Welcome to the death of the year, he said melodramatically

Some people mark the beginning of fall at the autumnal equinox; some people pick the harvest moon; others notice the charismatic rodentia gathering nuts or the spiders spinning larger webs.

The sign that tells me fall is upon us is far more prosaic: it's the first morning that the heat comes on in the house. And that, my friends, was this morning.

This is a little disturbing for those of us in the Puget Sound area, since September and early October are usually beautiful -- the cruel joke on the students who suffer through the first six weeks of school watching their daylight slide away.

But this year... ok, it's no trifecta of hurricanes in the Carribean, but it's looking like the Great Gray is coming a little earlier.

Imagine my delight.

(on the other hand, this is of course good news for those of you in the southern hemisphere... enjoy the coming warmth!)