Hazy Shade of Autumn

Looking out my window, I'm reminded of a piece of movie trivia. Back in 1978 when John Carpenter's "Halloween" first came out, October had come to Haddonfield, Illinois and bushels of dead foliage swirled down the dark and lonely streets as night fell. I was way too busy peeking between my fingers, wincing in anticipation of each new shock, to notice that all the trees were full of leaves and the lawns were an emerald green.
Movie magic - the dead leaves that rustled underfoot in Haddonfield were bought from a craft store and painted autumn colors. To save money, they were swept up after each shot and recycled throughout the rest of the film. The lawns are green and lush because it's the middle of spring.
I mention all of this because this is my experience of Fall in Northern California. When I look outside, I can see a tree across the street in full blaze Autumn glory. If I lean forward just a bit, the palm tree right behind it is visible. I will be mowing the lawn through the Christmas holidays. I usually have to unplug the inflatable snowman to get power to the weed whacker. The seasons are regulated by the newsletter at my son's school. I can tell that it's Fall because there are pumpkins and leaves in the clip art.
It does get dark much earlier now. Maybe that's so the prop guys can get the leaves up before morning.