Coming up: fresh fall challenges

Fall is here! It is my favorite time of year. Football, hunting, cool weather, fishing, and green turning to amber and orange. But there are some changes this year other than the leaves.

Local hunting will be a little different this year with all the freshly charred ground. The bow hunters have already said that finding the deer is a little more challenging. Everyone has their favorite piece of local ground and about everyone said that it is a black mess out there. So making plans for opening day might have to include a different location this year, or more luck than normal.

Local football has its challenges too. Little-guy football has been playing opponents from the charred Wenatchee area and they have had little practice and fewer games because of the smoke. This last weekend some of the visitors from the Apple Valley said it was the first time they have seen blue skies in two weeks. If you missed the middle school football game, you missed some excitement. The team looks good and Hall and Desautel are showing that the time spent in the lil-guy program is paying off. But the team as a whole looks good and that shows promise for the high school in the future. Good job, coaches, on both levels.

One part I don’t like about fall is the falling leaves. Don’t get me wrong; I love the color change and the golden beauty, but I could do without the rake and wet, slickness of the ground in the morning. I love the cool crispness of the Coulee fall, sweatshirts and open windows are a favorite. Hot apple cider and warm soups are just around the corner. That also means the holidays are creeping up on us. Before we know it, Halloween will be here and the little tykes in their Batman and princess costumes will be trying to stay warm while they go collect their bounty. Then, Thanksgiving and Christmas quickly followed by a new year, and 2013 will be born. How quickly a year burns to the ground with nothing but memories left, leaving us thinking we must have slept through a few months.

So finish the year strong. Smile more, greet people, and go visit the friends you have not seen all year. Tell that special person you love them daily, hug more. When you see someone in need of a little help, stop and help them. A little generosity or unselfishness can go a long way in changing someone’s attitude.

The Grand Coulee Dam Middle School has seen this change recently, first hand. Just ask someone in the Friends of Rachael Club and they will tell you about what little changes can do in someone’s life. Being a positive person can lead to more positive people and experiences, and a positive life.