I feel it too and I'm about 400 miles south of you. The light is long and low, the air different. September has been among the warmest months, but not this year.

It smelled normal today, here in southern New England. Warm and in the 80sF. A little thunder is rumbling. Plenty of birds, from cardinals to chickadees, feasting on summer seeds and berries (as well as helping themselves to my grapes).

Tomorrow, cooler temps in the 60s are in the forecast, but it feels right for September in coastal northeast Massachusetts. Maybe being in Salem, we have good witches casting a spell of fair weather.

Big flocks of grackles yesterday.

It's too early for fall, but it sure feels like fall. And has felt that way for 2 weeks already. Last year Sept was the nicest month of the summer, this year I wouldn't be surprised to see snow by the end of the month. Saw a flock of geese flying by today. It's too early for them to be heading south, isn't it? Still have lots of other birds though. The goldfinches love my sunflowers. I let them stand all winter.

Way down here in the Heart of Dixie it also feels like fall is early. There is a "quality" to the light already and the moon is coming up orange. These are our signs of fall here, usually late October. The sourwoods are coloring up now too. Perhaps we will actually have a winter this year.
NN

It was quite warm yesterday. I retired to bed with the windows wide open, listening to the intermittant rain pattering on the awnings. I awakened at 4:30 this morning, the wind through the windows was quite warm. Gradually it became cooler, the front was passing through. Now it is quite crisp.

Osmundas are bronzing up, maples are beginning to turn. And the "light is long and low". I'm glad the firewood is split and stacked.

We had an early spring this year, so I was expecting an early fall. The last couple weeks the spiders have been moving in, a vole has taken up residence in the garage and tries nightly to get into the bird seed bins. Wednesday and Thursday I could smell fall coming, early Friday evening it swepted in. The stiff cool breeze yesterday seemed so out of place, but was a relief after the hot dry summer.

Yes, change is good. The smell of soup stock simmering on the stove, and tomatoes roasing in the oven is a welcome change after smelling grilled foods almost all summer. In addition to making warm comfort foods again, there are so many indoor projects to work on that winter can be as full as summer. Settling down for the evening under a warm blanket, candles flickering, with a good movie to watch is sublime. There is time to read, rest and rejuvinate. And, of course, winter means paging through the flood of garden catalogs, planning changes to the garden, and the anticipation of spring.

Sorry to rain on your autumn parade, Ink. Not all 'change' is good. Each designer posting here can list one or more plant types they no longer use in their area due to imported disease and insect problems. This whole subject, of course, requires vast research and discussion. Would just like to say that some who post plant questions here wonder why we designers do not give them chapter and verse answers. Some even think we are snooty. I do not answer these questions because frankly I do not know the present plant problems in CT. or CA. or elsewhere. Many of our questioners need to seek local knowlege and yet seem to resist doing so.