AUTUMN in LA

The dark humor joke about LA is that it does indeed have seasons: fire, flood, earthquake and drought. Others have even included more seasons: , mudslides and riots! pause ... Ha ha ... what a riotously funny joke (sarcasm overload here!)

We do have autumnal tree colors, thank you very much, and this weekend I attended a city-fied fall festival at the original Farmer's Market at 3rd and La Brea. My little niece joined us as a welcome reminder of how to keep young at heart.

People of all ages, ethnicities, economic status, political affiliations gathered together for a little hoedown of sorts. Pumpkin decorating, pie-eating contests, marionettes, wheat weaving demonstrations, yarn spinning and Americana music. There were families stressed out by their overstimulated kids, a husband who looked weary as he waited for his daughter to get her face painted, the animal lovers who adored the wallaby but were overcome by the assertive goats at the petting zoo. It was a cool way to forget about the craziness in the real world. When cynicism and mean-spiritedness run rampant, I was happy to be among people I didn't know--from places far and near, just enjoying the day. Señor Llama seemed to enjoy the day, too!