The final day of summer

With fall fast approaching, there are plenty of ways, aside from that darned calendar, that we... or at least, I, can tell summer is over and autumn is hot on its heels.  

First of all, there's no longer a line at the Dairy Queen in Edgartown.  Silly, I know, but all the young girls who were once behind the cash register are now replaced with their older counterparts, who wouldn't be in trouble with the truancy officer for jockeying Blizzards and Peanut Buster Parfaits at 1 in the afternoon.  Now there is no longer the summer crush for the frozen treats, and while traffic is still a little sticky while trying to scoot across the street to Stop N Shop, it's no longer the horrible sticky mess that it once was.  They're only open until Columbus Day though, so your window of opportunity for crowd and hassle free ice cream treats is growing more narrow all the time...

Much to the relief of my power bill, the central air conditioner has become a thing of days past.  I can finally throw open all my bedroom windows and sleep with the crisper air coming in through the curtains.  I dare not say that our days of humid and sticky ickiness are over, since, as I write this, all of my windows are currently fogged and my stainless appliances are sweating down their fronts... But maybe, just maybe, you can kick off the air and keep those windows open for good!

Let's not forget the fact that the Islander Excursion Rate for the ferry has once again gone down!  Hallelujah for that, am I right?  Thank you, Steamship Authority.  Let the trips off-island to Wal-Mart and BJ's commence!  By the way, we found the cheapest gas in Connecticut at $3.67... See you there!

One of my favorite signs, the pink and purple Asters, have come back once again.  Of all the wild flowers in my yard, I think these are the best.  Not only are they the harbinger of fall (my personal favorite time of year) but they're the most delicate, yet wild species I see most of the year.  Aside from the Butterfly Weed in July, my wildflower field is usually painted with only splashes of white Queen Anne's lace and the ivory and butter yellow of wild Daisies, with the occassional pink or purple zap of Sweet Pea.  Late summer means a dusting of yellow all around, as Goldenrod controls the scene.  The asters have none of the vivid fuschia, nor any of the industrious growth of the invasive species... They simply begin to pop up here and there until one day you notice a very pale lavender or muted pink blossoming here or there.  They stay until the colder days of fall, until they're some of the last hangers on of the botanical world.

What little ways or big changes have you noticed that tells you fall is afoot?