The First Hints of Autumn

Three weeks ago I began to notice leaves beginning to change color along my commute. I, at first put it down to imaginiation or diseased plants, but my mother brought it up that she had begun noticing leaves changing. Then, we went to the Shenendoah Valley, and sure enough, leaves were showing touches of fall color. It seemed ridiculous. We had just gotten through a 100+ degree heat wave, with enough rain sprinkled in that it wasn't drought. Yet over the past few weeks, the changing leaves have become more and more evident.

This is the first week of classes at THE, and now my baby brother has headed off for his senior year of college (am I really that old?), and other friends leaving to head off to their respective schools. I guess summer must really be winding down. This would be very depressing, except that we got our first taste of fall-ish weather yesterday with beautiful clear skys, and temperatures dropping 15-20 degrees. It also means crisper days to look forward to, the World Series and football, apple cider and corn mazes, piles of leaves with neighborhood children jumping into them.

Yes, I do realize that the weather will warm up again, that reminants of summer will hang on, and probably well into October, but it is coming!