I like the soft indigo color the hydrangea flowers become in the fall. Their sky blue summer hues soften and age to this refined shade of indigo. A warm winter sweater of this color would look sublime.

We are deep into fall. The snow geese are back in droves. I’ve seen the first of the swans flying about. In another week or so, the sky will be full of mute and trumpeter swans who settle in the valley for the winter.

The leaves pile up and up. The rich leathery hues are calming. This year the falls color seem more brilliant than average.

I may have witnessed an event that happens only once in a million years, a dandelion in bloom at the same time the snow geese have arrived in the valley for the winter. On Monday we spotted snow geese for the first time this season. They were out on the flats between Samish Island and Bay View. Ribbons of them were still flying in off of Padilla Bay. The swans will be following them soon.

Speaking of dandelions, they are evidently a hotbed of controversy. Some botanists take the position that there are some 2,000 species of dandelions, while others put their feet down at just 60 species. I can only imagine the heated discussions botanists have arguing their opposing positions. 1,000 species versus 900 species is a quibble not worth a fuss. 2,000 versus 60 species is a row worth sticking your dukes up for.

No doubt friendships have been smashed, voices raised, possibly even fists flung in these taxanomic squabbles.

Oh well, a dandelion is a dandelion is a dandelion, unless it is a cat’s ear, coltsfoot, or hawkweed. Somewhere in the library stacks of a university is a spirited thesis, dripping with scorn and sarcasm, on the subject of dandelion classification a botanist has poured their heart into. It would be a good read by the fireplace on a dark, cold winter night. With the right director and cast, it could be made into an Oscar worthy movie.

The rains have stopped for now. The fall colors are lovely this year. With snow geese in the valley, winter is not far away.

It’s not unusual to have the first frost during the second week of October. Today the skies were cloudless all day, from before sunrise and even now with the stars filling the night sky.

The first frost is a warning to hurry up and get all the garlic planted, start new compost piles, pick the last of the pears, and start raking the falling leaves, of which there is no end.