Fall is one of my four favorite seasons! Fall is underway in Michigan. It starts slowly, with noticeable loss of daylight at sunrise and sunset. A change in humidity levels brings drier air and cooler temperatures, reducing the atmosphere’s capacity to hold moisture and lowering dew points. Fall Enchantment includes the nighttime, which brings us cooler sleeping temperatures. The leaves on some trees begin to turn colors and start to fall, at first just a few, then it cascades into a magical festival of colors, looking like a quiet explosion of fireworks on the trees and covering the earth.
People love the fall colors in Michigan. Weather reports cover the percentage of color and guess at peak color for drives into Northern Michigan to observe the glorious eye candy of colors. Chlorophyll production ceases, carotenoids produce yellow and orange colors, and anthocyanins create the red and purple hues. In the Upper Peninsula, you can treat your eyes to fall colors and waterfall views. The incredible olfactory smells of Fall are amazing! The smell of apple cider and donuts calls to us as strongly as migrating birds. Humans must set aside their diets to enjoy this once-a-year treat.
It’s the time of year to huddle close with friends at a bonfire, wrap some potatoes & hot dogs in foil and let them cook buried in the burning leaves, or melt s’mores over the wood fire for dessert. Pumpkin spice from every kind of source fills the air of your home, cabin, or business. Every year, the pumpkin spice products seem to multiply to an astounding over 3,000 products: pumpkin spice milk and coffee creamer, protein drinks, Chobani, cream cheese, coffee drinks, whipped cream, cereals, cookies, granola bars, pancakes & waffles, marshmallows, popcorn, M&M’s, Pop-Tarts, and even pumpkin spice toilet paper! Fall also brings earthy smells of decaying grasses & leaves on wet soil, mushrooms, wood smoke, a damp forest floor, mosses, and, of course, fires in the fire pit surrounded by great conversations.
All of this is God’s way of telling us to enjoy the wonders of Fall and to prepare for the coming winter!
“Remember, every day is a gift! Some are just a little more fun to open than others. – Joel, Author of “The Guinea Pig In The Freezer”. joelmvernier@aol.com © Joel M. Vernier September 26, 2025
