I received a ring early in the morning today. When I answered my cell, it was my hubby who obviously was outside the house on his way to work. He knew I was awake, just lazy getting up. He told me to peek out the window for there is still sunrise.
Well, it is not really sunrise, as it was past 7:00 am already 
and the sun was a little bit high in the sky now. However, because there’s on and off showers, and the presence of the not so dark clouds made it look like a sunrise.
I find it pretty interesting actually, it is not just another sunrise, the presence of clouds and particles on the atmosphere always create a different scattering. I waited for the sun to rose a little bit and get covered by the clouds partially.
I savor every moment since I know tomorrow at Christmas Eve and at Christmas we’ll have rain, and perhaps mostly grey sky with low visibility. I do not complain, I love the different phases and changes of the atmosphere. Both sun and rain support life, without both, I do not know where we would all be. I am glad for their presence in our sky.
After a while, the sky turned darker as the sun was fully covered by the dark clouds. And in a little while it rained, so I went back to bed and enjoyed my Christmas break. After lunch, the sky was all too inviting again, it was not as sunny, but it was not dark either. It was a perfect day. I feel better now, so I decided to try getting out of the doors again. For the past weeks, I had been struggling with my allergies and asthma, that after work, I would just rest at home. I would walk a little bit around the neighborhood, but that’s all I could do. Today, since I am so slow in sending out Christmas greetings, I decided to walk to the post office which is about 1.6 miles away from home. But before proceeding to the post office, I took a detour at my little nook in Rancho Bernardo.
This was at the same spot where I took the picture in my previous blog about 3 days ago. The intensity of colors less now, but I like it that there are more leaves now on the ground.
Though my purpose of going out was to mail gifts and greeting cards, but I was sidetracked photographing the leaves.
Yes, I have a very long romance with fall, I am not over it yet! I think I have been photographing fall colors since late September, and it is December now and I still am very much into it.
California compensates for its mostly evergreen vegetation with a very long romance with fall since foliage start to explore in the Sierras by September, and then, by October at higher elevation, and November to December are along the coast and inland valleys. As long as one knows where to seek them. A lot are lost in the concrete jungles and in the beach. The coast and inland valleys have little foliage compared to the mountains, but it compensates for the duration. Since winter along the coast and valleys are mild, therefore, fall colors last long.
By January, don’t get surprised if I would still post some freshly taken fall pictures, and by February, spring! Spring is my favorite season, even though I have allergies!! I just love how the desert valleys explodes with color and being transformed from brown to heaven! But of course, it is all dependent in the amount of rain we get, since we live in semi-arid environment. I hope we get another good bloom this coming spring since it seems we are getting a lot more rain than average this time of the year. But right now, all I can do is wait for spring and hope for another wonderful bloom.
After I was done in this little nook, I walked to post office and mission accomplished. As I was walking back home, the sky was starting to get darker, but still beautiful.
I do not know what people are thinking about me when I would stop to take this picture. The sky looked so peaceful, yet I was in a sidewalk, with cars passing by, and people walking to the mall 
. They may think I am nuts, but I just love the sky! It was all grey and dark going East, storm is looming. But somehow, the sun managed to create little bit of drama on the clouds in the West direction.
The temperature may have dropped to 40s already since when I left the house the temperature was at 55, and I had been out for almost 2 hours but I just have to look one more time at the sky.
I finally put my camera inside my bag and decide to continue my walk back home before it totally gets dark. I am so glad I did the walk today, I can say, I feel so fit now to be really out of the doors and be in the slopes again to hike. I remember when I was still in Connecticut, I was living all by myself, and we had several snow days ( schools close because of snow, and teachers are free, hehehe). During those snow days, I would take a walk to the lake for I could not stand being stuck inside all by myself without anyone to talk to. Even though I was also all alone outside, but I preferred it. I preferred braving the weather outside with nature than being stuck inside, alone, with no one to talk to and missing my family in the Philippines. My director when he would learn what I did would tell me “I am crazy”, my students would describe me for being “crazy”, for they are used to staying inside during those days raising their thermostats to 70s! But for me, as long as I feel fit, as long as I do not have asthma, I don’t mind being outside, for in nature, I find peace! In nature, I find company! I can cry my heart all out and i feel the swaying of the leaves, the passing of the wind, the glow of the sun are my company soothing emotions giving peace. And I am so glad to find out that my asthma did not relapse from my walk today. I am ready again, to go to the backroads!! But tomorrow and Christmas there will be storm, with strong wind gusts, that maybe, hopefully, I can be out of the doors this weekend. I can not wait! I miss the desert, the mountains, and right now, I just have to get content with the hills and dales everywhere.
But today, I am glad for another beautiful day.
