Autumn

Living in SoCal has helped us re-define the term "seasons." Fall is now upon us and we are enjoying cooler days and nights. No changing colors and falling of the leaves. No fiery red sumac along the roads. No raking or crunching in the leaves. But...
we are seeing the fruit trees continuing to grow! Our precious little guavas are getting bigger and the tree is healthy and thriving! We can hardly wait until we can bite into those fresh guavas. Last week I even had a patient in the clinic tell me that he makes guava/pineapple jam. Now doesn't that sound good?
Our little orange tree has survived the hot and extremely dry summer months and is loaded with fruit also. In fact, the branches are so heavy that we have had to prop them up with sticks! Last winter these oranges were very sweet, so we are hoping for the same this year.
And then there is the apple persimmon tree... It too is heavy-laden with fruit that is gradually ripening. When these are ready to pick, they are a deep orange-red color. The taste is unique, and we learned to love eating this fruit last year.

We are enjoying autumn here in the southland and are very happy that we don't have to rake leaves this fall or worry about shoveling snow in the coming months!

Finishing Touches and Family Fun

We had a wonderful weekend with plenty of activity again! On Saturday morning, the "cell phone tower crew" came to finish up the tower. After painting the receptors and crossbeams green, they started to add the palm fronds. This process ended up being more than they could do in one day, so the final touches came on Monday... On Saturday evening, we joined Jim's cousin and her family (and several other friends) at the Roman Cucina close to Seal Beach. We had a great time, and also enjoyed great food!
It was really fun to see Lorna's kids together and enjoying their time with each other! Since they are living in three different sections of the country, it is rare for them to spend time with each other, so this was a special family reunion--and we were very happy that we were asked to share in this one event with them!
Judy and Lorna (long-time friends) also enjoyed celebrating their families time together at the restaurant. On Sunday afternoon, we were privileged to have Lorna come and stay with us for 2 days. The visit was wonderful!When I came home from work on Monday afternoon, I was greeted by this sight! The cell phone tower is now a lovely, giant palm tree! The plan calls for planting real palm trees close to it so that it does not look quite so conspicuous. We'll see how soon that happens...

That's our house, just behind the fence, with the new "palm" in the foreground. Awesome, huh?