A change of seasons

I know the fall or autumnal equinox is on September 22 or 23 depending on the particular year and the position of the earth to the sun at that time.

But for me the signal of fall's arrival is the changing of our thermostat from "Cool" to "Heat". Actually, for the past month we could have moved it to the middle setting of "Off" since we haven't needed either the heating or the cooling part of our air system. And that says a lot about the mild weather we've been having in Sacramento these past four weeks and the insulation in our house.

As I look out the window and see the tentative sprinkles of a possible shower, I expect that I won't be changing the thermostat back until next spring.