The Hills Are Turning

The clouds lifted today for the first time in several weeks and the alpine meadows on Thunder Mountain have turned gold. It's only a few weeks since the last patches of snow melted, and already we are moving out of summer and into autumn. The days are growing shorter; I no longer climb the stairs when I go up to bed without turning on the lights. Soon I will be turning on the ones on the exterior stairs when I leave for work so that I will be able to see to get the key into the lock when I get home at 5:30. If there were no clouds around, I would be able to see stars at night now for the first time since early May.


It isn't just the grass of the high meadows that are turning. The leaves of the mountain ash are becoming gold and rust, which is breathtaking. The red of the berries hides within the curtain of leaves, adding depth and interest to the color. In the spring, before the new leaves are out, the flocks of chick-a-dees will return and strip the berries from the trees. A moderate sized flock can devour all the berries from a large mountain ash in less than half an hour. I used to have one outside my bedroom window* and one wonderful early spring day Missie and I happened to be at the window when the chick-a-dees invaded. We were both entranced.

There are fewer and fewer bear sightings mentioned in the newspaper these last few days, which means that they are beginning to curl up for their long winter's nap. Soon it will be safe to put out bird feeders** and throw table scraps, French fries, and donut holes onto the patio for the ravens. So different from California autumn, where the harvest is in and the rains come and the hills turn green.

We have had a record breaking summer for rain this year. Very few days without some; I could have used a few more. I don't like several in a row in July and August because it gets too hot for my comfort, but one or two at a time are very nice.

* It has since been taken out because carpenter ants were nesting under its bark and then migrating into the building. It was a beautiful tree, but I can understand the landlady choosing her building over it; there is little income to be had from a mountain ash tree.

** While the bears are awake, that is a $50 fine. Too many bears that have had to be killed because of excessive habituation to human beings have been discovered to have a stomach full of bird seed.