Fall Has Arrived

Today seems like autumn. The temperature never climbed past 55, the sky is cloudy and we have had periods of rain. Add to that the first day of being back on Mountain Standard Time, and it finally seems that fall is here.

Some trees are still holding on to their red and golden leaves, but it now seems that winter can't be too far away. It's a day that makes me want to cook a pot of soup or stew, or maybe bake some cookies. It's definitely a day for comfort food, warm and satisfying. It's a day to break out a sweatshirt or sweater, and to slip into corduroy slacks.. It's a day to stay inside and listen to that all-too-rare sound of rain on the skylights. It's a good day to ensconce myself in my comfy chair, prop my feet up on the matching ottoman, and enjoy a good book. I bought this chair last year from a furniture consignment shop. It's covered with a print pattern of books, which makes it perfect for my office. It isn't too big, and it's very comfortable. Nearby is an old floor lamp that once belonged to my parents. Most mornings, I read the paper while seated at my desk. But on Sundays, I sit in my library chair, enjoy a cup of hot tea, and read the Sunday paper.

As I write this, the remains of a rotisserie chicken are steeping in the slow cooker. A friend just e-mailed that she made a pot of meatball soup and some brownies today. There is a freeze warning for this area tonight. Grocery store ads are filled with the ingredients for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

Yes, fall has arrived.

Morning Has Broken

I have never been a morning person, although for many years I got up at 4:30 a.m.

Dragging myself out of bed hours before the sun came up was never my idea of a good time. But I would feed and walk my dogs, go for a 3-mile run, then shower and get ready for work. My work day began at 7:30 a.m. I guess my body got used to waking up early, because I still frequently awaken long before dawn. I also inherited my parents' propensity for waking up very early every morning.

One recent morning I decided to get up rather than pretending that I would fall back asleep. It was still very dark outside, so after taking care of my dogs, I decided to go for a walk. After a few minutes, the sky started to lighten, and the hulking outline of the Sandia Mountains became visible. Then the eastern horizon began to turn pale pink and orange. 

After my walk, I took my small dogs for a walk, something I won't do until the sun is up due to the presence of numerous coyotes in the area. If they are near us, I want to be able to see them. After our walk, it was time for a cup of hot tea while I read the morning newspaper.

I actually enjoy being outside early in the morning, despite the grumbling about waking up so early. Especially at this time of year, the air is cool and crisp (45 degrees F), there is almost no traffic, and the day feels new and clean. Some mornings, I can see the mass ascension of hundreds of hot air balloons in the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Depending on the wind, some of them fly right over my house. Even without the balloons, however. I enjoy a wonderful walk on a beautiful fall morning.

In just a few weeks we will be forced to move our clocks back, which means the sun will rise an hour earlier. This is not a change I like, as this means I will wake up even earlier (my bedroom is on the east) and the sunset will set an hour earlier, making for long, dark evenings.

So I guess the only thing under my control is whether or not I choose to get up early and enjoy the quiet and solitude of an early fall morning in the high desert.

The Most Wonderful Time of Year

Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile. -- William Cullen Bryant 

Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall. -- F. Scott Fitzgerald 

An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day. -- Henry David Thoreau

"It's the most wonderful time of the year," to borrow a line from a song. No, I'm not talking about the Christmas season. I'm thinking about autumn.

Even here in the desert southwest, there is a distinct and welcome feeling of fall in the air, although the cottonwoods and other native trees haven't yet begun to cloak themselves in beautiful shades of yellow and gold. It sometimes is cool enough to turn off the air conditioner and open the windows for a couple of hours in the morning. Although autumn doesn't arrive officially until Sept. 22, and daytime temperatures still often reach well into the 80s, the new season is beginning to make an appearance.

My appreciation of this wonderful time of year has increased greatly since I moved to the high desert, with its long, hot, dry summers. Autumn brings changes detectable by sight, sound, feel and scent. We don't get the beautiful red and orange leaves typical of maple trees, but our cottonwoods and aspens still can put on a gorgeous display of gold. 

Autumn mornings are cooler, and the sun begins to peek over the shoulders of the Sandia Mountains to the east later in the day. I appreciate this, as my bedroom faces east. The angle of the sun is lower and the days are shorter than during the hot summer. The rising sun and clouds on the horizon create brilliant sunrises. And bright yellow flowers bloom along the roads and acequias.
 

In addition to the cooler nighttime temperatures, another sure sign of autumn is the appearance in the skies over central New Mexico of hot air balloons. I saw a couple dozen balloons early one recent morning as I was out walking. In just a couple of weeks, the skies will be filled with hundreds of colorful balloons from around the world participating in the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Depending on the winds on a given day, many of the balloons fly over my neighborhood, and some pass directly over my house.

The famous New Mexico green chiles have been harvested and chile roasting is underway at many grocery stores in the area, with the smell of roasting chiles filling the air. Shoppers snap up 30-pound bags of the spicy chiles, freezing them after roasting for use during the rest of the year. The fall rains, the last of the ‘monsoon’ season, have arrived, bringing much-needed moisture to parched yards and plants, and replenishing a bit of the water in the Rio Grande and lakes, streams and rivers throughout the state. Southern New Mexico has been getting too much rain – an irony in this bone-dry state – and many areas have been flooded. But the rest of the state remains very dry. Even some of my desert plants have struggled to survive our years-long drought, so these rains are always very welcome.

Even the air is different in autumn, with a different smell than is found the rest of the year. It feels crisp and seems lighter somehow. Once in a while I get a whiff of smoke from someone's fireplace or fire pit, and the smell of fallen leaves adds to the different aroma.

With the changing of the weather comes planning for my annual road trip Durango, CO, to ride the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. The 45-mile route is lined with

mountain creeks and beautiful aspens, ending in the old mining town of Silverton at some 9,300 feet above sea level..
 

I have started to eye the row of cookbooks in my kitchen as I yearn for the pleasures of a hot cup of soup, or the aroma of black bean chili or stew cooking in the slow cooker. Thoughts of making pumpkin bread and cornbread make an appearance. My morning cup of tea, a daily ritual throughout the year, is even more enjoyable on a cool, crisp morning.

Soon I will be able to leave a window open in my bedroom at night. In the early morning, I can open dining room windows to let in the fresh, cool air. I am looking forward to wearing different clothes than the hot-weather shorts and tops I have worn for months. Long sleeves, sweatshirts and light jackets will emerge from the closets where they have waited the past several months. Soon, tens of thousands of birds will make their annual migration through central New Mexico on their way to their winter homes. The honking of geese and the unusual calls of the sandhill cranes will soon fill the skies.

It's now time to replace the brightly colored summer tablecloth with one filled with browns and oranges, and to set out the autumn-themed accents in my house. Even small changes in decor make for a refreshing change.

I dread the cold, dark days of winter, as I hate to be cold. But the coming of autumn is always  welcome. What's not to like about this time of year? It brings cooler temperatures, crisp nights, glorious leaves of many colors, awesome azure skies, and a desire to prepare some home-cooked comfort foods.

 

Glimpses of Autumn

Tomorrow is the official start of autumn. And although daytime temperatures still reach the low 80s, there is a definite feeling of autumn in the air here in the high desert.

I live in the high desert, and this is a wonderful time of year. Nighttime temperatures are dipping into the upper 50s and low 60s. Some nights I can sleep with my bedroom window open. Daylight hours are shorter, but sunrises are more beautiful than ever. Clouds hovering just above the horizon reflect the beautiful pinks and oranges of the rising sun. Leaves are showing just a hint of yellow. And for central New Mexico, one sure sign of the approach of autumn is the reappearance of dozens of hot air balloons in the crisp blue skies over Albuquerque.

This summer has been especially hot and dry, so I am looking forward more than usual to the coming of fall. The chili crop has been harvested and chili roasting is under way at many of the major grocery stores in the area. The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is just weeks away. The fall rains, the last of the 'monsoon' season, have arrived, bringing much-needed moisture to parched yards and plants. Even the native desert-dwelling plants have struggled to survive a serious three-year drought, so these rains are very welcome.

To really get a taste of autumn, I recently drove to Durango, CO, to ride the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. The 45-mile route is lined with creeks and beautiful aspens. Because of all the recent rains in Colorado, the rivers and streams are overflowing their banks, churning and angry. Terrible floods have hit parts of the state. And the aspens, except for a few in the higher elevations (even higher than the 8,000 feet where I was) have not yet started to cloak themselves in gold and yellow.
I was disappointed that the leaves hadn't yet turned, but it was an enjoyable trip nonetheless. And the autumn chill definitely was present.

So in a week or so, I will fly to Vermont, where the fall colors should be glorious, for some time spent hiking and photographing nature's beauty. 

Even here, in the desert southwest, there is a distinct and welcome feeling of fall in the air. My thoughts once again are turning to the pleasures of a hot cup of soup, or the aroma of chili or stew cooking in the slow cooker. I am looking forward to being able to wear different clothes than the hot-weather shorts and tops I have worn for months. Long sleeves and light jackets will reappear from the closets where they have waited the past several months. Soon, tens of thousands of birds will make their annual migration through central New Mexico on their way to their winter homes. The honking of geese and the unusual calls of the sandhill cranes will soon fill the skies.

I never look forward to winter's cold and darkness, but the coming of autumn is always  welcome. What's not to like about this time of year? It brings cooler temperatures, crisp nights, glorious leaves of many colors and awesome azure skies.