
As we went to press with this month’s issue, there was a fallish chill in the air during back-to-school week. We had a panic moment feeling that winter was right around the corner.
But hold on. Winter is not right around the corner. There’s still most of a month of summer left, and then the entire fall season remain to take advantage of paddling the Pine, or Wisconsin, or Pecatonica or Baraboo rivers (see story, p. 5).
There are two solid months of farmers market season left (see story, p. 9), and time enough to take advantage of all the outdoor arts and culture and recreational opportunities that abound in our nook of the Driftless Area (see p. 7 and pp. 14-21).

True, the air will undoubtedly be chillier at future fish boils and fries than the one we enjoyed in August in Mineral Point pictured here, but the change in temperatures and seasons can serve to trigger mindfulness about how we spend our time in this beautiful region.
This month’s columnists have similar messages about approaching this time of transition in a meaningful way. As Etienne White reminds us, “there is a distinct energy shift that’s already happening all around us” (see p. 23). And as Jennifer Moore-Kerr advises, we should savor September and “take time to not be in a hurry, to take the long way” (see p. 10).
Happy September, and happy reading,
