Where Did Summer Go?

Hummingbirds at the feeder

No doubt, the hungry hummers are asking this question as they drink our four feeders dry several times a day! I am looking out the window as I write, and a cool rain is falling, with predictions for more this week. Temps have been in the 60's at night now for almost two weeks. Growing up in the south (and I don't consider the Ozarks south!) I have never been a fan of long, hot, humid summer days that linger well into what should be the fall season. But, here we are mid-August with what seems like the end of summer. I'll take it!

There is a maple tree down the road that always gets in a hurry for autumn. Every year its leaves turn brilliant yellow weeks before the other trees have even thought about fall color. We watch for it every year and think of it as a promise that no matter how hot the August days, autumn is right around the corner. The tree is a mass of yellow and gold--this week! Is that a sign of an early fall and winter?

The NEWTON COUNTY TIMES published a picture of a hornets' nest only a foot or so off the ground. Old-timers claim that is a sign of a long, cold winter! Maybe, but the same week our neighbor found a hornet's nest in his last year's deer stand--rather high up in the tree! I haven't seen many woolly worms yet. I think the saying is the more stripes the colder the winter or the less stripes the colder the winter, or something like that.

The rains and cooler weather have breathed new life in the flower garden. The cool breezes inspired me to get out there and pull a few weeds. And, of course, move a few rocks. My rock patio is a never ending project since the rocks on our mountain are never ending. I am limited only by the size of the rocks I can move from one place to another. And, now with Jack's new tractor, the size has increased immensely!

A friend gave me a few Koi to put in my little pond by the patio. They are reproducing in her natural spring pond so fast she has to give them away! I went to the pet store to get the esssentials necessary for caring for them. Believe me, they aren't "free" fish any longer! We are trying to decide what to do with them over the winter. Looks like they may be a "school of fish" in more than one way. Jack will move them to the large aquarium he inherited when he began teaching science at Jasper High School.

Well, the hummers are flying around the window again. A sure sign that the feeders are empty. They show no sign of heading south, so I guess fall isn't really upon us yet. But I will enjoy these wonderful days no matter what the calendar shows!

Sing a song of seasons!

Something bright in all!

Flowers in the summer,

Fires in the fall.

Robert Louis Stevenson