Three weeks of fall
For those of you who are new readers to Bear’s-Eye View, I rail against the appearance of Christmas/Hanukkah/Simbang Gabi/Negjot/etc. and other “holiday decorations” until after Thanksgiving. For me, fall really starts with Halloween when our Indian summer ends, we go off of daylight saving time, and the tree leaves start turning yellow, orange, red, and then brown. It culminates with a day of Thanksgiving feasting. Unfortunately, the continued commercialization of the “holiday season” starts before Halloween and extends to the end of January, completely ignoring Thanksgiving—a time when we are supposed to give thanks for what we all have.
This report is dedicated to the three weeks I recognize as fall, starting with pumpkin treats from Trader Joe’s. Next week, I am planning on hitting Starbucks for a Pumpkin Spice Puppuccino.
I associate the color orange with this time of year and have included a few orange items I found on my daily walks. I was really surprised to see a few monarchs still in town, doing their complex aerial maneuvers.
I had the occasion to walk along Island Drive to visit Veterans Memorial Park as part of a personal Veterans Day acknowledgement to recognize both current veterans and those who are no longer with us for their service to our country. On the way back, I stopped by the massive painting project taking place at the old Alameda Fire Training Facility of many years ago. It is quite impressive…whatever it is supposed to be.
I had to do a double take of the stop sign on Clement Avenue at Schiller Street when I saw the word “WHINING” under “STOP.” It sure looked like the sign was printed that way.
A blue inspirational Post-It note caught my eye while walking along Alameda Avenue, and I am wondering if someone is mimicking the person that was writing inspirational sayings in chalk on the sidewalk during the COVID-19 shutdown. I will keep my eye out for others.
And speaking of COVID-19 activities, does anyone remember the spike in fairy door displays that popped up? I occasionally run into a new one, and this week I found one that I had not seen before. One of the things that caught my eye about this one was the definition of “Deja Poo.” Check out the rock that has the meaning painted on it.
There is also a multi-family fairy door complex complete with holiday wreaths on the doors at the corner of Oak Street and Encinal Avenue where the tennis courts are.
Please take the time to recognize, celebrate, and savor the 28 days of fall this year ahead of the onslaught of the “holidaze.” And if you find a great fall or Thanksgiving display, please email my human companion at [email protected] this week, and I will check it out.
Mouf, Roving Reporter
Bear’s-Eye View of Alameda
Mouf and his human companion can be reached via [email protected]. Their stories are collected at AlamedaPost.com/Jeff-Cambra/. All photos and videos by Jeff Cambra.
