by Curt Kovener 
We awoke to an early sign last Friday. The temperature was in the 40’s and a flannel shirt felt right good outside that morning. Actually, it would have felt good inside. We traditionally sleep with a window or two open and the cool night temperatures sneaked inside to make sleeping easy under a blanket or two albeit a bit uncomfortable for the initial rising from bed to make a pot of coffee. I wasn’t about to fire up the furnace knowing that by afternoon we’d all be in shirt sleeves.
There hasn’t been any frost yet, but golden rod and wild aster have been blooming for about three weeks which, in addition to messing with my sinuses, means the crystallized dew could form within another three weeks, if the old time tale is accurate.
Fog coming off the lake up in the wilderness has become a regular visitor at night and staying until the sun peaks over the treetops in the morning.
Persimmons are now dropping and that means I need to check with my Washington County friend who always has an abundance of paw-paws. I have been reading up on the ‘Hoosier banana’ and want to get some more trees growing up in the wilderness. I like their fruit and the deer, raccoon and opossums do too, so that’s reason for me to try to get more trees producing. I increase my chances of enjoying some wildwood fruit.
Woolyworms are seen all over the roads and in a variety shades from light brown (predicting a mild winter) to black (put on some extra covers).
Wild geese are foraging about on some spills in harvested soybean fields.
Leaves on some species of maple have already turned colors and started to drop off the tree. Hickory, beech and sweet gum are just beginning to subtly change.
I guess nature’s signs are all about right. My calendar says autumn is underway.
