Autumn, A Time For Crisp Cool Weather and Pumpkins...Well other than in California

The weather forecast taken from WCAX.Com out of Vermont: Cool and cloudy will be the theme as we end the weekend. The bright side is weather like this gives you a good excuse to hang indoors and watch football.

The weather forecast taken from KCRA.Com out of California: Hot temperatures continue today. A weather system to our north will pull a few thin clouds into our afternoon skies, expect highs in the mid 90s. Monday and Tuesday will be the hottest days in the upper 90s to about 100 degrees.

Really? 100 degrees? We are practically into October, yet suffering through a hot spell that rarely made itself known this summer. Maybe we are paying for our good fortune this summer with a record number of days in the bearable beautiful 80's.

If it was up to me, California would be a 4 season state, at least a month of fall and a month of spring would be nice. Instead we go from 90's generally and plummet to the 60's to the 50's and even 40's on a particularly harsh winter (ok, you colder states, laugh away, but in California if you can't wear flip flops all year round, it's cold!). Then when spring hits, we go from those 50's to 90's in record time.

I swear one day I have trees of green leaves, and the next they are bald, where are our california colors? Oh I forgot you have to go to the foothills for that! So we pack the car with 2000 pounds of kids, a stroller, cooler, snacks, diapers, changes of clothes, color books, DS lites, rattles, and talking dogs for the 45 minute drive to Jackson or an hour to Apple Hill to stay for a couple of hours, pick some apples, pick some pumpkins, buy a pie, eat a picnic then, pack up said 2000 pounds again for the 45 minute drive home, just to experience autumn.

I suppose I shouldn't complain, because I never have to shovel a driveor a walk, worry about a spring flood, we don't have twisters, however our ground does shake from time to time, but no siren's going off warning us to head underground, no freezes with 150 car pileups on the turnpikes. We don't even have turnpikes. We do have the dreaded fog, which I actually enjoy with my gold canyon candles burning Autumn Walks scent, and my cup of tea in hand.

I suppose with every season, I keep hoping California will gain a little seasonal diversity. It's truly hard to decorate for Christmas when it is still in the 70's and sunny. There is no white Christmas in Sacramento, unless you truck in the white, which trust me is not cheap, or buy the fake stuff, to sprinkle around, which is annoying as it doesn't go away, in summer I am finding snowflakes on the carpet! Ugh!

I often wonder how people in Hawaii or Australia, feel the holiday season, when everything is geared towards snow in the advertisements, cards, movies, and songs. I suppose when I can drive 2 hours to get to the snow lineor 2 hours in the other direction to the fog of the San Francisco, I shan't complain. However, I still do... because I am still awaiting my cool crisp mornings, with the leaves crunching beneath my feet, the steam of the cider warming my nose, the fire crackling in the hearth, and that oatmeal colored cable knit sweater I bought from LL Bean in one moment of spontaneity to make sense here in California in October. Guess I will keep waiting.... and waiting... and waiting....

Please support World Habitat Day on Oct 4 with Habitat for Humanity

Please support World Habitat Day on Oct 4 with Habitat for Humanity

Life... For A Mom, it's the craziness that keeps us going!

Life... As a mom, I believe it is the craziness that keeps us going. On the rare, pretty much non-existent days where I have zero commitments on the calendar, I sit on the couch, flabbergasted wondering what to do with myself. Back when I had one one child, I would look at my calendar and try to fill the days so that I felt like I had a life. Crazy!!! If I knew then what I know now, I would have treasured those empty days.

The other morning I was updating my Icalendar which syncs with my iphone and my mobileme accounts so that I can always access my schedules. Each person in our family and even our non-profit has it's own colors so that from a glance I know whose activity is whose. If I forget to bring my phone to my computer to wirelessly sync, and something doesn't make it from the ical to the iphone, havoc is had. Am I the only one here? As I type I am feeling my neurosis is painfully evident.

I have been having this talk with myself for some time now (ok, now really starting to worry about the neurosis!) about slowing down and paring down our activities and commitments. But where to begin? Shall I start with my own, or with my children's? What about the non-profit? People count on what it does. I feel trapped and insanity looming ahead.

Then it hits me... Change from the craziness isn't necessarily the answer. Would days spent on the couch twiddling my thumbs really make me feel more together? Would floundering around while Bean naps and the E's are at school really relieve my stress? No, but taking a moment from the craziness, to do something for myself... yes another activity to take on, will.

So I am back to blogging. Releasing my creativity, my humor, and my neurosis, on the world wide web for all to see, just may help! If not, it will ensure that I will not take up the commitment to run for office, or heaven forbid, my blogs will be up on power point at my future debates. So relax America... Calista Quinn, mom of three... will not be looking to run for office, but I will be coming to a computer near you if you find me!