Gasp!! Fall is coming....

I'm not ready.

I'm never ready to give up summer's lushness.

So sad, because things don't get good and green until mid-June.

But then, I'm new to this whole seasons thing, being from southern California.

Not that you should think the Golden State has no seasons. According to Phyllis Diller, I think, there are indeed four seasons there: fire, flood, earthquake, and drought!

Having a Fall season is pretty spectacular, if there is a long Indian Summer so all the leaves have time to change. Starts with yellow of aspens, cottenwoods and locusts; then reds of sumac, Virginia creeper and burning bush; the brilliant scarlet of maples (who are worse than Democrats when it comes to agreeing on when to turn); and last but not leat, the russets and deep, deep browns of the oaks.

Did you know that oak trees tend to panic if rushed into winter? Well, who doesn't? But it surely looks like that happens some years when the snow comes early. It's like they got caught by surprise before they had time to change color or drop leaves, and then they just freeze up and stay that way all winter long, all shaggy with pale brown dead leaves.

But all that comes later. Right now it is just gorgeous late summer weather, sunny and cooler, but still shorts and t-shirt fair. Lots of flowers, bees and busy squirrels. Birds are finishing up the last nest of fledgelings, molting to winter colors, and considering flying south.

Here's a nice Fall picture from a neighbor's garden...

There were several ragged looking goldfinches eating the sunflower seeds, but they didn't hang around long enough to be in the picture. I wouldn't want my picture taken, either, if I were half finished molting out of my bright summer yellow and looked all moth-eaten!