This morning, just before dawn, the full Harvest Moon beamed from the western sky. Within a few hours, the moon had set behind a bank of clouds, not to reappear before autumn rushes in. Indeed, this was the last moon of summer and the clouds were the leading edge of a potent cold front that will bring the first wave of prolonged, chilly weather to the American Heartland.
Ahead of the front, strong, southerly winds pushed warm, humid air into mid Missouri, fueling the storms that should arrive overnight. Diminishing toward morning, the rain will yield to cool, Canadian air as it drops from the Northern Plains. By early next week, our afternoon highs will be lower than our recent morning lows and autumn will be fully entrenched.
The next full moon, the Hunter's Moon of October, will likely rise above frosted fields and duck-filled wetlands. The hot, humid days of summer will, by then, be a fading memory, their oppression denied, their balmy evenings extolled. The glorious fall will surround us, a beloved season for many, a dreaded slide toward winter for others. Though, from our perspective, the moon changes its character through the year, our satellite, itself, knows no seasons.
