Fall colors are starting to pop up around Atchison County. (Cynthia Walker Burton photo)

By Cindy Walker Burton

My symptoms started the first week of August. I started seeing flashes of red, orange and brown. I was seeing double with visions of pumpkins. I broke out in chills thinking about sweater weather. Diagnosis: I had a serious case of fall fever.

I absolutely adore autumn from top to bottom. Autumn’s in the leaves, in the schools, in store aisles, on menus and television ads. On a personal note, autumn’s in my decor, in my closet, and in my heart. Need more evidence of autumn? School has started, football season is here (Go Blue Jays! Go Florida State! Go Chiefs!), festivals are festing, fairs are fairing, and spices are spicing (hurray for pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger). Give a cheer: autumn’s here!

Of course, it isn’t technically fall ya’ll. The official autumnal equinox falls on September 22, 2026. If you’re a fall fanatic like me, you’ve already fallen into a fall state of mind. Let’s check my Fall Into Fall checklist. Already baked a pumpkin pie. Check. Decorated with autumn items. Check check. Got autumn apparel, fall fragrances and had a pumpkin spice latte. Check, check, check. Autumn colors: bought’em. Autumn fragrances: got’em. Autumn bargain: sought’em. Fall fever and fall mania: caught’em.

Not ready to break up with summer? Still have an ongoing relationship with your shorts and sandals? Not ready to call it quits with sunscreen and straw hats? Hard to say goodbye to gingham and pass on the polka dots? It can be emotional to let go of the sweet memories that you and summer made. But you and summer weren’t meant to be together forever – only for a season. Say so long to sultry summer and hello to a date with awesome autumn!

Free fall into fall. Fall in love with fall. It’s a fall world after all.