Signs of the times

Google has added some new features (maybe they were always there, unnoticed by me).One of these is statistics. My blog had 24 visitors yesterday, 294 last month, and since I started it in February 2010, it's been "visited" 7079 times - not,I'm sure, by 7079 different people perhaps no more people than the two dozen who looked at it yesterday. Even 24 seems a lot to me (in this intrusive age when no one has a private life anymore, no doubt this includes snoops from sundry secretive government agencies).
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Earlier this afternoon while I was walking in a quiet place beside the Canal, I heard honking geese overhead. At first I couldn't see them, then far above, almost out of sight was a large V-formation, perhaps 100 strong, purposefully heading south. They may have been snow geese, because squadrons of Canada geese stay here nowadays until late November or even later in the year; but the geese whose habitat is the high Arctic set off on their migration earlier. I've heard many blue jays lately too, presumably also passing through on their way south.Today is supposedly our last really warm day and by the weekend we will be down to single figures. A week ago when I looked out the west windows I saw hardly any autumn colors but today there are many red, orange and yellow trees even if the predominant color is still green. In past years I've often taken photos of the autumn colors when they are at their best, usually in the second week of October. This year they may be at their best a little later, judging on present indications. And I may not yet be entirely passe, over the hill, yesterday's man: I've had two more invitations to talk to students and others in the past week. That's another sign of the times I suppose, a sign that a new academic year is under way - and a morale booster too, of course. It's great to feel wanted and needed.