The Rapid Departure of Summer

I just finished a graphic illustrating the 6th named tropical storm of the season named Florence (which resides in the central Atlantic) when it hit me: Summer is basically over! I'm guessing this thought was coalescing inside my cerebral cortex ever since daytime temperatures fell to a pedestrian 73 with heavy cloud cover but it just took a week or so for it to surface.

Whatever the catalyst, September is here and I'm caught in the middle of being distraught at the loss of daylight and afternoon heat with the relaxing feel of cooler nights and mild days coupled with a fountain of colors spanning the entire spectrum which will soon blanket the leaves (due to the absence of chlorophyll) as autumn begins.

Honestly, I love summer but I love autumn even more. It reminds me of splitting wood with my dad, my mom taking all of kids to ball practice after school, playing football in the backyard in Hudson, the smell of the wet leaves on the ground as we raked them up after an afternoon rain, the Browns when they were good.....you know, the good things about the changing of the seasons.

Now the "not so good" things.....

We've already seen the emmergence of those dark, mid-level clouds on more than one occassion which foreshadows not only prolonged overcast days but yes, the return of lake effect snow.

The road construction on the interstates is either finished of winding down. This in and of itself is great but it also signifies the return of colder weather and eventually salt trucks.

The Indians are almost mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.

The Browns have gone through 57 starting Centers and the season hasn't even begun yet.

So unless someone has invented a method of changing the tilt of the earth on it's axis, the warm of summer will soon be a distant memory the leaves will soon be a sea of brilliant colors and the snow will be flying.

I can't wait!