It seems like every day brings a new crisis in our nation’s capitol. Since the Benghazi massacre, which just won’t go away, we’ve had the nation shut down, our parks closed, the veterans denied visits to their memorial and, to top it off, the national debt fi asco.

And if that weren’t enough, the Obamacare inauguration which blew some fuses because of the now-claimed “mis-spoke” that everyone could keep their insurance and their doctors. Period. Period.

And let’s not forget that other revelation, spilled out by a man who in another generation would be considered a traitor, where we learned our phone lines/ computers are not the only ones being compromised.

The only recent bright spot has been the drop in gasoline prices, less than three bucks a gallon, the first time in who remembers when. Whoopee! Wonder how long this will last before someone stutters or something sputters somewhere and overnight the climb will begin again.

Wonder what will hit next. February, we are continually reminded, is when the possible shutdowns and debt crises will rear their ugly heads again.

That’s enough doom and gloom to last for another couple of weeks. Let’s get back to the realities of life, a bright spot we are now enjoying, the fall foliage.Hasn’t it been prettier than in recent years? Perhaps it is a Thanksgiving display from the trees from the abundant rains that occurred this year. Even crape myrtle bushes are afl ame.

And the hay crop. The barns and field edges are filled with those big, round bales which are a boon to cattlemen. And, speaking of hay, it reminds me that I need to find a bale of straw to mulch my fig tree which was surprisingly prolific this past summer.

I’ve written about the fig pen I constructed around the tree, which really is more like a bush. The pen was to repel the deer and other varmints. No, I know deer aren’t varmints; but when they’re munching on the bean crop, the okra plants, even the rose bushes and other garden crops, they come very close to qualifying for that designation. I guess if I can’t fi nd a bale of straw I’ll have to settle for a bale of hay - that’s not a big, round bale.

But, back to the fig pen. It worked. During the summer, I harvested 23 ripe fi gs off the plant which stands about five feet tall. No, make that 25 since I picked two last week before what may be the first killing freeze occurs. With just a few more days, weeks, there might have been a dozen more. Maybe next year.

I’ve been tempted to take a picture of that fig pen to show off the artistic contraption I constructed aroundthat plant. However, we don’t have a comic page or a cartoon section to accommodate such an offering. You’ll just have to use your imagination. If the tree/bush makes it through the winter - if I can get it mulched in time - I’ll have to enlarge the contraption.

Changing gears: Halloween went off without any of the shenanigans that used to present themselves. Old timers can probably conjure up some memories, such as those our editor, Randy, wrote about last week. I can truthfully say that some of the pranks my generation pulled really didn’t compare with those which an earlier crowd pulled, such as putting a cow on top of the school. Or … well, it’s best not to go into them. This year what we now call fall festivals, instead of carnivals, drew the appropriate crowds, and trunkor-treat events by churches filled what could have been a void between the trick-ortreaters.

Now, November is here. Winter is lurking and we can be hopeful we’ll be spared deep snows and those horrific ice storms which occurred a few years ago. The recordbreaking surprise snow last May was nice, however, since the temp was mild and it lasted barely a day. And, the roads were clear.

Let’s just imagine a gentle inch-or-so snow on Christmas with the temperatures at least 30, the roads completely clear, making for a nice, sunny day so kids can break in their new sleds. Dare I predict it?

Dodie Evans is editor emeritus of the Westside Eagle Observer. He may be contacted by email at devans@ nwaonline.com.

Opinion, Pages 5 on 11/06/2013