The Benefits of Global Warming...are over

So I know that it takes me a long time to get posts out, hey, I am a busy girl ya know. But I do think about what I am going to write before it is actually in the computer. This week, I have been on my reading/research week so definitely low stress and I am home most of the day studying, and walking the dog. At the beginning of the week, I was going to do a bit on the Fall colors and watching the seasons change, something I am frankly, not accustomed to in California. By this time of year, the hills are golden brown and the trees are green. In Ohio, the grass is still amazingly green and the trees are green, yellow, red, gold, brown and then bare twigs. It is fun to hear all the leaves crunch underfoot as Cowboy and I walk around the park. Cowboy has even taken to running and jumping through the piles of the leaves that people have carefully raked to the edge of the street.

I even took the camera on a walk to take some great Fall Foliage pictures (see to the left). It was made doubly nice by the 75 degree weather. Yes, that is right, 75 degrees this week. I was wearing a t-shirt in November in Ohio, it was like living in Ventura again. My kind of Fall weather. So then I thought I could discuss the benefits of global warming and its effect on my nice warm November.

Okay, first, how do the colors work? What actually makes it change? Is the color order the same? Like all trees go green to yellow to brown? What about the red. And then, look at the picture to the left, why is one tree almost all red and the one next to is is still mostly green? I hereby confess my ignorance of plants. Perhaps one of my plant friends (ie Rochelle) can tell me how it works.

However, today, that all changed. The weather is now more classic fall, as in rain. Today, I wore jackets, glove and hat to walk Cowboy to the park in the rain. He didn't care it was raining and enjoyed the freedom of having the park to ourselves. Apparently the California girl is the only crazy one walking her dog in the rain. So out goes all my global warming jokes and bragging about the "cold Ohio" weather...it is back to business as usual.

This also brings up an interesting point: naming rain. I mean, we can describe it as a sprinkle, drizzle, rain or down pour, but when it comes to verbage it is all just " raining" outside. Ya know? No one says wow it is really pouring down out there or look at the drizzle. It is always just wow, it is really raining outside. That is another thing, do we really need to add the OUTSIDE part of the sentence? Isn't it obvious that it is raining outside? Does it ever really rain inside so that we need to specify the rain's location?

One more thing, Obama took Ohio! I would like to think that two extra Californians voting here helped! Yeah! Check out my cool lawn sign picture as well. According to the local paper, Republicans actually called the city office complaining that the city was sponsoring Obama. Then there was a whole rash of people that got their signs stolen from the front yards. Being in a swing state for an election sure was fun! Except for all the political ads on TV, lucky with DVR, I can fast forward through all the crap.

Enjoy the Fall while it lasts! Soon will come my snow reports!