There seems to come a point at some time during the month of October where you are truly able to tell that fall is here and winter is coming.
That point seemed to very visibly occur this morning, when a line of squalls moved through and a sharp cold wind started blowing from the north. There was a certain clean and crisp feel to the air that we haven't felt since sometime back in the spring, and the fact that the wind persisted all day long was also a clear suggestion of the change of seasons.
In fact, it was so windy that I had to put the bungee cords around our wind chimes to keep them from just clanging around hysterically.
Winter is definitely coming.
When I went to town (earlier today) I noticed that the "fire danger" sign outside our local fire station at been changed overnight from "moderate" to "low", another indicator of the arrival of the wet and cold season.
Just a few minutes ago — when I was outside emptying out the reservoir from the dehumidifier we keep downstairs — I could smell wood smoke from somebody's fireplace, already going again and reminding me that winter is about to arrive.
Meanwhile, it is definitely colder and when I checked the weather for this weekend one of the things I noticed is that the first snows are expected in the mountain passes this weekend. I'm actually looking forward to seeing the snow on the mountains across the bay!
While I'm not a big fan of snow it does look very pretty when it's up on the mountains and I don't have to go driving around in it. As far as I'm concerned, that's where the snow belongs!
The change of seasons also means subtle changes to our own habits around the house.
More often than not, it will now be dark in the morning when I wake up, and we're also moving towards the time of the year where it is likely to be getting dark when I am coming home from town having done the daily trip to the post office, bank and grocery if we need it.
Meanwhile, I'm shifting my work attention more to indoor activities. While I like to say that I derive my income from online work, during the summer that is something I mostly do in the morning and then again in the evening while I spend the daytime outside working in our garden or cutting grass or whatever it is you have to do when you happen to be a homeowner.
There's not much going on in the garden anymore although we still have potatoes in the ground and we have beets and we have Jerusalem artichokes that are still a ways out before they are harvestable. But on the whole, growing season is over and the garden is going to start going dormant very soon.
I actually like working outside in the winter as well, because at least I have the feeling that — at least for a few months — I will be able to clear and tidy up things faster than they grow back!
We love our mild and damp climate around here but one of the prices you pay for the fact that everything is green all year long is that it is also growing rather quickly all year long so it is a non-stop job to keep the wilderness at bay!
There are quite a few things I hope to get done indoors this winter. This is the time of the year when my slowly declining stamp and old letter business at least picks up a little bit as people in the northern hemisphere turn to indoor hobbies.
I found it rather amazing today — as I started setting up things for this weekend's eBay auctions — to think that I have actually been a stamp collector and working with stamps for sixty years now! 60 years was what I considered a really old person when I was a kid... and now I am older than that!
I like the winter season, with its associated activities.
Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend!
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2026.10.10 01:39 PDT
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