I first noticed it one morning when walking the dogs. A chill had settled that was not there yesterday. The first brown, crunchy leaves have already abandoned the trees and acorns have begun falling from the oaks. So it has started. Autumn is insinuating itself on the landscape. The ferns that grow haphazardly and prolifically along the berm of my road are also surrendering and donning coats of rust. Only the patches of goldenrod still hold tight to their yellow fronds.

It seems like just yesterday that I was stacking my winter wood, well in advance of cooler days and even cooler nights that were going to arrive, but certainly not so soon. Honestly, I don’t know where summer went. Perhaps it was all the rain that we had earlier in the year that made the summer seem shorter, or perhaps I just haven’t been paying attention. But yesterday was summer and today, well, it isn’t.

I don’t mind however. I am by nature an autumn person. There is something about fall that lifts my spirits. To me it is not a declaration of a season ended, but instead, a prelude to another yet to come. One that holds a promise of crisp days and bright colors. It is harvest time. The corn has tasseled, while pumpkins and squash are ripening in the fields. Apples are ready for picking, and fresh-squeezed sweet cider is once again available.

It is also a festive time. It is fair season, with all the inducements and excitement that always accompany it. Joggers and bikers revel in the cooler weather. Our friends from away are reluctantly hooking up their campers and boats and heading south down I-95, to be replaced by the leaf peepers that pass them heading north. It is a time to pull on a jacket or sweater and spend a day at Fort Williams, looking out past the Portland Head Light at the increasingly choppy water and breakers throwing themselves on the rocky shoreline. Time to head down to Two Lights for some fried clams or a seafood dinner in the State Park.

Fall means packing a Thermos of coffee on a Friday night or Saturday and sitting in the bleachers, supporting your local high school football, soccer or lacrosse team. Take your pick. Or just driving some of the back roads or taking the long, more scenic roads home, because everything is alive with change, and all you have to do is take the time to appreciate it.

I know that it is still early. We are sure to have some warm days still ahead. Autumn is like that. It seems like no two days are the same. It gently prods you with subtle hints that it is coming. We find ourselves caught between wardrobes, addressing each day as it comes.

I have lived in many states over the years, and as such, have a healthy appreciation for the beauty that seasonal changes bring. But when it comes to autumn, Maine is truly “The Way Life Should Be.”

Bob Quigley lives in Gray.