Hello, Gloucester and Mathews community friends. Saturday, Sept. 23, marked the start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere, but in the Southern Hemisphere it marked the start of spring.

According to NASA, fall starts when the sun shines directly over the equator and gives almost equal amounts of day and night worldwide, except at the North and South Poles. Don’t tune me out yet; this is not a scientific study. Think of it as a talk over a cup of coffee. Yes, a little talk.

We had a long, hot summer. Fall is officially here, and we are getting the long-awaited chilly nights, and most households no longer need air conditioning. My husband loves the cool, crisp air. I love fall foliage. For me, it is one of the most beautiful times of the year. Although more leaves are changing colors each day, some of us are still waiting for that peak, which grabs our attention.

As we “fall in love with fall,” we know we must soon “button up for winter,” which begins on Thursday, Dec. 21. As we ...