Another way I can tell the days are getting shorter:
This morning I took a moment to revel in the bright full moon before the sun came up.
On the way home, after the sun had set, I paused at a red light to admire the same full moon over the other horizon.
This morning at work the day started off gray and rainy. Everything was quiet--no customers. A couple of people expressed some disappointment about that. The rain stopped and a couple of customers came in. At one point we turned to see who was next. There, on the counter, stood a large praying mantis looking around calmly. Nobody had seen it come in. The man standing at the counter, just inside the door, not two feet from it, hadn't noticed it.
I pointed out that in several cultures they were considered good luck. We offered it some paper to step on and it obliged, and we set it out on the grass out front.
The day ended up being a busy one, with a beautiful sunny afternoon.
Winter is coming, but I have a feeling it's all going to turn out.