Making the most of it

As October winds down, the flush of autumn colors has already come and gone. The days still remember a touch of summer’s warmth, but the nights have forgotten it, looking ahead already to the winter to come. 

Even so, there are plenty of brilliant, crisp days yet to come before the snow sets in and the sun will start setting early in the afternoon. It’s time to make the most of it while there’s still some of it to be made the most of, while the outdoors isn’t yet actively hostile to human existence. 

Patrick Kelly starts readers off with an introduction to the Catskill Mountainkeeper Trail Steward program, which helps ensure visitors engage with the natural world fully and responsibly. (Watch out for photos from Sonia Ahmed!) Maria Grimaldi offers up musings on native plants and on autumal cooking, with suggestions for making a warming seasonal chili. 

Annemarie Schuetz will help keep us safe with tips on ticks and Lyme disease (did you know that Wayne County has the 26th highest Lyme rate in the country?). Then, we’ll visit Lackawaxen to meet Devin Devine, a stonemason specializing in an individual, “lithadelic” style. 

We’ll then take a look to the past, revisiting a conversation Schuetz had with artist Susan Cottle in 2019. We’ll wrap up with some winterization tips from Barbara Winfield. Together, they’ll help turn your mind to the steps that will help give you an inviting abode for your seasonal hibernation. 

Thank you for reading! We hope the season finds you safe and warm. 

Liam Mayo

Section Editor