have nearly the explosion of reds, yellows and oranges as the east coast does but what we do have are the vineyards. Right about now hillsides all around Sonoma County are gradually being transformed into postcard perfect oceans of gold.

On our property is a towering oak tree and many fruit trees, all except the citrus shed their leaves. I love bundling up on a cloudy morning and going outside to rake the fallen leaves that cover our lawn. The rustling sound and smell of decaying leaves as I swoosh them into piles transports me back to a time in my childhood when leaf pile diving was an annual rite of passage.

I love watching the transition that our vegetable garden goes through in autumn. The tomato, cucumber  and green bean plants are gamely trying to put out a few more pieces of ripe fruit, but for the most part they’ve given all that they can. The strawberries have gone dormant, their sweet fruit just a memory. The carrots have all been harvested, the lettuce gone to seed. All our hard work of  tilling the soil, putting in seeds and starts and nurturing them since spring has payed off in an impressive bounty of fresh vegetables. My gratitude is deep for all that these plants have given us.

The blazing heat of summer is thankfully behinds us. My heart is now filled with the hope of rain. I anticipate the rat-a-tat sound of raindrops falling on the roof of our deck and the glistening green of leaves washed clean of their summer coat of dust. I long for the smell of wet earth and the sight of greening hillsides as grasses are finally awakened. I dream of running creeks and filling reservoirs.

I love Halloween; the smell of freshly carved pumpkins and the crunch of roasted pumpkin seeds, the glow of jack-o-lanterns around our cul-du-sac and the delightful squeal of trick or treaters.

I love the World Series; the annual drama know as the Fall Classic. I love baseball, a sport that begins with the promise of spring and ends with the harvest moon of October. 

I love Thanksgiving; the warm kitchen, the aromas of roast turkey and stuffing, the Pinot Noir and a home filled with the love of family and friends. I love frost in the mornings and clear, starry nights.

I love autumn!