Happy fall, y’all – or almost fall. ‘Tis the season for harvest, apple cider, bonfires, flannel shirts, a big pot of chili and more events and demands than the squares on your calendar can accommodate. That’s right: We have almost hit October mania, where expectations and opportunities keep you circling like a combine through soybeans.

Never mind those long hours in the field — drum up energy to spare for the 30 pitch-ins, family gatherings, sporting and school events, corn mazes and hayrides you’ve been invited to attend. Don’t forget to take long, crisp walks in the woods while holding the hand of your beloved.

There’s fried biscuits and apple butter. Don’t slide into November without having meandered through the pumpkin patch, posed for family pictures dressed in trendy plaid and indigo blue, or roasted hot dogs and marshmallows while perched on a straw bale. 

Are you prepared?

Surely, those yellow, cranberry and orange mums soon will line your front porch. Not that you will ever be home long enough to enjoy them — just do your due diligence. Fall décor is probably cozily settled about your house, and if it’s not, and you haven’t purchased leafy dish towels for your kitchen, what were you doing in July?

If you’re thinking you can join the party now, honey, let me inform you, that ship has sailed. The only decorations available during fall are for Valentine’s Day, although if you’re fortunate, you might still snag some Christmas pinecones. 

While crimson leaves flitter and float to the ground, you should feel the same — airy, calm, content and peaceful. In a blissful stupor, frolic and collapse into the vast pile of leaves that need to be removed from your yard. No matter the breakneck speed of one of the most beautiful times of the year, climb out of the tractor cab, count your blessings, and buckle up while you’re hurling through the glorious days of fall.