My favorite fall memory is taking my dog for a hike in the woods after work and noticing the sunlight piercing through the trees in sparkly flashes, the leaves crunching under my feet, the sound of his crazy happy frolicking and diving and snorting in the leaves looking for interesting scents... and that unmistakable smell of damp ground and fall leaves and mushrooms.
This question is a good reminder that fall is beautiful! I always get freaked out at this time of year because I have to turn the heat on - and there's nothing like the thought of paying for heating fuel to just knock the wind out of you! -Monica MacNeille
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College football. Walking into my grandmother's apartment when she was well into her 90s to find her with one game on television and another on the radio. And watching games with my dad and cousins and aunts and uncles the afternoon and evening after a family reunion. -Chris Campany
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The crisp smell of the air and the leaves, the hissing and rattling of the dried leaves in the fall breeze, raking up big piles of leaves and jumping in them from the tree branches, the anticipation of trick-or-treat, new school clothes. -Beth Finney
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When I'm riding my horse down trails and leaves crunch beneath his feet, I close my eyes and the smells are so wonderful. Then I'm back to being a child again, riding my first pony through the same scented woodsy trails.-Janie Crossmon
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The bright blue October skies, leaves crunching underfoot, and that lovely smell of death and decay under the light wind. -Laura Austan
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Getting the last load of chopped corn put in the trench, covering it with black plastic, and lying on top of the toasty and comfortable bed. -Steve Damon
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Ghost pony rides. (We dressed up as ghosts and rode our ponies around town.) -Missy Morann Rustemeyer
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Catching falling leaves while on horseback with my daughter. -Laurie Bayer
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Susan and I were married in October. -David Chase
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Jumping in musty leaves, and the smell of burning leaves when it was legal. Better to compost them, but it was a great smell. -Jeff Potter [the regional musician who shares the same name as your editor]
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Raking piles of leaves and jumping in them! -Nancy Gates Gauthier
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The last time I saw a true peak, with leaves of vivid orange, scarlet, and gold. Frankly, the last time I saw really good colors. -Nancy Crompton
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I'm showing my age, because I loved the huge piles of leaves we could jump into and the smell of those leaves burning later. Seeing the fall colors, expecting the holidays of Halloween and Thanksgiving, knowing that Christmas wasn't far behind. -Beverly Greer Langeveld
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I remember that I knew it was fall because I would be watching USA Cartoon Express after school while it'd become dark, around 5-6ish. I don't know why I associate the cartoon with that shifting of seasons, but it still stays in my head that way. -Shanta Lee
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The color of scent... the scent of color. Ohhh - and the smell of the cider house! It was surprisingly cool inside, unlike a sugarhouse, which is steamy and hot, but with similar particulated air that is the essence of the season. -Allison Teague
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Spring. -Jim Matteau
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Childhood memories: Cool days with bright blue sky, the smoky smell of burning raked leaves at the curb, collecting leaves for the annual school project (pressed between waxed paper), treading on the dried leaves to hear the crunch, choosing the perfect pumpkin, pots of chrysanthemums on the front steps, the musky smell of rain falling on the leaf-laden ground, looking forward to Halloween (my mom making my costume).
Later, the excitement of Homecoming and the big dance, and of hayrides. And as an adult, savoring each and every memory of autumn's past while marveling at the kaleidoscope of colors, making pots of soup, snuggling in the chilly overnight slumber. -Dianne Howard
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The smell of fallen leaves. -Dot Lenhart
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I do remember a couple of hayrides. One at Fair Winds Farm was followed by a bonfire and birthday cake. -Karen L. Cribari
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Jumping into a huge pile of raked leaves. -Margot Stone
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Picking apples under that unbelievable blue autumn sky. -Marilyn Buhlmann
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Sitting on the floor of an old barn in Dummerston having the older people tell us of their customs, like cranking ice-cream as a dating ritual in the “old days.” Older people, teenagers, and ice cream - who knew it would be such a wonderful combination?
I had the pleasure of experiencing these stories between the ages of 13 and 20. They made quite an impression. -Fran Lynggaard Hansen
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The smell of autumn in New England is like no other, anywhere. -Rick Jourdain