It is the end of summer. Or it’s early fall. Everyone knows the feeling. The sun is lower in the sky and, in the early morning, the air is chilly. It warms up by the afternoon, but not to the same intensity as only a week ago.
There are fewer people on the water and fewer people strolling in parks and along the beach walks in the evenings.
We have no name for the in-between seasons, but we know them and they each have a mood. The mood for this one is wistful. However sensible we are about looking forward to the delights of fall and winter, it is the end of the life cycle of the most luscious and abundant flowers, the end of the carefree time of year: a waning time.
So we learn to love the compensations. Blackberries and apples, peaches and corn. The air is fresher. We can stop wearing sunscreen. Soon, we will be able to stop mowing the grass. We can shop for new clothes with less guilt. Cooking and cosy nights at home are appealing again.
What colours symbolize early September? In summer, we have dazzling displays of flowers in all hues; in fall, we have red, gold, and bronze leaves. The colours of this half-season are yellow and blue: see these trees whose leaves are yellow against a startlingly vivid sky.