Arbiter of change . . . .

Walking from the barn this morning, I rambled down into the lower pasture and directly in front of me was this low-hanging limb with shimmering, golden leaves.  It jolted me as a reminder of the date, August 11, and the reality of the end of summer approaching.  The weather has been intensely hot and dry for several weeks.  Not the kind of weather I look forward to each year as I anticipate autumn, which is my favorite season.

Cottonwood eye candy . . .

After autumn, spring is my favorite, followed by summer.  Then I try to forget that August actually exists, as it brings heat, grasshoppers, and the Big Dry when very little rain falls.  I am usually desperate for September to arrive with crisp lovely days, cool nights and fall colors.  For now, we are actually in what I call “deep summer” as the equinox is yet to arrive.  But these golden leaves are telling us what Mother Nature has decided and our determination of the autumnal equinox is a construct based on daylight and dark being equally divided on September 22nd when the sun crosses the celestial equator.

Soon to be many . . . .

More small patches of golden leaves will begin to show in the coming days.  It grows dark earlier now and as sunshine diminishes, so does the deep green chlorophyll pigment in leaves diminish.  Autumn will bring with it a little sadness as the season closes and another year winds down. People the world over have found ways to celebrate the passing of seasons and I shall celebrate too as my favorite season arrives.