5 Cruel Signs Summer Is Over

I promise I won't complain too much about the fall or winter, but this morning I was freezing and the signs were all around that summer is over, so I just had to share a few of them:

1. My coconut oil gets hard. I use organic coconut oil as my only moisturizer and keep a jar of it in my bathroom. You know it's cold out when you have to scrape the coconut oil out of the jar instead of pour it. It's like a thermometer.

2. It's too cold to get out of bed in the morning. I sleep with the windows open most of the year, and you know that summer is over when it's super hard to get out from under those warm layers of blankets. Of course, I do have to get out of bed because kids need to go to school early and I need to get to work. Speaking of which...

3. School buses slow down the morning commute. School buses are a great invention, and I support them completely. It's just that when they're on the road, you just know it's not summer anymore.

4. The garden starts to shrivel up. All those crazy weeds and rampant vegetables and vines start to die back and turn brown. Of course, the good news is you often find things underneath them -- like the garden tools you lost earlier in the season... or pumpkins. Lots of pumpkins!

5. I have to wear socks. I hate socks. But I also hate cold feet. And I hate shoes (I try not to hate too much). The truth is, I'd rather wear a pair of warm socks than have cold feet. So even though I'd rather not wear them, I'm grateful to socks. It's just that the day I have to find a pair of socks is when I truly know the season is over.

For more from Maria Rodale, visit www.mariasfarmcountrykitchen.com.