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6 OUR YUCAIPA | OCTOBER 2015 The Middle of the Road: By Randy Peters, a middle-aged, middle-income, middle-school teacher What is this "autumn" of which you speak? While growing up in Huntington Beach, I always thought there were only two seasons: summer and almost summer. I heard of this season others call "autumn." I had seen pictures of trees with orange, red, and yellow leaves. The only way the weather showed it was actually autumn was the wind. During those windy days in middle and junior high, our PE teacher, Mr. Leavitt, would bring out the parachute. We would take turns laying on the grass, wrapping the strings around our arms, and letting the wind and parachute drag us from one end of the field to the other. That was the sign of autumn. We would do that every year until my friend, Rance, finished his ride one day. He stood up and raised his hands high above his head in triumph. That's when we all saw that his sweater and shirt were ripped to shreds. Mr. Leavitt put the parachute away and tales of autumn in Huntington Beach vanished with it. I finally got to experience the real changes of autumn after moving to Yucaipa 33 years ago. The air really does change. The temperatures start to cool down at night. The leaves on trees actually begin to change. It still fascinates me to watch the transformation take place. My favorite tree to watch is the gingko. Its leaves turn a golden yellow. But unlike most trees that shed little at a time, the gingko tends to lose all of its leaves on one day. I read there's a town on the east coast that has a 70-foot ginkgo in the town square. Every year people enter pools and bet on the day the leaves will fall from it. As a former everything-stays-green-beach-kid, I still don't completely trust this deciduous leaf-falling routine. I feel like I have a personal relationship with the trees in my yard. I worry when I see them without leaves. How can I be sure the leaves will return in the spring? Shouldn't I be doing something to help Mother Nature? I've been known to frequently scratch the trunk or branches of my trees to check that there is still green underneath. That usually satisfies me for a while. But I'm weary of the process until I finally see the first leaves bud out in the spring. That's a day of celebration for me. It's another day of tolerance for my wife. Over the years, autumn has become full of traditions. Some are exciting and refreshing. Some I question. Some should be banished. Just because it's autumn, why does everything have to be flavored with pumpkin spice? Don't get me wrong. I enjoy the gourd called 'pumpkin'. I just don't have to have it on everything. Besides, pumpkin spice is not a freshly harvested delicacy. If so many people like it, why can't you get a little pumpkin spice in your latte in spring or summer? Another tradition that comes about in autumn is Christmas – at least the preparation for it. I'm not sure I need to have two months of reminders to figure out what I want under the tree this year. Besides, Santa should already know. Scarecrows seem to show up more in the autumn. I like to see the various types showing up in family and community gardens. Some show up on porches for decorations. I wonder what they really scare away. I don't notice an absence of crows during the autumn. Can a scarecrow be made into a scarebunny to help get rid of the rabbits that show up on my lawn in autumn? Autumn also means football. Football in Yucaipa is a big deal. There's one high school; therefore, there is only one team for all of us to support. Families who don't have a player on the team, a cheerleader on the squad, or a musician in the band, still come to the games. It's a fun way to relive our own high school days. Of course, back then there would be seven of us piling out of my '67 Camaro with only $5 in our pockets and a willingness to see how the events of the game and after-party might lead us to another adventure. Now, the two of us arrive in a sensible sedan. We have cushions to sit on, a blanket to keep our legs warm, and a sense of apprehension as we look at the steps to climb in the stadium. I hope you take advantage of the ultimate autumn experience in Yucaipa and visit Oak Glen. Drink some apple cider. Eat some apple pie. Have some amazing donuts. Check out the alpacas. Bring a sweater – I hear the weather changes! Keep your eyes on the road.

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