thoughtful thursday

even though it's the first day of september, summer continues to assert its presence as it's 101 degrees today. however, a touch of fall can be felt in the air; especially in the cool of the very early morning and late evening.  as soon as that first tinge of fall is noticed, i begin to watch for more signs that summer will leave and the earth will prepare for the long winter's nap.  it won't be long until the leaves become bright with color and fall to the ground (when i was a child, i thought autumn was called fall because the leaves fell off the trees!).  the squirrels and birds, most notably the woodpeckers, will begin to store the hickory nuts and acorns that seem to be available just for that purpose.  soon the hummingbirds will leave for their winter home and they will be missed until they return next spring.  even though the gold finches will remain (i recently learned) their feathers will lose the bright yellow that sets them apart.  but i now know the finch feeders need to remain in place and kept filled during the winter.  and suet cakes.  i actually make these for the birds and enjoy sharing something homemade with them.  the farmer across the road will cut the hay field at least once more before allowing the cows to graze there through the winter.  and the woolly worms.  i love the woolly worms that are everywhere in the fall.  they make me giggle.  as summer wanes, there's so much to look forward to as fall arrives.