Is it just me, or...

[29again]

has the Big Dipper disappeared? We sit on our deck most nights, and look at the sky. Done this for years. We always see the dipper as it is practically right in front of us. However for the last couple weeks it's not there. Thought maybe clouds obscuring it, but no. It just is not in our view anymore. Has anyone else noticed this? If so, is this the beginning of the third of the stars falling from the sky, is this what that passage means?