Harvest has begun in the Napa Valley. The sparkling wine houses started up while we were in Washington. Hendry picked its first chardonnay of the year yesterday morning. The smell of wine will soon be in the air. Dusty guys in shorts will pay for their lunchtime sandwiches at Sunshine Market with purple hands. The valley buzzes with action and energy, even as its arteries, Highway 29 and the Silverado Trail, crawl with sluggish grape gondolas. The tourists are forgiven for gawking at pickers and stealing a grape or two. It's part of what makes the cooling transition to Fall not just bearable but beautiful here.
It took me a long time to get over the impending first day of school anxiety that always came with the first truly chilly mornings, and the slightly shorter days, of August and September. I have always been reluctant to take the next step, to move on to the next activity, no matter what it is, and I hate to see summer end. But here, there is always something beautiful on its way. In the garden, the delicata squash are growing to a pickable size, and I can actually imagine enjoying a winter squash again. Tomatoes are still remarkable, but I don't have to have them at every meal as I did in July and most of this month. Pretty soon, the birds will be enjoying the giant sunflowers' seeds and singing their little hearts out.
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