Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On

I should have seen it coming. Instead, I ended up hearing it. This morning at six-thirty the heat came on. This is how I know that summer is winding down. That's not to say that there won't be a lot of hot weather in my near future. I fully expect that October will be a very cozy time here in Alameda County. We get used to the "summer weather pattern" of fog in the morning, clearing by the afternoon. But the past few days haven't allowed much in the way of sunshine. I am sure the is only coincidence connecting my gradual return to the classroom and the weather, but I take it as an omen.
Not a scary or bad omen, but an omen nonetheless. A wake up call or a polite alarm with a snooze alarm that lasts a few days. Whatever it is, Fall is in the air and I don't expect to dodge it. Come to think of it, yesterday "American Graffiti" was on cable, and while I watched most of it, it didn't occur to me that this remembrance of summer's passing was another link to the big picture that was forming over my head.
It used to be Jerry's Kids that signaled me to put away my deck shoes and white trousers, but ever since school started before Labor Day and it became my job to get a classroom ready for twenty-five odd short strangers, summer is over almost before it started. This is not despair, just surprise. I used to take the passage of time much more personally. Now I can revel in the changing seasons, or at least the appearance.