Weather Turns

So the official start of Fall was 4 days ago. And its Fall. The temperature dropped down from 90'F days to barely 70'F. Leaves are falling. And it has rained. The King Fire is nearly out. It is snowing near Lake Tahoe, up high above 9000 feet but along there, there's plenty of mountains that tall around the Lake. Mount Rose got snow today. It is now officially too cool for summer blankets. I had to switch over to winter comforter and heavy sheets. It was cold enough this morning to reach the lower 50's, and open windows, even cracked, drafted in a distinct chill. The afternoons are warm enough for shirt sleeves, but the evenings get chilly as the sun goes down. Isn't that something? There's threat of rain tonight and tomorrow. The blobs of it on radar aren't here, and don't seem very large, but perhaps a shower. Or maybe something substantial will come in off the coast. Radar only sees so far, and mountains are what makes the rain fall, thanks to the orogenic effect. I expect we'll have extra visitors to the library tomorrow so I'll be extra busy shelving. Good times.

Meanwhile, first season of Lois and Clark, a show from the 1990's that I enjoyed, with Teri Hatcher at her physical peak playing cynical "modern woman" before the entire idea took a sour turn of disappointment for millions attempting the feat. Turns out you CAN'T have it all. Pick one: career or children. If you try both, you fail at both.

On my walk today, in the brisk Fall breeze, under shimmery mares tails clouds and intense white clouds scudding out of the river valleys, I pondered how a house situated to take in this view properly would be a fantastic place to live, provided you've got power and internet streaming. And possibly natural gas supply. Power and natural gas are both VERY expensive to bring to a remote location, which is why even delivering propane is expensive and rural folk have BIG tanks to avoid the $200 delivery surcharge. Considering I like the truly rural locations where there's actual peace and quiet, I've need to likely spend tens of thousands drilling a well, then depending on that water supply, irrigate a vineyard to occupy my time and make wine every Fall, while the weather is so wonderful. On a mountainside, you can see so very far, and my childhood had fantastic vistas out the front window. It is something I miss here, and requires a walk to see my state, though the walk shows me a fair bit of it from the hillside. All the way north to Lassen Volcano, and east to Sierra Buttes, and from a different location on the same hill, a couple hundred yards away, the Sutter Buttes and the distant peaks of the Coast Range north of Williams. Imagine dragging an Airstream trailer up there and parking it beside the water tank and hooking up a septic field, once you find the right site, with the best view. Post a lightning rod and call it good. Might go weeks or even months without talking to anyone else. The wonders it would do for concentration and peace of mind. Sigh. Pity. Who can afford that sort of luxury anymore?

UPDATE: It rained after all, last night. It is snowing more around Lake Tahoe this morning. It is cold enough we have the heat on this morning. It is a beautiful morning. The falling snow will almost certainly change the colors of the aspens/alders in the high country. Hopefully we can visit tomorrow, if only to drive through. Depends on whether it is snowing or not. WeatherUnderground is still the best weather radar site, and the map loads way faster than In-accu-weather, which is often wrong.