It’s here. It’s official. With the arrival of Labor Day weekend, the beginning of the end of summer has arrived.
End of Summer
When our kids were still in school (a long time ago) the first day of school was always the day after Labor Day. And the beginning of the school year marked the end of summer just as the end of the school year always marked the beginning of summer.
Our grandchildren’s school started the Monday before Labor Day this year. We were lucky enough to get to walk them home from school on their first day of school. It brought back so many school day memories of times gone by.
With the cool August weather and rain we’ve been having in our area it felt a bit like summer might go on and on. During most of August all of the trees were lush and green without the tattered late summer look that happens most years. The grass is still a lush green color and growing fast enough that it needs to be mowed at least once a week.
Signs of Change
Even with all the rain and green, this week I could no longer pretend that summer might last forever. The day length is noticeably shorter. The nights are cool and even daytime temperatures have been below normal for this time of year.
But most of all, the leaves on the trees are beginning to show me that summer is ending. In a few places leaves are changing to red or yellow. On most trees the changes are more subtle—a slight dulling of color, a little more sky seen between the leaves. A few leaves on the tree in our front yard have fallen to the ground. The sumac is putting on it’s brief brilliant glowing red fall color. Many summer flowers are beginning to fade and look shabby.
The hummingbirds fuel up at our feeder more often as the nights chill and they prepare for their fall migration. A few ducks are swimming in the pond each day. I’m beginning to see groups of geese gathering and flying overhead in V’s.
Still I can’t help feeling a little sad about the end of summer arriving. Even though I love the fall colors and fall weather, I wish summer would last a little longer.
Time Flies By Faster Every Year
The wheel of time keeps on turning at a steady speed but as I get older it seems to turn faster and faster. Months fly by and I can’t imagine where the time has gone. Can it be that soon I will turn another year older?
“Summer ends, and autumn comes, and he who would have thought it otherwise would have high tide always and a full moon every night.” — Hal Borland
Here are some images from the past week that show the beginning of the end of summer…
May you walk in beauty.
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