The Signs of Summer's End

It seems "signs" are everywhere - demanding a new season. School supplies are in abundance - a most sure indication that summer fun is fading fast. Then bring on the new school fashion and the race is on. School, in fact, started today for my Kentucky brood. It will begin here on the 31st of this month for most students. The kids probably feel as if they just got out of school for summer break yesterday! I'm sure the Staples commercial says it all for most folks - parents are singing "It's the most wonderful time of the year", while the kids walk around with a scowl on their faces! !

For me, I know summer is winding down when I hear the songs of the cicada. It's as if nature has imparted her own alarm clock. I usually notice them around the second to third week of August. In addition, the crickets seem to amp up their music making. The days are getting shorter, and when I used a clothes line, I noticed it took my clothes longer to dry. The nights are a little cooler and the morning dew is heavier. The grapes are ripening on the vine and some of the plants start to fade. There seems to be an anxiousness in my spirit - waiting for fall - for the cooler days - the beautiful, bold colors that come to take the place of the "prissy" flowers of summer. Add to this the night sky. I seem to notice more and more "shooting stars" as fall approaches, there again showing its bold thrust into existence.

I know there is a lot of "summer" left - but it doesn't hold its own - waiting for fall. I think this is the only season - for me, anyway, that the distinction of change is so noticeable. All the other seasons seem to glide effortlessly into one another. Summer to fall - however, seems to have some kind of boundary - each fighting for the right to stand on their own. Summer - hanging onto those lovely blooms and fall - pushing its boldness into the limelight. No wonder my spirit is so anxious - the waiting and watching almost seem unbearable.