Looking for the Fall – End of the Day for August 16, 2014

Even though we have had a fairly moderate Summer this year, with temperatures rising above 90 have been fairly rare, thank goodness. Here in the San Fernando Valley we are usually blessed with cooler evenings, too. This allows us to cool the house down each evening so we need not run the air conditioning so much during the day. The savings in electricity are significant, but we can’t always go without. Working here at home all day, if the temperature rises above about 82° inside it can feel quite uncomfortable and distracting. Days like this always make me look to the Fall for some relief. We do have those years when high heat arrives late in the Fall, but I am hoping that things turn milder as soon as possible. Being from Ohio originally, I think I have more affinity for the Fall and Winter than I do for high Summer. From the clothes that I like to wear to the activities I like to do, Summer is just to darn hot to make it comfortable. I always look forward to that particular smell I get when Fall has arrived. It is hard to describe but it has elements of leaves decaying, rain falling and wood smoke rising, even here in Los Angeles.

One way of reaching out to the cool is spending the night outdoors, watching live Shakespeare in the park as we did tonight. Taming of the Shrew was the play, put on by the Independent Shakespeare Company of LA. We make a point of seeing all the shows whenever we can. It is a great excuse to engage in the theater we love and spend some time in the cool night air. They have a few more shows this summer, so check them out if you can.

Fall’s arrival is even more important this year here in California and other drought-stricken areas. We need out annual rainy season to be better than average this year in hopes of getting our water supply — even our own garden – back on the right track. Drought stresses everything here in our near desert climate. The trees start to fail, plants turn brown and die, even with supplemental watering and our water rationing turns tighter and tighter as reservoirs drop and empty. While some in LA may hate the rain when it arrives, I welcome it with open arms. Let it rain. We all want it and need it. The sooner the better.

Previously on End of the Day: