Catching Up With the Rest of the Country

Signs that summer is finally ending in Phoenix:

1. It gets dark really early.  And when it gets dark, you can actually enjoy the weather outside.
2. The swimming pools are too cold for my taste unless they are heated.  (My younger kids still brave my mom's pool though so the water can't be too freezing yet.)
3. Christmas displays are up in the stores.  (I know, this is a silly way to know if summer is over, since those displays show up earlier and earlier.  But it is a pretty big clue.)
4. I haven't gotten bitten by a mosquito in a week or two.
5. The cotton fields are starting to turn brown--it won't be long until harvesting begins.  (Cotton around here is usually harvested from fall until about December.)
6. We had to change our irrigation system back to watering our small plot of grass only two days a week.  (We were starting to get puddles in the grass.  Normally the heat evaporates any extra water before we even notice it.)
7. We actually had to put jackets in the car the other day for our trip to the zoo.  Not that we even needed to get them out of the car, but just the fact that the weather was cool enough for us to debate the issue is a sign that summer is winding down.

Terence is sad about it.  It's not that he prefers scorching temperatures, but he likes it to be light longer while he's working.  When it starts to get dark two hours into his shift, it feels like he should be farther along in his work day than he really is.  Me?  I'm excited to be able to wear jeans again.  I think I look better in jeans than in shorts :-)  I'm also excited for the possibility of running outside without risking heatstroke.  This is the time of year when I can go hiking, when the kids can play at the park, when I'm not constantly dripping with sweat.

It's a nice change!