Monday morning, as I was picking blueberries, Don came out to tell me he had completed a project he'd been working on. Then he added, "And I'm calling fall."
"Calling fall" is something Don tries to do each year about this time. Clearly this has little to do with the actual calendar or even the daily temperature (a couple years ago, he called fall when it was 103F). But there are subtle signs he's good at picking up.
"Listen," he said, after tell me he was calling fall. I paused and listened and heard ... nothing. It was as if the birds and insects were taking a break. The silence was peaceful, not ominous; but it was also clearly a transition between seasons.
Then yesterday morning I was hanging laundry out to dry on the back porch. It was fairly early, maybe 10 am, and I heard a gentle breeze rustle the leaves of the oak tree right next to the house. The leaves aren't even close to changing color – they're still perfectly green – yet they somehow managed to quietly rattle with an autumn sound.
This is the earliest Don has ever called fall. He hemmed and hawed about calling it even earlier, and kept second-guessing himself because it was SO early in the season. It makes me wonder if it's some sort of indicator about what kind of winter we'll have.
Yes, fall is on its way. Don hasn't been wrong yet.
I live in GA, almost a whole continent away. But we are starting to emerge from an epic cold blast (relatively speaking--daytime highs have been in the upper 60s the last three days, which is most unusual). It has felt like early October. I heard an acorn drop and hit the roof, too. Fall could be called here, but that would be more of a wish than a forecast--for now.
ReplyDeleteYesterday I woke up and said it feels like fall. North Idaho also.
ReplyDeleteFelt it last night, it's just a feeling. I know something is up it seems that we are about a month ahead of what it should be. Fall in August? Heat waves a month early? Yeah, Don is right. Here in N Idaho I also wonder what kind of winter we will have, we have a ton of wood stacked and stored, we are ready.
ReplyDeleteI called fall a couple weeks ago in our area. I even remembered Don does that so I went an found your old post from a couple years ago and posted it there.
ReplyDeleteI went outside and it had that crisp feel and smell (yes, it smelled crispy), 51 degrees, slightly foggy, and I realized I could see color in the maple leaves already. In JULY!
I felt the same way yesterday, way too eraly, but i could feel the change.
ReplyDeleteHere in MA in July we kept getting the 90 degree (heat wave) days which we typically get in August.
ReplyDeleteDebbie in MA
I felt it this past Monday, a quiet stillness in the air that lasted all day, as if summer was holding it's breath. Maybe we'll have a cold October here in the 'Sip, it would be nice.
ReplyDeleteWe are having a major cold front move through this week with much needed rain also. But I hope and pray that fall is not here yet because the garden is so far behind due to the heat wave we had at the beginning of the summer. No fruit sets in high temps and we were above the 85 degree cut off in June. Things are looking really nice in the garden now, tomatoes starting to form, green beans coming in. We have a 3 month normal growing season, 4 if we are lucky. With the heat in the beginning of the summer it messes up everything. But God knows what we need and He does provide so we will do just fine regardless of if it is fall now or not. As long as the temps stay above 45ish for nights we should be fine, but fall for us also means frosty nights and mornings and that is what I am hoping to avoid. God Bless all!
ReplyDeleteI have been feeling fall here in ON, Canada already, too. So early, but I definitely feel it.
ReplyDeleteYep. Alabama too. Deer are moving around. Garden spiders are getting ready to build their cocoons . On my walks I'm noticing small emerging gums already turning color.
ReplyDeleteWe're having record cool weather like what happens a month or so later than now. I don't think it got higher than 75 Monday and the morning was nippy. Like a 20 degree drop or more for the days high. A few days ago the heat index was 117. I told my sister fall had begun.
We also had a lot of things happen earlier this year.
Mountain Laurel bloomed almost a month early, a long with other things.
The nasty lubbers hatched a month early.
I can remember snow in September decades ago. After all the heat so recently I'd be happy for a repeat. But even better would be a nice long, cool, fall.
Sumac is also turning red. And when cutting grass, it looks like it's about to quit growing.
DeleteSo interesting... we live in Bonner County and my husband and I have been walking after dinner because the weather has been so pleasant... and last night we basically called fall. LOL Always bittersweet... wonderful to have a reprieve from the heat (especially with a nearby wildfire) but this was a short summer. My tomatoes haven't even ripened yet!
ReplyDeleteWe have not been here long enough for me to know the signs, but certainly historically speaking from average temperatures, it is all downhill from early August.
ReplyDeleteI've seen a couple of tall ant hills which might indicate a cold winter. Maybe early too? In SW Idaho. Hoping to get one more cutting of hay in, tho
ReplyDeleteGood Morning All;
ReplyDeleteHere in the Four Corners (High Desert) I’m seeing a few signs of an early Fall and a VERY cold Winter coming.
Some (a lot) of the Cottonwood Trees are already showing Yellowing in the leaves, as someone said the Ant Hills seem to be taller, the Hummingbirds are starting to thin somewhat (I’m filling their feeders less) have seen some deer moving into the area (down from the mountains) and a LOT of people seem to be putting more “Stores” away, preparing for what’s coming.
And yes, a slight chill in the mornings, still HOT during the days though.
Personally, there always seems to be a single day I see a change in the “Sun” here, sort of like a switch is thrown and the “Light” is just a little different for some reason.
With that said, I’m ready for Fall without a doubt, Tis been a very hot/dry Summer here, so I welcome Fall, and yes even Winter, I’m crazy but I always look for that first Snow, from days of old I guess.
But what I hear from a lot of the locals (I’ve been here for 44 years) we are due for a HARD Winter, time to stack that Firewood a little taller, I guess.
I’ll also agree with the Garden; the Tomatoes are just now starting to turn. But everything else is going absolutely NUTS!!! I know better than to plane 6 Zucchini Plants HAHAHAHA Everyone is now locking their cars/trucks at work afraid of the Zucchini Bandit depositing more Zuc in their vehicles LOL.
But again…. COME ON FALL/WINTER!!!!!
If nothing else, it helps to keep the Crazies home and indoors.
Don is 100% correct.
ReplyDeleteI live in your general area. Noticed geese migrating south earlier in the week!!