Da Moon! Da Moon!

I HATE hot weather and sunshine. For one, I am always MUCH too warm. (I wear tank-tops, shorts, and flip-flops in the snow.) For another, my EXTREMELY pale and sensitive skin burns in the sun in about 5 minutes, even when drowned in SPF 50 sunblock. And finally, because, direct sunlight makes me break out in very painful hives... Maybe I'm an albino...

As you can imagine, Summer is a difficult time of year for me. While most of the people living in the Pacific Northwest celebrate the sunny days, I tend to hide from them in terror and cry. I visualize a home in Alaska, with a giant glacier in the back yard. A glacier I can go and sit on any time I want, and cool off. This home is surrounded by massive cedar trees, that block the sun. And all around, the most amazing wildlife thrives for me to observe... Sigh...

But alas! I do not live in Alaska. Over the years, I have become quite adept at reading the signals that nature gives us to indicate the close of Summer and the beginning of Fall... The first indication that Fall is coming, is the spiders. A few weeks before the weather begins to cool, giant wolf spiders and tiny jumping spiders start trying to move into houses.... Three weeks ago, the first giant wolf spider arrived in my bathroom. I put him in a jar, chased my brother around the house with him, then took him to work to show my kids. They were thrilled. They wanted to hold him, pet him, and give him a name. I let them name him (Ricardo) but said he might get scared if they tried to hold him and left it at that. (Side note: Have you noticed how so many of our fears are learned? Those children had no fear of darling Ricardo, they wanted to pet him. A lot of the teachers there freaked out when they saw him. Kids are ready to accept a lot more than adults. They only begin to fear things like spiders after seeing adults' reactions to them.) We had a brief science lesson, then took Ricardo to a nice shrub outside. Some of the kids got a little teary when they said good bye... Since Ricardo found his way inside, I have found three jumpy spiders, and two more wolf spiders... Fall is on the way!

The second indication the Fall is coming, is a faint change in the air. It's kind of hard to describe, but most of you have probably felt that subtle change. A slight nip, even when it's still quite warm. I first felt that two weeks ago. (YAY!)

Third, the geese. Two weeks ago, the geese started heading South! WooHoo! Nearly every day I see at least one large flock of geese making their yearly journey. (I did a little dance when I saw the first flock!)

And the fourth and final signal is... The moon! When Summer ends and Fall/Harvest time is imminent, the moon changes. Ahhh. The harvest moon! Last night as I was driving home from Stauffer-land (aka my friends' house) I saw the moon shining above, brilliant orange in color! I wish I'd had my camera! It was SO beautiful, and the final confirmation that my season of torment is nearly over.