I went foraging today for greenery, pods and other accoutrements of fall in order to decorate my front door wreath and herald in the new season. Off I went up Llagas Ave with my hand pruners and a recycled Safeway grocery bag under my arm. Today's booty included pale pepper tree berries (they will be bright red by December and worth another trip up the hill for Christmas decorating), fragrant eucalyptus with flowers intact, almonds still encased in their protective hull, wild pomegranates (oh they pruned back my favorite bushes so they are scarce this year) and some unidentified tree pods.
I am writing this post at the urging of my middle son, Patrick, who has endured patiently his mother's habit of petty theft, all with good intentions of thoroughly enjoying God's beautiful earth. I learned how to do this very early in life (along with a few WWII marching songs) while walking with my dad for exercise. My dad always said that if it hangs over the fence onto the sidewalk it's yours! That includes apples, kumquats, avocados, almonds, olives and any kind of greenery that might look good on your fireplace mantel.
