About The Beginning of Autumn
August 7 - 21
First Pentad, August 6 - 10
Second Pentad, August 11 - 15
Third Pentad, August 16 - 20
Something changes around the middle of August. In our minds, it's still summer, but in our hearts, we are already preparing for autumn. Now, with September just a few weeks away, we are planning for the future. September is often thought of as the beginning of a new year - a chance to start afresh after vacation, perhaps enrolling in a new school, entering a new grade, or beginning a new job or project. We know change is coming, but we refuse for it to begin quite yet. Indeed, in these two weeks of August, in particular, we seem to live a double life: we are desperately holding on to the relaxation that summer imparts but already planning for the busy season ahead. In the natural world, too, we begin to see these changes. Mother Nature is ready to move on - but are we?
The Beginning of Autumn
Podcast Episode
Alexis and Kit bid farewell to summer and welcome in the harvest season in this episode, "the Beginning of Autumn," featuring nostalgic summer fruits, a soundscape of the Dog Days of summer, and an awe-inspiring meteor shower. In "Hiro's Corner," we take a look at a special seasonal fish.
Click here for poems & songs featured in this episode.
Words of the Season
In the Sky
Perseid Meteor Shower
Fog
Delta Breezes
In the Ground & Water
Onions
Blackberries
Figs
Zinnias
Ayu (Sweetfish)
In Our Lives
The Dog Days of Summer
Obon
Recommended
Reading
Summer is drawing to a close. Summer at Meadow Wood by Amy Rebecca Tan is a charming YA novel that captures the spirit of July and August and reminds us all that summer can teach us about ourselves.
In honor of Mountain Day, we recommend Yasunari Kawabata’s The Sound of the Mountain