We have football on the front page and
many children in the area have already been back to school for a few
day. Most people will be reading this during that wonderful three-day
weekend that celebrates nothing except the sweat and hard work that
allow our civilization to function.

    All the signs point to the end of another summer. If
you're sill in denial then look up at the trees, as the leave lighten
and have begun to fall.

    Many would agree that summer seems to be the
shortest of seasons in Maine (unless you count a spring that never
seems to come at all).

    There will still be a couple of more beach days and
the lakes will retain their warmth for a good while longer, but no
amount of wishful thinking will stop the sun from rising later and
setting earlier with each day.

    Luckily, fall, as Maine seasons go, is one of the
standouts. Summer’s stickiness is displaced by crisp, clean breezes.
Gardeners are once again drawn to the nurseries to pick out some new
plantings that will survive the soon to be frosty dawn. Farmer’s
markets will be bursting with gourds and autumn fruits.

    We give our air conditioners a break and leave the
windows open before we must seal them shut against another winter.

    The smell of barbecue grills gives way to the pop of
wood in the fireplace in evenings that seem suddenly to be quite cold.

    The children may profess to be disappointed by the
start of school, but we know those frowns are feints masking an
excitement to see old friends and show off new development. There's
football on television and baseball for still a while longer.

    September is ambiguous. It takes a few weeks to
decide whether it wants to be summer or fall. But in the end we know
that has already been ordained.

–Ward Peck