Farewell Summer

One weekend last month, I had a lot on the calendar, so I took my daily walks in the early morning hours instead of early evening.  In so doing, I was exposed to the sound of early-morning bird music and the sight of the sky just waking up to a new day.  There's something soothing about an evening walk after the day's labors are over, but a morning walk is like a trumpet heralding the start of new opportunities.  I realized that if my schedule permitted, I might favor the morning walk over the evening.  Yet, both bring satisfaction, especially at this time of year when crisp, sunny mornings give way to warmer mid-day temperatures and then cool evenings.  We're not quite into the throes of fall yet and we can likely expect a few more warm days, but with each cool evening and cooler early morning, I realize that we're quickly departing that sliver of days during the year that Gladys Taber and Edwin Way Teale called "farewell summer."