Autumn's Harbingers

Headed out to church Sunday I saw the first real harbingers of autumn. Sometime in mid-August we start getting early-morning fogs in low-lying valleys, but Seattle traffic has forced me into the "high road" (back road) to work this year so I've not been seeing the fogs.

Next are the appearance of large spiders (ugly but harmless to humans) with spiderwebs elsewhere. I saw the first two of those Sunday; in no time they are going to be everywhere, disappearing soon after All Saint's Day.

About the same time as the spiders' appearance the deciduous trees' leaves start coming down, though that can be caused early by drought stress as is the case this year.

The next-to-last harbinger is when the cedars' innermost fronds start turning reddish-brown and though not visible in this picture, we saw them when crossing over the top of Union Hill on the way to church Sunday.

The final harbinger is when we at St. Bartholomew's post our "Sunday School" banner beneath the St. Bartholomew's church sign, which we did this Sunday after the service. Our Sunday School program begins its new year on Sunday, September 17th.

Autumn is almost here.