A few weeks ago we were saying goodbye to summer. School had started. Summer vacations had concluded. It was an in-between time to look back at a full season of outdoor events and activities. Now, fall is settling in. We have months of cold weather ahead and the signs are all around. Many birds that migrate south over winter have left. The low-flying barn swallows begin their migration when the temperature drops. The honking of Canada geese is a familiar fall sound in the Northwest Corner hills. The bright-colored goldfinch has left. Some of our townspeople also migrate south as snowbirds.
Students have settled into school, and for some midterms are already here. Fall sports are geared up for turf battles between schools. Many parents are in the throes of the soccer travel challenge. Some sports have begun to move indoors.
Homeowners are debating when to bring in the outdoor furniture — if at all — and some have mowed the lawn for the last time. Others are busy with another seasonal ritual: raking leaves. Or not.
Inside, the furnace has fired up. Or not. Some hapless homeowners have to call for service because the furnace didn’t work on the first fall temperature test.
Once the house warms up, it becomes a draw for all the mice seeking shelter and food for the winter ahead. These pointy-nosed invaders are highly successful with their annual migration into our historic, Colonial-era homes. Just another sign of the season.
Every fall New England becomes a destination for leaf peepers, but this year the fall colors may be less pronounced, according to the experts. A major factor was the wet summer season. The National Weather Service reported that Litchfield County’s summer rainfall was double the normal amount. Rain dilutes the sugars in the leaves, affecting the hues. Cold nights help trigger the changeover, but many nights have only seen temps in the forties. We’re at the end of the third week in October, when the color change is typically in peak range, and professional photographers and leaf watchers are scrambling to capture and witness fall foliage in all its boldness and glory.
Black bears are stocking up for a long winter’s hibernation that typically starts around Thanksgiving. Now, they can be seen everywhere, of course.
Another ubiquitous sign of the fall season can be found on front lawns and roadsides throughout the Northwest Corner: campaign placards. Tuesday, Nov. 7 is Election Day, and this election cycle will see contested races for selectman in Cornwall, Falls Village, Kent, North Canaan, and Salisbury. Throughout October, profiles on participating candidates are published in The Lakeville Journal in our ‘Meet the candidates’ series. This week, read about candidates in North Canaan and Sharon on page A8 and A9.
Justine and Victor Valla in their studio with a painting of Victor’s,”Jonah and the Whale.” Robin Roraback 
