The sun rose this morning at 6:43 and sets at 8:58 tonight for 14 hours 18 ½ minutes of daylight. We’re losing 6 minutes 40 seconds a day, now, and that will stay pretty constant for the rest of September. We had over an hour of astronomical night last night, which means the sun is now dipping more than 18° below the horizon, but it’s making up for it at solar noon—less than 32° above the horizon.

It’s getting colder, too. Last night’s forecast was for 30° to 40° F, and I managed to get out just before dark to get the geraniums in the garage and the plastic covers over the squash and beans. Picked the first almost-ripe tomato, and covered the rest.

Our deciduous trees are mostly birch and aspen, which turn yellow in the fall, and they are definitely turning. The fireweed and the highbush cranberries do turn red, so we have some red mixed with the yellow and green. It won’t be long, though, before most of the green comes from the spruce. Already the lawn is sprinkled with yellow leaves. The lilies are getting in the last blooms of the season, and the garden is supplying me with beets and zucchini almost faster than I can eat them.

Daytime temperatures still get into the 70’s at times, but 60’s and even 50’s are getting more common. No snow yet, but non-sticking flurries are not uncommon in September. In fact I remember one year when the snow cover was well established by the end of September. I hope it doesn’t do that this year!