The first scent of fall

Today I smelled fall for the first time this year - a hint of crispness in the air - not the crispness of a mountain summer's dawn, but the crispness of the end of summer.

The long days of frantic heat are going, leaving in its place the tired warmth of late summer. This is the warmth I associate with lazy dusks on porch swings, tall glasses of homemade lemonade, and shopping trips for backpacks, pencils, paper and other back to school supplies, even though I've never had a porch swing. It's just porch swing kind of weather.

And with the onset of that hint of fall (soon to be replaced by more hot weather, no doubt - a last gasp by summer), comes the thought of football season, long walks on crunchy leaves, apple cider, and the first snowfall. I can't wait.