Some amazing, beautiful, powerful-looking  storm clouds passed over us on Friday night and left in their wake cool, fall-like temperatures after our week or two of 90-100. Other signs of fall:

The steady beat of acorns falling on the roof and the deck.
Bumblebees in the morning in the trumpet-shaped flowers of the hosta.
Jerusalem artichoke 12 feet tall.
Today I saw a young Cooper’s hawk at the bottom of our street. Looked like he’d just caught some prey.This was likely one of the young from the nest near our house.

On a bike ride this afternoon was the gift of the smell of wild clematis all along the way, growing on fences, trees, bushes.  Here is what Alice Lounsberry has to say about clematis in her book Southern Wilflowers and Trees, circa 1901: Clematis Virginiana (Virginia Virgin’s Bower. Traveller’s Joy). “Often it is that the commonest plants are far more beautiful than the rarities which we seek and favourably look upon simply because they are rare. From beginning to end the existence of the virgin’s bower is replete with charm. Not only in remote haunts, but everywhere we see it running along rail fences, or covering low stone walls and shrubbery with masses of creamy tinted flowers, exhaling in great waves their faint fragrance, or tossing about the fantastic tails of its seeds. For centuries the people have known the vine. It has been loudly lauded and much written about. It is the generous, luxurious child of the family.” 

Later, while digging more rain garden, noticed the yellow jackets are out and hungry. Here is Britches inspecting the enlarged rain garden. Doesn’t look like much now but in the spring we’ll plant lots of native plants that attract bees, hummingbirds, butterflies.

And another sign of fall- the Cardinals are moving on up in the standings. Looks like they may indeed make the playoffs, maybe even the series again.

And another sign- the crickets are near the doorways, trying to find their way inside for the winter.