The start of fall gets lost in translation.Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer. All the kids head back to school, the pools close, and most weekends at the lake go on hold. It seems like most people get too busy to really enjoy the end of summer because of all the activities that pick up after the Labor Day holiday. But it is still summer … for _now_.Fall, or the autumnal equinox, officially begins on Monday. The equinox is the exact moment (at 10:44 A.M. for this year’s autumnal equinox) that the sun is directly over the Earth’s equator. The term equinox comes from the Latin words _aequus_ meaning equal and the Latin term _nox_ meaning night. It means that the center of the sun will spend an equal amount of time above and below the horizon and that day and night would be the same length. !It does not happen that way in reality, due to a few factors. The main reason is because the atmosphere refracts light allowing the sun’s rays to reach the surface of the Earth when it otherwise wouldn’t.There are other signs that fall is here as well. The amount of sunshine that we pick up each day is dwindling. We are already beginning to see the leaves on the trees changing color, and we will soon be raking away our weekends. Recent rain has reminded everybody that there is still yard work to be done, but with cooler temperatures on the way, that won’t be as big of an issue soon.Speaking of yard work reminds me to mention that _now_ is the time to put grass seed down on your lawns. The best time to put down new grass seed is between September 15th and October 15th. The daylight that we pick up during this time period is perfect to spur new seedlings to germinate and begin growing. You will also need to think about getting your yard its yearly supply of fertilizer. You can get a free soil test at the Douglas County Extension Center to ensure that you are putting down the exact blend of fertilizer that you need for your lawn. You can visit their Web site or call them at 785-843-7058 to get more information.So this begs this question. What are the signs of fall that you see? “Blog-on” and tell me what you think about fall!