Happy Longerdays!

[Front-Ranger]

I'm calling the kitty to come in a full hour earlier than at the height of the summer. It is very enjoyable to  hear the crickets rev up their song and to enjoy "l'heure bleue" or twilight beginning at around 6:30 pm. I was coming  home from the church picnic then, and quite a few cars had their lights on already. That's going too far IMHO.

[Jeff Wrangler]

Today I noticed a tree that had begun to drop its leaves.

I also saw a news article that indicated we will have a warmer than "normal" fall here. 

[Jeff Wrangler]

I've noticed that the berries on the dogwood trees at the house are beginning to turn red.

Yesterday I saw a tree in Philadelphia that had begun to drop its leaves.

[serious crayons]

The Farmer's Almanac predicts we're going to have a colder, snowier winter than normal here. Last winter was great -- warmish (for the season in MN), only 14" of snow until a late spring snowstorm added a few more (the pervious year it as 90" -- I think both broke records).

Anyway, though, the spring and summer have been hellish -- rains practically ever day, often *extremely* hard rains where there's hardly any space between the drops, the kind you'd normally only have once a summer. Gardens aren't doing well, the electricity in my building has gone out four times. So if this is the price we're paying for a mild winter, I guess I'd rather have a normal winter. Kind of bummed, though, because we're going to be required to go into the office three days a week      starting in mid-September.

[Jeff Wrangler]

Kind of bummed, though, because we're going to be required to go into the office three days a week      starting in mid-September.

That must suck when you get so much snow during the winter. 

[serious crayons]

That must suck when you get so much snow during the winter. 

Well, up until recently that's just how it was. Especially as a newspaper reporter, if there was a big snowstorm they wanted people to come into work anyway to cover it.

But now I'm used to not having to worry about it. For the past three winters I haven't had to drive in snow or shovel snow. And since I now park in a heated underground garage, I don't have to get into a cold car as often.

I'm sure if there's a big storm they'll be fairly flexible about letting people stay home, though. They never were before, but now we all see that reporters can do most things from home. And editors can do all things. Photographers, unfortunately, have to venture out.

[Jeff Wrangler]

All summer long I would occasionally see a single squirrel munching on seeds underneath the bird feeder. This afternoon there were three at one time. I wonder if this could be a sign of the impending change of seasons?

[Front-Ranger]

If you refuse to observe the Labor Day weekend as the end of summer, does that mean that summer never ends? At least until September 21?

[Jeff Wrangler]

All summer long I would occasionally see a single squirrel munching on seeds underneath the bird feeder. This afternoon there were three at one time. I wonder if this could be a sign of the impending change of seasons?

I'm sure this doesn't signify anything, but after I wrote this I saw four blue jays in the backyard at the same time. I'd never seen that before.

[CellarDweller]

Well, up until recently that's just how it was. Especially as a newspaper reporter, if there was a big snowstorm they wanted people to come into work anyway to cover it.

But now I'm used to not having to worry about it. For the past three winters I haven't had to drive in snow or shovel snow. And since I now park in a heated underground garage, I don't have to get into a cold car as often.

I'm sure if there's a big storm they'll be fairly flexible about letting people stay home, though. They never were before, but now we all see that reporters can do most things from home. And editors can do all things. Photographers, unfortunately, have to venture out.

I think offices are having a difficult time getting people to come into the office to work now, especially since everyone found out just how much of their jobs can be done at home.

My company has asked people to come in twice a week.  Some are upset by this, the way I look at it, before Covid we were going in 5 days without complaint, I can give them two days.

I go in every Monday and Tuesday.