Summer has officially transitioned into autumn. The last two weeks of were a whirlwind, with the Big Eddy Film Festival and the Narrowsburg Honeybee Fest on back-to-back weekends. Kudos to Delaware Valley Arts Alliance for organizing its biggest film fest yet, and to Joan Santo, Charles Wilkin and Martin Higgins for putting on a great town-wide event celebrating the honeybee.

Now that the festivities are behind us and 80° days have been replaced by 60° days, I for one am happy to have my boots and sweaters on and to have time to focus on my fall projects. My parents, Gail and Tom, have a Midwestern work ethic. Together we’ve been cleaning up a creek that runs along my fixer-upper home, and spending time at the end of the day admiring our progress. One of the things I love best about this particular spot, which is bordered by a centuries-old rock wall, is the timelessness of it. Sitting creekside, a campfire crackling nearby, we could be living in 1848 or 2018.

I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about Narrowsburg’s history as we work on the house. It was a treat to find that someone left a clue to the home’s origins by signing the back of a piece of window trim. In large handwriting it reads, “J.P. Hoyerman, Narrowsburgh, N.Y.” I jumped onto my ancestry.com account and pulled up a German immigrant by that name born in 1827 who worked in a Tusten lumber mill in the 1860s. Back then, Narrowsburg still had an “h” at the end, like Pittsburgh and Newburgh.

At the edge of the property I discovered an old dumping spot from the days before recycling centers and transfer stations. I’ve unearthed an old toilet and a cast-iron stove top, not to mention endless pieces of broken glass and rusty cans. I’ll be able to recycle a lot of the debris. But for the other things, I was happy to hear that Tusten has added another free dump day this year. On Saturday, October 20 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., town residents can bring one truckload to the Tusten Town Highway property on State Route 97 near Eckes Road. For a list of permitted items, visit the Town of Tusten Facebook page or call the town hall at 845/252-7146.

As you probably noticed, school tax bills arrived late this year, but as a result you get an extra week to pay. The due date has been postponed to October 9.

Happy fall to you and your family.