Seasonal Transitions

The movement of autumn into winter is a joyous sight to behold. Birds of all sorts are packing their bags in preparation for their voyage south. Large herbivores are rapaciously devouring forage in an attempt to gain weight and avoid starvation in the lean months of winter. Predators, both avian and terrestrial, are preparing to evict their offspring and devote more time to the search for prey. Deciduous vegetation is alive with color fluctuation and conifers remain steadfast in green. The earth is alive with movement.

Waterfowl are the symbol of autumn. Their airborne skeins etch beautiful patterns across the sky. Specklebellied and snow geese have begun to congregate in the Klamath Basin. Further south, marsh birds such as the ibis and avocet have taken up residence in the Sacramento Valley. They will need to enjoy the relative silence of October for their raucous neighbors to the north are soon to follow.

The impish grey squirrels who call our backyard home have been busily stashing their hoard of conifer nuts. It is quite hilarious to watch their antics as they scamper to and fro, scold our dogs, drop pine cones on our roof, and look into our windows just to annoy the cats.

The Cascades have begun to adorn themselves with their winter mantle of white and spend much of their time obscured behind cloud cover. Deer and elk have begun their slow trek downhill with the snowline in fast pursuit. The rains of the season are fast approaching the Coastal Range and will soon enshroud them in a vaporous veil of obscurity. Alpine lakes and streams will become dormant as ice encapsulates their surfaces and the resident aquatic life becomes dormant.

For our part, my wife and I sit in the den and relax amongst the aromatic smell of slowly burning seasoned juniper. Our oldest cat, a true senior feline citizen of 18 years, maintains an omnipresence in front of the woodburning stove. All in all, everything is upright in our personal universe and if we remain grounded by observing life's minute details, the travails of the world will not become oppressive and we will endure. Besides, we all have to get ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas.