You know it's autumn when...

The obvious answer is: it's colder. Daytime highs are in the 70s and at night it's in the 50s. Great sleeping weather. Pull the quilt to your chin, tuck your feet under the nearest obese neutered cat (we have two) and sleep the night away.

But there are other signs autumn is in the air.

The hall tree does a reversal. While the trees outside are dropping their leaves, the inside tree is gather jackets, sweaters, and coats. Soon, they'll be piled on top of one another and disgust at the sight will make me drag everything upstairs and hang it up. We are not at that stage yet.

The laundry transitions from two loads of light-colored clothes to one of light and one of dark to two of dark. Instead of being tucked in with the towels, the jeans now have their own load. There are socks and knee-hi's and--egad!--the occasional pair of hose. (Very occasional. My goal is to limit my exposure to once or twice a year.)

Leftover morning coffee isn't pitched at dinnertime because it's been heated and absorbed for warmth during the day.

Ice builds up in the ice maker.

I have to find the houseshoes. All of them: lightweight, cuffed, fun, scuffs.

The ceiling fans are turned off one by one and the windows more closed than cracked.

The outside cats are huddled together on the chaise in the morning.

And the last reason to know autumn is in the air: the postman is bent double under the catalogs trying to sell me Christmas!