Season Of Fire

The wind driven blazes have waned a bit and the aroma of smoke and ash is slowly drifting away. Deep piles of leaves, grounded by 60 mile per hour Santa Ana gusts, are beckoning me. I can breath easy and my eyes don’t sting any more. This terminates my excuse for leaving the yard work until next week. My little friends, the ruby throated hummingbirds and honeybees are back at work too, gathering food from the purple blooms of the Mexican Sage in my yard. The deep green and red bird glimmered like a living jewel. His wings hummed loudly as he feasted on nectar. I opened the door quietly and he shot vertically up in the blink of an eye. He rose 30 feet in a second or so as if somebody beamed him up. He hovered awhile and finally returned to his nectar below. Maybe he wondered where all the leaves had gone. They were still green, massed in disarray at my feet. The brutal, hot winds had moved on leaving the bright sun and blue sky as if nothing had happened, but the leaves and branches clogging streets and yards told a different story. No longer held captive by my fear of bronze hazed air, I can escape on a long morning walk. I waited for this respite and the leaves can wait one more day. Besides it is the witching season too.nnAs in years past, after the coming of fires, munchkin monster hordes descended in the darkness. We could barely keep up with the demands of their greedy little candy grubbing hands. One little guy, Joey, all of two years old, took his treats and refused to yield to the big kids lined up behind him. He knew we had more than a few measly candies in that big bowl and he was determined to get more. Finally his parents had to make their way through the throng and rescue us all. Did he know there were still fires raging in nearby hills and forests? Would he care? He seemed intent upon seizing the moment and having his fun as if he knew the reason we are here is to feel as good as we can. I wonder what great things Joey will do tomorrow,n