Autumn Arrives

The calendar tells me the first day of autumn arrived this week (Tuesday to be exact.)

Personally, I am glad.

There will always be something special about fall, to me at least. It means cooler temperatures have returned (eventually) once again. It means a renewed sense of life and being. It means Halloween is just around the corner. It conjures up childhood memories of being in the homestretch until Christmas.

This year it seems I’ve needed my favorite season more than most. It felt good to flip the several calendars I have at home and in the office to this part of the year.

I know it’s all mental, but the sky seems bluer now. The air seems cleaner and there is a definite touch of all crispness in the air (at least on a few mornings) after another brutal summer.

Even brief drives around town are more enjoyable on the eyes as people have begun fall decorations at their homes and businesses. Hopefully, the next couple of months will also help replenish the mind and body. Fall, and especially the months of September, October and November, seem to have that magical power.

As a child, I recall attending fall festivals held at my school and enjoying even more time with my friends. Those were great times and while they are but an aging memory in my rearview mirror now, I try to keep those times as new as if they happened last week.

Fall also means, of course, we are knee deep into another football season. The “boys of fall,” whether at the high school, college or pro level will always have a fan in yours truly. On the high school fields, it’s time to make a push for the postseason. College football will always be a Saturday tradition for me and I usually watch games from noon to well past the witching hour.

I grew up a Falcons fan and I hope in 2014 they can return to the playoffs. I know the pro game is not for everyone, but football on Sunday afternoon is something that is a lifelong must for me.

On a lighter side, the arrival of fall will eventually once more signify the end to outdoor chores such as keeping the yard mowed and certainly I am thankful for that. For a few months anyway, I won’t have to try and squeeze that chore into my already packed week.

So here’s to football, fall festivals, hayrides, corn mazes and crisp, cool air that greets you when you leave for work in the morning. I wasn’t sure we would make it again, but somehow fall seems to find us each year at this time.

The football games I attend will seem to have a little more meaning and even the temperature will be just right. Fall and football will always be a perfect combination.

I hope the arrival of fall means as much to you as it does to me. Quite frankly, it wouldn’t be the same without it.

Welcome back old friend.

Monticello native Chris Bridges is editor of the Barrow Journal in Winder. He welcomes feedback from readers of The Monticello News at cbridges@barrowjournal.com.