I was out minding my own business, mowing the lawn and it hit me. It wasn’t all that painful (unlike the branch that left a sizable welt across my chest from the same mowing job) but it was a rather startling realization none the less.

Fall is here.

You see, I can tell because the light has changed. It is no longer the harsh broiling light of summer. The light has taken on a softer, cooler tint; its not the merry blush light of spring, no this is definitely an autumnal light. Which, when combined with the cooler temperatures (at least at night) begins to bring the rush of fall activity.

You might make something of a study of light at different times of the year. There are certainly days that are exceptions to the general condition of the light during the seasons, but there is something of a different quality to the light of each season–look for it if you don’t already, you might be amazed at the spectrum.

But wait–you might say (as indeed, I myself d0) my tomatoes aren’t even beginning to ripen yet! However for all our wishes the fact remains…fall is here. Many farmers around here are praying for a delayed fall this year–due the the cooler summer temps and rain-delayed planting, a lot of soybeans are nearly a month behind their usual maturity. An early frost could spell disaster for many. It would not be the first time though, if we had frost in early to mid September….

Soon the holidays will be upon us–Deer Season, Thanksgiving, Christmas… Winter, with her howling winds and (hopefully) deep snows when the light will change yet again, to a pale wane glimmer. Yet the story of changing life does not end there–it has been promised that for “as long as the earth shall endure, Seedtime and Harvest, Cold and Heat, Summer and Winter, Day and Night shall never cease.”

Matthew