If you ever go by the Suffolk News-Herald office, I’m usually easy to pick out. All summer, for example, while everyone else was wearing T-shirts and relishing the air conditioner, I was most likely hunkering down in a heavy knit sweater with a hot beverage of some sort keeping my hands from getting frostbite.

OK, it probably wasn’t that cold, but for a person who prefers temperatures around 78 degrees, it was pretty chilly.

So with this in mind, it might surprise you to learn that my favorite season is not the summery heat of June through August, or even spring, when warmer days arrive just in time to give us a break from the chill of winter.

No, the best season of all is autumn. There’s just something wonderful about the months when the sunny days are cooled by a strong breeze and temperatures at night start dipping below 50 degrees.

In fact, I’m not sure there even is a bad thing that can be said about fall. What’s not to love about cheery pumpkins, leaves that have faded to yellows, oranges and reds or the return of apple cider — or apple pie or just plain apples, for that matter?

Just about the only “negative” side of the season was greeted with a sigh of relief by many in Suffolk, me included.

After a summer of scorching temperatures and cracked earth, autumn brought Suffolk much-needed precipitation. And while the jury is still out on just how bad this summer has been on area crops as Suffolk conducts its own investigation, state officials say cotton, soybean and peanut crops were hit hard this year.

And though the difficult conditions may have left farmers reeling, this summer should also serve as a wake-up call to the rest of us who typically don’t notice the hardships local farmers go through every day to support themselves and our community.

So as you enjoy the bounty of the greatest season of all — in my humble opinion, anyway — take a moment to say thanks to the farmer that toiled day and night to bring you the smiling pumpkin on your front porch or the delicious apple that’s probably already in your belly.