Just about the same here. Since I'm further north than you it's been cooler I suspect. Yesterday and today it's been beautifully sunny. Temps in mid-50's to low 60's.
Like you the leaves have been changing color slowly. The maple trees are now beginning to drop their leaves. The alder's have only just begun to change color.
The first week in November last year we had a severe bout of cold as in 12 degrees and lower for 5 nights. Yuck. Sure like this year much betterr.
The rains have begun as in 1 - 2 days a week. Light patter not storms so there is no need for me to water. Now the weeds are another matter. They show no mercy.
Enjoy this strange year.
Jeannie

I'm noticing that we've had several weeks of the loveliest weather. Sunny days in the low 70's, nights in the low 50's. I sleep with windows open and snuggle under wool blankets and quilts. Such refreshing sleep, and such gorgeous days! The garden doesn't have a heavy flush of roses, but an amazing number of the plants have one or two or three roses. I go around and breath in the fragrance. Fall has always, always, always been my favorite season of the year, no matter what climate I live in.

Like you I look forward with hope for a rainy winter. We need rainy winters. Good rainfall flushes the salts out of the soil as well as renewing the groundwater. No doubt if the dry weather continues too long I will become concerned, not that I can do anything about it. But just for now, I'm content to wait.

Rosefolly

I hope for a rainy winter, too -- but we are setting up for another strong "La Nina," which USUALLY means a very dry winter for the South, and a wet one for the North.

So my friends in the PNW should get rain -- and maybe even y'all in NoCal, but unless we have another strange year, we are doomed to drought here in SoCal -- not to mention points S.E., such as NV, AZ, and TX. Poor Texas, where they're shipping their herds to the Northern Tier of states. :-(

We went on the Sacramento Cemetery "Lantern" tour last Saturday night, and I dressed for the predicted cold. By the time I finished the 45-min. loop of the cemetery, I was sweating like an overheated mule. Strange weather.

On the way home, we visited "Legacy Of The Richardson Family," and found that beauty still in full bloom.

{{gwi:321501}}

Jeri
Back in Coastal SoCal, now, where it is very very foggy.

Up here it's been in the low to mid 50's down to the mid 30's at night. I love the sun lit days we've had though, blue sky and golden leaves, between the grey and rainy days.

Lots of falling leaves here. Now ferns changing color is something new for me to see since moving here!

{{gwi:321502}}
Pickering is delaying fall shipping because of all the rain they have had - and now snow. Prob those fall roses won't get here until spring time. But I'm not complaining - I am not having to deal with all of the cold and snow in the northeast. Strange weather there too.

I can say that things were very similar here Jackie. We did have a good 8 inches at the beginning of October but now it's been dry so long I've had to start watering again. You know you're a gardener when you curse the beautiful weather. It is suppossed to start raining here again on Thursday.

Things are about average here in the Great Lakes. I still have a handful of blooms out there but they're opening at a snails pace due to the shorter daylight and cold nights. I usually cut my end of season bouquet around the second week of November and that's probably when I'll do it again this year.

For many years, 25-35, the first frost has come just after the end of the first week in October. This year we have had a few light frosts but not the sincerely cold weather that we used to have by this time in November. The leaves have fallen from all of the trees except the white oak which is always very late. I rather like the long slow Fall. I certainly need it. I haven't planted most of the bulbs and a few of the pots are not in yet. I just noticed that I slipped into the passive voice. It's not MY fault the pots are not in. It's the pots' fault. Sigh.

Cath

We are having an unusually mild autumn, too, very much like Cath's and we are just as surprised. This is a list of roses now in bloom in a garden by the sea in northern Finland, far north of me (it's from a Swedish forum):

Sibelius, Marie-Jeanne, White Wings, Mozart, Rosenstadt Freisinger, Sweet Pretty, Stanwell Perpetual, Poustina, Edith Holden, Praire Princess, Thisbe, Brown Velvet, Hot Chocolate, F.J Grootendorst, Therese Bugnet, Felix Leclerk, Ballerina, Roselina, Flamingo, Blushing Bride, Breewood Belle, Margot Koster, Candy Cover, Viking, White Cover, Queens Palace, Charming Cover, Sophies Perpetual, Jacqueline de Pre, Nevada, 2x Lidlrosor (en vit, en aprikos), Mme Boll, Balder, My Hero, White New Dawn, Angela, Summer Song, Benjamin Britten, Lilli Marleen,Cinderella, Romanze, Lumivalgeke, Marie Victorin, Nostalgie, Kotiliesi, Single Cherry, Charles Albanel, Joasine Hanet, William Baffin, Sniedze, Dainty Bess, Queen of Sweden, Burgundy Iceberg, Old Gold, Perennial Blue, Delambre, Strawberry Hill, Rosemoor, Dwarf Pavement, Kiiminki, Lady Emma Hamilton, Whiskey Mac, Pomponella, Heide Simonis, Zaiga, Margaret Merrill, Vino, A Shopshire Lad, Walz Time, Greensleeves, Kronborg, Sangerhausen Jubileumsrose.

This is an amazing list, both the choice of roses in that cold climate and the fact that they bloom this late. I have few in bloom now, only Stanwell Perpetual, Karen Blixen, Alba Meidiland, Iceberg and Bonica. Some more have buds and if this warm weather lasts another week they may still flower. I have finished gardening in principle and I'm mentally prepared for winter. I only need to rake leaves in parts of the garden and mulch beds with them.

Well, we finally got a half inch of rain two days ago, and more promised in about a week. The weather is still sunny and mild, so today I am going to take advantage of the wet soil to try and do some weeding (lots of my beds are next to either the sidewalk or the driveway or the patio, so I will be able to stay off the beds while weeding).

Most of my tea roses are still blooming, along with Sombreuil, Le Vesuve, Graham Thomas, and some of the old HTs.

My 2 giant scarlet oak trees are finally beginning to turn color, but still have 85% of their leaves on. Usually they drop them before the first heavy rains, so we can rake them up easily, but this year it looks like they will be dropping them after the real rainy season has started - that will be fun!

However, I am really enjoying the mild sunny Fall while it lasts -

Jackie

The rain seems early this year, but I'll take any rain I can get anytime I can get it.

Wow, I love reading everyone's posts; here in Texas so far we're having our second spring; it looks like my roses are just late, they have buds, haven't bloomed yet for the fall flush, but hopefully soon! Our weather is weird, in the 70's, then drops to the 40's, back and forth; first it's sunny and warm, then frost on the windshields, then back to warm and raining, tornadoes, etc., blah, blah blah! Hopefully Mother Nature will figure this all out and deal with it, 'cause I sure can't!!