Fall starts in a little less than a month, according to the astronomers, but most people would agree that, like summer, autumn starts emotionally about a month ahead of its technical arrival. Like it or not, fall is busting out all over. On the whole, I like it. The only problem with autumn is that it precedes winter.
Fall’s imminence was brought home to us today as we sat on our patio, drinking beer and eating our dinner. We noticed a noise that sounded a little like intermittent rain. It took us a while to realize that it was the sound of acorns falling from a nearby oak tree. Based on an extremely unscientific sample (one tree) and the knowledge that, despite a dry July, we had a fairly wet summer, I make bold to hazard a guess that there will be a plentiful acorn crop this year, followed by an uptick in the squirrel population in the spring.
Our squirrels (not to mention chipmunks and groundhogs) seem to be totally absorbed in finding ways to live off the leavings of the bird feeder. Hopefully, they will now eschew the liberal welfare state, since the acorns are such easy pickings, and start hoarding for the winter. I’d hate to think we two liberal do-gooders had undermined their work ethic and doomed them to the fate of the fabled grasshopper.
Another sure sign of autumn was the result of today’s game between the Red Sox and Yankees. Was there a single Red Sox fan out there who didn’t see this sweep coming? In Redsoxville pride goeth before a fall and fall inevitably bringeth declining pride.
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