November Almanac
From Jackets to Firewood, Keep Warm
By Clinton S. Powell, Naturalist

November comes in with a roar, both in the atmosphere and your immediate lifestyle.

Cold Pacific storms rip down from Alaska and you frantically look to your woodshed for wood. If not dry wood, any wood, if not wood, pine cones, anything other than asbestos.

This blast of cold weather creates pandemonium in your home. Where are my jackets, gloves, boots, anything and everything to keep warm? And if not warm, something to keep you dry. Nothing feels as good as a waterproof jacket; nothing feels worse than leaning over and having water pour down your neck.

In our wonderful life of luxuries, nothing feels worse than exposing our naked body, any portion of it, to the elements of cold weather.

With warm, dry boots, jackets, pants and gloves, all it takes is a wet head to make life miserable. Being caught in the first cold storm unprepared and looking like and feeling like a sap is beyond embarrassing.

Personally, this occurs almost every year. I either have too many socks, one dog-torn glove or am missing my rain hat because I gave it to my brother-in-law. Nothing soaks up rain like a pair of cotton pants. Add a pair of tennis shoes, and you look like you have spent all your life in Phoenix.

Delights of the Season

But November can also be one of the most delightful months of the year. Bright sunny days without a wisp of wind invite an outing into the forest wearing nothing more than you favorite cotton shirt, cotton pants and to be really prepared, wear your best boots.

Many of our of our native oaks resemble a pear-colored forest; damp pine cones dark burgundy in color are scatted in the forest and the soft sound of damp leaves and pine needles declare that autumn has elegantly arrived in our mountains.

An autumn sun is always special and to add to that a dry rock or log to sit on provides the perfect location to enjoy and contemplate this season. In the damp forest often the sun will penetrate a wet log and it will appear to steam and sail away with a light breeze.

Wildlife

Listening quietly, a nuthatch pecks on a horizontal branch, a chickadee sings first to the north, the south, then silence. High above in the blue sky, a red- tailed hawk may casually sail overhead and the sound of silence, perhaps the most precious of all sensations is not only heard, but felt within. This is one of the rewards of a November after you have found something appropriate to wear.

Atmospheric Curveballs

November weather in Southern California is a blending of both cold, rainy weather tempered by the outrageous moments of sun. This is why so many people live and lead a prosperous life here. The snow usually remains for a few days, and then melts off.

Last year's March snowfall was a dandy with an average of 12- to 16-inches and it made the town of Julian a living, driving hell for two consecutive weekends.

Ah, but last year's storm was child' play compared to the winter of '49. I do find both that the year, the depth of the snow and the cold temperatures were branded into those who lived here.

The stories of Bud Birdsell, Fred Farmer, Louie Juch and so many others consistently agree. Seven- and one-half-feet of snow in Julian, four feet in Wynola, even two feet in Ramona; that was the 100-year storm.

November weather is a blessing of heavy rain, and then frequently, swiftly, silently snow arrives. I prefer the snow occurring at night, as the ripping rain at first seems like the storm is over. But merely step out your door and the silence is now presented as snow.

The averages of rain, snow and temperatures now clearly declare this is autumn. The average high is 59 degrees; the average low is 33 degrees. Average rainfall is 4.20 inches. The record high is a stunning 85 degrees set in 1963. The record low is 10 degrees in 1964.

November comes in many colors; a sugar maple or pin oak sheltered from the east or west wind will radiate soft peach yellow, pumpkin orange and Red Delicious apple red.

The same species exposed to the winds will be leafless, yet its bark will beam in the sunlight. A walk in the forest becomes a wonderful excuse to drag your feet through the crunchy leaves of oaks, cottonwoods and pine needles; each leaf has its own tone and texture.

Each day there is approximately two minutes less of daylight, as we head into the Winter Solstice. What was once a sunny, warm bench on the patio now is in total shade.

Autumn has a firm grip on these mountains and this grasp includes our lives as we stack dry firewood and rejoice in the fragrance and warmth it provides.