Last year, the beginning of October, Paul and I put out our Fall and Halloween decorations inside our Lincoln home.  It is our favorite time of year and we so enjoy this ritual.  Every year we add to our collection with a few new pieces.

We don’t go overboard on the Halloween theme and focus more on the fall aspect of the season.  We tie the two seasons together with crows. We have quite a few of them in different sizes.  I started un-wrapping the crows from storage one by one.  As I un-wrapped them I began to place each one in different areas of the house; On the leaf garland over the fireplace, perched on top of Ben our grandfather clock, resting on the wreath hanging on the front door, on the landing going up the stairs, a pair flying over the dining room table and another pair pecking at the pumpkins and gourds I had placed in the family butter churn.  Each one seemed to add fun autumn energy to the house.  Paul would comment on how they brought an interesting element to the different decorations.

As I worked on decorating the house I welcomed each one back into the home.  I have a tendency to talk to things as I work with them telling them how much I enjoy them and how I appreciate them.  My thoughts were about the crows in the fields this time of year and the flock that flies in for fall and lives in the tops of the redwood trees in my Roseville neighborhood. They are only here for a short time and yet they help to create a noticeable transition from summer to fall.

As I placed the smaller ones in the butter churn I heard all the pigeons that hang out on the house next door fly away.  I turned and looked out the window and there they were….crows!  They were all lined up on the fence looking around and saying hello!  It was so very cool!  I called Paul over to look. We laughed and enjoyed the moment.  I had been calling in crow energy and they responded.  It was magical…like the morning autumn mist that lingers above the tops of the warm summer fields…it is there… but you must look quickly before it dissipates into the day.

Last year, the crows did not visit us again after that first day.  I was honored that they responded to our welcome call. This year, we were gone for the first part of October and were late in placing our decorations.  The crows had already moved on.

Fall shows up in so many different ways. For the first time in a few years, there were cobwebs floating in the air. I am not sure what makes this phenomenon occur but it is both cool and odd. I remember one year as it was happening, I had a manager come into town to work with me. As we drove around the area, he saw all the large webs, some with particles from the cottonwood trees attached to them, floating through the air.  They crossed our path several times as we were walking and while in our vehicle. It freaked him out.  I just laughed. I have lived here so long I guess it has become normal to me. He could not wait to get back on his plane later that day and away from the webs.

We have been lucky this year that the autumn rain and wind have been minimal allowing the leaves to linger on the trees, shimmering with all their different colors and looking like stained glass windows throughout the city.  The air is crisp, the sky is blue and the reds, yellows and oranges of the leaves dance for our wonderment. Fall is definitely in the air, but the crow energy is gone for now.  We will have to wait until next year to call them in and say hello.