That was a quick change from summer into fall. Of course, the first day of fall is less than three weeks away. The calendar alone says summer is ending.

The days can warm up quickly but after sunset they cool off quickly.

In the heat of the day we are hermetically sealed in our homes, work places and vehicles, but during the night those open windows let the outside inside.

The school bus is making its twice a day pass telling us school is under way which means summer is really over. Not only is it over, once again it went by too quickly.

There is no mistaking the signs. The crops are losing their dark green as lighter shades of green, then yellow or tan are taking their place. Corn silks are dark and brown and dry.

The husks have turned tan and the last yellow kernels of corn that filled out the tip of the ear are peering out the husk.

Not only is harvest is on its way, it is getting closer. It was only 45 days ago we were looking at the tassels that had just appeared.

In 45 more days there will be empty fields ready for spring planting.

The garden has come on strong. We have eaten and given away over half of our new potatoes. Tomatoes and peppers are an ingredient at each meal.

The apple growers are making it known the season is arriving early as the apples are ready for picking.

The cooler nights tell us football is in the air. The World Series is approaching. For my wife’s family in Minnesota, it has been a good year to be a fan of the Minnesota Twins as they keep winning more games than they lose.

If you are thinking of a late-summer trip, time is running out for that last minute get away. There is comfort that the crowds of summer are gone reducing the competition for lodging, parking spaces, food, and everything else.

The birds know what lies ahead of them. They are starting to flock.

The Canada geese can be seen standing in place flexing their wings in preparation of their flight south.

In anticipation they make brief flights circling overhead and honking to each other. The downy goslings of last June are fully-grown and there is no difference between young and old.

Hummingbirds are seen at the feeder so they are already moving south. In a month they will no longer be seen as by then even the stragglers will have moved farther south.

How do the birds know how to get to their winter destination? They have been doing it for thousands of years. I am new to traveling with my GPS and I have it along for even for routine trips.

Is that a sign of our advancement? We have satellites in space with computing devices stuck to dashes and windshields to do what the birds do and have done for many, many years just on instinct.

Our thousands of years of evolution have brought us up to where the birds have been since long ago.

What else do the birds know that they are not telling us?

For one thing, winter is coming and they are getting ready to leave. I thought being called a bird brain was a bad thing. Now, I am not so sure.

Rye is a Farm News staff writer and farmer from Hanlontown. Reach him by e-mail at crye@wctatel.net.