Dusk is upon us, the sky gloomy with fog, the soil wet with autumn leaves, the smell of chimney smoke.

Our house is hushed now, and the hour has become late. The night is still except for an owl that calls from an ash tree.

In the kitchen, I hear the voices of my family as they speak quietly to each other.

Sleep flows through our house like a silent river. Soon, our sleep will join in the flow of that quiet river, and each of us will dream our separate dream.

Mark Koehler of Los Banos is an arborist and master gardener, who has degrees in Landscape Architecture and Landscape Horticulture from UC Berkeley and Northeastern University. Please send any questions or comments to markgardenguru@gmail.com.