It’s begun.

As one season transitions to the next, in this instance summer to autumn, there is a noticeable crispness in the air. The hours of daylight grow shorter and the early morning darkness lasts longer. For me that can be an added bonus as it allows me to head to the water — to sit and have my quiet time as the first rays of the new day break through the clouds out over the water.

About this time each year I turn to the sky for my barometer of what is happening. I always know autumn has arrived when the sky is a brilliant blue — almost as if the air has been run through a filter as the light is so crisp, so clear. The sun sits lower in the sky during autumn, and that angle helps account for the vividness of the blue.

I love autumn but I will hate to see summer leave. I want to hang onto it longer, much as a puppy with a favorite rag doll in its grip, does. I don’t want to see it disappear. Not yet at least.

I blame it on April. Then again, I blame a lot of things these days on April. Those back-to-back blizzards did me in. They wrecked my mental outlook, dampened my spirit and stole my joy. The two weeks leading up to them had begun showing signs of promise — teasing us all with some sprouts of green from the ground which until that point, had been dormant. I actually fooled myself into believing that perhaps the worst had passed, that St. Patrick’s Day and the ever predictable “St. Patty’s Day Blow” came and went and with a gradual warming that began taking place, winter was on the outs.

If only that was correct.

Instead Mother Nature slapped us with a cold dose of reality — that “it ain’t over till I say it’s over.” Winter lingered on, and on, and on — or so it seemed. Like relatives who wore out their welcome, winter did not take the hint that it was time to leave.

Summer has been great, wonderful in fact, but just too short. As I grow older it seems as time has a way of speeding up. One blink, and a season has passed. For me, that is what summer this year has been like – fleeting like a blink of the eye.

Mind you, I love autumn. Of the four seasons it is by far my favorite. I enjoy the warm days, love the lack of humidity, relish sleeping so much better in the cool nights. The changing colors of trees are a reminder of nature’s beauty. Apple cider is my favored drink this time of year and pumpkins and gourds make their way from the fields to decorations in people’s homes.

Autumn is the time of year when dreamers start seeing antlers around every corner and little goblins envision candy … lots of candy, as their loot one autumn evening.

Ready or not, it’s begun. With or without me, it’s on its way.

I accept that fact and I will truly try to embrace it.

Yet I also remain sad … why did summer have to leave so quickly?

Bill Speer can be reached at bspeer@thealpenanews.com or 989-354-3111, ext. 331. Follow Bill on Twitter @billspeer13.