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