Summer's End

The seasons don't follow the normal progression here in southern California. They can be marked by the solstices and equinoxes but for the most part, we don't have the traditional four seasons here. Our climate is described by naturalists as "Mediterranean" which means we have mild, wet winters and dry summers.

So, although the sun is ranging south towards the autumnal equinox and the late afternoon sunlight is getting that certain slant, and school begins next week, it's really still summer here and will be for quite a while. Our hottest months are August and September, and the winds are usually fierce in October. Winds mean fire, and that means we will have heat until Halloween, if not later.

This rhythmless cycle of seasons is all I know, but I still feel that something's missing, off kilter. There are always green trees and always some flower or other in bloom. Green grass signals winter to me, not summer. The rainy season is the season of giddy life; summer is the time of death and stillness, at least down here in the flatlands.