Nudged Toward Autumn

GOES East Full Disc Image 7/19/22

I fire up the backyard space camera almost every morning. I never tire of the view. Here we are today at about 7:45 AM. If you can make out the little green dot (upper third along the light/dark line), that’s us. Six months from now, the angle of that sunlight will be reversed and we’ll be in January’s gloom and longing for spring.

I’m not tired of summer, but it’s about this time each year that my mind wanders to thoughts of autumn. We’re told to live in the moment, but I enjoy how the changing seasons lie dormant within and slowly awaken. The cues are subtle; a slight change in the angle of sunlight, the bloom of a plant, animal behavior, weather patterns – gentle reminders of the inevitable change ahead.

To my friends who complain about Halloween decorations at stores in August, those are NOT the natural cues to which I refer.