This summer and fall have been quite warm, but there should be a way that Poor Will's makes the definition of Early Fall fit this kind of situation. So how do I do that?
Well, you can do it too, because if you take a walk around your yard or in the woods, especially, you'll see that — little by little — the leaves are gathering on the paths. No, you're not clumping through and kicking leaves out of the way, but little by little, the leaves are coming down and they're covering summer when they do that. So if you're a leaf collector, this is your time. You can collect leaves every day and date them and put them in a notebook and color them just the way you want. And there you have it. You have a sign of Early Fall. Now, it's not a science, right?
You don't have to worry about being right or wrong, but you will be right. You'll be measuring, as well as anyone, the turn of the earth and the position, really, of the sun. Now, there are other clues to the season, and I'll be back again next week, because I want to talk about birds.
This is Bill Felker with Poor Will's Almanack, I'll be back again next week with more notes on the season. In the meantime, collect a few leaves. Listen for some birds you'll have Early Fall in your hand.
