Can you feel it? The changing of the seasons, that is. Over the past few days suddenly the days are getting shorter. The nights are becoming cooler. In the mornings I run around the house closing windows to stem the flow of cool damp air into the house.  The sun is rising later and last night we barely got through with dinner and walking the dogs before it started getting dark. How did this happen so quickly?

The hummingbirds feel it too. They are hitting the feeder at a frenetic pace.  Whirring and chittering around it, fighting over whose “flower” it is. I see it as a last final sugar charge before starting their long journey south. I haven’t seen this many hummingbirds all summer, so maybe we have a few visiting interlopers that have already started their migration from points further north.

The pool, of course, is done for the year. It’s closing is scheduled for the 13th of September. It might be swimmable this weekend. Maybe. But, right now it’s full of leaves from good old Irene. And of course, all the pool furniture was put away and most of the cabana was taken down last weekend in preparation for Irene. Somehow I can’t see us bringing it all back out again only to put it all up again in a few weeks.

I’m not sad. I don’t mind seeing summer end. Especially this one when it’s been so hot and humid. I’m ready for the change, are you?

In other news, the flooding “down the mountain” (as they say around here) is at epic proportions. Rick can make it to work but it takes twice as long. His company has adopted a shorter day work week (9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.) to allow people more travel time. The gas station where he normally gets gas has sunk into the ground and there is standing water 6 feet deep around it. I feel so badly for all of the people who have been forced to leave their homes in the advancing flood waters. We were so lucky not to lose power or any trees. Lots of tree limbs down, some very large, and lots of stripped leaves everywhere, but that’s about the extent of our damage. It’s going to take some time for things to return to normal again.