Autumn in the Heartland
Autumn has arrived here in the Midwest, on schedule — both on the calendar and in real life. The signs are everywhere. We’re experiencing lovely crystal-clear, blue-sky days and sparkling, chilly nights. If you’re a star-gazer — and I am — it’s delightful these evenings, being able to see — without a filter of smog — stars we never could see if we were back in Fresno.
One of the most poignant “signs of the season” is the migration that Monarch butterflies are making through Ames. We’ve seen them in our neighborhood trees and on flowers — resting as they make their way south. They’re heading to forests in the mountains of Mexico for the winter. At least, our Monarchs east of the Rockies are doing that. Those west of the Rockies are flying to small groves of trees along the California coast, near where we used to live in Paso Robles. It’s a magnificent sight and an incredible story of survival.
There are other signs of autumn around these parts, of course. No, the maple and ash and sycamore trees have not yet started “turning colors” on a wide scale — but they will, and soon. Lots of leaves have already dropped in our Old Town neighborhood — and the scrunchy sound they make underneath my feet brings back wonderful memories of growing up in Fresno. Way back then, I used to love trekking through dry leaves that had fallen in my Fresno High neighborhood. Apparently, I’ve never gotten over that.
The squirrels and rabbits that share our Old Town neighborhood here are busy these days. The squirrels are, yes, squirreling away nuts that have fallen from our tree canopy. They often are so busy when I stroll by that they seem to ignore me — instead of giving me their usual wary stares. As for the rabbits — they always seem to be munching on grass or plants when I get near. Unlike the squirrels, the rabbits scamper away. For some reason, I’ve never been able to convince them I mean no harm. 
As we approach the end of this September, the signs of what’s ahead next month are becoming more visible. Pumpkins — lighted and otherwise — are making their appearances on front porches. They are a welcome sight, indeed. Since we bought our Ames “summer place” years ago, we’ve never stayed long enough to see Halloween around these parts. This year will be different. Because our future home north of Fresno is still under construction — yes, eight months after we signed the deal to get it built — we can’t return to California as soon as we usually do.
So that gives us the opportunity to stay here deep into autumn. Actually, it’s more than “an opportunity” — it’s a necessity, since we have no other place to go. So this year, we’ll get to experience living in Iowa during this, the best time of year. Of course, we’ll also face the possibility of being here when snowflakes start flying.
It’s not unusual for Iowa to see snowfall in October. In fact, during our original stay here — 40 years ago, when I was teaching journalism at Iowa State University — we went to football games in October when there was, indeed, snow on the ground. That was quite an experience for us Californians — but we had to go even though the day would be quite cold and uncomfortable at the stadium. After all, how often does one get to see mighty Oklahoma and then-mighty Nebraska play football? It was a fine experience, even if the Sooners and Huskers always buried us.
Iowa State football is now much bigger, of course, than it was during our original stay. The Cyclones have reached the status of “big time,” and they pack 61,000-seat Jack Trice Stadium every weekend they’re home. But as appealing as it might be to see games in person, we’re now a bit older — okay, a lot older — and it’s more of a chore to get into and out of those massive crowds. So we’re content to stay home and watch Our Team play on TV in living color — and in much more comfortable surroundings.
Another “sign of autumn” in Ames is the annual Octagon Art Festival on Main Street. It’s a giant street party featuring artists, food and live music. Last year’s event was canceled, as so many other things were, because of the coronavirus. The year before, it had rained on the day of the festival. But this year’s event — this Sunday afternoon — was held on a typically gorgeous fall day, and lots of folks turned out.
Still to come in the next few weeks — Reiman Gardens’ annual nighttime event when thousands of carved pumpkins are lit up. We’ve never been there for it, but we’re looking forward to attending this time around. We’re also planning a day trip or two into the countryside to see the fall tree colors and, perhaps, to pick some apples from farms that specialize in such things. Yes, it’s what you do in the Midwest this time of year, and it’s glorious.
But California beckons, and we expect to start our trek back there the first week in November. Our home-builder advised us this past week — finally — that we should be able to take possession of our new digs around November 23rd. We need to be there a bit earlier to buy some appliances and other things for the new place.
In the meantime, we are here in Ames, and we are happy about it. There are more clear skies and chilly nights and pumpkins and scurrying squirrels to experience, and I think we’re ready for all of it.