By Sandy Neilly
It’s crazy, but the maples and sumachs are already starting to change colours just barely past mid-August. It’s been such a whirlwind of a summer weather-wise, maybe they just want to go into hibernation for a while and get some rest. I can’t say that I blame them. Here’s hoping for some truly lovely autumn weather that stretches as far into the fall (and maybe even winter) as possible.
Fall is always a welcome time, refreshing after the warm days of summer and exciting with the changes that it inevitably brings. Kids head back to school, routines become a little more important and life takes on a less laid-back attitude while the back-to-work mode kicks into overdrive. But for the days in between work and school it is probably the nicest time of year to explore your favourite places.
I’m not quite certain on how the weather has affected our crops this year, but I’m anxious to get to some farmers’ markets for fresh fruit and vegetables and maybe even get to some country auctions and antique shops. I also have this urge to get into the big city now that the heat has passed and do some long-overdue visiting to places we haven’t been to in years… and maybe see some old friends at the same time.
So many places – so little time!
Speaking of changes, this is a great time to tell you all the big news concerning the Wayback Times. After much consideration – over a period of several years, actually – I have decided that it is time to change from a bi-monthly publication to a quarterly publication, meaning it will be more or less a seasonal paper with winter, spring, summer and fall issues.
I came to this conclusion slowly and I have to assure you that it in no way indicates any slowing down of this energetic little newspaper. Actually, the slowing down is on my part! Time is flying by and by eliminating two issues per year, I hope to free up a little more time, selfishly, for myself but also for that hard-working guy (aka, my husband) who spends one full week of every eight on the road delivering the papers to the many locations (we also have another driver who helps) that distribute it to you, our readers. If that was all the driving he had to do, it might be manageable, but being involved in the antiques industry means many long miles of traveling most weeks to one place or another. Sometimes it’s to set up at a show, other times to pick up some “new-to-him” old inventory. We will have more to tell you about this big change, but if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call or email. I’m happy to answer them as best I can.
Those of you who are subscribers (thank you!) will still receive the same number of papers you subscribed for, there will just be a longer period of time in between issues.
Part of my plan, with more time to experiment with, will include getting to more of the events that are in the WT. There is an irony in the fact that I rarely get to any of the wonderful shows, shops or markets that advertise with us. Publishing is a time-consuming business especially when you’re entrusted to get the word out to readers like you – and accuracy is so important. (I learned this lesson first-hand in the July/August issue… please have a look at the Buzz note below regarding Antiques on Highway 48,)
Thank you, readers and advertisers alike, for all of your wonderful support. After 22 years of printing, the Wayback Times is a vibrant and exciting compilation of many aspects of antiques, nostalgia, vintage – all thanks to our writers and advertisers. As publisher and editor, I get to pull it all together onto these pages, but without you, none of that would happen.
At this point, I have surpassed the period of time that the founder of the WT, Jay Telfer, spent as the editor and publisher. I think he would be very happy to know how well it’s doing all these years after its inception in the fall of 1995.
Enjoy the autumn. It seems to pass by faster than any other season – maybe because we all have a “to-do” list of things to prepare for winter, and the fact that winter is the next season coming. Oh well, that certainly makes us appreciate these golden days even more. Right?
Thank you for reading. Please tell our advertisers that you saw them in the Wayback Times. They appreciate that and we do, too. Facebook is great, but being face to face with real people is the best way to get “likes” as far as I’m concerned.
We’ll be back with our last bi-monthly November/December issue at the end of October. After that – the first official Winter issue of the WT will be out just before Christmas 2017.
Take care, safe travels and God bless.