August Turning

 August  is turning the wheel of the year. Already, there are signs of fall.

Perhaps it is a change in the green, trees not so rich and lush. The grass may be turning brown. Plants are going to seed.

According  to the old calendar, August 1st marked the midpoint between the summer solstice on June 21 and the autumn equinox on September 22. It was the first harvest--and we still observe it, with ripening peppers and zucchinis. This year, there are cyclospora outbreaks from lettuce and other green leafy salad things.

According to the meterological calendar, August is the third month of meteorological  summer. They are measuring this month in terms of temperature and rainfall. It was warmer and rainier here. England and France and Spain had heat waves and floods and  wildfires.

It's been a season of floods and wildfire smoke, winds and tornadoes in the midwest. Illinois leads the nation for tornadoes, with Iowa and Indiana also above average numbers. 

Indiana has been especially hard-hit in recent weeks. They are still repairing storm damages and power outages from storms on August 11. 

So it's been a summer of heat waves and severe weather-----signs of changing climate. 

We feel the turning too. Dark before 8 pm now.  The smell of dry leaves. Already signs for back-to-school things. New classes, new school supplies, a new routine.   

There's plenty of summer left, people say. There's still festivals and farmers' markets, there's still time for a day at the beach.