For the past dozen years here up Moses Creek, October has brought not only cool temperatures and colorful leaves but swarms of drone-like brown marmorated stinkbugs that try to get inside our house for the winter. I wrote about these invasive pests in the Nov. 8, 2023, issue of the Smoky Mountain News, and how Becky and I turned their unwelcome arrival into a kind of enjoyable hunting season, making lemonade out of lemons, with no limit on how many bugs we could bag. 

It’s 12:23 a.m. and I can hear the tires from sporadic cars splashing through small puddles on nearby Walnut Street in downtown Waynesville. They say a big rainstorm is coming later today. For now, it’s another pull from the lukewarm Coors Light can.

Have you noticed how stunning the fall colors are this year? A plethora of factors affect the autumn hues, making some years rather drab and others, like this one, pop with kaleidoscope vibrancy. Every day I’ve stood in awe at the splendor. 

The change of season, especially to autumn, is always a welcome and refreshing time for me. Traveling diminishes, darkness encroaches sunlight and you hunker down into the coziness of cool mornings and hot drinks.

Celebrate the change of seasons with your friends and neighbors at a farm-to-table dinner at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center in Waynesville.