When I became the father of two daughters, I quickly learned that I would be watching television shows and movies of the type I was not accustomed to. There would not be too many hunting and fishing shows in my future.

One of our favorite series was “Anne of Green Gables.” Adapted from a literary classic written in 1908, it follows the life of Anne Shirley, a young orphan girl that was adopted by a middle-aged brother and sister. Written by Lucy Maud Montgomery, the book has sold more than 50 million copies and has been translated into more than 20 languages.

It was from the voice of this young child that one of my very favorite quotes comes from: “I am so glad I live in a world in which there are Octobers.”

There can’t be any place in the world better to live in than Southwest Georgia when October finally comes around on the calendar. Just this morning, the temperature dipped into the 50s. The humidity has temporarily dropped to around 20 percent. The air seems clean and fresh; the sky seems brilliantly clear.

It all seems to happen almost overnight. For me, I know that fall is approaching when I smell a freshly plowed field of peanuts. Science has long known that certain smells trigger memories that we have associated with those smells. Having been around peanuts from the time I was born, nothing sets off those memories like plowed peanuts.

I was coming back from Miami last week when that sweet smell hit me. I rolled down my window and pulled off the road. In the middle of the night, I was taken back to my childhood.

Farmers are harvesting their crops — another good bounty this year. Money starts to flow a bit easier. Sales pick up at Hardee’s, proving once again that we clearly live in an agriculturally dominated area.
The gnats have now largely disappeared and the love bugs have finished splattering all over the windshields. Even my old dog, Harry, seems excited; much more anxious for his morning walk than during the hot, humid days of summer.

The squirrels are scurrying around, starting to gather their winter stash of acorns. The dogwoods are the first trees to begin shedding their leaves.

Throw in the football games that all Southerners seem to enjoy, and it just seems that life has gotten a little bit better. Autumn is definitely in the air.