Clouds in my Coffee

 

Clouds in my Coffee

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Here I am, coming to you with another weather report from my little corner in Jalisco. In mid-September we begin holding our breath for the coming unwanted end of the rainy season. Was that the last rain? Will we get another?

No rain in sight the last week of September.  No rain marred the skies the first week of October, despite promises from hurricanes and tropical storms on the coast.   

Oh, my, the clouds.  Clouds topped the raft of mountains to the back of our little town, dropping their bounty on the other side, leaving us dry but hopeful.

On the horizon around us, cloud banks rise up like looming monsters in a movie, heads high, arms waving and weaving and threatening, “Ooooooooooooooooh, I’m going to get you!” And . . . disappearing.

Then we have an interval of blue sky sunshine. Then, like mushrooms, the next batch of monster clouds loom up from the horizon. All day long, alternating.

Cloud watching became our most popular entertainment, knocking watching grass grow into second place. You can, you know, watch grass grow. Ask any of us.

Crin, Janet and I went out to Laguna Palo Verde last week for lunch. The hillsides were the lushest I’ve ever seen. Feeding our eyes and hearts took precedence over feeding our stomachs. Unbelievably, green can get greener.

No matter where I am, autumn is my favorite season. I don’t welcome all the changes but manage to revel selectively. We get a new crop of birds and butterflies (along with snowbirds) to mingle with those here all the year.

The bed-sheet butterflies, wafting from flower to flower with grace, much like white sheets waving in a breeze on the clothesline, always make me smile. The yellowhead blackbirds return, once again in fewer numbers, but I’m happy to see them.

I’ll be equally happy to see all my snowbird friends return from the north country, some for a few weeks, some for a few months.

It is a simple pleasure, but, I enjoy visiting my favorite produce stand to see what goodness is new this season. Pepe had boxes of nectarines and peaches that tempted me. I picked up one of each. They were rock hard with no fruity scent, obviously shipped from afar, so I passed them by in favor of locally grown mandarinas, my favorite Dominican bananas and tunas, the fruit of the nopales.

Back on the street, from the back of a pickup truck, I bought two giant squashes, cream color with green vertical stripes. This large squash is an excellent vegetable and makes the best “pumpkin” pies.

With coffee this morning, I savored a slice of guava cheesecake I made with guavas from my neighbor’s tree. I picked a ripening papaya from my own tree along with one of my last avocados.

Once again the clouds are making monster faces on the horizon. Last night, despite zero percent chance of rain, coastal rains swooped over the mountains and dropped 2 1/8 inches of rain. Possibly our final moisture.

Our next season is “Dust”.

Sondra Ashton

Looking out my back door

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