Have you seen it? The hint of fiery reds and golden yellows that are slowly starting to creep into trees. Or maybe you have felt it? That all-too-familiar cool crispness in the air each morning.
These are not-so-subtle reminders that summer is indeed on its last legs and autumn is just around the corner. It should not come as any surprise, really. After all, last year we had our first snow in October which is — gasp — one month away.
Fall is by far my favorite time of year. Aside from the beauty of trees in their autumn splendor, there are so many other fantastic things that come with it, like pumpkin spiced coffee and doughnuts, sweatshirts and football. (Go Patriots!)
It also spurs thoughts of my personal favorite holidays — Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas — and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t already thought about decorations.
But am I the only one that feels like it is just too soon? Wasn’t I just trying to figure out how to fill the swimming pool? Where did the summer go? And furthermore, did it ever really arrive? It seems like it was not that long ago that I moved the snow shovels to the back of the shed and took the flannel sheets off the bed.
Now, I am already trying to remember where I put them because it won’t be long before they are needed once again.
That point was driven home a couple of weekends ago when we took a family camping trip to celebrate my daughter’s 16th birthday, complete with a visit to a water park. Trips such as these have never been an issue in years past because the temperatures surrounding her birthday have typically been among the warmest of the season.
Not this year. After two nights of camping, where we huddled each night wearing sweatshirts and fleece jackets only to awaken to temperatures in the low 40s, we embarked on a journey to New Hampshire for some watery activities.
While it was sunny, jumping into a lazy river when the air temperature is hovering around 70 was not the most enjoyable thing, but you can’t always plan family trips around the weather. Even the “heated” pool at the hotel seemed to be chillier than the norm.
Perhaps this is merely a prelude of things to come.
As if on cue, I came into work this week and found an envelope containing a copy of the 2020 Old Farmer’s Almanac sitting on my desk. And what should I see upon opening said envelope but a giant photo of a man holding a snow shovel with the headline “Out Cold! Get Ready for Winter’s Wallop!” along with a subheadline of “Is This The Winter That Never Ends?”
Fantastic. Didn’t we just have a winter like that a year ago? How old does one have to be exactly to become a snowbird who travels to Florida each winter?
Joseph Cyr is the assistant editor/senior reporter for Northeast Publishing, a division of Bangor Daily News. He can be reached at (207) 532-2281 or via email at jcyr@bangordailynews.com.
