Green and yellow are the colors of fall.

Autumn’s in the air. It’s not here yet. But I tell you, it’s in the air.

I love summer, and I cherish every moment of its sun- and warmth-filled goodness. My heart, though. My heart belongs to autumn. To evenings crisp as apples. To leaves that paint an ombre canvas. To hot chocolate and spiced cider.

The days of summer are numbered, and I can’t help but feel the excitement I feel this time every year — when the sky starts taking on a distantly-familiar deep charcoal hue in the mornings. And that same hue reappears earlier in the evening, heralding night more quickly than those long-stretched summer nights that yawn and reach forward seemingly forever.

And, of course, there’s football. Oh, that sweet American pastime that’s more patriotic than apple pie.

Friends came to visit last week, and, because it’s almost autumn, and because we love football and because we love the Packers, we embraced the coming season with open arms and beers in hand. It was only a preseason game. A game that doesn’t matter in the scheme of things. But spending a day decked out in green and yellow — what could be better?

Here’s to changing seasons. Here’s to football and friendships. And, Go Packers.